Question

[celeste]

I've never had a horse and probably never will, so this may be a dumb question... I've notice on the majority of the cams I watch that the stalling flooring seems to be either sawdust or hay.. can't tell whats underneath.. I recently saw one that appears to be bare concrete with a drain in the floor.. from a maintenance standpoint that would seem to me to be ideal, just hose it down.. but is that too hard on hooves or pressure points when lying down Thanks for any info... if I ever win the lottery I want to be prepared..

[oakwood]

Whoa, very. Think about it. Would you want to sleep on concrete? People mostly use shavings, straw and soil.

[Golden Girl]

Here we are with another personal choice. I personal like a clay base with crush-n-run on top. I use sawdust (green wood, tiny chips) for bedding. The draw back is the inevitable digging out of the floor, then having to replace it. I would LOVE rubber mats, but that allot $$ that I do not have , But my horses do not seem to mind what little bit they are in the stall.
I know at UGA large animal hospital they have the concrete floors with the drains & thick rubber mats. That is for complete disinfecting between animals. Doesn't seem that would be all that comfortable though


Good luck with your choice

[Heather T]

You need to figure out which one it is you were watching as well. It very could have been our mare Dancer, who is recovering from colic surgery and has been ordered to sleep on nothing but a mat because she tries to eat everything - shavings, woody pets, etc.

I don't recommend keep a horse like this and it bothers us greatly, but the alternative is putting her down and she's recovering very well. And this is a temporary issue......so - sometimes you need to take into consideration the reasons for the stall setup and I realize that they aren't always apparent, but if you contact the stable owner they may be able to explain.

Hope this helps!!! We normally use shavings/streu-fex/and straw when they're ready to foal.

[celeste]

Thanks for the replies.. I do know the farm I was watching and it seems to be the norm for them, just didn't want to mention any names so as not to offend.. I didn't think it was common practice and you all have answered my question, Thanks!!

[Marion]

We are using dirt floor with cotton seed hulls. The horses don't eat too much of it and it is fine enough that the babies can't choke on it.