Choosing
the right bedding for your horse or pony
 The
choice of bedding for a stabled horse
used to be just a matter of choosing beween straw
and wood shavings.
Today there is a much wider choice, with the options to bed your
horse on rubber matting or flooring, shredded
paper and cardboard, Flax, hemp and rapeseed based equine bedding
as well as many types of woodshavings specially manufactured for
horse bedding.
Many dust-extracted bedding materials are available
which have also been treated with non-toxic disinfectants for
added equine hygiene.
The choice of bedding should be based on your horse's
and your own needs, taking the following points and advice
into consideration.
- Affordability - how much do you want to spend? Some products
may appear expensive initially but in the long term you may
save money. Calculate how much it will initially cost to fill
the stable, then consider how much bedding
you will need add daily to maintain the bed.
- Consider any health problems that your horse
may suffer from, especially
respiratory problems, there are dust free products especially
shavings and hemp that have developed specially for horses that
can suffer from the dust present in straw
beds. Your vet may be able to give you the most up
to date advice on bedding materials suitable for horses with
health problems.
- If your horse eats his bed it may be worth
looking for a bedding material that has been
treated with a non-toxic subtance to give it a bitter taste
and make it unpalatable.
- Consider how you will dispose of the soiled bedding. Select
a type that you know you can dispose of easily. You make need
to take advice from your local authority.
- How draughty or cold is your stable? A deep straw
bed with high banks will provide extra warmth and block
out draughts. Some brands of equine rubber matting offer thermal
insulation.
- If your horses require extra protection from injury whilst
stabled, mares in foal or with foals at foot
for example, rubber matting and rubber
wall mats can give added protection.
- Horse feed suppliers often sell many different
types and brands of horse bedding which may
be bought in small or large quantities - Buying in bulk for
large yards can significantly reduce costs.
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Straw is the traditional bedding
for horses, with wheat straw being
the most suitable. Oat and barley straw should not be used
for equine bedding.
Straw is relatively cheap, fairly easy to dispose of and
looks warm, cosy and comfortable.
Its drawbacks are that it is notoriously dusty and some
horses will eat straw beds
and this can result in respiratory
problems and weight gain.
Dusty straw in the stable can also cause respiratory diseases
such as SPAOD.
A deep-litter can be a very economical,
money saving system, but can be very heavy, smelly and unpleasant
to muck out.
Straw can often be bought locally from a farmer, who will
usually deliver direct to the stableyard. |
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Rubber
Matting
Rubber matting provides good support
and grip for a horse's limbs and feet. As it covers the
whole stable floor the risk of injury to your horse
or pony from falls or slipping is reduced
It is supplied in separate mats that can be cut to size
(some rubber mats interlock) or in a liquid
that once it has set is forms a seamless sealed floor that
does need to be lifted out for cleaning.
Rubber matting is usually used under
another bedding material such as straw or shavings, the
small amount of bedding material on top of the rubber
mats helps to soak up urine and control the spread
of droppings.
Some horse owners choose to use rubber
matting without any bedding on top. However, this can lead
to wet smally floors, dirty horses and wet stained, rugs.
High hygiene standards need to be maintained
when using rubber mats which need need to be cleaned, especially
underneath, to prevent the build up of ammonia. Effective
stable drainage is essential for this system.
Although the initial costs of the matting are realtively
high, this is offset by the fact that the amount of bedding
used daily can be greatly reduced, this saves time mucking
out and reduces muckheap size. |
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Paper
Shredded Paper is a dust free alternative
bedding material, usually made from recycled newspapers
and supplied polythene wrapped for easy storage.
The paper is cut into short flakes or long strips. The
long strips of paper tend to be harder to muck out as they
clump together and it is harder to separate out the droppings
in the stable. When wet a paper bed can become very soggy.
A large number of bales may be needed to create a thick
bed.
Being made from newsprint the ink on the paper can stain
a horse or pony's coat.
Shredded paper is easy to dispose of as it breaks down
more quickly than other bedding.
It can be hard to keep tidy as it easily blows around
a stableyard. |
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Wood shavings are more absorbent than
straw and dust-extracted products are manufactured especially
for use as horse bedding - which is useful if your horse
suffers form any respiratory
diseases.
However these specially produced shavings can be expensive.
Generally horses and ponies do not eat woodshavings,
which can save you money whilst helping to control the horses
diet.
Shavings have become popular type of horse bedding as they
are easy to muck out and very absorbent . They can be successfully
used for a deep litter bed .
It takes about 4-5 bales of shavings to start a bed, followed
by 1 or 2 bales a week to maintain a good bed.
If you do get shavings not specially manufactured
for horses, such as waste shavings produced as
a from a wood yard or saw mill, you may find that the woodshavings
are sharp, contain rubbish and may be dusty.
Disposal of shavings waste can be a problem - they take
a long time to rot and are often unwelcome on stable yard
muckheaps.
The easiest method of disposal is by burning - but many
areas have restrictions on this - check with your local
authority.
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Hemp, Flax and Rapeseed
are relatively new types of bedding. These bedding materials
- such as Aubiose
- are manufactured from the chopped stems of the plants.
Horse owners who have used this new type
of bedding have reported that these beds are cleaner and
easier to muck out than shavings.
Hemp, Flax and Rapeseed
bedding has good absorbency, and provides a soft bed with
a low dust content.
Some horses do try to eat this bedding and this can cause
swelling in the stomach as the bedding is somewhat indigestible.
This is another bedding material which can be initially
expensive than straw or shavings,
but in the long term can work out to be fairly cost effective
as less has to be replaced each day.
An advantage is that Hemp, Flax and Rapeseed
rots down quickly which makes disposal easier. |
Cardboard
Shredded cardboard is a newer bedding
material which is becoming a popular choice amongst horse
owners and equestrian facilities.
Cardboard has good insulation qualities, is absorbent,
dust free, horses stay cleaner than on
other types of bedding and it is easy to store and to muck
out.
Like paper, cardboard can clump together in the stable,
which although makes removing wet patches easier and make
droppings harder to remove. |
Peat
Peat Moss used to be a popular choice
of bedding, but is seldom used today.
It is expensive and difficult to obtain.
Most importantly it is comes from an unrenewable natural
source and much natural habitat has been destroyed in its
collection for commercial use. |
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