How do you bed yours??

Tinkle

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Hello all,

I know there's been quite a few bedding related posts of late but after hearing about the price of shavings locally I've been looking at various alternative beddings today and just wondered what everyone uses. So...

- Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?

- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?

- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?

- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?

- Anyone have any pictures?

To start with, I have two horses - one mare who is fairly neat and tidy but does occasionally decide to trash everything and one gelding who is just a mess in general...poos and wees everywhere and is driving me bananas. I have rubber mats in both stables and use shavings in 25kg bales from a local supplier (no brand). We ordered them early so they were still under £5 a bale. I'm trying to use small beds for my two removing all wet and poos daily. This is working fairly well for the mare but I'm having problems with a stable with no drainage leading to puddles under mats. But the gelding is just pooing at the front of his stable and then weeing in the poo. This wee is then running and collecting around his water bucket and out of the door. I'm using around 1 bale every 4-5days which is about right as I used 1 bale in approx a week and a half last winter but that was for one horse. However, this year the beds don't seem to be working as well as they could and are messy and smelly. I have been pondering a change but not sure what alternatives there are - want something non-smelly, highly absorbent and cost effective.

So...any thoughts?

x
 
- Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?

Mucky as hell
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- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?

Traditional Straw

- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?

Straw baled at the yard

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc

Use ten sections a week @ 50p a section so £5.00

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?
No don't have them down

- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?

Lift and move beds and banks everyday

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?

Its great
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Changed from shaving as I was going through 4 bales a week
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- Anyone have any pictures?
No , but will get a pic tonight
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<font color="red"> - Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?</font>
My mare is gross

<font color="red"> - What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?</font>
she is now on hemp though i only changed her a week ago from shavings

<font color="red"> - What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?</font>
Hemcore

<font color="red"> - What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc</font>
£8.60 a bale and so far i only use one a week and she has a massive bed

<font color="red"> - Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?</font>
yes but i still have a full normal size bed

<font color="red"> - How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?</font>
deep litter now on hemcore but was fully mucked out on shavings

<font color="red"> - Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?</font>
i think its working really well so far

<font color="red"> - Anyone have any pictures?</font>
i will take some just for you!!
 
- Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?

Neat and tidy!! Now we have all mares on the yard and they are so much tidier than geldings I've had.

- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?

Shavings. We have properly white ones at the mo and I love the clean-whiteness!

- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?

Whatever is cheapest/in stock at the time we buy it

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc

Not sure, we MASSIVELY bulk buy on huge pallets. They do have massive beds tho, I use 2 bales a week per horse

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?

no

- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?

All out every day, cant stand deep litter. Only takes 10 mins a box if they're kept clean


- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?

nope its all good
 
Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?
Mucky - worse this winter

- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?

Shavings as he ate all the chopped straw and we aren't allowed real straw

- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?

Local supplier

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc

£7.10 per week (incl. in livery even though that has just gone up) as I generally only need 1 bale. Once every 3 weeks I put an extra one in.

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?

No

- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?

Skip out and muck out every other day

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?

I would use chopped straw but as he eats it it will end up costing more money plus I love shavings.

- Anyone have any pictures?
 
Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?

Tidy 16.3hh TB in a 10ft x 10ft stable (not ideal but only stable at home).

- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?

Shavings

- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?

Hunter

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc

£8.50 a bag. Use 3 bags a fortnight.

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?

Have 2 rubber mats at the front of the stable so he's not standing on concrete. They go half way back under his bed. Have deep bed with big deep banks round.

- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?

Full muck out every day. I usually poo pick last thing at night (strange I know) and throw his poo in the corner so its less to do in the morning. He wees in the same place every day so takes about 10 mins to do full bed and put it back ready for evening.

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?

Works very well for me. He isn't messy at all and likes to lie down to sleep hence deep bed and banks.
 
I use straw with Sunsilk, she isnt the cleanest but she isnt the dirtiest either! Some nights she obviously sleeps better than others!!
I deep litter for a week and then once a week all the dirty comes out and i put one bale back in, now i know this doesnt sound a lot but she actually has a huge bed, her box is 10x10, and it lasts a week, by the end of the week the bed is ready to be mucked out but is never squelches or anything nasty!
I'm not sure how much i pay a month cos i cant remember how much i pay for a bale!
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I have found this is the best and cheapest way for me and my pony!

ETS I will take a pic tonight as monday is muck out day!!
 
- Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?
Dirty Git
- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?
Traditional Straw
- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?
Local racehorse trainer, supplys both our top quality haylage and our double thrashed straw (very dust free)

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc
Per bale is £2 at the moment i am using a minimum of 3 a week so £ 6

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?
No but will be looking to get some as would make my life easier
- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?
I do a full muck out everday, but leave the banks completly untouched as they are now big and solid.

