Oh. I didn’t realize this. Thanks for clarifying.
It’s a matter of moist wood being a favourable material for proliferation of Klebsiella. Keep bedding dry and clean, and the ubiquitous monster should not gain any more purchase than any other bedding. FWIW, inorganic bedding (sand) tends to allow better proliferation of the streps than wood bedding.
I personally wouldn’t worry one whit about modern kiln dried bedding - pellets or shavings. Green sawdust (from a sawmill - not from woodworking) is a whole other catastrophe waiting to happen. It’s my favourite bedding because it’s absolutely non dusty and easy to clean, but it harbours frickin’ everything including its own oils which can be a problem for some horses with allergies/sensitive respiratory systems.
ETA - Klebsiella is most known for pneumonia but can also cause sepsis - so yes, to your navel ill question - it is a concern.
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So the type of bedding isn’t as much of a concern as the amount and the cleanliness of the bedding? But straw is still a better choice because it’s less hospitable medium for bacteria?
That is what I do here - I have straw bales ready and waiting to go - and give the mares a thick straw bed before foaling. A few foals have arrived abruptly pre-straw over the years - so it quietly gets spread in there even as mom and foal are still down and getting to know each other. The straw is warmer and less likely to irritate eyes - among other benefits already mentioned. Foals get a week on straw… and then it is slowly eliminated… back to shavings.
There have been a couple of years where the available straw was not was clean and bright as I wanted - so then I used hay instead. Not ideal but necessary. That worked for those particular mares as they are the fussy type who will not eat hay once they have stepped on it… or it has touched a wisp they (or the child) have stepped on… or a long list of other imperious complaints… etc. 
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I’m walking away from these two Kate Shearer threads feeling disgusted and nauseated at the total and complete lack of accountability, empathy or concern that Kate has for these animals.
At the end of the day, KS starves and neglects her horses. It’s been witnessed by plenty with their accounts being told. Kate predictably blames it on staff and takes no accountability. We’ve seen pictures with our own eyes of starvation and neglect via such poorly kept mares and foals. It really doesn’t matter what you breed or your breeding direction when you starve and neglect animals. This is horrific.
@Kasheare, I sincerely hope you aren’t lying when you say you are getting out of breeding. I think you are mentally ill and quite likely delusional. You are harming innocent creatures. Your behavior and dialog is not normal. Please get help and stop owning animals.
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I will gently beg to differ on this part of your comment.
Breeding direction really does matter. If horses are not suitable for any job, and not easy to handle… they end up in bad places as they mature.
I think these goals got a terrible start at life with la k of proper in utero nourishment, then had additional challenges from the poor nutrition and general neglect through the weanling yearling phase.
But what happens next? I am concerned that buyers aren’t super knowledgeable, given the price point for these particular pedigrees and crosses with the unusual dam side breeding. I suspect some are going to be challenging types to get started under saddle, and mostly suitable for pros. But I doubt they were bought by knowledgeable pros.
I worry they are destined for challenges
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How do you know?
Correct. Dryness is the biggie. Clean and dry. That can be accomplished with all types of bedding and even on a pack 
(it’s done with dairy animals and large horse breeding operations that use loose housing) as long as enough clean dry bedding is maintained to keep all moisture down on the packed layer at floor level.
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Because they went to the KWPN-NA Keurings last year.
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Did you read the part where I said this?
That was my point. Forget qualms with breeding direction, she shouldn’t own animals, period.
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Ah
Fair enough.
It’s all a mess.
I really hope these poor foals end up with people who can bring out the best in them, and give them a shot at a good and useful life.
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And yet even today on a FB marketing page for Arab/half arab dressage horses, there’s one advertised at KWPN x Arab. A quick look for the stallion shows he’s DHH. The advertised horse is nice, but I do think it’s a bit misleading? to say KWPN. I mean it’s not technically incorrect, but it’s easy to jump to the wrong conclusion.
Of course that’s the point of this whole darn discussion. So if the discussion accomplishes nothing else than alerting people to what they’re buying - and what they shouldn’t buy - it’s done its job.
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I love a nice Arabian cross, and compulsively follow a few breeders who put a tremendous amount of time, investment and energy into producing nice horses from Arabians that have proven themselves in open sport, or been approved by Warmblood registries as a quality outcross option for adding blood and refinement to a breeding program.
But an Arab x DHH cross? I’m not so sure about that. Maybe it would create a really fancy refined harness horse. I could see that potential.
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DHH are KWPN but not all KWPN are DHH. Anyone buying that cross would be aware of that
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Arab DHH crosses are very popular in the saddleseat world.
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If that’s the case, why has this discussion (or the related ones) generated so much interest? Pretty obvious to me that not everyone knows that not all KWPN are the dressage ones. In an ad aimed at dressage folks, they say KWPN. On the stallion’s website they say DHH, no doubt because he stands at a prominent saddle seat farm. Pretty likely this horse is a “reject” from the saddle seat world. Before someone bIows a gasket, note that I say that in quotes because it is a very nice horse who at least in the picture looks more dressage-y and FAR from a reject.
Seems to me that it happens to be a distinction that is very easily (and often, apparently) shaded.
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They make super saddle seat horses. I rode one that was a country pleasure horse once and he was fun, fun, fun to ride. Unfortunately some can also be pretty tough to ride. That cross can put a lot of hotness into one package.
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I have a couple friends with DHH/Arabian crosses. They’ve bren quite successful with them in dressage but you do have to be a chill rider and focus the intensity.
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DHH are KWPN. Not all KWPN are DHH. The ad with the “saddleseat reject” is not lying. If a horse isn’t snorty enough or doesn’t trot big enough at least there IS a sport horse market. Arabian people are VERY aware of bloodlines and that cross is probably only going to be bought by an Arabian person anyway who likes them spicy and wants to dabble in both worlds.
Graff Kelly IS a kwpn approved DHH stallion. It’s not lying to list his arab crosses as half kwpn and his offspring are popular saddleseat and fine harness horses among the arabian people.
Gaudi is a KWPN and his offspring are popular to produce dressage horses among the arabian people.
I really don’t think Kate’s program is comparable.
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