No bedding?

[dianneS]

I'm considering removing the bedding from my horse's stalls, unless its absolutely needed.

Someone once told me that if I had rubber stall mats that I did not need any more bedding than a little bit to absorb urine. I was also told that if I removed the bedding that the horses would learn not to pee in their stalls because it would splash up off the rubber mats and get their legs wet. My horses seem to have learned that already since I've been using the Equine Fresh pelleted bedding and its not particularly thick bedding and still allows for splashing.

My horses typically go in and out of their stalls at liberty and are on 24/7 turnout. Even when the do need shelter, they stand under the barn over hang rather than going inside. Both horses have learned not to soil their stalls if they have the choice, so I rarely muck stalls as it is.

I'm thinking of just removing the bedding altogether and keeping a few bags of pellets on hand for those times when I do need to keep a horse in a stall for any extended period of time.

Plus, I have two extra stalls that I keep bedded down with thick straw in case of emergencies, illness, injuries etc. These are my "hospital stalls".

Does this sound like a plan?

 

[patandchickens]

It is totally false that using rubber matting in a stall reduces the need for bedding. It is too hard and unyeilding a surface for them to lie on, which is one of the major functions of bedding. (The rubber-crumb mattresses are different, they *do* reduce bedding requirements).

HOWEVER, it sounds as though your horses are not actually using their stalls. If this is true, then actually if it were me I would simply *close off* the stalls rather than removing bedding. If your horses are pastured together, this is WAY safer than having multiple horses have the ability to decide to go into one stall at the same time -- often it is fine but occasionally you get really horrific injuries, even between horses that normally get along well. If they are in individual paddocks not together, obviously that is not an issue but even so, if they don't use the stalls, then sure, there is no reason they need to be soiling the bedding in there.

The one exception I'd suggest is for elderly horses (or a very few "peculiar" horses of any age) who really do REQUIRE a well-bedded stall to lay down and sleep in, in order to remain happy and healthy. For horses like that, obviously their welfare is more important than conserving bedding. But they are the exception not the rule IME.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[dianneS]

Yeah, they're not really using their stalls. The stalls have really become more of a run-in shed. I think I will just close the doors and let them use the barn overhang. I'll just stall them in really bad weather.

For the most part my horses never lay down in their stalls anymore either. They prefer to lay in the small paddock in the sun. They have their regular rituals.

 

[annanicole18]

The barn that I worked in that did little bedding put around one bag of pellets in the corner that the horse goes in most often. It basically taught the horses to be like cats and only potty in one area if only to prevent the urine splashing on their legs. That said this barn did not have normal stall mats nor were their horses inside for very long. In the summer only in for meals and a little bit of a nap in the afternoon. Winter only inside at night if under 32 degrees. The matting was to my knowledge sand with a thin rubber sheet rolled out and pinned to the sides of the stall. Made the stall water tight the way they had the stalls cleaned there was never any manure or urine smell. These people treated their horses exceptionally so if they thought their horses were fine without bedding all over then I would not hesitate to do so.

 

[dianneS]

My rubber mats are on top of dirt floors too, not concrete. My barn is 132 years old!

My horses aren't in much either. I'm just not liking this pelleted bedding used so thick? (5-6 bags per stall) It breaks down and its really fine and powdery and makes a ton of dust. I've known people who's horses had allergies to the stuff. Mine aren't allergic, but I hate the dust. When I do muck stalls, the dust becomes airborn and I can taste it!

I don't really like using straw and I don't stall my horses enough to have shavings or saw dust delivered, so that's why I'm considering minimal bedding when needed.

 

[patandchickens]

The matting was to my knowledge sand with a thin rubber sheet rolled out and pinned to the sides of the stall. Made the stall water tight the way they had the stalls cleaned there was never any manure or urine smell..

