With the colder weather, horses are being brought into comfy stalls for the winter more often and now is the time to possibly reconsider the bedding for your stable mate.
When choosing a bedding product, it is important to remember the health and long-term well-being of a horse depends on healthy lungs and remember that poor air quality can contribute to respiratory problems such as heaves or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the horse.
Choosing a bedding product will depend on a combination of factors including preference, cost, availability and type of horse housed. One wants bedding to be dust and mould free, absorbent, supportive and easy to use and dispose. A barn with adequate ventilation and floors with proper drainage are just as important as your choice of bedding.
Ammonia and moulds are irritants and are a large concern of stable management. Small spores from mould can enter a horses lungs and lower respiratory tract causing problems for the horse. These spores come from bedding products that have been improperly stored or packaged and can present a major concern for any horse. Ammonia is from the horse’s urine and feces and high protein diets can increase the amount of ammonia in a horses urine.
This can be recognized by the increase smell in a barn. Ammonia prevents the airways defense mechanisms to remove problematic material from the lung. Taking a horse out of the stall when mucking helps reduce these contaminants effects on your horse. In this respect, a good, quality bedding with high absorbency will help reduce ammonia levels and
Here is a comparison of current bedding products, which are available on the market today. Each product has pros and cons and as a manager it will be up to you to decide which will suit your needs and barn best.
Ammonia absorbent in conjunction with a bedding product is advised to reduce the ammonia levels and their effects on your horse.
