Stabling without bedding?

[jsr]

Does anyone else keep their horse in overnight without a bed down? Obviously I have rubber matting but I was also putting down a large bank and then a layer of bedding (rapport type stuff). I was spending ages mucking out and throwing away alot of dirty bed. So one night totally forgot to put the bed down and when came to muck out the next day I found the droppings all in one area and it literally took me 5 minutes to clean, refill water and nets and have stable back looking fresh!!!! I know for a fact my horse doesn't lay down in his stable...he wears a fleece rug and all winter last year it never once had shavings on it!!! He is a cob so spends the night eating...and goes out for a snooze in the day!!

So I've left his stable the last few nights with the banks and no bedding, one livery sniffed and said I was cruel but the YO said why not if it's easier and cleaner!! I feel bad but knowing he doesn't lay down I'm thinking why waste time and money? Does anyone else not put down a bed...please make me feel not quiet so guilty!!!

Edited to add...he's NOT a precious pee'er either...that horse will pee whenever and whereever!! So he's not bothered about having a soft landing for the pee!! Lol!!!

 

[galaxy]

I've always at least put enough it to absorb any wee.... Don't think it's nice for them to stand in puddles and it can't be good for their feet!

 

[BonneMaman]

No, you are not cruel. Horses are not nesting animals, you only have to see what they lay down on out in the field to understand that.

So long as you have rubber matting so they won't cap hocks etc then a light sprinkling of bedding to stop splashing of wee (horses don't like that) is fine. If you have a very dirty boy, why don't you try wood pellets, they are amazing, cheap, super fast to muck out the dirtest of horses and highly absorbant.

 

[Brandy]

Proper rubber matting is supposed to be soft enough for them to lay on. However, I would as least put a small bed down, becuase I don't like the idea of them standing in wee all night.

I don't think its cruel as such, I just don't like the idea of it very much.

 

[Dizzle]

A lot of horses won't wee unless there is bedding as they dislike their legs being splashed by their own wee, this can long term cause issues with the kidneys. Even if they are just holding it in until they have to go, it’s not good for them.

My horse is a messy so and so, so he has rubber mats though out and in one corner to the stable he has a shavings/pellet mix 6ft long and 3ft wide (the size of one of my rubber mats) he knows exactly where his bed his and manoeuvres into place to have a wee. He poos else where in the stable and this can all be swept out easily, I go though about a bale of shavings a week and horse is happy to lie down in his box no problems. I’d rather not have the bed any smaller than this as this seems to be about the smallest a 16hh tb can use to pee on.

 

[Boxers]

Proper rubber matting is supposed to be soft enough for them to lay on. However, I would as least put a small bed down, becuase I don't like the idea of them standing in wee all night.

I don't think its cruel as such, I just don't like the idea of it very much.

They don't stand in wee. If the matting is laid correctly the wee goes underneath the matting and runs away out the door.

However, I would prob put down a bit of bedding to wee on if only to stop the splashing! Having said that, my horse quite often wees on the road or on the concrete yard, he doesn't seem bothered about splashing!

 

[galaxy]

They don't stand in wee. If the matting is laid correctly the wee goes underneath the matting and runs away out the door.

That isn't how I lay my mats. I like them laid hard up against the sides of the stables, so it's difficult for the wet to get under them. If you let it get under it goes stagnant and stinks! I also don't like it running out of the stable door. In an American Barn it really is not pleasent for everyone!

