Exploding Chestnuts
Well-Known Member
Straw / shavings / wood pellets AND cardboard?
Stabling with no bedding
- Thread starter baymareb
- Start date
RunToEarth
Well-Known Member
Eugh, when horses are hot out hunting and you can smell that horrendous smell of pee?
I wouldn't ever consider it - I think it has become trendy since bedding got expensive but it is not for me. I have a mountain of banked straw and I like it that way.
Kooklet
Member
MrsD123 yes he scoffs his straw, even which jeys fluid liberally applied to it. I'm not sure if she tried anything else with him but the yard she's on only allows straw bedding. He does have matts and some one goes to see him at least twice a day. Oh he also has lami and is on a strict diet.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
I would move yards I just would never inflict no bedding on a horse in my care .
My vets sees horses suffering a form of narcolepsy from not sleeping lying down they never saw it when she first practised .
ester
Not slacking multitasking
two on the yard keep theirs on mats only- I don't think it saves them any time or bedding (they have a very thin dusting of woodpellets in the middle of the stable and isn't good for the horses.
I have a chalk floor with mats on top of a 12x15 ish stable (far too big for a 14.2 pony
). I prefer straw but can't use that on the yard so usually a bottom layer of wood pellets in his pee spot and bliss on top. Poo pick twice a day and clean bed on top if required.
eta I would also move yards- what support does he get if he has a lammi attack?
I have a chalk floor with mats on top of a 12x15 ish stable (far too big for a 14.2 pony
). I prefer straw but can't use that on the yard so usually a bottom layer of wood pellets in his pee spot and bliss on top. Poo pick twice a day and clean bed on top if required.eta I would also move yards- what support does he get if he has a lammi attack?
claireandnadia
Well-Known Member
I tried it with just mats and a little shavings but I didn't like it, I've tried it with mats and a big bed and still didn't like it. My mare is so wet that all the pee just goes underneath and its a hellish job lifting them out and hosing so now just stick to a big shavings bed.
fatpiggy
Well-Known Member
A friend kept her horse on rubber mats with just a sprinkle of bed during the day. He like do dunk his hay in a water bucket as well so the front of the stable was alwas sopping wet. I have to say that you could walk down the row of stables with your eyes shut and smell exactly which was his stable. One time I was looking after him as his owner was away and I hated giving such a minute amount of bed. He did lie down but I always felt sorry for him. I actually fell flat on my back in his stable one time because the mats were sopping wet and deadly slippery. My girl had a lovely deep bed of aubiose. As she got older and found getting up harder she would lie with her head and shoulder on top of one of the banks so she didn't have so far to lift her head and neck to get up (she couldn't really bend her front legs under her because of severe arthritis) so I more or less got rid of the other banks and made sure she had plenty where she needed it. She wouldn't lie down in the field so resting properly at night was vital for her.
texas
Well-Known Member
My horse has a big bed on half of the stable that she wees and poos on, and still insisted on sleeping on the concrete. I put down rubber mats to protect her hocks, and she still prefers sleeping on them. I have tried shavings and straw beds. At least the bed soaks up the wee.
lhotse
Well-Known Member
I hate the smell of horses kept on rubber mats with little bedding too. I have 3, and all are on full beds to the door, 2 on straw and one on shavings. None of my stables, or horses, smell and neither do I!!
cheeryplatypus
Well-Known Member
I have them on rubber matting. The big chap is in the 12x12 with rubber matting and a light sprinkle of wood chip over. He is happy to wee on the mats and they drain well. He is also very untidy and having no bedding means it is very quick to do his stall in the morning. They wear rugs and if its very cold their outdoor ones. He doesn't like to lie down anyway but sleeps happily with his head over the door.
The pony has the double box as he is very tidy. He has a little patch of wood chip where he does all his poops and he usually wees next to this or by the door. He likes to lie down at the back of the stall which is his clean area, again no bedding.
They are both happy to come in at night and will stay stabled during the day too if the weather is terrible.
From my point of view its cheaper, the heap doesn't fill up so fast and they are both happy and healthy. Yes you can smell the wee in the morning as it runs to the front of the stable, but a quick sweep out and I'm done in 10 mins.
The pony has the double box as he is very tidy. He has a little patch of wood chip where he does all his poops and he usually wees next to this or by the door. He likes to lie down at the back of the stall which is his clean area, again no bedding.
