# Wood pellet bedding



## lornaA (18 May 2012)

I am thinking forwards to next winter already!  I am considering wood pellet bedding next winter as it appears to work out really cost effective.  I have found a few companies with good prices and i am just wondering if anyone has used them.  They are white horse bedding, white horse energy (these appear to be the same company but with different websites depending on your intended use) and liverpool wood pellets. Just wondering how you found the pellets and are the ones made for horses actually any different to the ones made for wood stoves as they look exactly the same and i see on some websites they sell the same wood pellets for both purposes but with different rates of vat depending on your intended purpose.


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## Oberon (18 May 2012)

As you say, the difference between the pellets is only the VAT that you pay for them.

I have been using LWP for 3 years now and I'm perfectly happy with them.

White Horse bedding has alot of fans too, but LWP were my choice based on costs alone.

I use the economy pellets as I found no benefit with the premium ones.


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## lornaA (18 May 2012)

from what i have priced the white horse energy pellets work out cheapest at £3.11 a bag with the lwp in second place.  I am just doing my homework as i have 3 horses so any savings are well worth making as i am currently paying £7 a bale for shavings and would typically use one bale per horse per week.  From what i have researched and heard from people i could half this by switching to wood pellets!


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## Ladydragon (19 May 2012)

I use LWP and use the economy for most of them - disgusting, bed trashing TB gets the premium because he pees well, like a racehorse...  There is definitely a difference in absorbency, I did a little experiment with bowls and measured water at home with them first... 

TB would go through 5 + bales a week during winter of shavings...  He can trash a freshly made stable in two days...  He uses maybe 3 to 4 bags of pellets a week so half the price and faster to muck out...

Ultra clean mare uses a bag nearly every two weeks...  She hardly pees and somehow holds on all night until she can leap on the muck heap in the morning and use it like a litter tray...  So it will depend on the horse, but still be easier/cheaper than shavings...


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## Oberon (19 May 2012)

Ladydragon said:



			I use LWP and use the economy for most of them - disgusting, bed trashing TB gets the premium because he pees well, like a racehorse...  There is definitely a difference in absorbency, I did a little experiment with bowls and measured water at home with them first... 

Click to expand...

OOh - that's interesting. I didn't detect any difference between the premium and economy - but you're saying you did?

Both my boys are horridly dirty, so I might try the premium ones next time and pay more attention.

Wish I had a horse like your girlie - what a clever gal


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## Sammie&Spoilt (19 May 2012)

Hiya, they're brillinat! I've used them in the past winter, and we had a leaking stable, put a bag of it down mixed it in with the straw and it worked a treat, also helps with pee, as well. Really cost affective.


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## Thistle (19 May 2012)

I find the granules that make up premium LWP are slightly larger so they are less dusty


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## Ladydragon (19 May 2012)

Oberon said:



			OOh - that's interesting. I didn't detect any difference between the premium and economy - but you're saying you did?

Both my boys are horridly dirty, so I might try the premium ones next time and pay more attention.

Wish I had a horse like your girlie - what a clever gal 

Click to expand...

It was a very simple test Oberon but I found the premium held at least 25% more water than the economy...  I literally got two bowls, threw the same amount of pellets in each, measured some water, added it, then some more measuring each time...  Stopped at the point where the economy had a puddle of water on the top where they'd maxed out absorbency and the premium were wet but didn't expel water when squished and were not clumpy...  Not very technical I'm afraid and there is the disclaimer that they were in containers to force the absorbency with no 'escaping water from under run' and well, squish factor and all that...  

I use the premium alone for the manky, disgusting TB and a mix for young QH who's cleaner but very wet... Economy for the others...  That particular pony is so clean we have to regularly water and toss her bankings even at this time of year when they're still staying in for some nights...  She's fab...  I would say the premium look nicer because they're a lot paler - but we are talking of the bed trashing TB so looking nice just doesn't happen...


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## Theresa_F (20 May 2012)

I have used LWP for nearly three years and best bedding I have found for a very wet clydie mare and my gypsy cob.  I have used both premium and the economy and do agree that the premium is better if you have a wet horse as it soaks up more pee and I actually use less.

I get a 1000 k at a time to get a good price - they fit on a pallet and stand about 5' high so don't take up much room and I get the 15 k bags.  I use 1 - 3 on the cob depending on how much they are in, and 2 - 4 on the clydesdale.

Saves my back and my bank balance a huge amount compared to other bedding types.


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## lornaA (20 May 2012)

thanks for your comments folks i think wood pellets will be the way to go.


