Using straw. . .advice

[Flint12]

My lad has come to my instructors yard this week with me while i do work experience there.

He has had to go on straw, but i have never done a straw bed before!! you should have seen it!!! It was shall we say. . . interesting lol.

He is only there for a week so i wont be able to establish the bed but how can i make the banks a bit firmer. Im guessing i just need to add straw and then pack it down to make the banks firm?

And mucking out wise i remove all muck and do i then remove anything wet and thats it?

Sorry if the QU seems a bit thick but i have only ever mucked out shavings and i will probably have a whole yard to do this week, and dont want to make a hasg of it!!

Thanks

 

[martlin]

To get the banks firmer, just use compressed straw from a bale without 'fluffing' it up.
As to mucking out, I throw all the straw up, take away poo and wet/grotty bits of straw, sweep the floor (God only knows why) and then pull the bed back down, add more straw in necessary.

 

[spacefaer]

Old school straw beds: Take all droppings out, throw all clean straw up onto the banks. Take out the wet patch and any other soiled straw. Sweep the floor clean of all dirty bits. Put the clean straw back down, adding all of one bank to the bed. Make bank up with fresh straw. You don't need to make the banks firm - the horse will do that! Make sure they are high enough - approx 2' - they work best if the straw is thrown up onto them, not dropped down.

Don't know the modern way of bedding on straw - but that was how I was taught by a very traditional Olympic dressage rider! Hope it makes sense - best of luck with your week

 

[debbielinder]

i usually leave my bed up for a good few hours to let the floor dry out.

 

[Pixxie]

the way i learnt from my work experience at the national stud was..to throw the clean straw up on the banks or one bank in particular, sweep the floor, pull out all muck and wet pull the clean back down to make the bed and add as much new straw as necessary

 

[Flint12]

Thankyou

Thats what i was thinking but that makes it all much clearer in my head.

Thankyou for my luck spacefaer!

 

[ladyearl]

Good luck! I'm sure you'll get the hang of it by bed 3 and be an expert by the end. Main yard I muck out at is all straw and being of a certain age I prefer it but I do remember a few years ago being faced with my first shavings bed and feeling mildly panicky. Also feeling it just wasn't clean enough no matter what i did. I'm pretty much ok with either now, although being an old fashioned bird I still think you can't beat a good straw bed.

I pile all clean to one side and then remove all droppings and wet straw. The transfer the pile to the other side and check I haven't missed any underneath original side. I then make banks from the remaining, sweep up and leave middle section to dry out. Later when bedding down I'd put the old underneath the new and lots of it!!

 

[welshied]

I take all muck and every bit of wet out and then put all clean in banks and sweep floor and then use old stuff in banks and put clean in middle then you get nice big bouncy banks lol

 

[Charmaine18]

I find straw much easier than shavings - maybe it's just because that's what I learned first, but you're bound to pick it up in five minutes flat.

 

[Flint12]

i think i will have enough beds to do every day i will be fed up with the site of it by the end of the week!

Thanks for all advice

My lad took a very quick liking to it after finding he can now eat his bed!!! great haha!!