 

[Shavings]

I don't think it's cruel I owner a cob x warm loos couple of years ago and he was White and chestnut, he never lay down (no marks or shavings on his rugs) but his bed!! Oh god you put down a new bale of shavings down and the next morning the ed was black (he was on pink powder to help him with his digestion) and he was wormed and even the vet said he is just one of them horses who is "sloppy" behind so I have a large bank at back of stable (was rubber matted) and every morning I pick the poor up of the mats and he would pull down a small amount of the bank to pee on so I removed that and quickly go through the bank (never found any thing in the bank) saved me a small fortune!! And as long as I picked his feed out in morning I never had a problem, some horses lie down some don't, some horses are messy others ain't, it's like saying some people sleep with a duvet others don't, as long as the horse is comfy and safe (rubber mats stopping him hitting the soils floor if he ever did want to go down) I see know problem with it, as I know how it is finding a mine field of poo every morning!! I didn't do this with my old tb as he was clean (pooed my stable door of his bed, and weed in one place) and he loved a lie down his bed would be flat and compacted down and some mornings as I would come to yard you could hear him only just getting up, as long as your happy he is safe and well, he will harm him self carry on as you are!

 

[RunToEarth]

I just don't like the sound of it at all, and I hate rubber matting all together, it stinks.
I know horses are not burrowing animals, I have yet to find my boys hidden in their beds, but I am a firm believer of big banks, and big beds, and all of them like to have a shnuffle down in their straw at some point. I would be horrified if my horse was just stood on rubber matting all night, sorry.

 

[chestnut cob]

Horses are not nesting animals, you only have to see what they lay down on out in the field to understand that.

Haha, tell that to my horse! He refuses to lay down in the field (though he would roll all day long...!) and sleep, even if he's out 24/7. He spends half of his day lying down in the stable, in between hay nets, and the bigger/fluffier his shavings bed, the more he lies down! Suspect I have a very spoiled horse!

To answer the OP, personally I don't like leaving horses without any bedding because you do need something to soak up the wee. As someone else suggested, try wood pellets. I think they are more absorbent than shavings. I'm not one for huge beds that the horse needs a step ladder to get up onto but IMHO they do need something down.

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

I know a yard that doesn't have beds. However they put a small pile of shavings down for them to wee on, as some horses can be reluctant to wee otherwise.
They have drains going down the barn, and most of the wee runs into these (when they're not clogged up), tbh their barn stinks in the morning - much worse than a barn full of horses with proper beds, and those who lay down have much worse stable stains and poo plastered on their rugs and faces.

There's also one other consideration...Be careful what type of matting you use, because some matting can become very slippery when wet.

 

[jsr]

They don't stand in wee. If the matting is laid correctly the wee goes underneath the matting and runs away out the door.

However, I would prob put down a bit of bedding to wee on if only to stop the splashing! Having said that, my horse quite often wees on the road or on the concrete yard, he doesn't seem bothered about splashing!

Thanks yes stable is designs so pee runs to the door where I put down enough bedding to absorb and clean when mucking out. Believe me my lad didn't read the book about horses not wanting to pee on hard surfaces...he's reknown on my yard for pee'ing anywhere he wants..including the hard yard!!!

 

[forestfantasy]

I just don't like the sound of it at all, and I hate rubber matting all together, it stinks.
I know horses are not burrowing animals, I have yet to find my boys hidden in their beds, but I am a firm believer of big banks, and big beds, and all of them like to have a shnuffle down in their straw at some point. I would be horrified if my horse was just stood on rubber matting all night, sorry.

Totally agree, my mare uses her banks as a pillow as does my little man, i'd be worried if mine hadn't been down in the night, thats when i know something is wrong

 

[jsr]

Totally agree, my mare uses her banks as a pillow as does my little man, i'd be worried if mine hadn't been down in the night, thats when i know something is wrong

Only I time I'd worry is if his net wasn't empty and the 'emergency' pile of haylage that I stash at the back of the stable hadn't been started on!!! Oh the joys of a greedy cob!!! Lol!!

 

[LaurenBay]

I couldn't do it to mine. She loves to lie down! I have yet to see it but her fleece always tell me when she has oh and the squashed poo's she doesn't have mats, but a big straw bed. I don't do banks though as I don't see the point in them personally.

 

[Damnation]

I own a Warmblood mare.
She is DISGUSTING!

