I’ve owned my horse for six years and have always kept him outside all the time (he has a run-in-stall for bad weather or whenever he wants to go in). During the winter the pasture got very very muddy so this winter I have been putting him in his stall (I take him out to exercise/walk him a few times a day though) with wood shavings but I do not like them. I find it somewhat difficult to clean, they are VERY expensive around here and don’t last long!
I went to my friend’s house and she uses "Woody Pet" bedding and I really found it easy to clean out the stalls (when I was helping her). I am trying to locate a dealer around here. Has anybody here used Woody Pet and have something to say about? Or do you know of another bedding that is safe and easy to use?
November 30th, 2009 - 1:27 am
We run a professional training facility and have used Woody Pet for years. We have tried other brands and nothing compares. We would never ever go back to shavings! For one, it controls odors much better (our farrier even uses Woody Pet in his cat’s box!) Woody pet is easy to store and easy to use. Every day we take out the most saturated bedding and then mix the rest back in with the dryer stuff, about once a week we add a bag (depending on the horse) and we don’t wet the new stuff down, it breaks down as it absorbs the urine and gets mixed back in. We rarely have to completely strip a stall as we did with the shavings. The Woody pet is also a nice light color. Some other brands we tried almost had a grey look to them and made the stalls appear "dirty" not a great look for clients to see. Our local supply store was trying to change brands and gave us several types of others to try but nothing was as good, so they continued to keep Woody Pet as several of the barns around here wouldn’t switch.
I can’t say enough good things about it!
IN the long run I think it is cheaper too, and the disposal of the "used" bedding is easier. It is much easier to separate the manure from the bedding into buckets, then we take the urine saturated bedding and use it to keep weeds down – it will burn back plants, even stubborn stuff like ice plant and after it dries you don’t smell the urine at all.
We’ve even recycled some, leaving it out in the sun to completely dry and then use it in some of our pens where the owner’s aren’t actually paying for bedding, and you can get one more use out of it.
Great stuff!
November 30th, 2009 - 1:27 am
Ive used woody pet when I traveled to shows. I liked it a lot, and a lot of my friends liked it as well. I don’t use it at home because my horses are in pasture but when I did use it I found it to be a good quality product. It lasts a lot longer that regular shavings do as well so you save money there as well.
November 30th, 2009 - 1:27 am
I love Woody Pet. It is great. My horse has better feet because of it and I find it last longer than the Guardian, and Equine Fresh. I do however mix it in with shavings. My horses love when I put it in their stalls. It is very absorbant. I usually put 3 bags in with a bag of shavings. As long as you sift it good. That can last almost 3 weeks. Half way through I will put 1/2 a bag of either Woody Pet or shavings. It depends on how fluffy the bedding is still. Here is the website so you can find a dealer near you. http://www.woodypet.com/horse.html
I hope this was helpful. Enjoy!
November 30th, 2009 - 1:27 am
a nice bed of straw is most natural to a horse. out in the wild they would lie down in a tall grassy field, before they would lie in a patch of gravely woody pet. my next would be pine shavings, but they itch when they go down my pants
November 30th, 2009 - 1:27 am
I’ve used pelleted bedding for years! I won’t ever go back to shavings again.
Mine isn’t called Woody Pet, although all of the pelleted beddings work pretty much the same. (the color varies depending on the type of wood used to make it)
Check with your local farm store (Tractor Supply is wonderful if you have it in your area)
For a 12 x 12 stall, use 6 bags to start with. If you clean daily, you’ll only need to put back 1 bag a week tops. Even though you probably won’t be able to see the wet spot, make sure you sift through and get it every day. If you don’t, this stuff can get away from you, and you’ll find that you’ll be using more than you should be needing.
Also, it packs down, so make sure you "fluff" it up. Just take your fork and turn it all over. You’ll be amazed at how much is actually in the stall.
Be careful not to over-bed, even though it may not look like much when it’s dry. Also, some woods will look darker than others. Don’t let this fool you into thinking it’s dirty or wet. (all you have to do is pick up a hand full to tell)
Sometimes you may want to sprinkle it down with the hose as it can get pretty dusty if your horse hasn’t been in for a while. You’ll figure it out!
I pay 250.00 for a pallet (50 – 40 lb. bags), and if I have to go back to shavings, I’d just as soon sell my horses and get out of the business!!
Hope this info. helps you out! By the way, my horses have never had a sore on their legs with this stuff!