# Bedding for a stall with an outdoor run



## Lyssa_001 (Aug 26, 2018)

My horse is in a mare motel with a run. He has shredded all his stall mats and the vet thinks he is sleep deprived because he is refusing to sleep on the hard ground which is resulting in him falling and cutting his front fetlocks. I am purchasing new stall mats and shavings for the covered portion of his stall, but I am not sure what i can do for the run since it is uncovered. Currently the ground is very hard and has quite a bit of rocks. I plan on trying to take out as much as the rock as I can, but I don't have any access to any dirt to add. Any suggestions what I can put to add more cushion to his stall?


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Bagged sand from lowes? Or extra deep shavings? 

I have one stall with mats and shavings and one with sand. My horses prefer the sand as they can roll or sleep better. But the sand is dusty which is why i put mats down for my horse with respiratory issues. You also want to consider a pee spot. In a hard ground situation, they may use the stall as the manure spot and still not have a suitable place to sleep. My one mare is very particular - all the manure goes in the far back corner.

For my stall with mats, i did not mat the entire stall. I left dirt with pine pellets in the pee spot up front, and no mat in the back corner ( the manure spot). The dirt drains much better than the mats and this reduces bedding waste.

In your situation i would probably add sand. Sand definitely beats sleeping on mats.

Mats really don't make cleaning that much easier.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I used peat moss as a mix-in when I had rock hard soil and needed to break it up and get it "softer"...
Downfall of peat is when it rain it is a soggy mess that could suck shoes off a hoof if you make it to deep or to much in the mix...sloppy & wet that can then lead to other issues...
Try mixing in sand, a few yards of sand.
Personally, I find stall mats very hard and unforgiving without a thick layer of shavings over top.
I would not want to lie down on a bed of near feeling concrete to "rest" either...:|
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Yes, in this case, I think sand would be the only solution. Anything else will get muddy or wash away. I had 3 dump truck loads of sand dumped in my paddock for 300$ last summer. Most definitely worth it! It's really not very expensive, at least around here. I'd ask the owner for permission to bring in some sand, then find out who can deliver a small load. It probably wouldn't take that much, and would end up costing less than buying bedding that will get washed away. There should be companies in your area that deliver landscaping supplies. Just look for some clean, screened sand (ie, no rocks). Have it dumped, and spread it.

Nothing my horse likes better than napping on his sandy bed!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

At the dairies we worked with they hauled in a loamy soil and put in footers to keep it in place. I would suggest if it is really rocky that if possible you either dig out if possible or build up. You wouldn't have to use a top soil or sandy loam just something that drains and stays in place and then top with what ever you want be it mats and shavings or just thick shavings. It would keep the mats in better shape as they would not be wearing against the rock in the soil and tearing.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

I had 10 yards of "cushion" sand delivered for $135. Put 3/4 of it in the loafing shed for a soft place to rest, spread the rest around my native clay soil run. It was a lot of manual labor to move since I don't have a tractor, but it was definitely worth it.


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## Lyssa_001 (Aug 26, 2018)

I will be talking to the owner and seeing if she will allow me to bring in sand. I did purchase new mats and put 4 bags of shavings in last week which my horse was very happy about. Thankfully he doesn't pee or poo in there, but the wind and him walking around didn't allow the shavings to last very long. The barn owner and I both saw him laying down and sleeping and his cuts haven't been broken open and seem to be healing. So, i do think being sleep deprived was the issue. I also need to discuss the sand with the vet since my horse does have a history of colicing fairly frequently (usually at least 1-2x a year but hasn't had any colic episodes in the past year since i started him on a preventative supplement). However, the sand might add more of a risk. I love the barn i am at but the stall/paddock situation is not ideal.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

If you cant bring sand or concerned about him ingesting it, try the mini-flake shavings.
I have a half covered shed row with runs on hard ground, no mats. I have been surprised by the mini-flake compared to conventional bagged pine shavings as far as how long they last in a semi-outdoor environment. Less waste when picking their pen/stall as well.
If he paces quite a bit he will scatter them but for the majority of horses housed in the shed row the shavings stay under the covered part.


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