Bedding Suggestions

When we moved all the horses together for the witner we gave the babies their very own creep paddock that only they can get into, they have their own hay feeder in there, currently their own water, and a tarp shelter. My question to you would be what do you suggest for bedding in the shelter? Currently we just have some waste hay (the more coarse stuff they didn't want to eat), but the babies seem to think that the shelter is a great place to poop as well as sleep and I want to keep it as clean as possible and easy to muck out if they are all choosing to make their messes in there!!

as soon as you put in any tiype of bedding.....they poop..........I find old coarse hay so heavy to pick up after they use it for that.....I really LOVE SHAVINGS..........as they are so easy to sift through.......but I know some folks who really like the wood stove pellet things............anyway to look at it....your gonna have to muck!!!!!!!!

I don't mind mucking - I just want something easy to muck through and that won't freeze!!

I LOVE THE SMELL OF SHAVINGS..........POOPED IN OR NOT..........and when its first in there..........it looks so clean!!!!!! maybe its just me..............but I love taking shavings out of manes and tails, means the laid down and were happy.............aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

I find the waste hay and straw difficult to much out - especially once it's wet and frozen. I use sawdust and find it quite easy to muck out - especially in the winter because the urine freezes to the sawdust (or shavings, whatever you want to call it) and it's super easy to pick out. Come out almost like clumping kitty litter.

Shavings or sawdust for sure! - this is our first year using them full time, we bed up the run-in shed as Dolly's stall, then I can pick it, scoop up the rest and recycle it, I have some of those big blue tubs with rope handles to store the used shavings, then if she is in again overnight, I spread it out again, and add some new for "fluff" - they've only been in overnight 2 nights this fall, but so far, it's working - but it's way pricier than straw :-(

I love plannner shavings, it is a smaller shavings with some sawdust mixed in. It is really absorbant and stay fluffy. I am fortunate that over half is of what I used is given to me by a friend.

We are using peat moss this year for bedding. We don't have much of a lawn so we have been spreading all our manure on the lawn. We couldn't do that if we were using shavings.

I like it for that reason but I don't like it for Otie. You can just imagine how dirty she is from laying in it (she's in a straight stall at night). It's not good.

Not sure how that would work outside though. Would it just get squished into the ground? I guess no matter what you use if the ground isn't frozen it'll get squished into the mud. Since you don't have a hard floor I wouldn't suggest wood pellets, that would be a waste I would think because they wouldn't get broken up.

Sorry, I guess I'm not much help.

Ride em - do you find it dusty? I was in a barn before that used it for about a 3 month period and they had to continuously wet it down which in turn made very brown dust everywhere... it was lovely bedding but they ended up not being able to tolerate the dark dust on everything.

We'd love to use shavings for the stalls but they aren't readily available.... when we build run-ins we will definitely be using straw. IMO, shavings are ideal for stalls but not for a run-in enless it is being cleaned out daily.

I use shavings in the run in..........but I only have 2 horses and pick out every time I feed.......

JJ, I think with your dynamics shavings are ideal.

In our case, 7-8 horses per run-in and picking daily just isn't pratical time allocation... with straw we can leave a run-in longer and they stay relatively dry and tidy. We also make sure to feed outside which cuts down on messing in the run-in

I think I will try the shavings! I picked up two bags today and will see how it goes, I'll completly strip out the run-in tomorrow morning and then bed it up with the shavings and see how that goes! I can try to add straw (if I can find some other then from Shurgain) and try that. I'll let everyone know how it goes. The four babies have access to this shelter and I want to keep them as CLEAN as possible, Tanner is so messy, I watched him poop yesterday, then lay down and roll in it before sleeping on the ground in poop for a few hours *rolls eyes*

I like wood pellets they are really easy to clean up so you don't waste I think they would be heavier then shavings so in a tarp run in they might not blow around as much as shavings would either. I've never found them dusty or anything they worked really well for us

I never use bedding in my runin, way too much mess. Everyone sleeps outside in the snow/grass on warm afternoons when the sun is shining. Can the babies run with the others or they are always seperated (I'm trying to figure out how the babies get in, but the big one's don't)?

The babies can go in with the other horses if they want, and where they have to lay down to sleep more they certainly use the dry shelter over just laying around their hay feeders like they used to. I have a strand of rope up about 3-4 feet high that the babies can duck under at the entrance to the creep paddock, but the big ponies can't - works great, also have the same set up for their feeding stalls, they can get in by the big ponies can't :D

Simi Has that also She can get in and out of the barn by going under the rope where the others can't so she has fresh water, a round bale all to her self well not really Able ( Goat) is there with her, but she can go out side with the big ponies also.. her choice...

Tru would like to know if she has anything on her face :P


Tru apparently didn't think her dorsal stripe was good enough so she gave herself a new one with shavings


This is the rope that the babies can get under, I have to keep tightening it because it does stretch a fair bit but works great!

now just remember, after clean up....unfold the turn up on your pants before you go in someone elses house....otherwise if you are there to pinch something or to just give them a surprise.........you wont...........hahahahahaha..........SHAVINGS...............way better than DNA for figuring out who's been in your kitchen........ :cowboyhound.gi :cowboyhound.gi

Yes, I find the peat moss dusty. Everything in the barn is covered in a brown dust. If it were up to me we'd use sawdust but I'm not sure if we can even get that delivered anymore. And when we used to it was such a huge truckload it took me forever to bag it up. And then you have to have a place to store all those bags.

We're just trying the peat moss this year for the first time. It costs right around the same price as shavings and I do find it easier to clean and I think it lasts longer then shavings. I hate how you have to shake and shake with shavings.

But oh my, is Otie ever dirty from laying in it. I might have to switch her to shavings.

I use wood pellets in two stalls and peat moss in Wilburs. I love the peat for him It keeps him cleaner. When buying peat some is finer then others.Wilbur is grey and stays clean. However did buy a couple bags of the finer peat and it was dusty and dirty. I use a lot less bedding using peat moss for him. Would use peat moss for all off then but no longer have a truck and hate putting peat in the back seat. I think peat moss would blow away in a run in so would use shaveings.