shavings

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harmony_

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i got told off by my vet for having harmony on straw yesterday, as she has a dust cough, unfortunatly shavings and matting wasnt a option untill now!

just wondered which you use? how much you use? whats the costs?
if it has helped any of your horses with coughs etc?
thank you
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R
 
Just orderd very expensive matting for my stable. I am on shavings at the moment and a deep litter bed.

Expect to put in around 5 bales to start with, then top up with 1 - 2 weekly (or in my case 3 or 4!).

My horse came from a yard bedded with straw, and he did have a slight cough. All gone now though
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I had to take my mare off straw years back because she coughed all the time on it. She was filthy on either I must admit and now lives out!!
My gelding however is on matting and shavings, and I use bedmax shavings. He is very happy on it, and I barely add a bale a week. I prefer it to the extent that I use it despite straw being free on our yard, becuase I fine it quicker/ easier to keep really clean, and at about £5 a week (on the basis I use about 3 bales a month) its not that expensive. He is quite clean though luckily!
 
im just looking into bog standard matting as the vet told me they dont really need it, its just to stop useing as much shavings.

how much would i be looking at with shavings? money wise.
 
i depends on how big your stable is, and how messy your horse is!
but with mats, and a decent size bed, (i have a messy 16.1 ) i use about one bale a week.
down here in devon a bale of shavings is around £6
the matting i have is just the bog standard stuff, was around £30 a mat i think, and perfectly adequate
i think i used four bales to start the bed.
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[ QUOTE ]
im just looking into bog standard matting as the vet told me they dont really need it, its just to stop useing as much shavings.

how much would i be looking at with shavings? money wise.

[/ QUOTE ]

I certainly think in some cases you can get away with cheap matting. It depends on how good the drainage etc. is in the stable. And also the wear and tear it needs to take. And no your horse doesn't need matting, however if you are not prepared to give it a good bed then you run the risk of it going through to the concrete which obviously you want to aviod.

My matting is costing around the £350 mark - but I have spent that in shavings since the horse came in in december. So the matting plus using less shavings is ultimately going to save me a small fortune in the long run.

I pay about £6.50 a bale for shavings - I think the price varies according to quality and supplier. But if you can get it for around the £5.00 mark you're doing well.
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P.S Harmony is just beautiful
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I pay £5.90 a bag for shavings. I think I put down 4 or 5 bags to start with and now I use one every 6 days (lovely clean pony), friend uses a bag every 3 days. No matting and they get a full muck out every day. Both horses cough on straw, and mine would eat the bed with great enthusiasm! Hope that helps.
 
I used to use straw, my horse had a problem that her eyes would run do i got shaving I use bliss and it is fantastic would highly recomend it, I have a huge 16 x 20 stable and I deep litter and it works really well, very expensive to start but if your horse is clean you should only need a bale everyother week. I hardly take anything out as my horse is so clean but highly recomend Bliss
 
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