Choosing the Best Bedding for Your Horse? 

Now that you know a little more about the different types of bedding that are available how do you choose the right bedding for your horse? There are several questions that you should ask yourself when you’re choosing a type of bedding for your horse.

What is your budget? 

If money is no object then you can pick an expensive type of bedding like wood shavings or peat moss but if you need to cut your costs then you might want to choose straw or another less expensive type of bedding.

How much storage room do you have? 

If you have enough room you can save money by using wood shavings purchased in bulk or shredded newspaper purchased in bulk. If you are going to use straw then you need to be sure that you have a place to store the straw where it won’t get moldy.

A good place to store straw is usually in the same place that you store your hay.

Do you or your horse have allergies or respiratory problems? 

If either of you has allergy problems or severe respiratory problems then you definitely don’t want to use wood shavings for your horse’s bedding because of the dust. If you or your horse have allergies or a respiratory condition then you should definitely think about using shredded newspaper or peat moss as bedding.

Who is going to be mucking the stall? 

If you are going to be the one mucking the stall every day then you need to assess your physical strength and physical condition.

Do you have the strength to muck out wet or dirty straw every day? If not, you will need to choose another type of bedding that will be easier to muck every day like wood shavings or wood pellets.

If you are going to hire someone to clean the stall or if you are going to be boarding your horse at a place where the stall will be cleaned for you every day then you can choose a different kind of bedding that is harder to muck but if you’re going to be mucking out the stall every day by yourself, make sure you pick a type of bedding that will be easy for you to work with.

When it comes to choosing a type of bedding for your horse, only you can decide what type of bedding is best for your circumstances and your budget.

If you’re going to switch the horse’s bedding to a new type of bedding that the horse isn’t used to, make sure that you switch it slowly so the horse has time to get used to it.

Start by putting a little of the new bedding in with the old and then gradually add more and more of the new bedding until the whole stall has the new bedding in it.