Wetting the bed
QMy mare is very wet and most of her bed needs removing every time I muck out. How can I bed her up better and make life easier?
Brent says... This is a key management issue, but your bedding choice and the way you use it can help. Most importantly, the type of bedding you choose needs to give you maximum absorbency, but not on the surface of the bed. Very absorbent bedding absorbs urine on the surface, where it — and the ammonia it produces — remains in maximum contact with your horse’s hooves, skin and respiratory system.
Ammonia impact
Veterinary research has shown that ammonia can not only seriously damage hooves, but also cause respiratory disease. It is therefore better for your mare’s health and wellbeing to use a bedding that provides drainage at the surface, but absorbency at a lower level. Choosing shavings in varying sizes can help with this — with larger ones on top to allow more drainage and smaller shavings to form the bottom, more absorbent layer.
Minimise your workload
If you make and manage a bed of shavings properly, it can reduce the amount you need to take out, even with a very wet horse. Start with a deeper than usual bed, at least 18–20cm deep across the whole floor. This allows you to save more of the surface shavings when mucking out and requires less replacement bedding. If you leave any bare floor, even with rubber matting, urine will splash up your mare’s legs, which she won’t like. With very wet horses, any kind of matting requires careful management to minimise potential ammonia problems.