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## maggiehorse (21 May 2012)

ladydragon can i swap your ultra clean mare for my swamp loving, stirring it up , then swimming in it 17 .2 monster horse? who by the way uses 3, 15 kg bags per week at his worst


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## McNally (21 May 2012)

I used LWP the winter before last for a long time for my TB. In theory i really liked them but my horse was so dry that i had to water the bed regularly to keep the dust down. When the weather got colder and i had to bring water from home i switched back to shavings as bringing extra water to water the bed was a hassle tbh!
I really wish id tried them before with my very wet mare though i think they would have saved me a huge fortune.
Im going to give them another try this winter for sure due to costing and a leaky stable!


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## Ladydragon (21 May 2012)

maggiehorse said:



			ladydragon can i swap your ultra clean mare for my swamp loving, stirring it up , then swimming in it 17 .2 monster horse? who by the way uses 3, 15 kg bags per week at his worst
		
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Hmmm...yours sounds very much like my ultra disgusting Tb... 

Let me think long and hard about the idea of having another one of those and losing the mega clean girlie...  Er...  No...


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## Oberon (23 May 2012)

SGEventing said:



			Price wise (the important bit!!) Five Star Premium is £417.90 for a pallet of 70 bags
		
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Bit pricey


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## Oberon (23 May 2012)

Uh-huh


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## Queenbee (23 May 2012)

Didn't five star used to post on here? Strange don't you think that sgeventing has written only 2 posts that seem like an advert?  not entirely sure what makes five star premium so much better than lwp premium that they warrant such a more costly price?! Ho hum...


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## Capriole (23 May 2012)

indeed


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## Queenbee (23 May 2012)

Also funny that my god awful dirty mare would only need a 15 kg bag of lwp premium a fortnight so not that much of a difference to warrant such an expense.


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## Sparkly Snowdrop (23 May 2012)

I love wood pellet bedding, I wouldn't go back to anything else now. It is so quick to muck out and takes up much less room on the muck heap. I use 8-10 bags to set up a bed and then one bag every couple of weeks. Mine are from LWP, the economy ones as the colour of my horses bed really doesn't matter to me.


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## Queenbee (23 May 2012)

I certainly wouldn't pay over the top prices for bedding that looks a bit lighter  it does the same job whatever the color! And as for dusty... Never had that problem, with all these bedding types you get dust, because that's what they are... Compact wood dust, so saying f s is less dusty is funny lol  I use the pellets and spray water on top layer when needed. Rather do that than waste money on whiter dust free pellets that are made from compacted dust, but hey, whatever floats your boat


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## FiveStarBedding (24 May 2012)

Queenbee said:



			I certainly wouldn't pay over the top prices for bedding that looks a bit lighter  it does the same job whatever the color! And as for dusty... Never had that problem, with all these bedding types you get dust, because that's what they are... Compact wood dust, so saying f s is less dusty is funny lol  I use the pellets and spray water on top layer when needed. Rather do that than waste money on whiter dust free pellets that are made from compacted dust, but hey, whatever floats your boat 

Click to expand...

I can assure you that there is no dust compacted into our pellets. Other brands may vary.

If you have a horse with COPD - or you have an interest in preventing your horse aquiring COPD - then dust free bedding is important.


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## Capriole (24 May 2012)

FiveStarBedding said:



			I can assure you that there is no dust compacted into our pellets. Other brands may vary.
.
		
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'our pellets'?

So you are advertising then, your posts did seem like an ad.


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## Oberon (24 May 2012)

What about a hefty HHO discount?


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## FiveStarBedding (24 May 2012)

Capriole said:



			'our pellets'?

So you are advertising then, your posts did seem like an ad.
		
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I don't consider correcting an erroneous statement, which could mislead others,  advertising.


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## Capriole (24 May 2012)

FiveStarBedding said:



			I don't consider correcting an erroneous statement, which could mislead others,  advertising.
		
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Im sure you dont. I do, however, now  think youre advertising, given your 'our pellets' comment.  Oh and I missed one of your other posts but just read it now. Just pay for an ad why dont you.


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## wispa (24 May 2012)

just use eco comfybed instead. Much better, completely zero dust and cheaper in the long run


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## miskettie (24 May 2012)

I use woodpellets with my very very messy boy...it is easier to muck out but he still makes a huge mess with them.  Someone else at my yard has her horse on them and he's not messy and it looks so simple to muck out!

I bought the premium ones first and then cheap ones next.  I prefer the premium, not because of the colour but they seem to expand more than the cheap ones and don't stick together as much.