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?
It is working out fine. cheeper than shavings and *touch wood* no dust allergies.
- Anyone have any pictures?
Nope sorry

Lou x
 
Horse is very tidy but pee's in the banks, so skip out 6 days a week and do full muck out at the weekends. She is on shavings which were £6.90 but have just gone up to £7.50 so am going to look for another supplier. I only put one in per week and occationaly 2 so it does work out economical. I was going to get rubber matting but think i would want a large bed on it anyway so they'd be no point!!
 
- Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?
<font color="blue"> </font> fairly tidy although she poo's a lot and is fairly wet

- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc? <font color="blue"> </font> mix of hemcore / aubiose and Nedz bed

- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier? <font color="blue"> </font> local feed store

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc <font color="blue"> </font> Hemcore / aubiose are about £8 per bale and Nedz bed is about £6 although I try and buy the wet ones off my local feed store which they knock down to £4 and most of them are barely damp!
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I generally go through 2 bales a week on 24/7 box rest.

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use? <font color="blue"> </font> yep... I have big banks (she wriggles and gets stuck against the wall otherwise) and having tried full bed / half bed I have now settled for a quater bet at the back of the box for her to tie on and pee / poo on..

- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine? <font color="blue"> </font> She's on box rest so muck out fully in the morning and then take out droppings and any visible wet in the evening

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?

<font color="blue"> </font> I would change to straw but it tends to be smelly on rubber matting and I seem to have become sensitive to dust so I'm not going to..
 
- Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?

Tidy mare: horrendous dirty, dirty gelding!

- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?

Wood pellets
- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?

www.liverpoolwoodpelletts.co.uk

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc

£3 ish a week per horse

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?
yes
- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?

take out worst of wet daily (only a small amount) and mix in damp which then dries, keeps bed in best condition and does not smell

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?

love it love it- have gone from straw (yuck yuck) to flax last winter (not impressed) and love my wood pellets so much.

- Anyone have any pictures?

Sorry no
 
1 gelding that is just disgusting - 14x14 stable and he wanders about stiring everything up. 1 gelding that is clean.

Straw from yard.

about £3 per week (2 bales) between the two (although clean one only uses about 2/3 bale)

no matting

They both get a thick straw square bed in the back corner. I do a full muck out every morning (small heaped barrow from dirty and 1/2 barrow from clean horse). I skip out usually before bed (9-10pm).

I won't change bedding as I've been through most with the dirty one (Rubber mats etc) and nothing improves him and other bedding is more money.
 
- Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?
1 quite tidy, 2 v. messy

- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?
Straw from the farm

- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?
Farmer supplies it

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc
£1 per small bale, can use approx 7 per week.

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?
No mats - used to have them but floor not entirely level so had problems with them.

- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?
Pony gets skipped out every day and full muck out every other day. The rest get mucked out fully every day.

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?
I'd like lovely white fluffy shavings beds but my horses are too messy to even consider it!

- Anyone have any pictures
No pics sorry!
 

- Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?

a couple of each!

- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?

Ecobed cardboard.

- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc

£5 a bale ish.

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?

yes, mayomats (foam rubber, very good insulation), and i use 1/3 - 1/2 bed at the back of the stable, full depth.

- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?

full muck out every time i'm in there, so at least at 8am, lunchtime, 4pm, and 10pm. i remove wet as well as muck every time, i like the beds to be as clean as possible because they're in a barn.

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?

yes, working well, i've done it like this for years and see no need to change. no smell, i don't lift the mats (no need if there's no smell imho), very easy to muck out (5 mins per stable every morning).
the youngsters are muckier than the older horses, but i keep them the same, they just use up a bit more bedding.

- Anyone have any pictures?

umm, if i can get photobucket working...! no, not at the moment.
frown.gif
 
Are you horses neat and tidy or mucky pups?
Both messy, one more than the other

- What type of bedding do you use? Traditional straw, chopped straw, shavings, hemp, paper etc?

straw

- What brand do you use? Or is it just a local supplier?
supplied by DIY yard

- What sort of price does it work out at? Per bale? Per week? etc
£2.50 per bale - 5 bales a week so £12.50

- Do you have rubber mats down? If so, what kind of bed do you use?
no

- How do you maintain the bed? Full muck out daily, semi-deep or deep litter? Or your own custom routine?
full muck out daily

- Is it working out well or are you looking to change bedding? If so, what to?
works well

- Anyone have any pictures?
nope, sorry!
 
Can I add a question, are you banking the beds, esp the chippings?
Im using chippings, but I live in Spain and the nags arnt in much so they are happy and quiet and sleep lots when they do have to come in. I clean the stable out completely, no mats Im saving up, and Im happy the way I am at present. Here the price is awful unless you buy DUST, or straw. (in fact the local stables feed their horses on straw). But whats everyones opinion on banking, and yes, they doi sit down! Kim How do I put pictures on this?
 
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