What do you use for bedding

[Karen in NC]

I would like to know what everyone uses as bedding. I currently use Equine Fresh or Woody Pellet depending on what I can find. Both after a while get very dusty. I am thinking about shavings, but would like suggestions. My barn has dirt floors with screening over top then the Equine Fresh. Thanks, Karen

 

[Jill]

We use sawdust and have since we've had minis. We put it in their stalls and also their run in sheds.

 

[Alex]

We use pellets!

 

[Charlotte]

We tried pellets and found them to become very dusty and also terrible for amonia odor.

We use pine shavings and look for a fairly fine type that will sift through a 'fine tine' fork but is very dust free. With all of the stores in this area that carry horse bedding we have a good variety to choose from.

All of our stalls are on rubber mats too which really cuts down on dust and amonia (all soiled bedding is easily removed every day) I can't tell you how many times we've had someone walk into our barn and say 'It doesn't stink in here!' and with 18 stalls I guess it is working for us.

We have also used the chopped newspaper and the cardboard bedding but always go back to pine shavings.

Charlotte

 

[KenBen]

I use Shavings in the winter and sawdust the rest of the year.

KenBen

 

[Cathy_H]

We use the Guardian brand pellets ($5.69 per bag). It is not dusty like the cheaper brands that we tried.....I think this brand breaks down coarser thus no dust. I keep a bag ready to use in a wheel barrel. I dump it in, wet it down & set it in the sun until totally dry......... We don't stir the urine spots around in the stalls as instructed - we remove the wet spots and add clean bedding as needed... I dump the used in the dry lots for those horses to use or I use it in my landscaping.

 

[lilfolks]

We have rubber mats over the wood floors and then I use shavings for bedding to about half of the stall.

I clean stalls daily and put in fresh shavings where the wet is. Keeps the barn smelling clean and the horses keep clean themselves.

Joyce

Little Folks Farm, CT

 

[Warpony]

I'm old school, I use straw. Nice deep bright yellow straw. I tried pellets and ended up with an ammonia smell even though I am one of those obsessive stall clear types. I've never found anything I like as much straw. The only time I don't use straw is if I have a horse who tends to eat a lot of it. Thankfully both of mine do great on straw, they are tidy, the poo tends to sink into a little nest of straw instead of get scattered around by their walking like it did in the pellets and shavings and I much prefer cleaning a straw stall to cleaning a sawdust, shaving or pellet stall.

 

[Georgine]

Our barn has a cement floor over which we have installed the cushioned mats.

There is a deep layer of shredded rubber, and then over the shredded rubber is a heavy rubber sheet pulled tight and installed much the same way as a carpet is installed. Makes a nicer base for standing than the straight rubber mats.

We clean the barns twice a day in winter, and spread a light coat of shavings for the horses who tend to eat straw and use straw for the rest.

The four weanling fillies have a deep layer of straw bedding which is we think is nicer for the little ones who seem to lay down for longer periods.

Barley straw is my favorite. It's light and fluffy and I could sleep on it myself

 

[CKC]

We are getting bagged pine sawdust.

I have found a place that sells sawdust. As soon as I get a chance we will be buying a truck load(much cheaper). I found that the shavings we were buying were too hard to clean and we wasted a lot.

 

[Warpony]

Barley straw is my favorite. It's light and fluffy and I could sleep on it myself

I used to take naps every day at the last farm I worked at. Right after lunch, the stalls were done, there was nothing to do for 2 or 3 hours until the horses came in for dinner and I would find a stall and curl up in a corner for a snooze. I tried the shavings stalls, the rubber mat and pellet stalls, and the straw stalls.... I got a much better nap in the straw stalls. Very comfy. That is part of why I prefer straw. If I ever have to sleep in the barn that is what I would want to snooze on, lol.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Warpony, that is too funny!! I have rubber mats then over that I use a pine shaving that is called Pinecoast Shavings...they are kind of big flakes and I have been told that most people dont like the big flakes. I love them...I must admit Im a clean stall fanatic and use alot of shavings. Suncoast is rather expensive 7.60 a bag but my horses very rarely poop or pee in their stalls....I guess I just love the way they "look" in the stalls. Dumb, I know!!

 

[Sue S]

We use straw, are stalls have gravel (small) on the dirt floors than we put straw on this, I'm scared to use saw dust, do they inhale it? While were on this subject, do any of you have minis that push there bedding off to the side? I have 2 that prefer the dirt floors. We go in and clean them and a couple hours later the 2 mares have the bedding pushed all the way to the side of the stall,makes me mad, nice clean bedding and they lay on the dirt floor.

 

[Buckskin gal]

We have concrete floors in our barn with the rubber mats on top then we use oat straw for bedding. Mary

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Good old fashioned still fairly cheap (certainly cheaper than all the alternatives) STRAW

I have Barley straw at the moment but I still have a few oat straw bales form last year at the bottom- I prefer Barley for bedding and Oat if they want to eat it.

I have three shelters to bed down this year so I am noticing a difference!!

 

[CrescentMinis]

I want the cushioned stall mats Georgine mentions! When we built the stalls, I tried to find them in the northwest area, but no luck.

So we have 3/4" rubber mats with pelleted bedding, then pine shavings on top. About 2/3 of the stall is bedded; I keep the front 1/3 clear because their hay drops all over that area and they eat less of it when it mixes into the shavings. After bedding the stalls initially, all it takes for maintenance is adding 1/2 a bag of pellets and about 1/3 bag of shavings a week to replace the soiled bedding removed 2x a day.

 

[Warpony]

I guess I just love the way they "look" in the stalls. Dumb, I know!!

Nothing wrong with that. That is also part of why I love straw. Especially shiny yellow straw. I fluff it up, bank the sides, then tamp it all down into a thick cushion, then I look at it longingly and sigh with pleasure because I think it is so pretty. Honestly, if what you are using works why not get some joy out of enjoying the way it looks?

I do have to admit, the one farm I worked at that used shavings got theirs from a place that used a special mix of woods that smelled so good I would take some home to use for potpourri. Dead serious, it smelled that good. I have no clue what kinds of wood were in there but the smell was luscious. It also cost both arms and a leg, if it weren't so expensive it may have been enough to tempt me into using it myself... and with how much I love straw that is saying something!

 

[normajeanbaker]

We use shavings year round. We tried Woody Pet last winter. I did like it in the beginning, but before too long, I found it too dusty. I had horses with irritated eyes from it, a few who coughed because of the dust and a year later....I am STILL cleaning Woody Pet dust off things. I followed the directions and did like how it was so easy to clean and it was super absorbent, but the dust was a killer!!! Even on days we opened the windows, it didn't help. I really like sawdust, but it's becoming too hard to get consistantly up here. So, we have stuck to bag shavings and like them. Nothing better then going out and seeing one all curled up, comfy and warm in their deep pile of shavings

Jen

 

[bpotze]

I use sawdust for the most part...we get it for $20 for a farm dump truck load. During foaling season, we of course use straw. I have use pellets in the past but found them too dusty and then had a newborn choke on them, even though they had been wet down. Some of my stalls have mats and some are dirt.

Becky

 

[Perissa]

Am I the only one who uses paper!

I have rubber mats but still have a full deep bed of paper. Its cheaper than shavings, dust free, easy to handle, easy to muck out, rots down very quickly on the muck heap. The only down side is that I have to be handy with a broom but then I always was anyway!!