How much of your stable is covered with bedding?

[dreambigpony]

I'm thinking of changing my stable layout. Currently my horse has the back end of the stable as bedding and front section just for hay, water etc. Just wondered what everyone else does and how much bedding covers the flooring and what layout do you have?

 

[Greylegs]

Rear 3/4 covered in shavings and banked, front section empty but with rubber as horse is barefoot. Not a fan of having hay nets over a bedded section as it encourages horse to graze on top of shavings so my hay is tied up over the front, bare section so any bits drop onto the hard floor and can be picked up easily.

 

[LeannePip]

pretty much the same as grey legs - standard 12x12 stable rubber matted banks and shavings over the back 3/4's water bucket and hay in the empty bit at the front - cannot bare hay nets hanging over bedding would drive me crazy!my mats don't quite fit to the front of the stable so there is about 1.5ft of not mats.

 

[splashgirl45]

I do the same as greylegs, and for the same reason....

 

[MerrySherryRider]

One has 3/4 of the stable covered in deep shavings on rubber mats and the other has the entire stable covered as he's a big lad with arthritis and needs lots of space to lie down.

 

[Tern]

12x12 stable, fully matted and 1/2 - 3/4 covering..

My friend puts hers in an L shape.

 

[Montyforever]

Big stable, back half is rubber matted and half of the rubber mats is a really thick wood pellets bed she's only 12hh so works but bed would need to be bigger with a bigger horse

 

[soot]

Nowadays rubber matting and 50% shavings ...

In the olden days before rubber mattings, I used to make killer straw beds that would cover the entire stable and the horses loved it. But sadly I don't have the much heap facilities for this amount of bedding now (also, it is a bit wasteful in this modern age!)

 

[gina2201]

About 1/2 - 3/4 but all is rubber matting. As above, hay area clear of bedding as they tend to drop it and it gets wasted.

 

[Honey08]

Stables are 14' in length from back. I have fetlock deep patted down straw 11', so just room for the water buckets on the 3' strip of rubber showing at the front. Haynets are half over beds, half over rubber. I like a horse to be able to lie flat our in whatever direction it wants, I hate half beds where horses seem to have to balance on the bed at the back, and I don't like a horse standing all night with his back end up a straw/shavings step from his front end. I don't do banks nowadays.

When we had ponies in 12x14 boxes i didn't bring the beds as far forward, and for the 12h pony I did a 9x9 square of bed in a corner, leaving the rest swept mats.

 

[Jericho]

much the same as everyone else, rubber matted with about a foot clearance around the edge (so basically they stand on rubber mats), shavings about 5 inches deep to about 3/4 of the way forward in a 12by12foot stable. Water at front in one corner, haynet in other. I do however prefer to hang a haynet over bedding so that they are standing level on bedding rather than front end on mats, back end up on bedding but mare is on soaked hay and it would soak the bedding underneath. Also if the horse is nosy I tend to put the haynet nearer the door otherwise they churn the bed up.

 

[Pinkvboots]

3/4 with banked shavings front section has one large mat in front of the door, hay and water goes at the front on the floor.

 

[twiggy2]

I have mats down and am trying to establish a deep litter bed over 3/4 of the floor but my mare moves the front of the bad so at the mo only half the floor is always covered in bedding, hay in an old water tank to one side of front of stable

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Wood pellets bedding (Aquamax) right up to the door in 12x12 stables so they are standing on the same thickness bedding wherever they are in stable as my ponies all nosy so like standing gawping out the door :biggrin3:

 

[eggs]

My stables are 12' wide and 18' deep. They are fully rubber matted and I have thick wood pellet beds in the back 1/2 to 2/3. Hay, fed and water is at the front and when eating their hay, etc they are stood on the mats on,y and not the bedding.

 

[ebonyallen]

The whole stable, apart from a small section at the front, for water and food. Lush deep straw bed nothing like it.

 

[Batgirl]

Foaling box, rubber matted, 1/4 bed.

 

[leggs]

mmm, not used to measurements in feet but my smallest stables are 4x4meters, largest one 4x5.5meters, rubber matting, straw with the edges of the stable piled up higher so even the dumbest of horses can't get cast, straw well over fetlocks, they're only in at night.

google; 4 meters is 13.12feet

 

[PolarSkye]

14 x 14 stable - door in front left hand corner. Big straw bed (a good 18 inches deep) with banks twice that height on two sides (back and right side), with a two-foot strip at the front left bare for his water buckets and hay/haylage (no nets - fed from the floor). No rubber mats.

