Experiences of bedding for a horse with dust/spore allergy please?

Hiya, i have had a horse with a similar condition before. I got a special bedding called "Aquamax Bedding". It is more expensive than the original bedding but worth it. It is dust free, biodegradable, Total odour control and has superior absorbency! It is also much easier to much out as i found that my waste was reduced from for wheelbarrows to one. This did the trick for my horse and myself as i found it MUCH easier. I also found that it had a sweet smell to it so i didn't have that wet shaving smell when i walked into the stable. They delivery is free and they charge £5.00 overall i have saved a lot of money using this product. I have found their website for you-

www.horsezz.co.uk

HOPE THIS HELPS x

I have used straw in the past but now I use shavings, my horse also has slight breathing problems. If my horse is going to be living out of the summer months then I chuck my old bed and start a new one when it's time to come in. Also, make sure you get dust extracted shavings and they won't be dusty either, most shavings specifically for horses are dust extracted but you might want to check because of your horses allergy. I personally would never go back to straw now I have used shavings and once you get used to using them they are quicker to muck out and don't smell half as much as straw. My shavings are around £6 per bale and I use1 to 1 and a half a week, my horses is a TB and he always has a decent sized bed. I'm also getting rubber matting soon so he will be warmer, comfy and also you can put less shavings down on rubber matting so maybe have a look into that. Good luck! x

I keep my horses on rubber matting and I use dust extracted wood shavings or sawdust. Some people prefer sawdust when used with matting but I don't have a preference. Although its dust extracted, it still does have some dust when you put some fresh bedding in, so I'd advise you to keep horsie out of the stable for an hour or so afterward.

All I do is have one bank of shavings along the long back wall of their stables, just to avoid getting cast. Then I sprinkle a layer of shavings with my fork over the matting, to cover around half of the stable. This is simply to soak up wee-wees. When sprinkly the shavings, I just mean a very thin layer, so you can't see the matting through the bottom. Of course horsie will come in and scrape it around with his feet, but it'll be fine!

Then all I do the next day is lift out the poops, sweep up and dispose of the wee-wee soaked shavings, brush the clean to the back bank and sprinkle away again. I usually top up my banks once a week, so I don't have the dust issue every day.

I've personally never used newspaper bedding, as my horses are pale coloured and they would get dyed black from the ink! But I've heard its good for dust allergies.

I should also mention that I (as well as both my horses) have a dust allergy, probably worse than they do! The dust from the small amount of shavings that I put in doesn't affect me, and my nose is like a sensor for dust, so thats saying something!

For one horse, I'd say I use around 2 bales of shavings a month, and (assuming you're from the UK) its around £5 a bale.

Any chance you can let the horse live out permanently? If it has an actual or an incipient dust allergy, you'll spend a fortune and all your time just managing it if the horse lives in a stall.

Even rubber mats have their downside - unless there's a properly installed drainage system and you can hose them out at least once a day - you get a strong ammonia smell and you still have to have some sort of bedding to soak up the urine as most horses hate splashing their legs when they pee.

Dust allergies are also thought to be exacerbated by ammonia gas which damages the lungs and its presence in the still air of a stable may account for the hypersenstivity that some horses develop to dust, mould and pollen.

My best advice is - if it has to be stabled, and the stable design allows for easy cleaning and drainage, rubber mats and a pile of paper or dust-extracted shavings for peeing and lying on is the best BUT it'll also the most expensive.

Can''t help with current costs as I haven't stabled horses for 8 years or so.

The best thing that you can use is rubber mats, there is little or no dust. Although expensive to purchase, only a small amount of shavings or paper is required to encourage your horse to stale. These are easy to put down and the mucking out time is very quick as you just sweep everything out. We lift our mats out twice a year and disinfect underneath.

There are many firms that supply mats, you will beable to get prices and names from horse magazines.

I also have a horse with the same problem. After trying everything out there that is suppose to be dust free, the one that really worked for me was Easibed. But what really helped my horse was Horsewise Chinese Herbs for horses with lower respiratory problems. It was like a miracle it REALLY works. Have a look at their website. (www.lenrys.co.uk/horsewise) They are only;y herbal so give them a try. I've told 2 other people about them, they tried it and had excellent results. Even my vet was impressed. Good luck. X

hey there... My mare was diagnosed with this 2 years ago and no matter what bedding you use, there will ALWAYS be dust around horses... I was faced with the decision of whetehr to keep her in over the winter - which would result in her being uncomfortable, and congested with a cough from the allergy - but would let me sleep better at night knowing she was inside in a warm stable - or if I should let her out all year round in the air - which made me feel bad (I live in Ireland!) thinking of her out in the cold... but shes never been happier than this winter when shes out - well rugged up though and her breathing isnt a problem.

So really in my opinion, horses iwth this allergy are best left out all year... they dont need to be eating grass all day - put them in a starvation paddock to keep the weight down, but generally an outdoor horses is a happy horse.

xx

I would suggest rubber mats that you can spray off or an Aspen type bedding because it creates little dust and is hyperallergenic.

You can also get shavings then spay them off daily to keep dust down.

Also, try using Tri-Hist, you can get it from your vet. My mare had the same problems as you and this easied the allergy's.

OH! Also soak his hay in a bucket of water 30mins before feeding it to him. You will be disgusted with what comes off of it. This will also help!

i had 3 horses untill i moved here last yr, they are back on the stud now, i found that hay or sweet meadow grass was the best bedding, straw can get mold in it if it is`nt dried properly when its bailed, that is sometimes bad because of the mold spores, if you break the hay into about 10 pieces & shake it out properly , you know if its good or not if its not do`nt use it. it may be a little more expensive but its worth it in the long run.

Aquamax Bedding