Smelly bed!

StellaArtois

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 February 2008
Messages
218
Visit site
Hi
Needing some advice, I have moved to a new yard and love it but my smelly mare is on straw with rubber matting. This is included in the price of the livery, I can change to other bedding if I want but obviously at extra cost. My main problem is the smell, she is in a bit more and is a very wet girl, and I find the smell is constantly on me, my jackets and clothes. My electricity bill on washing will be doubled shortly.
Any suggestions on what to change to that won't break the bank!
 

ihatework

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2004
Messages
21,345
Visit site
I'd do a weekly semi deep litter with a layer of wood pellets and then deep straw over the top. Should cure the smell issue (apart from the one wet muck out day!)
 

SCMSL

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 February 2010
Messages
433
Visit site
Mares tend to pee nearer to the walls of the stall, so spreading some pellets there should do the trick.
 

blacksabbeth

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 January 2010
Messages
525
Location
on a busy road
Visit site
I found this works also with my mare but I used shaveings as a base layer,shes on semi deep litter and works perfectly....so I dont stink and neither does she,my gelding next door actually enjoys chatting her up now.
 

Littlelegs

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 February 2012
Messages
9,355
Visit site
My mare is very wet (drinks loads) & on straw but I've never had an issue. I do a nice thick bed & leave it up to dry each day. Midweek I empty a water bucket over the area she wee's & wkend hose the front out, even though we're on concrete. If your rubber mats aren't properly laid it will contribute to smells. I think the secret is either a deep bed & allowing floor to dry daily, or a massive deep litter, either left or done weekly.
 

Skipadeedooda

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 August 2012
Messages
248
Location
Aberdeenshire
Visit site
I use shredded cardboard and love it. Odour free, highly absorbent and makes a nice bed. There are various companies doing it now but I get mine from our local council recycling plant (cardboard is all untreated) and costs about £4.50 for a shavings sized bale delivered.
 

Foxhunter49

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 March 2011
Messages
1,642
Location
North Dorset
Visit site
Get a sack of Lime Powder and sprinkle that all over the floor once or twice a week. That will neutralise most of the smell.
Trouble with rubber mats is that the pee gets under and unless the mats are removed hard to get it clean.
 

kc100

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 July 2012
Messages
1,051
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
I used to have the same problem with my old share horse, he was incredibly wet and when he was on straw I came home absolutely stinking, every item of clothing had to go straight in the wash!

We changed him to shavings (safemix) and never had that problem again, safemix is pretty good value for shavings as well and they are nice small shavings so easy to muck out too (larger shavings are a pain to muck out). With horses that are very wet and have a strong smell of ammonia in their stables, I have read (I'm sure others will disagree though!) that deep littering is a bad idea because of the ammonia lingering and can cause coughs and other respiritory problems.

My old share horse had a terrible cough when he was on straw and it wasnt a dust allergy, it was because of the ammonia. When we changed him to a shallow layer of shavings his cough went away, the shallow layer meant we could take his bed back every day and let the centre dry out rather than only being able to do that once a week with a deep litter bed. We would go through about 2 bags of shavings a week with safemix, he had rubber mats so we could get away with a fairly shallow layer.

So I think as long as you have rubber mats a shallow layer of shavings should do the trick and you shouldnt go home quite as smelly anymore!
 

JustKickOn

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 November 2006
Messages
16,994
Visit site
Thick layer of shaving underneath and lots of straw on top, air it for at least a couple of hours, wash out frequently and wear some coveralls to stop the smell going in your clothes.
 

Fjord

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 July 2009
Messages
2,084
Visit site
I swear by wood pellet bedding, mine is super absorbent and I take the wet out once a week.
 

stencilface

High upon a hillside
Joined
28 February 2008
Messages
21,079
Location
Leeds
Visit site
I use megazorb underneath the straw which does a really good job of soaking up and getting rid of the smell. I put it down in his common wee patches, top it up every so often, break it up, and remove the worse bits once or twice a week.
 

smellsofhorse

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 April 2007
Messages
5,309
Location
New Forest
Visit site
Get some of the disinfectant powder.
A few different ones available.
Very good for smells and wet.

Also may be worth putting a layer of shavings or pellets down underneath.
 

Wagtail

Horse servant
Joined
2 December 2010
Messages
14,816
Location
Lincs
Visit site
I hate the smell of straw beds. They may look nice, but if you have to muck them out, the smell seeps into everything, including your hair. It is awful. I would never go back to it except for a mare about to foal.
 

stencilface

High upon a hillside
Joined
28 February 2008
Messages
21,079
Location
Leeds
Visit site
See, whilst I appreciate straw has a certain aroma, I think shavings beds are far more pungent and repellant. Straw with megazorb honestly doesn't smell at all :)
 

smokey

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 January 2012
Messages
6,906
Location
sunny Scotland
Visit site
Another vote for a layer of shavings under the straw. I wash out once a week with Dettol, and spray a dilute solution every day. Bed never smells.
 
Top