Using straw as a bedding?

Question

I want to use straw as my horses bedding because so far it seems to be the best looking and is fairly easy to clean. But at my new farm i have stall mats. How could I use straw with stall mats since it drains down? Also one of my horses eats straw so what is a safe straw for her to be able to eat?(No i feed hay so she will not have to eat straw;she just eats it sometimes.)

Answer 1

stall mats arent very easy to clean by themselves in my opinon, so i have always recomended puttin straw on top of them, if your horse eats the straw, ask your vet what u can do to stop it, my friends sprinkle pepper on theirs but i think its not good for your horse, hope this helps

Answer 2

Personally I'd recommend using shavings with mats.

Answer 3

dont use straw thats gross and unsanitary!!! use shavings or equine pine esp. if you have rubber mats. make sure to remove the pee spots evry day. I use Equine pine and WoodyPet is the same but cheaper.

good luck!

Answer 4

I'm not a fan of straw bedding; I find it to be slick.  And I don't like my horse nibbling on it...to stop him from doing that I filled a spray bottle with vinegar and water, made a pretty strong solution of it, and sprayed it on the straw to discourage him from eating it  ... that worked.

I use shavings over mats.  I don't think shavings or sawdust are nearly as messy as straw.

Answer 5

I like straw. I use straw.  I don't care for wood chips.

Answer 6

well actully i realy think you should get wood shavings cuz straw is cow bedding but wat ever.  If there are no cracks for drainage in the matts it wount work with any bedding but other wise we had our cows with straw and a rubber mat undernieth.  And its ok if the horse eats the straw as long as the straw dosent have waste on it.

Answer 7

Oat or Wheat is safe and the normal straw for bedding. you can still use straw on top of mats for bedding.

(Silly horse, straw cant taste very good lol)

Answer 8

i would recommend using fine wood shavings. =)

Answer 9

STRAW DOESNT WORK AND IS UNSANITARY!!

GET WOOD SHAVINGS

Answer 10

I personally find straw difficult to deal with but am surprised at all the anti-straw people who've answered so far.  I think it is a fine bedding, if that's your choice.  I think it's a pain in the butt to clean.

In my experience, horses will eat wheat straw much less than they'll eat oat straw.  I'm not sure about others such as barley.

Answer 11

straw is safe for them to eat, and most find it not easy to chew and stop.and i dont think stall mats would be a problem.

Answer 12

It may look nice but it is highly unsanitary.  It doesn't absorb and it is really heavy and hard to dispose of.  Often has black mold which can make your horse really sick.  Think about shavings again.  If you insist on using straw, just be prepared for a lot more work.  None of it is fit to eat for a horse and most will stop if they are getting adequate hay.