What bedding do you all use?

[windand rain]

Straw stinks, I can't be dealing with it. The smell gets onto my hair if I just walk past the outside of an open stable with a straw bed in it.

A correctly mucked out shavings bed does not stink - I have a pretty acute sense of smell, I'd certainly notice if it did.

Your opinion but what is mucking a shavings bed out properly?
must have been doing it wrong for 60 years

 

[Tiddlypom]

Your opinion but what is mucking a shavings bed out properly?

If deep littered, then the wet is always buried underneath clean shavings.

If daily muck out, then again the bed never has wet showing through but you remove the wet daily. The mucking out process itself can be smelly as you deal with the wet, but once the bed is put back the stable should not smell.

 

[windand rain]

Ah it is the process and the grey bitty finish that I find stinks always mucked out daily to the floor all wet and poo even the tiny bits removed takes well over an hour each box done properly which is why I dont like them. Not too bad with a big stable and clean horse but with a horse that spreads it about it is a nightmare

 

[ycbm]

Also, my stable roof has started leaking. I know you're thinking 'Why don't you fix the roof?'. The roof is asbestos and there are other stables with a leaking roof that the yard owner can't/won't fix so I don't expect the situation to change in a hurry

Wickes sell a thick tarry 100mm wide flashing tape which my OH uses for fixing cladding boards. It does a great job. If you can find and mark the leaks, wait for them to dry, and stick the tape on. I have some on the barn that has been there for over 20 years.
.

 

[asmp]

I deep litter and he's out overnight so very clean bed.

I have a layer of wood pellets covered by laysoft soft chip bedding. I was on ethos on top but the laysoft behaves the same but cheaper. The laysoft lets the wet easily drain through so his bed is always dry on top. I find skipping out is very quick and easy. I dig the wet pellets out once every 2 to 3 weeks while he's out overnight. During winter when he's in at night I'd dig the wet out weekly.

I also use Laysoft and have done for some years. I buy it direct from the manufacturer by the pallet load.

 

[rabatsa]

Chopped cardboard. Absolute zero dust.

If the horses are constantly walking in and out, taking their bedding with them put a board up across the doorway. I have a piece of 2 x 6 in every doorway. It really cuts down on what is dragged out.

 

[Winters100]

Wood pellets, they are half livery so mucked out every day by staff, and I have arrangement with YO that at the start of every month he gives me the number of bags that he 'budgets' for per horse and I then add to them to have nice deep beds.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I like Hunter shavings because they are so absorbent and my (coloured with white legs) horse doesn't get stable stains. But, at certain times of the year they are difficult to get and they are quite expensive. Also, my stable roof has started leaking. I know you're thinking 'Why don't you fix the roof?'. The roof is asbestos and there are other stables with a leaking roof that the yard owner can't/won't fix so I don't expect the situation to change in a hurry

.

If it's literally a drip from one spot could you not rig up some sort of plastic half drain pipe (super cheap, the blue stuff from B&Q) and some bailing twine to hold it up - you could then at least channel the water to outside your stable?

 

[Ownedby4horses]

Exactly! Hence I'm looking for alternatives. Although I do think my local feed shop is more expensive than most.

you need to shop around, £12 for Hunters is overpriced. Even bed max with the royal seal of approval on it is cheaper ?.

 

[Nicnac]

Straw pellets - Concord. Don't need to wet them so less faff than wood pellets. Used Hunters for years but it's often out of stock

 

[spotty_pony]

Straw, nothing beats it for comfort. And the spotty one has a layer of wood pellets underneath to make it more absorbent when he is in at night during the winter.

 

[spotty_pony]

slightly off topic but I have just read that white vinegar and water neutralises the smell of ammonia. Has anybody tried this?

 

[Lyle]

Straw, but that's because I can get the large 500kg bales dirt cheap. It's also great to compost down and we use that to regenerate parts of the fields. I like straw beds, I think they look very comfy. I have compacted gravel as the stable floor, so drainage is not and issue.