PAPER PRODUCTS

PROS: absorbent; unpalatable to horses CONS: may require more frequent mucking; difficult to move with a wheelbarrow

Paper has several properties that can make for good bedding. “Some people use cardboard waste from manufacturing plants that cut out cardboard boxes,” says Coleman. “Small pieces can make nice bedding, and it’s absorbent, and the horses won’t eat it.”

Nonetheless, he says, “You don’t see paper bedding used much anymore. Part of the reason is that it was hard to deal with. If you take it out in a wheelbarrow and a breeze comes up, it might blow all over. Sourcing was also a problem unless you were close to a place to get it.”

Shredded newspapers have always had mixed reviews. “An argument against [news]paper is that it tends to get wet fairly quickly,” says Nielsen. “When you first put it in a stall it can look very good, but after it gets wet it is soggy and darker, and the printing ink can make a light-colored horse look dirty.”

Despite its drawbacks, Nielsen says he has met some people who love paper bedding. “I think it depends on how deep you are bedding a stall, how often you are changing it, etc. Some people have discovered techniques that work well.”