smelly horse/stable!

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el_Snowflakes

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Hi all,

i hate to say it but i have noticed that my horse smells really strong of urine (along with her rugs etc.) shes a messy horse and her stable gets quite wet. She is mucked out everyday and i find myself having to go out with 2-3 barrow-fulls everyday. She is out during the day and stabled at night although due to the weather shes been inside most of the time. I use straw in her stable and she has rubber matting down. Just wondered if it would be worth trying some wood shavings to absorb the wet? i would use all woodshavings but think this might work out quite expensive? have any of you tried using woodchips alongside straw?

ps. she is in good health and drinks plenty so i dont think her urine is abnormally concentrated


Saz
 
Could try something like aubiose/hemcore and deep litter? The wee and stink will stay at the bottom and the top will be nice and dry. Less work mucking out, too.
 
I spray the floor every morning with dilute Zoflora disenfectant - it makes a massive difference. If you can leave the bed up during the day when your horse is out that will help as well.
 
The only time I ever had smell problems was when we got some straw for seats at a barn dance so I thought best not waste it after so I put my two on straw for a couple of months. The smell was so noticeable visitors commented on it (oh you have horses , I can smell them!......had them for 3 yrs) and I was washing rugs weekly. I use wood pellets and even with a really wet mucky mare there was no smell in the stable and rugs just get washed once or twice a year , muck heap is tiny too!
 
My mare is exactly the same.

I have had her in straw but had to change as was taking the bed out every day. I then got shavings these are ok but is a nightmare in the beginning as they dont form a solid base.
This year my mare has a foal at foot and put her on her normal shavings however they were so wet I was having to take 3 barrows out a night or put in a bag each day. (far too expensive) I bought hempcore and mixed it with shavings it was fab and didnt smell but due to the snow and not being able to get down to the yard with bedding she is back on a thin bed of straw.

Next year she will go back on shavings but might mix with hempcore (smells of citronella and clumps together when it gets wet)
 
I understand your problem - I used to share a 17.2hh gelding who was on a very small amount of shavings and the poor guy used to really smell terrible - too much wee and not enough bedding was the problem there, but it sounds like your horse has enough bedding.

I have heard of people putting a base layer of lime under deep litter to neutralise odour/disinfect - might be worth a try under a deep bed, but not sure how it would react with mats.

At present I have a very wet gelding who I have switched on to wood pellets which are fantastic. Super absorbant so would probably lock the smell and wet away. Might be worth a try for yours?
 
I really recommend wood pellets aswell. The base will stay firm as you dampen them down to start with. You can also mix in some shavings to 'lighten' the bed up after its been down for a week or two.

I've tried all sorts lately & will be sticking with the pellets. It's like the wood pellet cat litter you can buy at Tesco. Really absorbent & doesn't smell. I also have mats so just do a bed at the rear of the stable.

Straw definitely smells the worst of all beddings. I'd avoid it if she's very wet.
 
Often people use rubber mats & are misled by the manufacturers that you only need a handful of bedding to absorb the wee. NOT TRUE I use chopped straw & my horses have enormous beds & bankings on top of rubber mats (comfort & warmth) & no smell. I never lift the mats or put the beds up in the day. I remove all droppings daily & tidy beds but otherwise beds are semi deep litter & I only take out wet matter when they have dug it up! (Occasionally before they roll)
 
Wood pellets recommendation here too - I had my mare on straw for a couple of weeks while I waited for my mats to arrive and it was awful - straw is completely non-absorbant and she had a continuous puddle of urine in the middle of her stable even though I swept and swept and left the bed up all day - she was only in for around 10-12 hours too.

Pellets are ultra absorbant, reduce smell, cheap and form a firm base on top of mats. I only have a very thin layer down on top of good quality mats and it works really well.
 
Straw stinks full stop. I'm looking after a straw-kept horse and I've noticed the pong that permeates everything I wear, my hair and my hands even with thick marigolds on. It absorbs nothing, everything falls through it so you've got to dig around for the poos and wee. Gak.

Mine is on wood pellets too, thoroughly recommend them.
 
I love a straw bed but i don't love the smell mucking out. Her bed is mucked out properly every day. It drains to one corner so i put a layer of fine shavings towards back of stable where she wees to soak up the wet. It works really well as you are just sweeping up damp shavings rather than a puddle of wee. It works well and doesn't smell so bad.
 
I use Neds Beds and have been really impressed with it - I have rubber matts too but still have him on a thick bed - the stuff works much better like this. Weeknights I just skip out the poo (takes 5 mins) and then I take the wee out at the weekend cos my horse is v wet it wouldnt go much longer!!!
 
Hi i posted about wet stables the other day in the Stable Yard section and someone reccomended sawdust instaed of shavings to put down under the sraw it soaks the wet up better, i will be getting a bag and trying it over the weekend
 
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