They are both happy to come in at night and will stay stabled during the day too if the weather is terrible.
From my point of view its cheaper, the heap doesn't fill up so fast and they are both happy and healthy. Yes you can smell the wee in the morning as it runs to the front of the stable, but a quick sweep out and I'm done in 10 mins.
Dizzy socks
Well-Known Member
But how can you know he doesn't like to lie down? Cause I doubt he would lie down even if he wanted to, without bedding.
Buds_mum
Well-Known Member
Lazy and slovenly imo!!! If you can not give the time or money to provide your horse with adequate bedding when stabled then you should not own one.
As for sleeping happily with his head over the door that is untrue as horses have to lie down to get an adequate amount of REM sleep, lack of this can lead to sleep deprivation.
I read an interesting study into narcolepsy in horses. out of 70 horses, 30 were 'cured' by changes to their management allowing them better rest and a chance to lie down, be this bigger stable, adequate bedding or coming in during the day to lie down. Something worth considering if a horses performance drops or they seem tired.
I find this new breed of horse owner unsettling, when I first had a pony you mucked out daily and fully and your horse went back to a clean bed with none of the previous nights excrement left for him to have to lie. But then again I groom my horse with a leather backed body brush and exercise him daily so maybe I am old fashioned
Bedding companies have made it the norm to leave the p**s wet through bedding in to 'dry' or absorb more, stables to me at many yards I visit now just look mucky. And rubber mats with no bedding is just bad management.
As for sleeping happily with his head over the door that is untrue as horses have to lie down to get an adequate amount of REM sleep, lack of this can lead to sleep deprivation.
I read an interesting study into narcolepsy in horses. out of 70 horses, 30 were 'cured' by changes to their management allowing them better rest and a chance to lie down, be this bigger stable, adequate bedding or coming in during the day to lie down. Something worth considering if a horses performance drops or they seem tired.
I find this new breed of horse owner unsettling, when I first had a pony you mucked out daily and fully and your horse went back to a clean bed with none of the previous nights excrement left for him to have to lie. But then again I groom my horse with a leather backed body brush and exercise him daily so maybe I am old fashioned
Bedding companies have made it the norm to leave the p**s wet through bedding in to 'dry' or absorb more, stables to me at many yards I visit now just look mucky. And rubber mats with no bedding is just bad management.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
Making a horse do without a decent bed is a lazy, corner cutting exercise. The owner is prioritising time and money over their horse's welfare.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Horses need rem sleep and they do that lieing down not standing horses that donr lie down are having their health compromised .
Patterdale
Well-Known Member
This
Then they'll turn their backsides to it. They're horses, designed to live outside. They're not people, and they don't 'snuggle down' in their bedding either.
Mine live out but if they need to come in for any reason for the night I usually just let them stand in with no bed as its a waste of money to start opening a big bale of straw.
Its only a few hours and they won't die for lack of lying down for one night.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
I always bed my field shelter fatty spends many happy hours lieing flat out in there in the summer .
catkin
Well-Known Member
I won't have horses stabled without a decent bed. My ponies like a good snooze and are both inveterate rollers, especially if they have got wet. Rolling in the bedding seems to dry them off quicker than any cooler rug! It also makes the stable a very inviting place for the ponies - no hard-to-catch problems here!!!
I don't quite understand the economic argument either - a few bales of shavings per week is still cheaper than constantly treating mud-fever and scrape injuries, brushing a bit of bedding out of the coat is a lot quicker timewise than sponging off stains, a warm bed can reduce the number of rugs required.... you get the drift, I'm sure there are many more examples..... and that's without trying to put a monetary value on 'quality of life' issues and reduction of stress on the horses.
I don't quite understand the economic argument either - a few bales of shavings per week is still cheaper than constantly treating mud-fever and scrape injuries, brushing a bit of bedding out of the coat is a lot quicker timewise than sponging off stains, a warm bed can reduce the number of rugs required.... you get the drift, I'm sure there are many more examples..... and that's without trying to put a monetary value on 'quality of life' issues and reduction of stress on the horses.
ChesnutsRoasting
Well-Known Member
Absolutely hate it!!!! Rubbing matting is not a replacement for bedding. The stables stink, horses breathing in the ammonia, pee splashback, wet legs not drying. It's lazy and cheap - if you can't be bothered to muck out and bed down properly then get yourself a goldfish.
