Miscanthus bedding for very wet horse on box rest

[Irishdraughtx]

My gelding is on his 5th month of box rest and is bedded on wood pellets however I am really struggling to keep his bed clean. He is very wet and no matter what I do with it, it's still a mess.

I have seen good reviews about miscanthus bedding for wet horses but was wondering if anyone has swapped from pellets to something else and thought it was worth it? I fully expected his bed to be worse on box rest (he was a pig before) but I am currently using six-seven bags a week in his box and wondered if it was worth trying something else.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I’ve just swapped from miscanthus to pellets as the miscanthus was twice the price and it was costing me a fortune. I started off wetting the pellets but now I just add them dry as a layer between two layers of his already used bed as it’s so damp this time of year.

 

[ester]

I like to use a bag or two of pellets under miscanthus, it tends to keep the wet a bit locked away.

 

[honetpot]

I have tried just about every bedding including miscanthus pellets, and unless its cheaper than wood pellets it works no better.

Is he a musher or just wet? If he is a musher I would invest in EVA rubber mats and just bed down at night where he lies. I have a very dirty pony, I eva mats. I do not use bedding were he stands and just have a band big enough for him to lie on.
The most absorbent bedding is aubiose but you need to deep litter it, learn to live with a brown bed, and let it build a solid base. I had one bed down for 2years and in parts it was a solid 10inches deep. It seems to breath more than most beds and will dry out although you still would have to take out the wet middle. usually as hole about a foot square where they pee.

 

[Irishdraughtx]

Thank you for all your replies, he isn't a musher as such just very wet. I have heard of having a pellet base with something else on top but I think I will look into matting out his stable completely

Just frustrating where everyone else on the yard has nice looking beds and mine is a dirty brown all the time! I don't soak any of the bags and put them down dry but doesn't make much difference with him.

 

[ester]

I never got on with not soaking them (using as base) even when in a hole in a chalk floor where urine collected they never properly activated.

 

[chaps89]

I always found them better when they were soaked before putting them into the bed, it seemed to clump together more, maybe worth a try?

 

[Irishdraughtx]

Thanks all, maybe I might as well stick with the wood pellets and try putting them down soaked again. Just trying to find what works for him.

 

[SEL]

I feel your pain! I think if I had to have my little draft in for months on end I'd lose the will to live. Even my YO says he's the muckiest horse she's ever dealt with.

He's on wood pellets that go so brown I could tip them on the garden and they wouldn't stand out. I've given up ever having him on a nice golden bed - he spreads it everywhere and mashes it all together. Grim.

 

[Mrs B]

Mine (15.1 gelding, quite clean but wees a fair amount) is usually on basic shavings over rubber mats - large box and I use 4 to 5 bags a fortnight on average. Mucked out fully every day, only in at night in winter.

Friend had some miscanthus and thought it might be making her horses itchy, so I offered to buy it and try it out. Never again! Usually, as there are no central drains in the box, most wee gets absorbed by the shavings and any excess is taken up in a corner by a scattering of wood pellets.

By Day 3 on miscanthus, I actually had a puddle of wee a foot across in that corner, despite the pellets and the box stank.

He's back on shavings!

 

[Irishdraughtx]

I feel your pain! I think if I had to have my little draft in for months on end I'd lose the will to live. Even my YO says he's the muckiest horse she's ever dealt with.

He's on wood pellets that go so brown I could tip them on the garden and they wouldn't stand out. I've given up ever having him on a nice golden bed - he spreads it everywhere and mashes it all together. Grim.

I know this feeling about the brown bed! I'm sure people probably think I don't muck him out but he's mucked out twice a day!!

 

[Irishdraughtx]

Mine (15.1 gelding, quite clean but wees a fair amount) is usually on basic shavings over rubber mats - large box and I use 4 to 5 bags a fortnight on average. Mucked out fully every day, only in at night in winter.

Friend had some miscanthus and thought it might be making her horses itchy, so I offered to buy it and try it out. Never again! Usually, as there are no central drains in the box, most wee gets absorbed by the shavings and any excess is taken up in a corner by a scattering of wood pellets.

By Day 3 on miscanthus, I actually had a puddle of wee a foot across in that corner, despite the pellets and the box stank.

He's back on shavings!

Definitely thinking now that miscanthus is not the way to go and to just stick with the pellets, will get a quote for the matting however, as I think that will be only way I could make a difference.

 

[JillA]

Slightly off topic but I find for box rest a second stable for the daytime can be really useful - gives both a chance to dry out and air. Otherwise my messy horse needs the whole thing cleared and replaced most days