That (including the way you describe them managing it) sounds extremely much like rubber-crumb mattress, e.g. SoftStall and there are other brands now.

it is amazingly wonderful stuff (if you can afford it LOL), it's a linearly-quilted mattress of rubber crumbs that is covered by thte top skin.

Indeed you do NOT need bedding for any purpose other than a bedded corner for urine absorbtion.

However that is TOTALLY DIFFERENT than stall mats.

Anyone can afford to install it, though, I extremely highly recommend it. (I have not priced it lately, but last I looked, some years ago, it was running maybe 3-4x the cost of decent quality mats, plus a shorter lifespan)

Pat

 

[miss_thenorth]

By the sounds of it, your horses are alot like mine. They prefer to sleep or lie down outside, so usually in the summer we do not put shavings in there . Only if it is realy soggy out. Our barn is set up like a run in shed where they can go in and out as they wish.

In winter, we do tend to put some in, but if the weather is not so bad, and it is not sloppy out, we have gone without shavings. We have rubber mats in the stall too. I wasn't even aware that there was anything like what Pat is talking about--I will have to look that up. We also get our shavings in bulk. We have a grain bin that we leave at a woodworking place, 10 minutes down the road. His shavings are totally horse safe, and he fills up the grain bin for $50. It usually lasts us a whole year.

 

[Electric]

I use standing stalls, and no bedding. They tie to a wall, and sleep laying down. nothing is wrong, they never need bedding. We let them out twice a week, other wise their in the stall. Bedding is NOT needed. Even wooden floors do not need bedding. It is a luxury to have bedding, not an essential. Plus, it cuts costs down a bit. Just putting my two scents in

 

[goodhors]

Dianne, I would agree with all that Pat said, for all the same reasons. I see no reason to let them in the stalls if they are not really using them. Just a chance to get hurt with two being able to enter the same space at once.

Sorry Electric, I just can't agree with your method of no bedding. We also use standing stalls on a daily basis. The bedding absorbs moisture, pads, softens the wood floors that have good drainage. I don't like seeing horses on bare floors, leaves rub marks, bruises bones with no padding, like knees, hocks ankles. Splashed urine can burn the skin, scurfing cannons, leading to other problems.

Good bedding is an ESSENTIAL in stalling horses or other animals. You can do things cheaper in many parts of horse management, but they need bedding if you keep them contained inside. And that is in standing stalls or box stalls. Not saying bedding needs to be 6 inches deep or more. Just something that will pad the floor and absorb the liquids. A stall that only has a horse inside for an hour or less per day, is not the same as keeping horse in for several hours or all day, all night. Wet wood floors can be very slippery if horse is unshod, causing an injury.

Sometimes saving a short amount of time, expense of bedding, will really come back to bite you when horse needs "fixing" for an injury, medication for skin or bone issues from laying on hard floors or a fall. People do go the "easiest" method for them, save time, cleaning stall labor, but it is not a 'best idea' choice in horse management.

PS. I bet YOU are not sleeping on bare floors, just to "save time and money" on bedding costs.

 

[dianneS]

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I'm leaving my horses out 24/7. The stalls are closed up unless we have bad weather, then they come in for the night. The bedding is still intact.

My horses have always stayed out all night anyway unless the weather is terrible, like scorching winds. They hate wind. They just come in and out of the barn area because they can. This also adds to the use of the already high traffic areas, causing a lot of mud on wet and rainy days. By keeping them either out completely in the pasture, or locked in their stalls, this cuts down on the mud as well! So this is killing two birds with one stone!

At least I hope. We'll see how it works. I figure this is the best solution for the time being and the cheapest form of mud control. I'm going to sew grass seed in the currently muddy areas and keep the horses off of it as much as possible. I'm getting them used to not having access to the barn now before the flies are bad and the weather is hot. They have plenty of shade in the pasture, there is no need for them to come into the barn on summer days, unless its brutally hot and then we'll treat that like any other bad weather day and they'll get closed in their stalls.

At least this is the plan.