ChesnutsRoasting
Well-Known Member
'Rubber' - predictive text is another bug bear!
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
So you're admitting that you prioritise expense over your horses comfort
.Mine live out. I always put a bed down in the stable if they come in, a 'day' bed if they are in for a short time eg waiting for the farrier, or the full works if they are in overnight.
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Patterdale
Well-Known Member
So you're admitting that you prioritise expense over your horses comort
.
No, I wouldn't put it like that because they're not uncomfortable. They're just upright.
Straw is v expensive where I live so, no, I'm not going to spend £50 bedding 2 stables down for 2 hairies to stand on for a few hours. They're not uncomfortable, they just won't lie down. As they often won't in the field either.
They're perfectly happy and perfectly healthy. You'll just never catch me on here posting that I can't afford my vet bills, because I don't lay down pound notes for my horse to crap on for the odd few hours.
Exploding Chestnuts
Well-Known Member
not for me
RunToEarth
Well-Known Member
I have to agree that far too many people seem to see rubber matting as a substitute for bedding.
Before anyone starts, I am well aware that my horses are not nesting animals. They have more than a sufficient straw bedding because I like big beds, and none of them seem to mind massive beds. I could not go to bed at night thinking they were stood in a bare stable on matting all night. It would be draughty, echoing, smelly and cold. Rubber matting doesn't absorb anything either, which is a bit of a rank way to keep horses IMO. Bedding is expensive but horses aren't a cheap hobby.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
Well, I can pay my vets bills AND ensure my horses' comfort. If money was so tight that it was one or the other, I would be getting out of horses.
Baileybones
Well-Known Member
This! When I worked in racing my guvnor told me that you never ever skimp on bedding. He said the owners are paying a lot to have their horses well cared for and if you appear to be skimping on bedding they'll wonder what other corners you're cutting!
Annagain
Well-Known Member
My boy's stable is huge (18'x14'). It has EVA matting and a medium thickness (about 3-4") shavings bed on the back 3rd. He always stands at the front - either at his haybar or the door so never poos in his bed, but always wees on it and lies down on it. He has enough bedding that the wee is soaked up but I don't feel he needs a big thick bed as the EVA is thick and very soft and warm (I lay down on it myself to try it out and it's just like a camping mat). I'm very lucky as one bale of shavings will last two weeks using this method.
I've experimented with moving his bed to the middle -just to see what happened - but he still did everything the same way so ended up pooing in his bed, weeing on the matting and then lying in it! It proves he was ok with lying on the matting though!
I've experimented with moving his bed to the middle -just to see what happened - but he still did everything the same way so ended up pooing in his bed, weeing on the matting and then lying in it! It proves he was ok with lying on the matting though!
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babymare
Well-Known Member
Yep baby had a good bed and knowing her as I did if i didnt see a flat section in bed inc banking which was a "pillow" each morming i would be concerned as Baby loved a full on stretched out sleep every night caught her a couple of times snoring lol
caught her a couple of times snoring lol Patterdale
Well-Known Member
Bit of an idiotic comment given that's NOT what I said :rolleyes3:
But hey ho, just pick out whatever part of a post you like and take it out of context, why bother with sensible discussion?
ihatework
Well-Known Member
As a permenant / ongoing way of managing a horse then no - I think it's disgusting not to use bedding. I even dislike the rubber mats with very minimal bedding way of keeping horses. It's unhygenic, stinks to high hell and is just generally unpleasant.
That said, there may be some set ups where it was not so bad. For instance on a chalk base or decent drainage stable with free draining rubber mats - I think it is fieldguard that do mats that drain urine away without the need for bedding. Also if a horse has free access to a paddock (so like a field shelter) then I don't mind so much about lack of bedding - although that would depend on how the horse used the shelter.
That said, there may be some set ups where it was not so bad. For instance on a chalk base or decent drainage stable with free draining rubber mats - I think it is fieldguard that do mats that drain urine away without the need for bedding. Also if a horse has free access to a paddock (so like a field shelter) then I don't mind so much about lack of bedding - although that would depend on how the horse used the shelter.
RunToEarth
Well-Known Member
I might have misread Patterdale's original post, but I think her horses live out and therefore don't usually come in over night - if that is the case it's hardly detrimental to the animal's comfort if it spends one evening out of 50 in a stable stood upright.
There are always those people who truly believe the only way to do horses is their way, and everyone else must be completely devoid of any knowledge and common sense.