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Topic:Bedding Materials
Bedding materials for horses are substances used to line stalls and provide a comfortable resting surface for equine occupants. These materials serve multiple functions, including moisture absorption, insulation, and support for the horse's hooves and joints. Common types of bedding materials include straw, wood shavings, sawdust, and rubber mats. Each material has distinct properties that affect its suitability for different environments and management practices. Straw is often valued for its natural composition and biodegradability, while wood shavings are appreciated for their absorbency and cushioning effect. Sawdust, although highly absorbent, requires careful management to minimize dust exposure. Rubber mats offer a durable and easy-to-clean option, often used in combination with other bedding types. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the characteristics, benefits, and challenges of various bedding materials in equine management.
Effect of sodium bisulfate on ammonia concentration, fly population, and manure pH in a horse barn. To evaluate the effectiveness of altering the pH of manure with sodium bisulfate, thereby decreasing ammonia concentration and fly population in a horse barn environment. Methods: 4 mixed-breed pony stallions. Methods: The 4-week study was scheduled with 2 weeks of treatment (with 2 application rates) and 2 weeks with no treatment (control weeks). During treatment weeks, sodium bisulfate was applied daily to the top of the bedding and straw, then spread on top. Ponies were kept in the stalls 24 hours a day during the 7-day test period and stall cleaning was not done. On day 7 of each week, amm...
Respiratory disease in thoroughbred horses in training: the relationships between disease and viruses, bacteria and environment. A longitudinal study of respiratory disease in racehorses was carried out to assess its relative associations with different infectious agents and to examine any role that the environmental conditions might play. The relationships between coughing, nasal discharge, pyrexia and lower respiratory tract disease were also examined to provide information for improving clinical diagnosis, particularly of disease of the lower respiratory tract. Lower airway disease was closely associated with infection with Streptococcus zooepidemicus. It was also found that equine herpesvirus seroconversions and S p...
Outbreak of vesicular dermatitis among horses at a midwestern horse show. Dermatitis consisting of blisters on the nose and other parts of the body was reported among horses at a Midwestern horse show. Some horses also had jaundice, hematuria and anorexia. An outbreak investigation was initiated, and of 239 horses for which information could be obtained, 58 (24%) were found to have been affected. Median duration of illness was 5 days, and all horses recovered. Age, sex, water source, grain source, and stabling location were not associated with illness. The use of wood shavings bedding obtained at the show grounds was the factor most strongly associated with the deve...
Management factors associated with stereotypic and redirected behaviour in the thoroughbred horse. A greater knowledge of the effect of management factors is required to investigate the ontogeny of abnormal behaviour in the stabled horse. A postal survey of racehorse (flat) trainers yielded information about 22 yard and management factors. The relationship of the factors to the prevalence of abnormal behaviour was analysed by logistic regression. Management factors related to the time spent in the stable showed the strongest associations with stereotypic behaviour. The risk of horses performing abnormal behaviour increased: 1) as the amount of forage fell below 6.8 kg/day, 2) when bedding t...
[Dermonecrosis along the course of the caudal branch of the lateral saphenous vein in foals due to a Staphylococcus aureus infection]. Necrosis of the skin on both lateral aspects of the hind limbs following the caudal branch of the lateral saphenous vein in 22 suckling foals is described. The first clinical signs were observed on days 2-5 post natum. S. aureus was isolated from the wounds. Decubitus in the region of the malleolus lateralis tibiae was considered the starting point of an ascending infection. This type of dermonecrosis was only observed in boxes with hard floors where the straw bedding was pushed aside by the lying foals regularly, never, however, in boxes with deep and permanent sawdust or straw bedding. Thera...
