What’s the Purpose of Horse Bedding?
The purpose of horse bedding is to encourage the horse to lie down and create a comfortable space where they can rest. The bedding should provide cushioning for the horse’s legs to protect them from the hard surface of the concrete, stone or hard floor. It should help prevent or assist in comfort with common issues such as a swollen hock, laminitis or capped elbow. Horse bedding will also provide warmth and insulation, and of course the most obvious function is the absorption of moisture from any mess made by the horse.
Mucking Out
Mucking out can take hours and hours a week from your precious time – time that could be spent with your beautiful horse. It’s a monotonous job, shoveling up manure and wet bedding, cleaning out the stable, laying out a new bed and repeat the next day! It may be monotonous but it’s a must. How long would you say you spend mucking out every day?
Types of Bedding for Mucking Out
Depending on which type of loose bedding you use, will determine how much is needed and how easy it is to muck out. Whether it be a full muck out or a deep litter, that’s down to personal preference.
The main objective is to make sure your horse is comfortable and they are in a clean space to eliminate any poor hygiene conditions that may arise from not being cleaned out as often as they should be.
Bedding Choice Pro’s and Con’s
Straw
Straw is cheap but can be difficult to store and dispose of and horses with respiratory issues may suffer with this type of bedding.
Shavings
The advantages of shavings are they are easier to store and the dust has already been extracted. They can be more costly but general consensus is it’s easier to muck out shavings over straw.
Wood pellets
Although water needs to be added to wood pellets to fluff them up, they are highly absorbent. Wood pellets are also eco-friendly and dust free.
Paper
Although it is dust free and provides a warm bed it can take a lot of paper to make a bed and easily blows away as it’s so light.
Hemp/ Flax
This is seen as an easier option to muck out due to it being absorbent yet light. It can be an expensive choice of bedding but breaks down rapidly.
Rubber Matting
A surface that is initially non-slip and can be hosed down. Rubber will harden and perish over time and is a cold surface in colder months. Rubber will also become slippery as it wears.
Now, what about a Mayo Mattress? This could more than quarter your time spent mucking out.
Mucking out with the Mayo Mattress
The Mayo Mattress acts as your stable flooring as well as your horse’s bed. The only loose bedding you need is to absorb moisture from the mess made by the horse. How is that possible I hear you say!? Well, the Mayo Mattress has been designed around animal comfort and welfare:
- 44mm thick – it’s a BED
- Supremely comfortable
- Provides insulation and warmth
- 100% non-absorbent making it extremely hygienic
- The only pure EVA mat range, completely devoid of fillers
- Lightweight so easy to manoeuvre and cannot harden over time like rubber matting
- Plus, it comes with a 10 year guarantee – winner!
The Mayo Mattress will cut down your mucking out time dramatically and make the hygiene of the stable much easier to maintain. Not to mention the money that would be saved on loose bedding over time. Imagine not having to spend all that time shoveling wet shavings up while the sun is shining and your horse just wants to play!
Daily muck out schedule
With the Mayo Mattress, this is what you could expect your daily muck out to look like…
- Remove manure and any wet bedding. As the Mattress only needs a smattering to absorb moisture this should be minimal
- Clean down the mattresses – as they are 100% non-absorbent you can easily wipe down the mattress to dry if you needed to put the new bedding down straight away
- Cover the area necessary for the horse to do it’s business
- DONE! You can also easily remove the mattresses to clean underneath as and when needed as they are lightweight.
Hooray to a fuss free muck out that’s quick and easy with optimal comfort and hygiene for your horse.
Take a look at the Mayo Mattress and provide supreme quality and comfort for your horse.