What do you use for bedding?

P4NN

P4NN

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Im moving to a new yard in a couple of weeks and Im hoping to be able to get 3-6 rubber mats by then.
All the time I have had my mare she has lived out 24/7 but come in the night or two before a show etc.. She isnt particulary messy but does box walk a little until settled which is normally 20mins.
I have been dictated to by previous yards to use shavings but now Im in a position to choose Im just wondering if anyone out there can give me an idea as to which bedding is best for you where you get it from and costs etc...
There just seems like there are so many options to choose from so personal recommendations are needed. Or what not to get is alway good too!
 

Wood Pellets which break down into powder. You'll need a rubber floor - which makes life much easier for you and warmer for your horse. The wood powder absorbs urine - and in the winter it helps with keeping the hooves dry.
Mucking out is easy - you just remove the dung pellets and the very wettest power.
After setting the stable up - you'll use about 3 bags a week as top up. In the summer less. It is kinder too to the muckheap - just one wheel barrow load a day.
Cost about £3.50 per bag - bought in 1 tonne lots ( a pallet)
Aquamax is more expensive but often easier to obtain.

Look on website for supplier - wood pellets are also used for wood burning stove - the cost is in the transport - so buy locally.
 
Wood pellets combined with shavings, as I don't have rubber matting and find that shavings provides a deeper bed.

I use semi-deep litter and don't use as many bags as DidisDad (probably because I use shavings as well) - I put down one-three bags of pellets as a base layer when I dig it out and then top up as and when with a bale of shavings.
 
I use wood pellets and Aubiose mixed. More aubiose in the ponys stable as she can do 10 wees and 10 poops a night (!) so need the absorbancy! but the big hunter (both on rubber matting) loves the wood pellets, it goes into a lovely dry forest floor type effect. It used to take me over an hour to muck out when on shavings and use 4-5 bales a week each. Now its max 3 bales and takes 20 mins...
 
i use chopped straw.. purely because shavings would cost me a small fortune the amount id get through. i have a dirty lad. If i could, id use straw. Cheap and creates a fab deep bed!

ETA: that made no sense, my yard doesnt allow proper straw because of rats, so we have to have chopped straw in bags. Still.. if i could use proper straw i would!
x
 
I have used straw, shavings, unibed, aubiose and easibed with my very wet and messy boy. Liked straw but he eats the whole bed in a night. Aubiose was nice but very expensive. Have found easibed the best so far and he is cleanest on this x
 
I have just bought 2 pallets of Cushion bed by Giffords- Its like wood chip type stuff, very easy to muck out and gives a "sturdy" feeling bed if that makes sense! I only put the beds down today but have mucked it out before and it was very easy as not as fluffy as shavings so the poo stays on top. and the best bit is the price- its quite cheap!
 
I have two messy horses on rubber matting and hunters shavings and they don't even use a bale week and only take 10mins to muck out.
 
I use Cushionbed, although my horse usually lives out but does come in from time to time. It is cheap and easy to use, I just take the poo out daily and do a full muck out once a week. I've got rubber mats down and my horse is really tidy, all her poos are in neat piles at the back of the stable and she never treds them in, so I imagine she would be easy on any type of bedding.
 
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