Did you know that stall bedding is one of the primary ways you can care for the health and life of your horse? While many are led to spend their energies working on training goals, birthing new foals and updating their tack equipment, horse stall bedding is just as important. Your horse, while sleeping inside its home stall, is vulnerable to all kinds of medical issues such as ammonia poisoning and respiratory problems that can only be addressed by updating the material it rests on.
The magnitude of choosing your horse’s stall bedding can be overwhelming to take in, but CanapraOro is here to present with a comprehensive guide to the best horse stall bedding. This includes a variety of factors that make up an excellent horse stall bedding as well as a list of options available to you for your horse’s protection and comfort. Depending on the pros and cons of each material and whether it measures up as a dependable choice, we will be able to tailor your horse’s stall bedding to its individual needs so you can rest easy.
Excellent Horse Bedding Factors
Availability: Can you pick up your horse’s favorite material near you or do you have to order it online? Are you able to purchase large quantities or a few bales at a time? Will your stall bedding provider run out of material in the future? These are a few questions that equestrians and horse owners must ask themselves to find out the availability of a specific stall bedding. The quality of your horse’s life is on the line, so it is crucial you consider this factor when looking for an excellent stall bedding and not leave them restless inside their stalls.
Palatability: Although many follow the rule to leave their horse out of the stall as long as possible, they may gain an overnight palate for the stall bedding they lay on. Not only does this affect any current diet plans the horse is on, but costs horse owners extra to make up for lost material, keeping them in a financially distressed cycle. Stall bedding should always have low palatability in order to protect your wallet and the health of your horse.
Absorbency: The ability for your horse stall bedding option to absorb urine, feces and other waste materials plays a key role in later stall maintenance. Equestrians and horse owners will have to routinely clean out their animal’s living quarters by taking out stall bedding and the process is made easier by an absorbent material. In addition, ammonia, air moisture and other nasty odors are trapped by these same properties, which prevents later respiratory problems.
Comfort: In order for your horse to perform at its best, it must have the highest quality rest that comes from comfortable stall bedding. Soft, cushion-like materials relax the horse when it lays down for the day and prevents it from embracing the hard ground beneath it. During the winter months, your animal stays warm and toasty with a high thermal rating horse stall bedding.
Dust: Do you, your horse or any other animal staff suffer from respiratory problems or allergies? Some stall bedding materials that are not moisturized on a regular basis will become dusty and cause these issues by sending dirt particles through lung pathways, making it more difficult for all parties to breathe easy.
Cost: Depending upon the material, horse stall bedding may demand high prices while promising longevity. On the other hand, more common options are known for having low initial costs by presenting a worse product that does not perform well in the long run. Money will always be considered by equestrians and horse owners for determining what kind of stall bedding they will purchase, especially if they are on a budget. Also, prices involved in purchasing excellent horse stall bedding fluctuate based upon the factors listed above.
Horse Stall Bedding Options
1). Straw
Known by equestrians and horse owners as the traditional stall bedding option, straw has high availability, meaning it can be found almost anywhere. The cost is fairly affordable for most people and can be used for normal cushioning, foaling or adding warmth during winter months. However, straw users are well-aware that the material is not absorbent, meaning it is difficult to clean. Material covered in mature and urine is difficult to separate from good straw, which makes the cleaning process more challenging and take more time. Owners will need to watch their horse to ensure they are not eating the bedding since it is palatable by these animals.
2). Wood Shavings
Wood shavings tie with straw as one of the most used horse stall beddings and can be accessed at feed stores or personal truck deliveries without issue. These are easier to clean out of the horse’s living space since the material is more absorbent than straw.
While creating less problems to clean up afterward, wood shavings should be carefully purchased in order to protect the health of your animal. Black walnut in particular is a kind of wood shaving that, if accidentally purchased, will cause lamintis in your horse. In general, splinters must be checked while spreading the material in the bedding area so they do not pierce the animal, leading to discomfort and injuries.
3). Paper Products
Paper products offer an impressive list of benefits on the surface as horse stall bedding: high-absorbency, low palatability, dust-free, and low cost. Much of what is used inside your animal’s living quarters is recycled cardboard and phone books that save waste from entering into landfills, offering sustainability and renewability.
The crushing downside to this material type is found in its practical uses. For example, cleaning paper product horse stall bedding is challenging whether it is dry for the wind to blow in countless directions or it is wet, sticking to the stall floor. Paper in its nature carries risks of being flammable and many equestrians and horse owners do not want to expose their animal to that kind of danger.
4). Peat Moss
This horse stall bedding peaks with containing excellent absorbency potential so less material needs to be purchased in the long run. Unlike straw, peat moss has low palatability for horses, so you can relax if your horse is on a diet.
As much as equestrians and homeowners love peat moss, it has an incredibly high initial cost that not all people can pay. Even for those who are willing to spend extra for their horse’s benefit, the material cannot be found in many places except garden centers. The worst consequence results from how dusty peat moss becomes when it is dry, which will cause major respiratory problems for your horse.
Our Quality Italian Hemp Bedding
Recent research into hemp for humans has quickly evolved for horses as the cutting-edge stall bedding material. It has been proven by our clients time and time again as holding the advantages of other options while containing none of the negatives. CanapraOro is proud to sell our quality Italian hemp bedding in bags and bales to customers across the world to best serve them and their horses.
Hemp has the best of all worlds: the comfort and warmth of straw, the easy cleaning of wood shavings, the absorbency of peat moss and the cushion of rubber mats. Your horse’s respiratory problems are not a concern because this material leaves zero dust in the stall after it dries and carries no potential for illness. Trapping manure and urine odors, horse lungs are protected from ammonia created by bacteria while owners can breathe in their animal’s living space.
Not only is hemp biodegradable and has the ability to decompose faster than straw and wood shavings, but it also carries a soaring thermal rating for winter conditions. Traditional equestrians no longer have to pay more money out of their pockets to source more straw, but instead trust hemp horse bedding to do the job.
CanapraOro is a family-owned business designed to get horse owners and equestrians exactly what they need for their horse’s needs. After venturing to solve the problem of finding a non-allergenic stall bedding, we came out paving the future for hemp bedding as the new premier product in the industry.
Do you have questions about hemp horse bedding so you can rest easy knowing your horse will be comfortable and safe? Give us a call at 866.322.5989 or send us a note on our online contact form.