No banks?

Foxford

Foxford

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Would you ever not use banks??

The horse I look after is on shavings and rubber mats in a very big stable - about the size of my living room, lol!! Rubbish at sizing but would say 14' x 16'. Anyway, he likes to walk around the edge of the stable (through the banks I painstakingly put up for him!). He knocks over the banks onto his poo and it results in a mucking out nightmare!!!

I wondered if it was a heinous no-no, or there may be an alternative to my backbreaking mornings. Not being wussy, but it is a big stable to go through! Took out all the banks last weekend and they were dirty again on Saturday. Very depressing!
 
I don't always bother with banks. TBH the only real purpose of them is as draught excluders, as 'bumpers' to prevent a horse becoming cast. You can remedy this by adding rubber matting to the wall.
 
A girl i know doesn't give her horse banks for the same reason, makes it hell of a lot easier and hasn't caused her any problems.

Everyone has seems to have different opinions about them. Personally i prefer them but don't mind leaving him in without if running low on shavings etc.
 
I wouldn't be too worried about him getting cast, as the stable is so big, and I don't think he lies near the wall anyway. But I didn't know if I was being optimistic about that! Never had a horse get stuck, or even seen it happen on the yard.
 
I'd always use banks - IMO it's all very well not having them until your horse rolls over a bit close to the wall, and it's too late to put them in once the horse is caste! I'm probably a bit neurotic though - my horses have suicidal tendancies
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To be honest I dont think it would save you much time anyway. Besides if you're that desperate couldnt you go deep litter or something, if you managed it well it wouldnt cause too many problems; thrush, mends much easier than bones...

ETS: Ok just realised my reply is a bit extreme, but my point is that you'd never forgive yourself if something happened for the sake of that additional five minutes....
 
I always use banks also , as I am very wary of horses casting against the walls .


A youngster I had cast himself in his new home as new owner didnt have banks , luckly enough we where there to pull him over , poor sod had a look on his face as much to say " you can pull me over anytime " lol
 
I always used banks in the UK because I had huge stables and it was a convenient place to store the extra shavings, but over here I don't because my stables are smaller. I read some study-case which was done a few years ago where it suggesting that banks can actually contribute to having horses become cast ..... I don't remember why though, sorry.
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[ QUOTE ]
I read some study-case which was done a few years ago where it suggesting that banks can actually contribute to having horses become cast ..... I don't remember why though, sorry.
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[/ QUOTE ] My experience bears that out - my old mare never got cast in the first yard I had her in which had tiny banks, but was always getting cast at the yard that had massive banks in the stables. Now she is at home and has no banks, and has never got cast again.
 
I never used banks when i was on shavings for 3 years and dont use them now im on straw either.

I will probably get shot down for saying this but i see no point in putting up banks unless they are for horses that get cast then in which case a teeny 18 inch banks will do nothing for a horse if its gets cast IMO. I was always taught when doing my BHS examams years ago if you used banks to be effective they should be 3ft in height.

Id rather have my bedding on the floor for my horse to lay on than up the walls. The only time i would use then was if a had a drafty stable to keep the horse warm.

My horse is in a 12x12 stable and has never been cast before.
 
Tia I've read a study like that, I believe it said that the banks effectively make the stable smaller, giving the horse less room to move around in so they are more likely to get cast.

My own horse once got cast when he had banks (they were about 2ft high), but then he was in the corner of his stable too so this probably helped keep him stuck. Luckily he just lay there patiently waiting for me to find enough strong people to help get him up! After that I gave him enormous banks (~3ft/higher than his hocks) and he has not been cast since. However at the yard I now work (and keep him), the horses are not allowed banks as it uses too much bedding. But touchwood so far he has been fine.
 
Wouldnt bother with them to be honest, I have done both ways, used all beddings including rubber matting, if i used banks with my old boy it would be throwing money away he would trash them every night and tread them in with the rest of the mess.

Never had a horse cast ever, all shapes and sizes, stables and horses! - dont lose any sleep over it!!
 
Thanks everyone, that was interesting reading! I agree with Marsden it is a ridiculous waste of money as he really does trash his bed! I'm studying for my stage one at the moment and I think the BHS recommend 1'-2' banks (above the height of the bed). I have reservations that that height would help him if he was cast. Will have a think!!
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In the winter Barons banks are about 3ft high
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And on the odd summer night he stays in he still has banks, purely for my peace of mind. But up at Foxes riding school all the horses are without banks, and most are on mats with minimal bedding, they have never had any problems.

I think if I had more than one horse I might think twice about having banks as I do not think they are really needed, I just like them
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And if he did get cast and I didnt have banks I would feel really guilty.
 
*my horses have suicidal tendancies*
lol at that
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i use them to keep draughts down, my horse uses them as pillows.

he lies in the same position every night with his head on the banks in the corner and his back and butt squished into the side banks.
theres a horse shaped flattened area every morning in his bed
 
I never use banks and have not had a problem. Bert's stable is too small to roll in but big enough to lie down in, which he has started to do this year. When I have the two stables knocked together I will put rubber on the walls ratherthan banks as I think it will be more useful.
 
I do not use banks, I have mats and shavings. For banks to stop a horse getting cast they have to be as thick and high as the horses legs are long. For horses that have a tendency to cast I nail a strip of wood of rubber mat (like a picture rail) about 2'6" high all around the stable to give them something to push off from.
 
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