6 Different Types of Horse Bedding: Pros & Cons

Whether you stable your horse in just the winter months or bring them in year-round, it’s likely you’ll find yourself thinking about the different types of horse bedding and what’s best for your equine in question. There’s a great variety of bedding types on offer, all with their own pros and cons, so it can be a bit overwhelming to choose what’s best. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to tell you all about types of horse bedding, what they’re best suited for and how easy they are to muck out.

Types of horse bedding
The most popular types of horse bedding are straw and shavings, but there are several others to consider too. When choosing the best type for your horse it’s important you consider their unique requirements such as if they have any allergies, respiratory issues or tend to eat their bedding, as well as how much time they spend in the stable.

Here’s what you’ll commonly find for bedding material in the UK:

1. Straw
Harvested from cereal grains such as wheat, barley and oats, straw is one the most popular bedding types for horses in the UK. It’s easy to acquire, generally on the cheaper side and can create a warm and cosy bed. Straw can be particularly good for broodmares and new-born foals as there’s less risk of it being inhaled and there’s reduced potential of the bedding contaminating the umbilical cord. On top of all that it also composts well, reducing the size of your muck heap in the long run.

However, straw is also rather susceptible to mould and can be quite dusty, making it not suited to horses with respiratory issues. Additionally, the weather greatly impacts the overall quality of straw and with rainy seasons (as is common in the UK), the straw will likely be mouldier.

Where it does create a warm, comfortable bed, you’ll need to use a large quantity of it as it moves a lot and will expose the hard floor when getting up and lying down, which can be hard on legs and hooves. It’s also not very absorbent so it will result in a lot of wastage, potentially costing you more than other bedding types over time.

As it’s a cereal crop, there is a chance horses may try to eat it, so it’s not suitable for those that do this as it can cause digestive issues and colic.

It’s best for use on floors that are made from either stone dust or clay as this allows for the excess liquid to drain away, whereas those made from concrete or with rubber matting on top may become quite slippery.

Straw is difficult to store if you don’t have appropriate indoor storage as if left outside it will become wet and mouldy.

2. Shavings
Shavings are fast becoming one of the most popular horse bedding types. It’s a great choice for those that suffer from respiratory diseases as you can get options which are dust extracted and as it’s not palatable, there’s less chance of horses wanting to eat it. Shavings are also very soft and absorbent and less susceptible to mould, so there’s generally less waste.

When choosing shavings, it’s important to only go for the types specifically for horse bedding as certain trees can cause health issues and some are by-products of sawmills which may contain dangerous splinters.

You’ll need to be consistent with mucking out if you choose shavings and make sure you’re removing urine continuously to prevent a build-up of ammonia, but thankfully most shaving types tend to clump when wet, making it easy to do this.

Shavings are a lot easier to store than straw as they tend to be packed in plastic which protects them from water damage. Additionally, they’re good for any type of flooring due to their absorbency.

When creating an initial bed, you’ll need to use a decent amount which can be costly, but then it’s just a case of topping up as you go along, and you’ll likely find you’ll use a lot less than straw in the long term.

3. Shredded wood
Made from selected recycled white wood, shredded wood is one of the most eco-friendly horse bedding types on the current market. Shredded wood is generally consistently high in quality and widely available at most horse feed stores; however, it can be more costly than shavings or straw.

With low dust levels and a high absorbency, this bedding is well suited to those with respiratory issues and is relatively easy to muck out as there’s little waste. Shredded wood doesn’t tend to move around much either, so it’s great for horses that tend to lie down in the stable as it can reduce injuries from hard flooring.

4. Flax and hemp
Made from the chopped stems of flax and hemp plants, this type of horse bedding has a low dust content but it’s one of the more expensive options on the market.
Flax and hemp bedding does an excellent job at absorbing ammonia so it can reduce urine odours, making it a firm favourite with horse owners that stable their horses frequently. With that being said, as it’s a crop, the quality can vary quite greatly depending on the season and it’s also more susceptible to mould.

5. Paper and cardboard
Made from shredded newspaper, magazines or cardboard, the absorbency of this type of horse bedding can vary greatly depending on the makeup of the materials. It does benefit from being low in dust and horses are highly unlikely to eat it as paper and cardboard aren’t very palatable.

Paper in particular can be rather difficult to muck out as it sticks together and can become soggy when wet, so it can be hard to just remove wet patches and droppings. Cardboard on the other hand clumps together when wet, making it easy to fork out.

The cost per bale is relatively cheap but you’ll need to use a lot of it to create a suitable bed as it moves around a lot and can leave bare patches, exposing the hard floor.

If you have a lighter coloured horse, you may find that paper bedding isn’t for you as there’s ink involved which may stain lighter coats and can be difficult to remove.

6. Rubber matting
Rubber matting is a fantastic investment if you want to reduce the amount of bedding you’re using in the long run. Where some do use it as a complete replacement, we don’t recommend this as it can become slippery when wet and provides little warmth and comfort for horses that tend to lie down in the stable.

Matting offers great support to hooves and limbs and can help to reduce the risk of injuries from contact with hard floor or slipping. You can purchase interlocking mats which can be easily installed in the stable or have a seamless, liquid floor installed which provides no gaps. If you choose the interlocking type, you’ll need to lift the mats and clean underneath at least once a month (more often during the summer months) to prevent ammonia build up and remove any trapped dirty bedding.

The initial costs of rubber matting are expensive, but it can help to reduce ongoing bedding costs as you’ll use less in the long term.

That’s our guide to the different types of horse bedding and the advantages and disadvantages that go along with them! Looking for more advice on caring for your horse? Read our article on crib biting in horses, next.