Which type of bedding is best for your horse?

eats their bedding?
Hungry horses maybe prone to eating their bed and while eating small amounts of straw is not a problem for some horses it may be better to choose anything other than straw to bed these horses down on so that you can control how much straw they eat. For horses who are messy and require a lot of fresh bedding use a more affordable highabsorbency bedding such as wood pellets or hemp to keep down costs as well as soak up urine effectively.
You should also consider your yards muck heap options advises Sue Hurford. If you use a muck trailer go for a lightweight bedding that can be easily squashed down to save on the amount of times you have to empty it. If you have lots of space for a big muck heap use bedding that will break down and compost well.
Bedding for a horse who is very wet
Horses who are very wet as well as those who have a tendency to bury droppings in the bedding can be time consuming to muck out. Easibeds Clare Pearson suggests wood fibre bedding as a good option for horses like this.
Urine will drain through the wood fibres straight to the bottom of the bed keeping the top layer of the bed dry explains Clare. Wood fibre horse bedding also creates a bed that is firm under foot so droppings tend to stay on the top layer of the bed making it easier to skip out.
Wood fibre bedding creates a big deep and cosy bed that will save time and money adds Clare. This is because it uses less bedding and results in a smaller muck heap to dispose of.
On a daily basis you only need to take out the droppings and tidy the bed. Where darker patches do appear through the top layer of the bed simply remove the wet area at that point. There is no need to lift the entire bed when doing so.
Another thing to think about when choosing horse bedding is that the bed needs to offer protection against urine splash back continues Clare as some horses can be susceptible to urine burns.
Bedding for a horse with allergies
Allergic reactions in horses can be caused by a number of factors but equine vets cite dust and spores as the biggest culprits and its thought they are responsible for one of the most widespread health problem that
horses in the UK suffer from respiratory disease says Brent Adamson from Bedmax.
More specifically it is tiny particles of airborne or respirable breathable dust and spores that cause the biggest problem. Even small quantities concentrated in the horses breathing zone in a loose box can cause an allergic reaction or even a nonallergic irritation that can cause an inflammatory response in the respiratory system.