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Ann
Member
Username: lilly
Post Number: 198
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - 4:34 pm: |   |
Today I was at my horse's barn and I noticed that one of the stalls did not have wood shavings for bedding, it just had sand. The floor of the stall was covered with a deep bed of sand. The barn owner said that it has been great bedding. The urine flows right through to the clay ground below and the manure is easy to pick out. What are the drawbacks to using sand for bedding? |
DianeW
Member
Username: tasia
Post Number: 24
Registered: 6-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - 4:57 pm: | |
If hay falls onto the sand bedding, and the horse eats the hay and eats sand with it, I would think the barn owner is running a huge chance of the horse getting sand colic.
I'm no expert on this, but that is what I understand from some of the material I read. |
Andrea Duncan
Member
Username: babychop
Post Number: 114
Registered: 5-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - 5:02 pm: | |
Sand colic. Not worth it. I had a friend loose a beautiful filly to it. If you have it under a permeable surface, such as 'stall skins' where the sand is separated from the horse or any food he might drop then it's another story but just plain sand, don't do it. |
Diane E.
Member
Username: scooter
Post Number: 2418
Registered: 9-2000
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - 5:08 pm: | |
I too have seen a few horses sand colic when fed on sand. One ended up having surgery. On the other hand I have seen horses fed hay on sand pastures and never have a problem. Probably depends on the horse, I'd never tempt fate...Know better by now you don't do that with horses |
Ann
Member
Username: lilly
Post Number: 200
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - 7:03 pm: | |
I was thinking of sand colic too. The frustrating thing is that my barn is owned/operated by a veterinarian. From what I understand, the vet and his wife are going to put sand in their own horse's stalls after seeing how it has worked with this individual mare. They have a friend that claims to have used sand for 3 years with no problems what-so-ever. Do you ever feel like you're always screwed when you try something risky with your horse but Joe Schmo can cut every corner without a problem? Sorry for venting. |
leslie christian
Member
Username: leslie1
Post Number: 208
Registered: 8-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 16, 2008 - 9:28 pm: | |
I lived in Northern Arizona...nothing but sand,sand, sand everywhere!!! The mountains were of sandstone. I boarded my horses for several years, at the rodeo grounds. About 50 horses were boarded there on a permanent basis. Not one person had anything other than sand in their corrals.. just the natural sand that was on the ground. It was naturally about 6 inches deep. I loved it. No urine stink/wet spots. The sand would absorb it immediately. Easy to pick thru. Comfy.
I have always known about sand colic, and so have always fed psylium.
I can only think of a couple of colics in all the years I was there. Thinking back to then, I dont see any difference in the rates of occurence ( sand VS straw, shavings, pellets etc.) |
jos
Member
Username: paardex
Post Number: 882
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, Jul 17, 2008 - 3:45 am: | |
I've had sand with a rubber mat in front for the hay and under the feed bucket.
The horses loved it, each night they dug holes as if they were on their way to China,pulled their rubber mats throug their box and like cats mixed their droppings under the sand
No sand colics but I got exhausted and ordered concrete.[I had two year old stallions on it perhaps something older and working harder behaves better]
Jos |
Fran C
Member
Username: canter
Post Number: 1569
Registered: 1-2000
| | Posted on Thursday, Jul 17, 2008 - 7:14 am: | |
Depending on the fineness of the sand, I would also wonder about how abrasive it is - will the horse get hock sores from lying down it it? |
Ann
Member
Username: lilly
Post Number: 202
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, Jul 17, 2008 - 1:57 pm: | |
Thanks for the input. I guess I am just skeptical about the sand because it sounds to good to be true. |
Ann
Member
Username: lilly
Post Number: 213
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, Jul 28, 2008 - 6:16 pm: | |
Dr.O,
What are your thoughts on using sand for bedding? The horses in question spend about 10 hours a day in their stalls. They have a corner of stall sectioned off with wood to drop hay into but a good amount of hay is always pulled out and dropped onto the hay, then eaten. It just seems like these horses would be ingesting a lot of sand. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: dro
Post Number: 21115
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Monday, Jul 28, 2008 - 9:06 pm: | |
I have never cared for sand because of the increase urine odor and increase irritation to the skin when the horse lays down. Yes messy horses on sand may pick up enough to cause problems but if care is taken some of that risk can be removed for many horses. Then again what is the perfect bedding? As you read above some have had it work maybe there horses did not lie down much and the stalls well ventilated?
DrO |
Muffi Delaney
Member
Username: muffi
Post Number: 282
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, Jul 31, 2008 - 1:51 am: | |
Fran & Dr O - I have Sand outside where my horses sleep - and posted something a few months about about hock sores. but.... they have callused up and no longer an issue. still sleeping in the sand, no issues. They seek out the sand to lay down in - I see them napping in the day too. Flat out enjoying their z's.
but for feeding - I too will not tempt the Gods or Colic. I feed on swept off matts in their stalls. and do the Psyllium trick every month. |
