What Type Of Wood Shavings Are Safe For Horses?

Only soft woods such as spruce, fir and pine are completely safe for the fragile respiratory tract of horses and other animals. In contrast, hard woods, such as oak and walnut, may contain toxins harmful to animals.

What shavings are safe for horses?

Opt for the kiln-dried shavings
Pine shavings or pine pellets seem to be the best and safest type of bedding to use for your horse.

What wood chips are best for horses?

How to Choose Wood Shavings for Your Horse

• Softwood Shavings. The most readily available wood shavings are made from pine or fir trees.
• Black Walnut Shavings. The low cost and high availability of black walnut wood shavings has increased demand for its use in horse stalls.
• Sawdust and Pellets.
• Size.
• Storage.

Can you use wood shavings for horses?

Wood shavings have been a popular horse bedding for many years, and are often used for horses that suffer from respiratory disease, or those that tend to eat other types of bedding.

Can you use pine shavings for horses?

The type of bedding you select is dependent on many factors, such as availability, cost, comfort, and safety. From wood-based bedding to rice hulls, the options are numerous. However, of all the available choices for horse bedding, pine wood shavings are often deemed the best option.

What is the best horse bedding to use?

Hemp/flax

• More absorbent than shavings.
• Dust-free and non-palatable.
• Light and easy to muck out.
• Rapidly breaks down to make good compost.
• Wrapped bales are clean and easy to handle and store.

Is cedar bedding good for horses?

The cedar shavings are ideal for horse stall bedding, used as horse shavings and for all other animal kennels and cages. Cedar is often selected to use because it is very absorbent product, especially when dried to a low moisture.

What is the best bedding for a messy horse?

Shavings are an absorbency bedding so are the best choice for deep littering systems, for laminitic horses who need a lot of soft support and for horses with respiratory problems as most shavings tend to be dust-free.

What is the most absorbent bedding for horses?

Sorbeo is perfect for the muckiest of horses – and the wettest. Horses and ponies which suffer from Cushings disease do really well on Sorbeo as they are generally wetter in their stables. The supportive nature of the bedding is ideal for laminitics too – one of the symptoms of the condition.

What is better than wood chips?

Pellets don’t burn as fast as wood chips and give you a deeper smoke flavor. They also burn at much higher temperatures than wood chips and can be used to cook more kinds of meat. Wood chips do not require as much processing.

What is the cheapest bedding for horses?

Straw is one of the cheapest options available to use as horse bedding, however it does come with some drawbacks: Mould can form if it is harvested or stored improperly. Ingestion can cause impaction problems.

How deep should shavings be in horse stall?

On average, customers apply 6 inches of shavings on the floor of the stalls to ensure a good level of comfort for the horse and an excellent absorption rate. However, if the stalls are equipped with rubber mats, less bedding thinkness is required.

What is the best dust free bedding for horses?

Airlite is a first line defense against any respiratory or allergy issues such as Heaves, RAO, IAD, and EIPH. It is also the healthiest bedding for equine athletes who need clean lungs for peak performance.

Is cedar sawdust OK for horses?

Cedar shavings: While not necessarily dangerous, its oily nature can stain your horse’s coat and irritate their skin. Some horses experience an allergic reaction to this type of bedding. The potent smell can also be too strong indoors.

What happens if a horse eats shavings?

Ingestion of small amounts of straw or shavings is usually not harmful, but ingestion of larger amounts can cause intestinal obstruction and colic. Most horses that are fed adequately do not ingest significant amounts of shavings.

What can I use instead of pine shavings?

Traditionally, pine shavings have been the bedding of choice because of performance, availability, and cost.
Other beddings used include:

• Sand.
• Rice hulls.
• Pine straw.
• Corncobs.
• Peanut hulls.
• Straw.
• Grasses.

Are pine or cedar shavings better for horses?

Pine shavings are usually the most common kind of shavings used in the horse industry, as most horses don’t have skin reactions to this kind of wood. The limitation is that if too green, the sap might still be in the shavings and cause irritation to the horse. Cedar is another popular choice.

How often should horse bedding be changed?

Soiled bedding should be removed from stalls daily and replaced with fresh bedding. Soiled bedding may equal 2 to 3 times the volume of manure, depending on management practices. Each stalled horse may require the removal of 60 to 70 pounds of waste per day.

What is the best floor for a horse stable?

Popcorn asphalt is an excellent choice, as is stonedust. Dirt is the cheapest option but should be paired with a layer of stone or gravel for drainage. A mixture of stonedust and clay is also a solid choice. HORSE STALL FLOORING | BUILDING MY DREAM HORSE BARN PART 12!

What is the best bedding for a horse with laminitis?

Confine on deep conforming bedding, ideally sawdust (soaked wood pellets) or sand (but guard against sand colic), otherwise shavings.

What should I blanket my horse with?

If your horse lives outside, then a turnout-style blanket is a must. Select one that will withstand the rigors of outdoor life, including running, bucking, rolling and playing with other horses. It should be water-resistant or, even better, waterproof.