Stable & Bedding Layout

[Joyous70]

OK just thinking out loud so to speak - so my girl's stable is approx 10 x 10 and I bed her on rubber mats with straw approx half to 3/4 of the way from back to front, water in corner, door in the opposite corner, haynets tied to the bar at the front. She is quite tidy, however, I am just looking at trying to cut down on mucking out time, and as she stands on her bed to eat her nets she is mashing up her poo into her bed, i'm thinking of trying to turn the bed around so the doorway to the back has no bed, and the bed goes from side to side?? if you see what i mean. Does anyone do this? or have any other ideas?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I find the more bed you have, the less mess there is. I would put the bed down to cover the floor from front to back and then put your haynets, if you must use them, where you would like her to stand. Personally I prefer haybars.

 

[be positive]

Unless she is very small the stable is barely big enough for her to avoid standing in her droppings wherever you put the bed so it is likely she will still stand in them while eating, I don't think it will make much difference to your mucking out time generally, if she had a big box it can make a difference when you put hay/ water and bed but in a pony box they tend to have no choice but to trample it all in.

 

[Joyous70]

I find the more bed you have, the less mess there is. I would put the bed down to cover the floor from front to back and then put your haynets, if you must use them, where you would like her to stand. Personally I prefer haybars.

Sadly we have to use nets, as the stables are new and the panels are plastic we cannot drill into them. Her bed isn't tiny, but its not huge either as currently we pay for straw included i wouldn't want to be accused of taking the mick.

 

[Equi]

Bigger the bed the less the mess is generally the rule. My yo frequently tells me how she loves mucking out my lad when she’s been asked to because the beds so large it’s generally quite easy to muck. I had it right the to the door and a good few inches deep but then I’m using pellets and shavings not straw.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Sadly we have to use nets, as the stables are new and the panels are plastic we cannot drill into them. Her bed isn't tiny, but its not huge either as currently we pay for straw included i wouldn't want to be accused of taking the mick.

You only need to fill the stable once (which will need more straw) and then keep it topped up, which won't use any more straw than you are doing now. So that is hardly taking the mick - and it will certainly make your horse more comfortable. I wouldn't think much to a YO who wasn't prepared for you to bed down the whole of a 10-x10 stable.

 

[eggs]

Unless you have a small pony I didn’t n’t think there is much you can do with your layout. I am lucky that my stables are 12’ wide and 18’ deep. They are rubber matted and have thick beds in the back 2/3s with hay on the mats at right at the front which means the horses are standing on the mats rather than their beds when they are eating. Works well even with one of mine who is very messy.

 

[TheMule]

The stable is very small, I would definitely bed the whole stable

 

[AmyMay]

Small stable means you simply can’t avoid a messy bed sadly.

 

[milliepops]

Unless she is very small the stable is barely big enough for her to avoid standing in her droppings wherever you put the bed so it is likely she will still stand in them while eating, I don't think it will make much difference to your mucking out time generally, if she had a big box it can make a difference when you put hay/ water and bed but in a pony box they tend to have no choice but to trample it all in.

agree with this.
I have one that I have the bed "sideways" because she boxwalks along one side so the bed is on the other side so as not to get mashed up, but its a big enough stable to still have a decent bed down.
No harm in trying a different set up but I wouldn't get your hopes up about saving any time really.