Horse Shavings: Pelleted Shavings Vs. Flake Shavings

As a trainer and horse owner I have used a lot of different kinds of shavings. What am I searching for in a bedding product? I am looking for a shaving that absorbs urine, both the urine itself and the odor that comes along with it. This is an important factor especially in the summer. Combine Texas heat and humidity with a shaving that doesn’t absorb and you get a lot of flies. Flies are attracted to odor so the better your product works the less flies you have. I am also looking for a product that makes cleaning the stalls easier and more affordable.

It has been my experience that the bigger flakes, although they look nice, are harder to clean. First, the big flakes are too big to fall through the fork. This means you waste a lot of shavings when cleaning because it is about half manure and half shavings. Secondly, because of the flakes it is harder to find your poop piles which means you waste more time searching, and lastly, these big flakes do not absorb well at all. Not only do you end up with more odor but the stalls get dirty faster as well. So, all in all big flakes mean more work, more mess, more waste, and more money.

Speaking of money, I want a product that is cost effective. This means the best price for my money. This does not mean cheaper equals better. If you get a better price, but you end up with more waste and more work it hasn’t been cost effective.

This is why I am promoting Lone Star Bedding. I have found this product to be the best I have used so far. They come in Forty Lb bags and look like pellets you might grill a steak with. On a stripped stall I use about eight to ten bags. This is probably double what I would use with the flake type shavings, but it is worth it. After you have dumped them in your stall, you wet them thoroughly. They expand and break down until they resemble sand. They are pine shavings, but are fine like sand. Because they are so fine, there is almost no waste. Your wet spot is absorbed much like cat litter does, leaving it easy to spot and pick out most of the time. That is the only waste of shavings you have. When you pick poop, it is easy to find and you have nothing but poop in your fork. This means that I easily double the amount of time my shavings last even with a messy horse.

Also, my compost breaks down a lot more quickly, which means less waste. Cleaning stalls is quicker and easier. These bags run about $6.10 a bag which is about the same as regular shavings cost. Although you use more shavings when initially filling up the stalls, you make up that little difference very quickly. I have found that I don’t have to replace shavings as often, I don’t have to strip stalls as often, and my barn is cleaner looking and better smelling. Lone Star Bedding saves me time, money, and waste. This to me means that I have a found a product that is cost effective and that makes me extremely happy.