Shavings Versus Straw!

In the Tictac Equestrian office today, we have been chatting about what bedding we use for our horses and which ones we prefer. We can’t seem to agree with each other on which is best to use and we would like to know your opinions!Both shavings and straw have their advantages and disadvantages. 

Shavings:

• are very absorbent  
• effectively reduce nasty odours
• *can be very expensive 

Straw:

• is very cheap
• is easy to come by (which means you can give your horse a nice big bed for a fraction of the price of a big shaving bed) 
• is very warm for over the cold winter month. )
• *isn’t very absorbent (if you have a dirty horse then I definitely wouldn’t advise using it as it can become a little bit smelly! J)

I have used both straw and shavings over the years and I definitely prefer shavings for their absorbency but I also love a big cosy straw bed in the winter to keep the horses nice and warm! My thoroughbred mare Angel that was sadly put to sleep in October last year was very wet and dirty in her box. I used straw over the winter months as it would have cost me far too much money when she was stabled almost every day to give her a big shavings bed. In the summer however, I would happily give her a shavings bed on top of her rubber stable matting as the smell of wet straw in the summer months can become a little bit nasty! My other horse Honey is very clean and so now,  she gets a massive shavings bed all year round! Lauren however swears by straw. She says that she finds it easier and quicker to muck out, it is cheap for her FIVE horses! I don’t think giving five horses shavings beds would be very cheap at all! J

Which bedding do you prefer, shavings or straw? Or do you use another type of bedding like wood pellets or cardboard? At TictacEquestrian we have tried and tested them all and we would all love to hear your opinions and any advice you may have for our team and customers J Contact us through Facebook or Twitter.