# Bedding reviews?



## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I use bulk sawdust for most of my bedding. I love it. Cheaper and easy to sift the clean bedding away from the manure. 
Bad side is pick up and storage. 
I have one really wet horse and I put straw over the top of the sawdust. It works great. Dust absorbs the urine and the straw gives him a layer of dry between him and the wet.


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## Maverick101 (Nov 8, 2009)

Back in the day when I worked at our local race track, we had one horse that was on shredded paper bedding, because he would eat any other of the conventional types of bedding.

It was the most discussing stall to clean, it wasn't very absorbent, and was quite hard to clean. It smelled bad too, I hated cleaning it out.

I myself use generally bulk sawdust shavings, as always said...they are easy to pick through, smell good, and are very absorbent, and quite cheap.
I do like straw for some applications, such as a mare and foal.
People say they like straw as it more comfy then shavings....my horses all seem to lie down just fine in their shavings, most of them have one side of their body coated in them in the mornings, so they must find it comfortable to lie in


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

We get our bedding from the rough cut sawmill, for less than $10 for a heaping pick-up truck bed full. They call it sawdust, but it is really tiny wood chips. (I'll attach a picture at the end.) And it's still somewhat green, so there is no dust at all with it. It works great. But it has to be brought in by the truckload, unloaded by hand, and stored in an empty dry stall. Which is a pain. I have very messy horses, so I go through a lot. Bagged or shredded would not be very cost efficient for me.

I have used straw before, I hated it. Because it doesn't take long for it to get packed down into a tight mat, and it's very hard to clean unless you strip and re-bed every day, or pick it every couple hours when they are in, so it seems like a lot of waste. And it doesn't absorb urine, so that either soaks into your floor, or puddles on it.

One of the barns I used to work for used the big fluffy bagged shavings, and I have used them in a pinch when the "sawdust" at the mill was wet and we couldn't get any, and while they worked alright, they were very dusty and there was a lot of waste, as you can't really shake out the good bedding, as it all is too big to fall through the fork well.


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## mystikal222 (May 26, 2009)

Straw is awful,smelly,hard to clean. Large shavings are generaly not very absorbant (we call it hamster bedding). I use a combo of Equinefresh pellets that break down into a sort of dust and medium shavings to create air and fluff and prevent packing.The pellets are "activated" by moisture and break down, effectivly keeping the wet in one spot,like really good kitty litter lol


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## RitzieAnn (Dec 22, 2010)

Pellets! I buy the 40lb bags of wood burning stove pellets. It's cheaper than the "bedding" pellets from the feed store. Easier to stack/store, less dust, basically no waste & once its all broke down & time to strip.... right to the garden because its so fine. Basically all my manure pile is, is manure. Not bedding. Lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## nworkman82 (Jun 18, 2009)

Neat idea with the burning pellets. I've never checked it out... Are they the same thing? Funny how just changing the packaging changes the price! I'm gonna share that with my friend/BO. She loves the pellets! And loves saving $$$! Who doesn't?  Thanks for all the tips. I board my horse currently but my fiance and I are remodeling a house on property with a large horse barn (previous owners spent all they money on the barn, never the house, haha). Neway. I'm gathering up all the info and opinions I can. I've been spoiled having her boarded... I don't have to worry about which is easiest to clean and which decomposes the fastest. I have a new respect from my BO now, and all the knowledge she has beyond the saddle.
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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

When buying wood stove pellets instead of bedding pellets you have to be careful of a couple of things. Some have added chemicals so they burn better so make sure there are not added chemicals. The other is if the bad does not say there is no black walnut then make sure it says they are softwood pellets (not hardwood).


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## Azale1 (Jul 5, 2010)

Sawdust by the truckload is my absolute favorite. Pee clumps almost like cat litte and can sift out poop very easily. And alway very easy to keep looking clean. Deffinitely the most absorbant.

Medium/Large shaving were the most difficult to clean. Not super absorbant and wasted so much cause the inability to sift through very well.

Straw is not very good either. Does not absorb at all and the stalls always had a bad amonia odor to them so everytime cleaned had to lay down lime to help soak up some of the pee. Only plus to it is don't have the dust factor.

Pelleted bedding is a nice concept but on the other hand is very time consuming cause have to water down every time put in new bag, and is very costly cause can only buy by the bag, can't buy in bulk.

I have never delt or heard of paper bedding so don't have any opinions on that.


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## RitzieAnn (Dec 22, 2010)

You can buy pellets by the pallet. I ever water down my pellets. My mare pees wherever her but happens to be, and she even walks while doing so.... makes for a messy stall. I dump 4 bags in, and just mix them around as the days go by.

I am not happy about switching to shavings, but we have a huge shed for them, and a truck will last us more than 12 months, and it costs less than $600. Pellets are more expensive than that, but I love them soo much! when Wyatt leaves for training, I will be supplying his bedding, and it will be pellets. It's cheapest for when boarding, or when you have minimal space.
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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

My absolute favorite is the recycled Corn Cob pellets. They look a lot like the wood pellets but in my experience, with care and following directions, they last longer. They fluff up with moisture and you just scoop out the poop and then "stir" what's left. I stir every day, but you can get by with every other day...just pull it all into a pile (a shovel or strong metal rake works best) then smooth it back out. When weather is hotter I also add Sweet PDZ to it every couple of days. The downside... a lot of people don't like it because it looks and acts like dirt so if your horse lays in it they get pretty darn dusty.


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