Recommend a Bed for a Mucky Mare!

MrsMozart

MrsMozart

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Vet has said that if Dizz is to be in each night, then she is to have a deep bed...

Now I don't mind, but Dizz is the most disgustingly mucky mare on this earth, she even puts LL to shame and we thought he was awful.

We've had deep beds for her in the past, and she just digs it up (literally!), and she sh!ts for England, then spreads it
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Sooooooo, recommendations please for suitable bedding
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I use Bed Down Excel which is a mixture of chopped straw which is good for drainage, and shavings which if obviously good for aborbance. It puffs up about 1/3 more than shavings too. It costs about £6.80 a bale for me (
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) but I only have to put one bale in a week and that's with 3 big walls and nice and thick
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I just pick out the poo in the week and then every saturday pull down all the banks and take out the wet which is usually right at the bottom in a fairly firm layer. Then it's all re-fluffed and ready for use
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I really like it and tis super clean.
 
l_b - yes, she has rubber mats at the moment, with a sprinkling of shavings. Been on that for most of the year, apart from when she was on box rest. She has boney irregularities on her pelvis, and due to on-going issues she has very little muscle on her bum
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. She's a big 16.2hh DWB and a bit of an idiot...
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DL - I haven't heard of that one. Will go looking
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Slinks - I haven't quite got the hang of how wood pellets work (you know I am a simple soul)
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If it makes you feel any better, my lad is being stabled for the first time properly in his life.

It seems he learnt his stable manners from a cat.....he does his business and buries it!!! He is in a massive 12x12 stable and he will walk across it to wee in his bed area.

Horse sized litter boxes?

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With a horse like you describe, I would just go with straw
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think i agree with this... i LOVE my wood pellets, and for iggle they work a treat... but raff is sooooo messy that all the 'just pick out the poo' stuff is useless cos he shreds his poo up and spreads it around. i often consider straw again as at least it's cheap...
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Your mare sounds like mine! I have tried everything with her - straw was the worst thing ever and i was taking out most of it every day and it stunk to high heaven and then i stunk everyday after mucking out - now after many trials she has rubber matting and a fairly deep woodchip bed. I put new woodchips in the banks alone and evry day i can just put a little bit of clean on top to keep it looking fresh and clean.
 
Yup. She spreads. And mushes up into mushy pieces. Then wees on it all
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Argh!

But on the plus side, Friend got tired of her weaving (it has to be seen to be believed!), so shut the top door. She walked round twice, then stood and ate her hay! There was me thinking she'd take up box walking.

Sometimes I thins I'm going to retire from all this and buy m'self that rocking horse...
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[ QUOTE ]

think i agree with this... i LOVE my wood pellets, and for iggle they work a treat... but raff is sooooo messy that all the 'just pick out the poo' stuff is useless cos he shreds his poo up and spreads it around. i often consider straw again as at least it's cheap...
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THe BGL does this as well but on straw you end up chucking out 3 - 4 barrows a day and it takes nearly an hour to muck out - the pellets take 15 mins - half a barrow daily and a more thorough muck out at weekends - and at £2.34 a bag its is the cheapest bedding yet - our straws is included in our livery and we can have as much as we need for £10 a month but I just spent so much time chucking it out to just fill it up again that ti was silly. The wood pellets are one of the few things for horses that have saved me time and money - wouldn't use anything else now.
 
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P - at £3 a bale of straw....
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And Daughter will be doing the mucking out when I'm back on contract (poor lass
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).

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Then I would find another supplier
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I bought some this week, just for emergencies, and paid £7 for 6 bales, delivered, and I'm not that far away from you.

If a horse is mucky, then they are mucky, and hence you are going to get through a lot of bedding, whatever it is. Therefore, best make it the cheapest there is IMO.
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(unless here is a health reason why not)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Yup. She spreads. And mushes up into mushy pieces. Then wees on it all
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Argh!

But on the plus side, Friend got tired of her weaving (it has to be seen to be believed!), so shut the top door. She walked round twice, then stood and ate her hay! There was me thinking she'd take up box walking.

Sometimes I thins I'm going to retire from all this and buy m'self that rocking horse...
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In all honestly, I wouldn't blame you. If I were in your position, then I would chuck Dizzy out in the field and see if she overcomes her soundness and behaviour issues and ride one of your others for now.
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I would just go with straw, cheap and you can have a lovely deep bed without worrying about taking half of it out the next day coz she is mucky!
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i have a very mucky mare. buries poo, digs holes, kicks poo everywhere, wees whereever, box walks and invites the cows in for a party each nite!! (well thats what it looks like
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)

i tried a small shavings bed one year - not good, tried mats and a sprinkle of shavings last year - good but gross, and this year we are doing deep litter shavings - brilliant!!

the bigger the bed the tidier she seems to be
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- lots of bedding suits her well. i do get my shavings direct from a joinery business tho so v cheap and can make a huge bed for very little money.
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i also thought about straw for mine but id end up taking it all out everyday as itd just be a big mass of mess and it would cost a fortune as itd be a new bed everyday.
 
Ah, have considered the deep (deep!) bed...

Daughter has put straw down for now, so we'll see how she goes. If it's a nightmare, then I'll try a deep shavings bed.

Her stable is a reasonable size, so I'm thinking of the bed at the back, with mats at the front
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