Various Different Types of Bedding

Straw is one of the most widely used and one of the most inexpensive; there are three types of straw - oat, barley, and wheat. Wheat is the best kind to use for bedding as it is tough, readily available, and drains well.

Horses are inclined to eat oat straw, which is highly palatable, and is also soft and porous, so becomes sodden very quickly. Barley straw can make adequate bedding, but often contains prickly awns, which will irritate the skin. Greedy horses may eat straw regardless of what type it is.

Shavings are very good, especially for horses that suffer from respiratory problems. They are expensive but are highly absorbent and very easy to work with; carefully managed, a shavings bed can make a good deep litter bed.

Wood shavings have the added advantage of being wrapped in plastic and therefore stored outside if necessary. On the downside, a shavings muck heap takes a long time to rot down, although once it has, it makes very good compost.