Horse very messy in stable

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hayley.t

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Ok, the threads re bedding have got me thinking, my pony is very messy in the stable and I wondered if anybody knew of any way to improve this or if its just one of those things. I think I already know the answer but it can't hurt to ask. I have tried all types of bedding and techniques and now just have good quality thick rubber matting and enough shavings to soak up the wee and muck out completely every day. He is out 24/7 in summer and has turnout all winter, in a big field which usually has grazing all winter. He goes out around 8ish and comes in between 4 and 6 depending on the weather. He has adlib hay fed from the floor. He is not stressy in the stable and I have never seen him box walk. I have introduced yeasacc and brewers yeast this summer as he was getting runny poos when taking him to shows and he has improved. I can't leave treacle type licks in the stable as he obliterates them, salt licks he shows absolutely no interest in. Any ideas?
 
oh well, glad its not just mine!! (sorry).
People said he might get better as he got older but its just never happened and he's 7 now :(.
 
My loan mare was immaculate in the stable. She peed and pooed in the same spot every day and was so easy to muck out ... although dont miss her!

My new horse is a mucky git and i tend to just have a bit of shavings on matting to mop up the worst of it but i could seriously put a bale of shavings in his stable everyday ... Which im not doing, lol :rolleyes:
 
If you can, try locating his hay/haylage in a different part of the stable - experiment. I had a disgusting TB gelding.....and then one day I put his haynet in a different place (can't remember the reason, but it wasn't becuase he was messy) and turned up to a hugely improved, almost tidy stable! Put it back in the normal spot and back to normal. I worked out that he went from net to door, door to net, and on and on and churned up the stable by doing to. But new location meant his hay was by a window so he would stand looking through the window, rather than having to move to the stable door the whole time.

Maybe worth a shot!?
 
alsxx said:
If you can, try locating his hay/haylage in a different part of the stable - experiment. I had a disgusting TB gelding.....and then one day I put his haynet in a different place (can't remember the reason, but it wasn't becuase he was messy) and turned up to a hugely improved, almost tidy stable! Put it back in the normal spot and back to normal. I worked out that he went from net to door, door to net, and on and on and churned up the stable by doing to. But new location meant his hay was by a window so he would stand looking through the window, rather than having to move to the stable door the whole time.

Maybe worth a shot!?
Click to expand...

Wow! That was a briliant bit of detective work :) (I am not being sarcastic by the way). x
 
I believe small bedding = dirty horse, because there is not enough to soak up wet. Would you like to lie down in poo and pee, horses dont even do it in the wild, make a decent bed with shavings let the bottom get a bit wet, shavings soak up better when they are wet, then just take out the wettest bit daily with poos and once a week top up with a bale. It will get better and pony will be happier. Also check the over rugged too hot so drinking to much water thing as well, what goes in has to come out.
 
Sorry didn't mean the horse gets dirty, I mean the whole stable is very messy. Unfortunately I can't do as you suggest as the whole bed gets churned up and I have to take most of the bedding out daily.
 
This may sound daft, but how often is he ridden? My old boy was MINGING in the stable in winter (same as yours he was out 24/7 in summer and every day in winter) until I started riding 5 days a week. It was like someone had flicked a switch, the bed that used to take 30 mins to muck out only took 10!
 
A tip, I had a VERY messy box walker which I wanted to try deep littered, but my issue was that when ever I tried the horse just trashed the bed. So I swapped stables for a week with another livery and used her horse to start a deep litter bed so by the time mine back into his stable the base was lovely and firm. I then forked back the top layer of clean bedding every day and let the base get some air so it dried and patted it down as hard as I could so the box walker couldn't move it, then at the en of the day I pulled the fresh bed back down. I went from using 2 bales of shavings a week to 1 a month! And as the deep litter was aired and dried every day the horse didn't get thrush and the bed didn't smell
 
Ooh that sounds hopeful then, the last few years I worked full time and only rode 3-4 times a week in the winter, usually hacking at the weekend and schooling 2 mornings before work however I now work part time and should be able to ride like normal so I shall see if it makes a difference.
I might also try deep littering on straw, there was another post about putting pellets down and then straw on top so I might give that a go.
 
Sounds a bit weird but try moving the bed round 90 degrees. My boy was AWFUL ((also due to the fact if he didn't go out first and come in last he's throw a wobbily and trash everything)) but then i realised a lot of it was being flung to the back. I rotated his bed so only half the bed was at the back and it came right up to the front on one side instead, worked a treat, poos sat on the bedding cleared rubber matting so easier to pick up and his bed stays drier. Good luck!
 
Hang his haynet / put his hay on the floor near the door so that he can eat and look out at the same time. decaheadron treat balls are good. bigger stable? I find a thicker bed better than a thin one but if youre sure youve tried it all ways then maybe not!
 
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