Survey of selected design and ventilation characteristics of racehorse stables in the Pretoria, Witwatersrand, Vereeniging area of South Africa. Stables housing more than 20 horses in training were surveyed in the Pretoria, Witwatersrand, Vereeniging area of South Africa. Most racehorses were kept in loose boxes, bedded on straw or sawdust and remained indoors while the stables were cleaned. The average floor area was 13 m2 and airspace was 55 m3 per animal. The average predicted minimum air change rate by natural convection in calm winds was 7.0 air changes per hour, which was reduced to 2.2 when the doors and shutters were closed. The survey showed that many of the stables had been built without due consideration to factors that migh...
Airborne dust and aeroallergen concentration in a horse stable under two different management systems. Airborne dust concentration (ADC) was measured in 2 different horse management systems using an Andersen cascade impactor in the box-stall, and a personal Marple cascade impactor attached to the halter to measure ADC in the breathing zone. The levels of aeroallergens implicated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were measured by radioallergosorbent-inhibition immunoassay. A conventional management system (System C) utilising hay feed and straw bedding, and a recommended environment (System R) utilising wood shaving bedding and a complete pelleted diet were studied. In the stall, total an...
[Riding arenas and different riding track surfaces in relation to the airway contamination in horses. Laboratory studies on riding surfaces]. 29 samples of commonly used surfaces were tested for their water characteristics (litre weight, water capacity, water binding, water evaporation) and their contribution to airborne fungal spores (dust formation, dust setting). The results are discussed in comparison to the literature with regard to the environment. The results are: 1. Any surface--no matter of what material--eventually causes air pollution with fungal spores and dust. 2. Correct watering prevents air pollution by any surface. 3. Artificial products have no advantage over natural materials in the parameters tested. 4. The quest...
Dioxin intoxication from chronic exposure of horses to pentachlorophenol-contaminated wood shavings. Investigations into the cause of health problems on a horse-breeding farm led to the discovery of high concentrations (630 to 9,810 mg/kg of bedding) of pentachlorophenol in wood shavings used as bedding for horses over a period of 2 to 4 years. Toxicologic signs in the horses were characteristic of toxic effects associated with exposure of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans. Tissue residue analysis confirmed presence of toxic polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran isomers known to be in pentachlorophenol, substantiating the bioavailability of polychlorinated dibenz...
Animal behavior and animal welfare. The value of behavioral techniques in assessing animal welfare, and in particular assessing the psychological well being of animals, is reviewed. Using cats and horses as examples, 3 behavioral methods are presented: (1) comparison of behavior patterns and time budgets; (2) choice tests; and (3) operant conditioning. The behaviors of intact and declawed cats were compared in order to determine if declawing led to behavioral problems or to a change in personality. Apparently it did not. The behavior of free ranging horses was compared with that of stabled horses. Using two-choice preference tes...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD continues to be a severe condition in horses. Despite increased understanding of its pathogenesis, there is relatively little information on effective treatment regimens. Management and prevention are critical, and more emphasis should be placed on improved housing, bedding, and feeding. More sophisticated accurate methods also are required for identifying specific causative allergens.
Black walnut toxicosis in ten horses. Black walnut toxicosis was diagnosed in 10 horses at one stable. The time from exposure to shavings to development of clinical signs was 8 to 12 hours. Most common clinical signs were moderate to severe laminitis (Obel grade 2 or 3), pitting edema of the distal portion of the limbs, and rapid respiratory rate. Two horses had clinical signs of colic and 2 other horses had anorexia and lethargy. All 10 horses recovered without complications.
Survey of the designs of racehorse stables in the south west of England. The design of 96 racehorse stables in the south west of England were surveyed. The 'typical' racehorse is kept in a loose box, bedded on straw and remains indoors while the stable is cleaned. It is given a floor area of 12 m2 and shares its airspace of 39 m3 with seven other horses. Overall, the predicted minimum rate of air change by natural convection in calm winds is 6.6 air changes/h but this is reduced to 2.2 if the top door of the stable is closed. On balance, racehorse stables in use today are based on designs which are worse overall than the best available in the 19th century.
