Bedding: Make the Right Choice for Your Situation, Part 4 of 4
by Alayne Blickle
In this series, we have been looking at the dozens of bedding products available to horse owners and discussing how to choose the right one for your specific situation--your needs, your horses’ needs, etc. We finish up this series with a review of non-wood and other alternative bedding products.
Peat Moss
Peat moss is a less traditional, yet useful bedding material. Those who use it are devoted followers. Studies show that peat is the king of absorbency in the bedding department, a real plus if there are respiratory issues in your barn (either horse or human). Peat is very soft, and horses seem to like it. It is also a useful addition to your compost pile, pasture, or garden.
Drawbacks are that it can be dusty at drier times of the year or in windy locations. Also, some horse owners find the dark, dirty look of peat bedding in a stall unappealing. Peat moss should be available at your local garden supply or home improvement center, although it tends to be more available during the spring and summer gardening months.
Straw
Although not used as frequently today, straw is a traditional bedding with a very long history. Currently straw bedding is most closely associated with the racehorse and reproduction industries, especially in certain parts of the country. Straw is not particularly absorbent, and as such it is used very differently from other absorbing beddings. Straw is used to form a sort of “mat” or barrier between the horse and its manure and urine, which will settle to the bottom of the stall. Using straw requires deep bedding to attain the mat effect that will drain away manure and urine.
Wheat and oat straw are most commonly used. Straw can be a low-cost option–unless you live in an area where there is a shortage of straw and prices are sky high! Probably the most important advantage to straw is that stall waste with straw bedding composts very well and is usually the preferred stall waste bedding of gardeners and farmers. Mushroom growers prefer straw stall waste (and will not accept stall waste with any wood products), so for this reason they are often found adjacent to racetracks.
Disadvantages to straw bedding include storage and respiratory problems. Straw bales require a lot of room to store (bedding with straw requires around 5 bales per horse per week), and it tends to be very dusty and sometimes moldy, too – a definite drawback for horses or people with respiratory issues. Also, problems with ammonia accumulation in the barn environment are greater with straw bedding because of its low absorbency rate.
Newspaper
Newspaper bedding is an excellent product that, unfortunately, is not widely available. It is usually made from overruns of unused newspaper stock, which are cut or torn into strips. The manner in which they are torn improves their ability to absorb and prevents sharp edges. In today’s world, newspaper ink is soy-based so there are no longer the concerns of heavy metals. Newspaper is completely dust and foreign object free and makes an excellent choice if anyone in your family or barn suffers from respiratory problems. Since it’s usually available either bagged or baled, it’s very easy to store. You can store it in a small space or, with the addition of a tarp, behind your barn. Shredded newspaper bedding is also cleaner than other bedding products and it composts very nicely – one of the best, actually.
Disadvantages include that it requires some training to learn how to clean a stall with this bedding and getting used to the look of newsprint in a stall. Also, if you live in a windy climate, newspaper strips tend to blow around. In addition, locating a source of newspaper bedding will require some sleuthing. You can try calling local newspaper publishers or timber or paper companies to inquire.
Other Products
Other interesting alternative products include rice hulls (in parts of California), wheat by-products (in eastern Washington), shredded phone books (via the Internet), hemp (countries outside of the U.S.), and shredded cardboard (via the Internet and east of the Mississippi). You may be able to find free or low cost wood shavings if you live near a sawmill or wood processor and can just pick up their waste. Be aware that some of this product can contain sharp edges or be splintery.
A final bedding consideration is the use of rubber stall mats in stalls. A rubber stall mat is a healthy surface for the horse to stand on. It is level and firm but with enough “give” for a cushioning effect. Your vet and farrier will each tell you that there are many horse health benefits to this type of stall flooring as opposed to an uneven, damp, or hard stall surface. A stall mat offers a firm, level surface that makes chore time simpler–you can easily scoop up manure and soiled bedding and leave any clean bedding behind. An added bonus with stall mats is that you may be able to reduce the amount of bedding you currently use in the stall to a light “litter” layer or only bed in “potty spots.”
Reducing the amount of bedding used and cleaning stalls more judiciously will have the added benefit of reducing the amount of stall waste you are left to dispose of. The advantage to you as a horse owner is great. Rubber mats may be a pricey investment initially (approximately $150 per 12’x12’ stall), but they pay for themselves in stall cleaning convenience, reduced bedding costs, less storage space needed for stall waste, and comfort for your horse. If your horses have access to paddocks, you may even be able to eliminate bedding completely.
The advantages to making the right bedding choice are substantial; the bedding you choose can offer improved horse and human health, time savings, space savings, cost savings, improved composting, and better chore efficiency on your property. All win-win-win for you!
Good luck and good horsekeeping to you!