I, like RunToEarth and others like big deep beds and big banks, and my last mare was so clean she had a massive bed. But then last girl was PTS and I got my current mare Buffy.

We started out on a massive bed with big banks and I just could not afford the amount she was going through! 4-5 bales a week.

She was on rubber mats and it made it worse because the pee sat ontop of the matting and she just walked it in even more. (Yes she was that wet the bed was just rank! The shavings couldn't absorb anymore!) I could not find one solid Poo in her stable.

I have ended up giving her a small bed, about an inch thick to absorb the wet, covering about 1/3 stable. I literally take out the worst, then every day add some more shavings (as in about 1/8th a bale a day) and my shavings last me a good week. I did try other bedding but it made absolutely no difference whatsoever.

Occasionally she will be very mucky and I will take the lot out and put a new whole new bag down and start again. But it is the only way I can keep her bed reasonible without it costing the earth.

She does still lie down (poo stains), and she has no swellings, capped hocks etc so she must be grand. She lies down in the hard field so rubber matting with an amount of bed will be the same.

I actually find she is much cleaner this way too! Personally I would rather a small clean bed then a massive bed with big banks that is $hitty because its costing the earth to keep up.

 

[flying solo]

I'm a fan of nice big straw bed which my boy's love to roll in as soon as their rugs come off. Its a nightly ritual for them! I guess if it works for you and your mare OP then nothing else matters its just not something I would consider doing x

 

[milesjess]

A yard I used to work at just had rubber matting with drainage for pee. Some stables still gathered the wet on the floor as well as droppings and the horses would lie in it... It also stank. But on the plus it took 5 mins to muck out, no capped hocks etc...

I guess it's just personal preference. I prefer a deep littered, big bed.

 

[forestfantasy]

I don't do banks though as I don't see the point in them personally.

I couldn't put a horse in bed without banks, my mare used to get herself cast as a youngster, bigger banks prevented this & also keeps drafts at bay in winter.
She hasn't been cast for at least a year now but i still do them to prevent it & do the same with all ours.

 

[alison_oliver]

I couldn't put a horse in bed without banks, my mare used to get herself cast as a youngster, bigger banks prevented this & also keeps drafts at bay in winter.
She hasn't been cast for at least a year now but i still do them to prevent it & do the same with all ours.

I second this, the banks stop horses becoming cast!! I have a 14.3hh in a big stable and I still use banks just in case, I doubt he would ever become cast, but having seen first hand injuries that have been caused I wouldn't not use them.
If you don't see the point due to your horse being in a massive stable, or because its never happened before please rethink and use some, just enough to help if it does get down and cant get back up.. injuries can be horrific..
If you have other reasons I apologise ;-)

 

[cptrayes]

Horses are not nesting animals, you only have to see what they lay down on out in the field to understand that.

It's nearly panto time so here we go

OH YES THEY ARE

If you have a look at any field that horses are left on for months at a time you will find bare patches, which I call "bedrooms". They scrape off the grass and make a hollow and then they lie their belly in the hollow. Cows and sheep do it too. I think it's to take the weight off their ribcage.

Mine live in a barn overnight and each morning I can see exactly where each on eof them has made a "form" in the dirt floor to lie in.

OP if you are absolutely sure your horse never lies down in a stable and will pee on concrete then he is one of the very few horses that I would be happy to see on unbedded rubber mats.

 

[Honey08]

Ironically, the only time I've ever had a horse cast was in a foaling box with banks - broke all the rules!! I used to do huge banks until last year when we very nearly ran out of straw while snowed in for a few weeks, and I had to pull the banks down to give them enough bed. Nothing got cast, and I decided to leave them without. They've all been fine since. I do, however like good beds. I have rubber mats, but mainly as my mare scrapes her bed about and rolls a lot - wanted to make sure that she wasn't rolling on concrete. They do drain the pee, and it does sit under the mats now and again, but I just rinse out once a week by throwing a couple of buckets of water down, and that flushes it all out..

