For those of you with very dirty horses

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mandy4727

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As the title says. Two questions. Those on straw how many bales of straw do you use a week in summer and then in winter. Obviously the people with stabled horses. And same question to those on shavings please!!! Or something similar like nedzbeds. I know shavings or nedzbeds will work out a bit more expensive. But just wondering how much dearer it would be. My filly stinks so so much. She is currently on straw. Stabled at night, out during day. Full bale of straw down looks lovely for about 2 nights - I can get away with 1 bale as they are heavy, large and well packed. Then 3rd night end up getting rid of most of it and putting another full bale down. In winter I was going through 4 a week at £1.95 a bale and in summer getting a way with 2 - 3. But the smell is unbelieveable whilst on straw. You can taste it so it can't be doing her any good at all and we stink permanenly!!!
 
I am on shavings and usually use 2 shavings a week in summer and winter though occasionally use 3 or maybe 4 if I am feeling nice
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. Ben always has a decent size bed and hes not deep littered.

On my yard the shavings are 5 pound a bag. But I already have 2 a week paid for in my monthly stable rent. I used to be on straw on my old horse and used to have 3 a week and her bed was massive. I used to put some down everyday though to freshen it up, and if was really bad put a bale down.
 
My shavings bed I bought 10 but put 8 down then put the other 2 down the next day Its up to the individual as to what size of bed they want, how big the stable is and if you have rubber matting, I am one of these that like huge beds. Oh and my horse isnt dirty touch wood lol I get a normal size wheel barrow out of him.
 
Assuming a 12 x 12 stable, I put down 3 bales of straw, or 5-6 bales of shavings.

I reckon on a bale of straw every other day, assuming I take out 2 barrowloads and a skipful from the stable every day. If there's more mucked out then I use more straw than that! When he first came to us, he was used to living out and the first few weeks, I was doing at least a bale a day and taking out 4-5 barrowloads a day. Now he's used to it (7 months later) and has realised it's actually quite nice to come in out of the wind and rain to hay and feed, it's much easier to clean out and most days now it's just a barrowload and a skip of sweepings out.

My other boy is on shavings (he ate his straw and got really really fat). Very niggly about being "starved" at first and trashed his bed for a week or so, so that was expensive and I was doing 3-4 bales a week. Now I do 2 bales a week (bale added every 4th day), skip out/full muck out alternate days. He has nice deep bed, and it's a very clean one, I get down with my rubber gloves on and pick out every bit of poo before I get going with the fork. I find he stains less than he did on straw (he's grey) and it's definitely less smelly than my straw stable. I have found the large flake shavings (Mendip/bedmax) easier to work with than the more common small shavings which I started with

Slightly less in summer of course as they're in for less time, but tbh I just look at the height of the piled up straw or shavings and decided from that whether or not it's time to add more.
 
My mare is very wet and I couldn't stand her on straw as she stank the whole time.
She's now on auboise, 1 bale a week, don't have to take much wet out and theres no smell either on her or me!
 
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My mare is very wet and I couldn't stand her on straw as she stank the whole time.
She's now on auboise, 1 bale a week, don't have to take much wet out and theres no smell either on her or me!

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I echo this. Very wet and smelly gelding and was using tonnes of straw or shavings. Now on aubiose, one bale a week, deep litter all week and clear at weekends. Quick, easy and doesnt smell (well not AS bad lol).
 
I have a very wet mare who walks everything into one wet pile on shavings or straw.

The solution?

Equisorb (hemp) was good - about 1.5 bales per week. Took 40mins to muck out. It cost me about £7 per bale.

Aquamax is fantastic. I have never ever in the years I have owned her, seen her bed look like I would happily sleep on it come the morning. It is absolutely amazing, so dry, and takes 20mins for a full muck out. I use it without mats because my mare is so wet that with less bedding on mats she ends up slipping. It took 4 bags initially to mix with the remains of our hemp bed (would have been 6/7 otherwise), and the amount we take out per day for two horses can fit easily in a skep, or a small wheelbarrow. One bag costs me £5.85, and she uses about 1 bag a week. With a very wet horse, when the bed's set up you use water to activate it (it swells to about 4x its size!), then when it's done I added a bag of the pellets as they were. That helps to keep the bed really dry, and when she runs out of neat pellets, I add some more. It makes a lovely soft bed and my horse lies down very happily on it.
 
I'm on straw. Hemp etc is no good for me as he digs up his bed to have a roll!
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I have a big thick deep bed, and use 5 bales of straw a week. I muck out to the bottom and one bank everyday, taking out about 4 barrows. I put a sprinkle of hemcore down under the straw to soak up some of the wee, a bale lasts me for weeks. My bed doesn't smell and I find this managable.
 
My boy used to be straw and I was going through 4-5 bales a week and his bed was still a disaster zone, with rubber matting as well.

Now moved onto Aubiose and couldn't go back now. Sooo nice and he is so so so much cleaner on (big shock to the system). Did put 8 bales in to start with which was expenisive but now only use 1 bale a week. Take out the poos daily and wee once a week, so very quick mucking out. Also I moved the whole bed to reach the front of the stable to stabilize the bed and it has now become really nice and compact!
 
that'll be me then
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Pidge is so dirty in the stable
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However after having had him 2 winters now I have found the almost perfect solution for him
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rubber matting - he likes to roll and has a good scrape beforehand so with this he never gets to concrete
Deep bed of shavings about 6" away from the front of the box - my bed is usually about 6" deep at least. Yes it does cost more to set up initially but I put in 1 bale then 2 bales the following week then 1 bale and so on. I can also now do a total muck out with just taking out one wheelbarrow. The wee goes down and if he tramps bed he tramps the top layer and not the bit with wee in. And the poo just gets coated with shavings and because it doesn't get near the floor it doesn't get mushed in anything so is easier to get out.
If he has a shallower bed I end up taking out 2 wheelbarrows because he tramps the poo and wee around, so I end up with tiny bits of poo everywhere and wee mixed in with the bed
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This took me ages to muck out and cost me more in shavings.
Sorry for long post but sympathise with you having a scutty horse
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