# How much bedding do you get through?



## Charliepup123 (3 October 2016)

Just wondering how many bales of bedding people get through a week - for shavings? Trying to make an estimate of costs of shavings at £6 per bale approx. 

horse is in at night out during the day

thanks


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## 9tails (3 October 2016)

I found that cheaper shavings didn't last well and used to use at least two bales every 10 days.  Now on wood pellets, a ton will last a year.


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## paddi22 (3 October 2016)

i use a bale a week per horse. i got sick of the cheaper shavings and use ones that are 8.50 each, but they last longer


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## VikingSong (3 October 2016)

9tails said:



			I found that cheaper shavings didn't last well and used to use at least two bales every 10 days.  Now on wood pellets, a ton will last a year.
		
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This.


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## Ormsweird (3 October 2016)

A bale a week roughly.


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## Mrs B (3 October 2016)

Amazed people get by on 1 bale of shavings a week! 

I have an easy-to-muck out horse, only in at night, fully mucked out every day so bed swept back, bed depth on rubber matting of about 10 inches.

£8 a bale, 3 bales a week.


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## Kylara (3 October 2016)

I use bowbed, which is fine Chopped rape straw but works like super absorbent shavings without the dust. Most of the horses get a bale a week, but squeaky clean Ollie pony manages with a bale every 2-3 weeks. I was sticking one in a week but his big bed was getting ridiculous!


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## FDLady (3 October 2016)

I use hunter shavings, personally my favourite. My 16.1hh messy mare is out during the day and in at night. Started the bed off with two bales and do a full muck out every day - i make sure to leave enough of a bed as she lies down every night. On average i use 1/2 bale a week  so my bill comes to between £14 and £21 a month.


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## Starzaan (3 October 2016)

Depends entirely on the horse and how you like your beds. My horse is very clean, but I love big fluffy white beds on thick rubber mats, so he has three to four bales a week. 

At work we have one horse who can manage on two bales a week, and one who has been known to use up to seven!


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## Goldenstar (3 October 2016)

When stabled at night with turnout during the days I reckon it as a bale every other day .
Sometimes it's less it can be more when the weather is bad .


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## Nicnac (3 October 2016)

Very little.  Hunters on full rubber mats.  Shavings over back half of stable.  Use a couple of bales to start winter and then half to one bale a week per horse. They are out 12 hours over winter.

They live out 24/7 during the summer and lay down in the field.  Rubber mats are softer so don't need bedding bar to soak up wee and poo juice.


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## chestnut cob (3 October 2016)

1 bale of Bedmax, full bed on a fully matted stable which is 12ft x14ft. Very clean horse out during day, in at night. Scrupulous YO mucks out mon to Fri.


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## C1airey (3 October 2016)

When we were on shavings, we used half a bale of Hunter shavings a week. He had pellets underneath his wee patch to stop the liquid spreading and soaking into his bed. Even on a half-and-half bed, cheap shavings were a false economy.


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## Shay (4 October 2016)

Like NicNac - 1/2 to 3/4 a bale per week - but on fully rubber matter stables.  I do actually have one for whom cheap shavings work really well - £4.50 a bale.  They just really seem to suit him. The others are on normal dust extracted shavings at £6 a bale.  Over the years we've done straw, wood pellets, dollar bedding - which is shredded up bank notes, bedmax and auboise.  Different beds worked best for different horses and I have the space that I don't have to keep everyone on the same bedding.  Its just a case of finding what suits your stable, your horse and your mucking out routine!


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## ihatework (4 October 2016)

Minging mare.
When on full rubber mats would use 3-4 bales of shavings a week depending on if she was on half or full day turnout. 
Much better managed on a semi deep litter basis, 2 bags wood pellets and 2 bales of straw a week pretty much halves bedding cost and is quicker/cleaner too


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## Hannahgb (4 October 2016)

One is on a bag of pellets and one or two bales of shavings a week.
Other on 2 shavings a week


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## Cobonthejob (10 October 2016)

Get through two bags every 7 days I would say. I have experimented with a few different brands. I found some cheap ones for £3 per bag but they were really useless. Then tried the ones sold at my yard which are £7 per bag (Mendip) but they were not good for my mare who seems to be a wee machine- on those I could sometimes get through FOUR a week, which was not good for my bank balance. Finally I have settled on some Jacksons shavings which are about £6 per bale and are very absorbent. It seems to take a while to get to grips with the best brand and method of mucking out- I now try to do it all by hand as it reduced wastage (with gloves of course lol)  x


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## Mince Pie (10 October 2016)

I used a bag of wood pellets every fortnight, and a bale of shavings every week. Pony was semi deep littered as when I was just on shavings I was using a bale a week when he was in during the day - dread to think how much would have been used when he was in overnight!


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## Micropony (10 October 2016)

As others have said, depends massively on how clean your horse is, how you like your beds and how much time you are prepared to spend mucking out. I can get through anything from 1-3 bales a week. If I had the choice and the storage space and was on DIY, my choice would be wood pellets as you can have a clean bed so much more quickly, and they seem to work out more cost effective.


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## Mince Pie (10 October 2016)

Micropony said:



			As others have said, depends massively on how clean your horse is, how you like your beds and how much time you are prepared to spend mucking out. I can get through anything from 1-3 bales a week. If I had the choice and the storage space and was on DIY, my choice would be wood pellets as you can have a clean bed so much more quickly, and they seem to work out more cost effective.
		
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They're not great if your horse is very wet though.


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## Micropony (10 October 2016)

Mince Pie said:



			They're not great if your horse is very wet though.
		
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Yes, there is that!


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