Straw in your box/trailer, yes or no?

Box_Of_Frogs

Box_Of_Frogs

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Picked up my new (new to me!) lorry today. I've always thought that straw on the floor makes a more inviting surface for the horse, for standing on, stumbling on, peeing and pooing on. Some will say leave the floor bare because it's easier to clean out but I'd like to know what people believe is best for the horse?
 
I don't use anything - a hangover from the days of wooden flooring I suppose. As long as you fully muck out then its probably best to use something, if you leave it its very corrosive.
 
I always have shavings on the floor, rubbers mats get quite slippery once they have wet droppings on them. I have a decent layer and always muck out really well after use, making sure that the remaning shavings are really clean and dry. I sweep the shavings onto a pile at the front away from any wet patch to ensure it dries properly.
 
Last week I would have said nothing. Mine just stand happily on the rubber mat and do the odd poo, non of them have every done anything else (and I have owned one for 30 years)

I gave someone else a lift last week and their horse decided to wee. What a mess and it ran all over the place, and I had swill out when we got back.

In future I will be putting shavings or something absorbent down if I take anyone else.
 
Shavings, or something similarly or more absorbent.

I have a mental block on using straw - I always think its too easy for it to get into bigger lumps and be in the way when the horse tries to move a leg for balance.

No doubt that's a load of twaddle, but I'll stick to shavings :D. Makes it much easier to clean up any sloppy poos. I always swill out the trailer/lorry anyway after use.
 
Thanks all. Ha ha, I've got 4 neds all happily bedded down on deep litter shavings beds in their stables but never thought to put shavings in the lorry! Duh! Shavings it is.
 
Thanks all. Ha ha, got my 4 neds happily bedded down on deep litter shavings beds in their stables but didn't cross my mind to put shavings in the lorry! Duh! Shavings it is x
 
I always put a deep layer of straw - clean used straw is best as it packs down well.

I've found they move around far less with straw and bad travellers travel well. Also think it deadens the road noise too.

Rubber matting gets horribly slippery when wet from pee and dung and the straw also covers it over so I'm less likely to arrive with green socks v white.

I find it really easy to muck out - far easier than shavings which seem to get in every possible crevace. Clean straw goes up to the front and dirty straw out, sweep damp area and maybe hose if wee'd on.
 
I never have - I have very solid rubber matting in my trailer with ridges in it. I remove the droppings before I set off home and clean out (and hose down every time) when I get home. My trailer does have an metal floor though but its just ingrained to always wash down.
 
I don't like using bedding for the breathing, but we tend to put down shavings/softbed that we use at shows to soak a bit of the muck up.
 
Tend to have shavings under their hind legs but not as far as their front, to soak up wee and poo but still not leave you with a whole trailer to muck out when you get back. Put a full bed in when travelling a mare and foal loose.
 
Wooden floored trailer so I don't put anything on the floor.

I cannot really see the point in putting down bedding as it is just more to clean up .....
 
I used to put some down in my trailer 10 years ago, But since I have the horsebox no I don't put anything down on the floor . If they pee on it I alwasy wash it out and wash under the box and round the brakes as urine damages the brake cables.
 
There are a 2 main why I wouldn't use bedding in a trailer / horsebox .


1.If the windows open or there is good ventilation in lorry/ trailer while traveling. The wind can pick up the dust and the horse can breathe it in.

2. Bedding in a trailer is generally not a good idea. Staw or shavings make the floor much more slippery than just a good rubber mat. If you don't believe me ride in the back of your trailer while it's being pulled down the road.
 
We put straw down just to make it more inviting, although I have noticed when the trailer is dry it can me quite slippy on the dry rubber matting on the trailer floor.

Have trailered many times without bedding but I do put some down for my gelding. Because he has not long got over a loading problem and i'm trying to make it as safe and comfortable as possible for him.
 
Personally I never put anything down when I had my IW, trailers/boxes are generally very poorly ventilated, adding anything like shavings/straw adds extra dust to the trailer, especially if you travel with nets too (if a horse is travelled long distances you will very often see them with streaming nostrils - due to the poor ventilation). Most boxes/trailers these days have decent rubber matting which is perfectly grippy for horses to stand on even when wet.
 
No. Rubber mats. Cleaned out after every trip and if a horse should pee, then up come the mats for hosing and removal to dry, and the box is hosed out too. It's one thing having a wet floor but having a wet acidic floor is even worse.

Mind you, my friend wishes she had put shavings down in her new Fautras trailer-with-living. All the partitions are removable. She went on a 5 hour trip from Cambs to Sussex and when she arrived, one of the neds had urinated and the urine had ran forwards under the partition and soaked her sleeping bag, clothes, food, cooking gear, etc.

yum yum.
 
I choose to use shavings, although there's straw in there at the mo, but only because that's what I had available at the time I bedded it down.

The only hassle with shavings is that it flies everywhere when the ramp's down on a windy day!

But I'd much rather give the ponies a bit of a softer and less slippery surface by putting some bedding down, and with my trailer I am quite confident there is more grip with shavings down, and it generally doesn't take much mucking out afterwards.

Although I try to "invite" the ponies to wee before they get on board the trailer, I prefer to think that they will wee in the trailer rather than be uncomfortable on the journey.

Sarah
 
I always used Bliss in the stable and I used to put cleanish bliss from the stable in the horsebox horsebox so it smelt the same and (I thought) more inviting. Only ever did one poo though, on the way out to venue, but would soak up any wee.

Jane
 
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