P

 

[Kezzabell2]

my stables are weird! they are quite small but 2 stables have been knocked into one so its about 11 x 20. my boy is 16'2 and is on box rest, so I tend to put a bigish bed at one end but he walks it all around, he seems to like having some straw under his feet at the opposite end where he has his hay and water, so I usually leave that that and then the he has bed as well! nice a messy haha

 

[Spoiled cob]

All my stables have rubber mats and shavings beds covering the whole floor.

 

[cobgoblin]

The 12x12 stable has full rubber mats and 3/4 bed.
The 12x24 stables have full rubber mats and a 12x12 bed.

 

[*hic*]

Depends on the horse and its habits.

I am intrigued however, for those who have pellets and shavings covering the whole floor up to the door how do you stop them falling out of the door when you open it? I'm aware of the art of plaiting straw beds so that doesn't happen (although I'd be surprised if many do it) but have always been at a loss to keep pellets, chips and shavings in.

 

[EquiEquestrian556]

The three in the 12x12 stable block: My mare has a very deep bed of Bliss Bedding that covers every inch of her stable, there's PLENTY (she just LOVES bedding) where as my Father's mare has a very thin sheet of BB as she eats it all Mother's mare scraps it to the back of her stable by pawing. Two in the 11x10 (they're only 12 hands high) just a 'normal' amount over their stable floors.

 

[Nannon]

The back half/ 3/4 straw bed, no rubber mats. Front clear for hay etc and don't do a very very deep bed as he's a chronic box walker when he gets a little stressed and just trashes the stable! Today I had to take 3 wheelbarrows out (and those are the big twin wheeled barrows!) because he had walked most of the day so the bed was filty and piled up behind the door and in the middle of the box! I miss shavings straw is included at my yard so don't want to have to pay lots extra!

 

[NellRosk]

Mine each have a 16x14 stables, rubber matted and the back 3/4 covered in straw with nice deep banks because one has a habit of getting cast. And then hay and water is fed off the matted bit as I find it loads easier/ tidier!

 

[NellRosk]

Depends on the horse and its habits.

I am intrigued however, for those who have pellets and shavings covering the whole floor up to the door how do you stop them falling out of the door when you open it? I'm aware of the art of plaiting straw beds so that doesn't happen (although I'd be surprised if many do it) but have always been at a loss to keep pellets, chips and shavings in.

Ooh how on earth do you 'plait' a bed? I kind of thatch the straw together so it maintains a good shape but never heard of plaiting it!

 

[coffeeandabagel]

Interesting thoughts about horse not standing half on and half off the bed - any evidence that this does cause a problem? My horse is on woodpellets, half the box depth. Its not a huge stable so she is half on and half off when eating her hay, and is stiff coming out in the mornings - could this be why?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Stables are 14' in length from back. I have fetlock deep patted down straw 11', so just room for the water buckets on the 3' strip of rubber showing at the front. Haynets are half over beds, half over rubber. I like a horse to be able to lie flat our in whatever direction it wants, I hate half beds where horses seem to have to balance on the bed at the back, and I don't like a horse standing all night with his back end up a straw/shavings step from his front end. I don't do banks nowadays.


When we had ponies in 12x14 boxes i didn't bring the beds as far forward, and for the 12h pony I did a 9x9 square of bed in a corner, leaving the rest swept mats.

I'm with Honey. I hate to see half a floor, how is the horse supposed to fit itself onto the measly bit of bedding that's there? We have 3 earth floors and 2 concrete, they all have full beds, without banks, with haybars as I can't stand haynets either. I like my horses to be comfy when they are in.
3 have straw beds, the other (only 4 horses atm) eats straw and gives herself colic so has a Megazorb base on concrete, with shavings on top. The water trug is on the bed, so that the horse doesn't have to bend lower than is comfortable to get a drink.


ETA, if the bedding falls out of the door, you either shovel it back in or sweep it up to put it on the muckheap.

 

[Evie91]

Older mare - Rubber mats and thick shavings bed over the whole stable
Young pony - rubber mats and half covered with shavings.