~Alayne
In this series, we have been looking at the dozens of bedding products available to horse owners and discussing how to choose the right one for your specific situation--your needs, your horses’ needs, etc. We finish up this series with a review of non-wood and other alternative bedding products.
Peat Moss
Peat moss is a less traditional, yet useful bedding material. Those who use it are devoted followers. Studies show that peat is the king of absorbency in the bedding department, a real plus if there are respiratory issues in your barn (either horse or human). Peat is very soft, and horses seem to like it. It is also a useful addition to your compost pile, pasture, or garden.
Drawbacks are that it can be dusty at drier times of the year or in windy locations. Also, some horse owners find the dark, dirty look of peat bedding in a stall unappealing. Peat moss should be available at your local garden supply or home improvement center, although it tends to be more available during the spring and summer gardening months.
Straw
Although not used as frequently today, straw is a traditional bedding with a very long history. Currently straw bedding is most closely associated with the racehorse and reproduction industries, especially in certain parts of the country. Straw is not particularly absorbent, and as such it is used very differently from other absorbing beddings. Straw is used to form a sort of “mat” or barrier between the horse and its manure and urine, which will settle to the bottom of the stall. Using straw requires deep bedding to attain the mat effect that will drain away manure and urine.
Wheat and oat straw are most commonly used. Straw can be a low-cost option–unless you live in an area where there is a shortage of straw and prices are sky high! Probably the most important advantage to straw is that stall waste with straw bedding composts very well and is usually the preferred stall waste bedding of gardeners and farmers. Mushroom growers prefer straw stall waste (and will not accept stall waste with any wood products), so for this reason they are often found adjacent to racetracks.
Disadvantages to straw bedding include storage and respiratory problems. Straw bales require a lot of room to store (bedding with straw requires around 5 bales per horse per week), and it tends to be very dusty and sometimes moldy, too – a definite drawback for horses or people with respiratory issues. Also, problems with ammonia accumulation in the barn environment are greater with straw bedding because of its low absorbency rate.
Newspaper
Newspaper bedding is an excellent product that, unfortunately, is not widely available. It is usually made from overruns of unused newspaper stock, which are cut or torn into strips. The manner in which they are torn improves their ability to absorb and prevents sharp edges. In today’s world, newspaper ink is soy-based so there are no longer the concerns of heavy metals. Newspaper is completely dust and foreign object free and makes an excellent choice if anyone in your family or barn suffers from respiratory problems. Since it’s usually available either bagged or baled, it’s very easy to store. You can store it in a small space or, with the addition of a tarp, behind your barn. Shredded newspaper bedding is also cleaner than other bedding products and it composts very nicely – one of the best, actually.
Disadvantages include that it requires some training to learn how to clean a stall with this bedding and getting used to the look of newsprint in a stall. Also, if you live in a windy climate, newspaper strips tend to blow around. In addition, locating a source of newspaper bedding will require some sleuthing. You can try calling local newspaper publishers or timber or paper companies to inquire.
Other Products
Other interesting alternative products include rice hulls (in parts of California), wheat by-products (in eastern Washington), shredded phone books (via the Internet), hemp (countries outside of the U.S.), and shredded cardboard (via the Internet and east of the Mississippi). You may be able to find free or low cost wood shavings if you live near a sawmill or wood processor and can just pick up their waste. Be aware that some of this product can contain sharp edges or be splintery.
A final bedding consideration is the use of rubber stall mats in stalls. A rubber stall mat is a healthy surface for the horse to stand on. It is level and firm but with enough “give” for a cushioning effect. Your vet and farrier will each tell you that there are many horse health benefits to this type of stall flooring as opposed to an uneven, damp, or hard stall surface. A stall mat offers a firm, level surface that makes chore time simpler–you can easily scoop up manure and soiled bedding and leave any clean bedding behind. An added bonus with stall mats is that you may be able to reduce the amount of bedding you currently use in the stall to a light “litter” layer or only bed in “potty spots.”
Reducing the amount of bedding used and cleaning stalls more judiciously will have the added benefit of reducing the amount of stall waste you are left to dispose of. The advantage to you as a horse owner is great. Rubber mats may be a pricey investment initially (approximately $150 per 12’x12’ stall), but they pay for themselves in stall cleaning convenience, reduced bedding costs, less storage space needed for stall waste, and comfort for your horse. If your horses have access to paddocks, you may even be able to eliminate bedding completely.
The advantages to making the right bedding choice are substantial; the bedding you choose can offer improved horse and human health, time savings, space savings, cost savings, improved composting, and better chore efficiency on your property. All win-win-win for you!
Good luck and good horsekeeping to you!
~Alayne
Labels: alayne blickle, Horse Farm Management, May 2008
posted by NWHS at
6:48 PM
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