what is the best way to manage a straw bed

[twisteddiamond]

as post title really its been about 12-13yrs since any of my horses have been on straw
my mare is very wet and tends to wander about once she runs out of munchies which makes her bed a disgusting mess
she is on shavings with rubber mats at the mo, but it is costing me a small fortune so i was considering swapping to straw

i was thinking a deep bed over the rubber mats maybe with a layer of shavings under to soak up the wet

 

[Annie&Amy]

We use shavings under straw and it works really well. Deep litter so take poo out everyday and take wet out every 2-3 weeks xx

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

up her hay if she is eating it quickly. is she hungry?

 

[twisteddiamond]

she is a welsh cob who could get fat on thin air, she is on a restricted intake as she has had lami with a previous owner and was hideously fat when i got her, so uping her hay isnt an option

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

best to put her on shavings or wood pellets then!

 

[twisteddiamond]

we only have a choice of euro shavings (really fine ones that congeal on the first signs of wee and go dark brown on touching poo) or straw as that is what the yard sells and your not allowed to bring in your own bedding

 

[kendra2705]

hi rubber mats are suppose to be bedding although i dont know anyone who uses them with no bed except from a riding school. My mare goes in just on mats with a small amount of bed then just clean the bed out in the morning so easy but doesnt suit all horses x

 

[Xselx]

i dont agree with deep littering personaly my horse is dirty so i actuly have banks round the side the i dont touch so makes your bed smaller and easyer to much out its just what ever works best for the horse

 

[jillygem]

I give a big deep bed with banks on a Sunday, skip out poo and worst wet each day of the week topping up with few leafs of straw and fluffing up banks. Clean out all fully each weekend, have rubber mats under as well. Works great for me as limited time during the week and beds are easy to keep.

 

[Sit_Up]

[ QUOTE ]
she is a welsh cob who could get fat on thin air, she is on a restricted intake as she has had lami with a previous owner and was hideously fat when i got her, so uping her hay isnt an option

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi if you want to increase her hay intake you can by soaking her hay over night to leech out nutrients. I would also point out that she will probably eat straw bedding and there could be just as much nutrition in the straw as increasing her hay ration, depending on the type of straw. Talk to your vet about diet next time they call.

If you are really struggling with the bed, you can just use mats with a small amount of shavings that you completly remove every morning. Do make sure that you can hose down and under mats regulalry though.