Shavings for wet/dirty horse!

[Bluesparks]

Hi just wondering which shavings people recommend for a wet dirty horse! He's currently on straw but as he's probe to hoof accesses my farrier recommended he go on shavings but when I has him on them before he was really wet and it cost us a fortune!!

 

[be positive]

I honestly dont think the bedding will be having an influence on the abscesses, as long as the bed is clean it will make little difference, if he is getting abscesses it is more likely due to something underlying such as cushings, a lack of minerals/ vits in the diet or dare I say poor farriery, look at his feet with a critical eye and see if the white line is stretched, toes are too long, heels weak etc they will all allow an abscess to take hold, all my horses are on straw, I have, fingers crossed, very few abscesses and my farrier prefers straw as a bedding as he thinks it better for their feet.

 

[Orca]

I've got my wet, messy pony on Equinola (rape straw). Straw beds just end up a soggy quagmire but this is brilliant. You're meant to leave the bed alone as much as possible, so they essentially end up with a packed mattress. Skip out daily, add a little more to the top each day, then take the worst of the wet out after a week or so, adding a bale if necessary. So far this week, I've only used half a bale in replacement bedding so its working out to be cost effective - and my farrier says she has great hooves. Might be worth considering if shavings aren't your only option?

 

[mcnaughty]

Wood pellets are amazing, economical, clean and super fast to muck out. With a very wet horse just cut an x in the bag and put 1 third of a bucket of water in to activate but no more and the pellets will absorb LOADS of wee!

 

[epeters91]

My horse is also very wet but we get straw included in livery prices so didn't want to switch bedding. I'm thinking of sprinkling pellets on the floor and then straw on top so that the pellets absorb most of the wet and she still gets a nice bed

I've used pellets before and they are brilliant.

 

[Bluesparks]

Thanks all what wood pellets do people use please?

 

[Achinghips]

Ive tried verdo but found Liverpool wood pellets much more absorbent and lighter so you could see the wee better. With a very wet horse, remove solids and sprinkle more clean bedding over the top of the wee patch. Try and disturb the bed as little as possible. Do not remove the wee patch every day, but instead dig it out once a week and put more clean bedding in the space. The surface will stay lovely and dry and clean. With my very very wet mare, this approach proved the most economical. My drier boys, have the wet removed daily and any wet around the edges gets mixed back into the bed.

 

[Sandstone1]

White horse platinum plus are the best I've used so far.

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

Mine is wet and walks it all around. Went through a stage of hating shavings and wasting tons of it. Even tried megazorb. Best thing I have found is shavings but make the bed deep. Works a treat. I add 1 bale a week which covers what I take out. Am amazed how well it works! Simple but very affective.

He is in at night.

 

[paddy555]

I've got my wet, messy pony on Equinola (rape straw). Straw beds just end up a soggy quagmire but this is brilliant. You're meant to leave the bed alone as much as possible, so they essentially end up with a packed mattress. Skip out daily, add a little more to the top each day, then take the worst of the wet out after a week or so, adding a bale if necessary. So far this week, I've only used half a bale in replacement bedding so its working out to be cost effective - and my farrier says she has great hooves. Might be worth considering if shavings aren't your only option?

with the equinola after you have first bedded down does it walk around a lot like shavings or does it compress quickly. I am looking for a packed mattress effect asap. Do they have any tendency to eat it?
thanks

 

[Orca]

with the equinola after you have first bedded down does it walk around a lot like shavings or does it compress quickly. I am looking for a packed mattress effect asap. Do they have any tendency to eat it?
thanks

I found that so long as the bed is deep enough to start with (approx 6"), it compresses almost over night with maybe just the front foot kicked forwards (and mine's quite active in the stable). I was surprised because on laying it, it seems light and I was fully expecting patches of bare concrete come morning (as with her straw bed). Orca will eat several bales worth (6-8) of straw in a week - she doesn't agree with being on her much needed diet! While I suspect she's had a few mouthfuls of Equinola, there isn't an obvious loss of bedding like before and my top up this week still only stands at one bale, despite removing some wet today.

 

[paddy555]

I found that so long as the bed is deep enough to start with (approx 6"), it compresses almost over night with maybe just the front foot kicked forwards (and mine's quite active in the stable). I was surprised because on laying it, it seems light and I was fully expecting patches of bare concrete come morning (as with her straw bed). Orca will eat several bales worth (6-8) of straw in a week - she doesn't agree with being on her much needed diet! While I suspect she's had a few mouthfuls of Equinola, there isn't an obvious loss of bedding like before and my top up this week still only stands at one bale, despite removing some wet today.

thanks. Compressing overnight to make the bed is just what I need.