Shavings made from Black Walnut trees are a very dangerous bedding material. These trees and the shavings made from them contain toxins which will seep through the sole of the foot and cause laminitis, or founder. For more information on founder, go to the AAEP link from my site and click on "Owner Education" where you can then do a search for founder.
It is a good idea to check your pastures for Black Walnut trees as well. While some horses have been pastured around these trees without incident, the hulls of the shells can contain low levels of the toxins. Some horses can also have an allergic reaction to the pollen.
Sawdust is another bedding option that is often used, but can have a negative affect on your horse's health. Sawdust particles are much smaller and finer than shavings. This makes them very dusty and can cause respiratory problems. It is especially dangerous for a mare to give birth in sawdust.
Most foals are born in stalls bedded down in straw. The hollow shaft of the straw gives it great insulating properties, it is very soft, and good quality straw is not dusty. Straw is my personal favorite for two reasons. The first is that it smells so good. The second is that It was used exclusively on the race track where I worked. Not only am I used to working with it, but it was a strong testimony for it's use; these horses had the best of everything!
Shavings are probably the most common type of bedding. As long as you know they are not made from Back Walnut trees or wood that has been chemically treated in any way, they are usually easy to get and relatively inexpensive.
Peat moss is a wonderful alternative bedding also. It is said to be much more absorbent, less dusty, and softer than shavings. It may be especially suited for the older horse for these reasons. You need to bed six to twelve inches deep with it and keep it slightly moist. You only clean out thrototillernd spots that are obviously wet. Some people also add in some topsoil and use a rototiller to keep it fresh.
There are several new types of bedding that have come onto the market recently. Here are two of them.
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