Technique for assessing respiratory health hazards from hay and other source materials. This paper describes and compares three techniques of categorisation of hay, straw and other feeds and beddings collected from stables. A hand-held sampler was used to categorise samples according to the presence of plant material, fungal spores and dust mites. An Andersen sampler was used to categorise samples according to the thermotolerances of fungi and actinomycetes. An aerodynamic particle sizer was used to categorise samples according to respirable particle release rates. The highest burden of respirable particles was associated with the presence of thermophilic and thermotolerant actin...
Air hygiene in stables. 1: Effects of stable design, ventilation and management on the concentration of respirable dust. The concentration of fungal spores, the main constituents of respirable dust in stables, is determined by rates of release from fodder and bedding and rate of clearance, principally by ventilation. This paper outlines the principles that govern the application of natural ventilation to the control of air hygiene in barns and individual boxes for horses. When release rates are low, ventilation rates over four air changes per hour are satisfactory. Ventilation was satisfactory in individual boxes but usually unsatisfactory in barns and specific recommendations are made for improvement. Prelimina...
Isolation of macrocyclic and non-macrocyclic trichothecenes (stachybotrys and fusarium toxins) from the Environment of 200 III Sport Horses. Satratoxins H and G, verrucarin J, and roridin E were isolated from the bedding straw of 200 sport horses exhibiting typical symptoms of stachybotryo-toxicosis. At the same time, the oat feed consumed by the horses contained non-macrocyclicFusarium trichothecenes: T-2 toxin and diacetoxyscirpenol.
Effect of bedding on the incidence of exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage in racehorses in Hong Kong. An investigation into the incidence of exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) in thoroughbreds in Hong Kong was carried out between the 1981 and 1983 racing seasons. A total of 1039 post race endoscopic examinations were performed in 1982-1983 and the results indicated that 46.8 per cent of runners had EIPH. This was not statistically different from the percentage of horses showing EIPH during 1981-82 (46.9 per cent). As it had been postulated that dust, especially from straw, could be implicated in lung haemorrhage a proportion of horses were bedded on paper in the 1982-83 season. No s...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the horse. 2: Therapy. The therapy of equine chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) essentially entails minimising the horse's exposure to the aetiological antigens which are predominantly thermophilic actinomycetes and moulds occurring in hay and straw. This can be achieved, for example, by keeping affected horses permanently out of doors, or when stabled, using shredded paper, wood shavings or peat moss as bedding and feeding a complete cubed diet. There should be no supplementary hay feeding apart from dust-free vacuum-packed hay. Applying such measures generally allows horses to become asymptomatic in seve...
Prophylactic effects of sodium cromoglycate on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the horse. When stabled in a controlled environment, horses effected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) became clinically asymptomatic in 4 to 32 days (mean [+/-sd] 9.1 +/- 4.9 days), the time being influenced most by the severity of the disease judged on maximum intrathoracic pressure change (Max delta Ppl) and the age of the animal. Sodium cromoglycate, a drug widely used for prophylaxis of allergic respiratory disease in man, was administered by inhalation to 56 COPD-affected horses. The results showed that a linear response existed between the number of successive days treatment with t...
Dust levels in a riding stable. Over a period of 4 months, in winter, the mean concentration of airborne particles in the ambient air of a riding stable was 0.41 mg/m3. This value was significantly higher than that found outdoors (0.04 mg/m3). During the day, levels of airborne particles were highest when stalls were cleaned and soiled bedding from the previous night replenished, and lowest when all stable activities had ceased. Fine particles, capable of entering the pulmonary alveoli, constituted 30 to 40 per cent of the total mass concentration of airborne particles.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): factors influencing the occurrence. Breed, age, weight, type of work performed, seasonal onset, poor ventilation and exposure to moulds in the habitat were investigated in relation to the occurrence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD was most commonly detected in showjumping and hacking horses. The older a horse, the more likely it was to become affected although most were 6 to 10 years of age. Of the horses in this sample of the population, which was not a random one, thoroughbred horses were affected least and ponies most often. The high incidence in ponies was related to their more frequent exposure to poor...