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## towerlands (25 October 2012)

Try Step Renewables horse bedding wood pellets. They seem to be quite reasonablely priced compared to most  although I think their website is a bit clunky as you have to put in all your address etc. to get the delivered price  Still if it save money it is worth the effort.
http://www.steprenewables.co.uk/shop/horse-bedding-pellets.html


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## 3Beasties (26 October 2012)

How many bags do you start the beds with? Last Winter I was using 2-3 bags per week for my fairly clean Tb so must have been doing something wrong! I was taking the wet out every few days as the wet would then be in the surface! I do think I was probably over wetting them before putting them down but would be interested to hear how you all manage yours!


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## Milkmaid (26 October 2012)

What size bags have you got? 2 bags of 10kgs when they are in a lot over winter is not too bad.

I only take the _really_ wet(when it goes real dark) out and put the just wet back down where the wee patch is and mix it in with a bit of dry.


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## Spyda (26 October 2012)

If Five Star is advertising then it's not worked. HOW much for 70 bags???? 

Now I know where to avoid


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## YasandCrystal (26 October 2012)

Queenbee said:



			I certainly wouldn't pay over the top prices for bedding that looks a bit lighter  it does the same job whatever the color! And as for dusty... Never had that problem, with all these bedding types you get dust, because that's what they are... Compact wood dust, so saying f s is less dusty is funny lol  I use the pellets and spray water on top layer when needed. Rather do that than waste money on whiter dust free pellets that are made from compacted dust, but hey, whatever floats your boat 

Click to expand...

I agree with this - what rubbish who cares what colour a horses bed is for goodness sake?!!! What a silly comment from sgeventing - it's a stable not a living room!

As for the dust - the whole point of this type of bedding is that it is slightly damp and therefore dustfree, unlike shavings. 

LWP for me all the way thank-you.


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## Milkmaid (26 October 2012)

Spyda said:



			If Five Star is advertising then it's not worked. HOW much for 70 bags???? 

Now I know where to avoid 

Click to expand...

But i`ve found they do sell Verdo as their economy pellet far cheaper than you will find it anywhere else :wink:

Personally I think their premium pellet is more on a par with Aquamax which is more expensive again?

I do fork out & use the premium for my soggy wet ned as I was getting through *bags* of other pellets (tried Corley, LWP (which are apparently the same?) and Verdo) 
Waste amount is a very important factor to me as I keep the neds at home so can`t have a huge dung heap.

And actually I have to say, I find it works out no more expensive although the initial outlay is a bit


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## 3Beasties (26 October 2012)

Milkmaid said:



			What size bags have you got? 2 bags of 10kgs when they are in a lot over winter is not too bad.

I only take the _really_ wet(when it goes real dark) out and put the just wet back down where the wee patch is and mix it in with a bit of dry.
		
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I think they were 15kg bags. Horse was in overnight (approx 12 hours) and out during the day. 2 bags was what I aimed for but some times it was 3 or 4 to top it back up to a decent size.

I think I probably wet them too much as always slit the top of the bag and poured a big bucket of water in but I think it wet the majority of them more then they needed, will try a different method this year and hope they go a bit further.


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## Bennions Field (26 October 2012)

3B, hopefully the description below may be of help with regard to initial wetting / mucking out 

i've tried lots of makes over the last 3 years and have 4 horses on pellets.  i currently use corley wp, they are 10kg bags (£245/tonne) and i use 2 bags a week on the cleanest ned and 4-5 on the wettest (17h WB who pees for england !!!)  

i find if i lay the bags flat on the floor and slit them open in a cross open i can put the hose on them enough to cover them in the bag, I then leave them all day to swell, there is still the odd pellet that remains whole but this then helps with the absorption of the wee.  mine are all on rubber matting underneath so dont have huge beds around 4-5" deep and across 2/3 of the 12x12 stable. (the 17h has a huge stable so takes more bags to fill)

to take out the wet each day i scrape the dry from around the wet patch and take out the worst of the wet, then leave the bed / floor to dry during the day.  raking the dry bedding back into the hole left means the bedding soaks up any slightly damp bits. 

i couldnt go back to any other type of bedding and i've tried lots of different types, this method above takes around 5 mins per stable to much out and bed down each day so saves time / money/ the horses love it too  and means i dont pay a fortune for the muck heap to be removed at the end of winter too  so happy result all round!!   

Just thought i would add i've also had ok result with LWP but the premium ones, the economy ones were rather too 'dusty' and broke down too quickly with the drier horses, good value for money though for wet horses !


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## Cinnamontoast (31 October 2012)

LWP no longer do the economy pellets. My issue is a narrow lane to the yard: I think even the 7.5 tonne lorry would have an issue getting down then back out  although there are several horse boxes there which must be 7.5...? Dunno. 

I could get them delivered to the house, but I dunno where I'd store them.


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