No horses aren't nesting animals, but they do prefer comfort. Horses in Egypt etc lie down on piles of bricks if they haven't any other choice.. I have my mare in a foaling box and only bed down half the stable - guess which end she chooses to lie down?? Another pony used to have an L shaped stable, with bed in one part only - he too chose "to nest". I've had DIYs that insisted that their horses didn't need beds and didn't lie down in the stable. Their rugs were wet with pee and stunk. They laid down in the field the minute they went out each morning - like they'd been waiting to.. Their owners were pretty lazy in other areas of their care too.

 

[diamondrockharvey]

I have rubber mats in my stables and then put banks of bedding around the edges and a light sprinkling of bedding on the floor just to soak up any wee.
My horses lie down on the rubber mats no worries, and in the morning it takes minutes to muck out and sweep up and very little bedding gets used/wasted.

The horses are all happy in their stables and they never smell bad!

 

[alison_oliver]

Ironically, the only time I've ever had a horse cast was in a foaling box with banks - broke all the rules!! I used to do huge banks until last year when we very nearly ran out of straw while snowed in for a few weeks, and I had to pull the banks down to give them enough bed. Nothing got cast, and I decided to leave them without. They've all been fine since. I do, however like good beds. .

I have heard about this before which is why I still bank mine even though in his stable it should be almost impossible to become cast!! I think though if you have a good deep bed it serves the same purpose as having banks.
My lad pulls my banks down half the time anyway!! or uses as a pillow.. i even find nose holes, where he buries his nose to keep warm!!

 

[aimsymc]

The previous yard i was on used rubber mats and literally a sprinkling of shavings (like 1 thick) Was very easy for them to muck out.
My mare didnt have a prob with lying down on it but she got little rubs on the sides of her hock, It never looked cosy in cold weather and i had to keep her in a TO rug.
Have since had her pts and aquired new horse who was on same bedding for about a month before i moved yard, She is a dirty mare and i practically had to hose her from head to toe every day. New yard im on is diy, was full livery at last place and im back to havin a full shavings bed with rubber matting and cant believe i stuck the other system so long! Everythimg else at yard was great guess thats why.

 

[jsr]

OP if you are absolutely sure your horse never lies down in a stable and will pee on concrete then he is one of the very few horses that I would be happy to see on unbedded rubber mats.

100% sure...7 years of ownership so pretty much know him by now. He even stops in canter, pee's and then carries on...doesn't position himself, care if a rider is on his back or anything, although does fart afterwards...he'd scratch his ar*e if he could. Always said if he were a bloke he'd wear a dirty vest and stink of fags and booze.

 

[LaurenBay]

I second this, the banks stop horses becoming cast!! I have a 14.3hh in a big stable and I still use banks just in case, I doubt he would ever become cast, but having seen first hand injuries that have been caused I wouldn't not use them.
If you don't see the point due to your horse being in a massive stable, or because its never happened before please rethink and use some, just enough to help if it does get down and cant get back up.. injuries can be horrific..
If you have other reasons I apologise ;-)

My reasoning is that all Horses I have seen become cast have had huge banks that did not help them in the slightest and some still became injured.

 

[elsiex]

Mine has a huge straw bed with big banks! Love it

 

[elsiex]

Dealers yard I worked at just had shavings sprinkled on rubber mats though

 

[eggs]

My reasoning is that all Horses I have seen become cast have had huge banks that did not help them in the slightest and some still became injured.

Yes, my youngster used to get cast with banks in his large stable. Fortunately he never panicked and would lie there waiting for us to help him up. He is now in the same stable but with no banks and has not gotten cast.

Our stables are fully matted with thick wood pellet bedding in the back half which gives a bed approx 12' wide by 10' deep. I have to say that I have only ever seen the horses lying on the bedded part and not the front matted part of the stable. Strange as they are happy to lie on the hard ground in the field.