What are the Types of Eco-Friendly Horse Bedding?

When choosing bedding for your horse stalls, your number one concern and priority should be selecting the best bedding for your horse. Perhaps your horse has a sensitive respiratory system, suffers from hoof issues, or is a chronic bedding eater. We all agree that horse health is the number one priority.

But once you have found all the available solutions or options for your horses’ needs, what should be your next concern? Many modern horse owners are now looking at the equine community’s impact on the environment. You may be concerned about our planet and want to do everything you can to go green.

A significant shift has occurred toward eco-friendly bedding that’s good for the globe. Do you care about the environmental impact you and your horse make? Then take a look at what factors into environmentally friendly horse bedding and the pros and cons of the best options.

Eco-Friendly Bedding Variables

Deciding what makes a material “eco-friendly” can be complicated. Eco-friendly means not harmful to the environment, but everyone can have an opinion about what that means. We want to break down some specific ways that horse bedding can save ecosystems rather than destroy them.

Compostability

Composting is the natural process of recycling organic materials. Any natural material eventually decomposes. You’ll place whatever horse bedding you choose in an area for prime decomposition and mix in into the topsoil to create fertilizer.

Doing this with horse bedding allows for increased rich soil, decreased gas emissions, and reduced waste in landfills. You can also reuse compostable materials in your garden or drive truckloads to a local dealer for profit.

Harvesting Impact

The material doesn’t only affect the environment when it decomposes or turns into waste; the beginning of its life also impacts our world. The planting, growing, and harvesting process makes an impact. You want to ask several different questions surrounding harvesting impact.

  • What type of machinery is used to plant and harvest?
  • Do these machines burn and emit gases?
  • Where does the material grow?
  • Does it cost a lot of money to move and transport it?

Additionally, some horse bedding takes years to grow, especially products from trees. Keeping up with demand can prove difficult, which pressures companies to deforest areas rather than preserve them.

Toxicity

Eco-friendly bedding for your horse stalls does not release airborne toxins, gases, or dust. Also, the material should not poison the soil when decomposing.

The most important factor for your horse when selecting eco-friendly bedding is the toxicity of the substance. Some materials, though clearly friendly for the environment, are not friendly for your horse and may cause health issues.

Researching the impact materials make on the soil and your horse is key.

Popular Eco-Friendly Horse Beddings

There are many available eco-friendly materials on the horse bedding market. Of course, the traditional hay, straw, and pellets options can be eco-friendly if produced and used correctly, but here are some pros and cons of additional options.

Paper

Of course, we all know that paper products are made from trees. They are natural and environmentally friendly when produced and disposed of properly. Paper and cardboard shavings are an excellent option for reducing dust, providing comfort, and composting.

But just because something is natural does not mean it is always environmentally friendly. For instance, shredded newspaper can be used for horse bedding, but the ink may contain toxins that harm your horse or the soil.

When using paper-based bedding, it is important to research the source to ensure that all materials included are eco-friendly and safe as well.

Wood

Wood products in shavings or pellets are a natural material that can be good for your horse and the environment. They produce a soft laying material, are not very tempting for horses to eat, and compost well for soil. Additionally, they are very absorbent and are not very costly to produce and buy in bulk.

Unfortunately, though, not all types of wood are safe for your horse. For instance, black walnut is unsafe for your horse to breathe and ingest as it is toxic and causes respiratory issues. Therefore you must carefully inspect the ingredients of any wood material you buy for your horse stall.

Trees also have a very long growing season. While growing trees is excellent for the environment, growing and harvesting enough materials can be taxing.

Hemp

The newest available eco-friendly bedding on the market is proving to be one of the best. Hemp bedding made from Italian-hemp stalks is an excellent bedding source for your horse and the world around us.

It is highly absorbent, safe to ingest, does not produce toxins or dust, and is easily compostable. Additionally, it grows much quicker than trees and can be harvested easily without impacting the environment.

The only real cons of using hemp bedding are that it is not yet widely available, and hemp still carries a stigma in some parts of the world. Though, the hemp used for bedding has no involvement with medicinal hemp and is perfectly safe and legal to use for your horse. As this product becomes more popular and available, that stigma will disappear, and popularity as horse bedding will grow.

Where to Find Eco-Friendly Horse Bedding

A quick online search will connect you to vast resources for purchasing any of these eco-friendly horse beddings. If you have more questions about it and its impact on the environment, you are already in the right place.

CanapaOro provides the highest quality Italian Hemp bedding at an affordable price. You can purchase it by the bag or in bulk and have it delivered straight to your door.

For more information on all your hemp bedding needs, contact us today by calling (866).322.5989.