In most stables you will find bedding. But what are the options and there pros and cons. Read here:

All about equine bedding

In today’s blog, I will be sharing with you lots of horse bedding types available on the market. Some of these you may not have heard of before, others you might bed you horses on.

Bedding is important in a horses stable for a few reasons such as comfort and cleanliness/ absorbency. So now that is cleared let’s jump into it:

The most common horse bedding by far are shavings and straw. Some of the less common include cardboard, paper, hemp, and peat moss. However, there are others like: pellets, rice hulls, sawdust, flax, and more. Rubber matting is also found in lots of stables. Although it is expensive it is long lasting and durable.

All bedding options come with their pros and cons. All were created for different reasons to suite different horses. Some bedding is more suitable for ponies with respiratory issues, so they are just free or scented. Let’s discuss some of these:

Type of bedding	Description	​Pros	Cons
Shavings	The most common bedding for horses. Absorbent an budget friendly bedding	Absorbent and relatively easy to sweep	Quality can vary and therefore some can be dusty. Also need to be mucked out regularly to avoid the build - up of ammonia
Straw	Three main types: wheat, barley and oat	Cheap bedding and warm and comfortable for your horse	Straw is often dusty, non-absorbent and edible so often mistaken for hay. Also needs a lot to make a comfy bed
Cardboard/ Paper	Has insulating properties to it so good for cold winter nights	Warm and insulating for your horses. Also more absorbent than most bedding options	Risk to mould when exposed to elements
Peat Moss	Made of partially decomposed moss commonly used by gardeners	Good for horses with respiratory problems. Absorbent and comfortable. Suitable for older horses. Easy to muck out and not only that but good for the environment	Can freeze in winter and needs to be kept moist. Expensive and sometimes hard to find and not only that but needs to be bedded deeply
Pellets	Economic solution for horse bedding. Made from wood	Economic yet comfortable. More absorbent than shavings. Cheaper as well as low maintenance	Activating the wood pellets can take a while. They also rot
Hemp	A crop and therefore a natural product	Absorbent and dust free meaning stables are comfortable and warm.	A seasonal crop which is expensive as a result. Needs regular maintenance and is susceptible to mould

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The Equestrian Blogger

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