I'm trying peat bedding, and chronicaling my adventure... for your reading pleasure

[buck22]

Interesting about the flies. With the season winding down, the stable flies have one last hurrah it seems. While they have been aggressive outside, none are found in the shed in the last few days.

Five days in and so far so good. I added a bit more today to fluff the bed up higher, though this stuff does not compact at all.

Have yet to find a wet spot though I know my gelding is peeing in there, and nary a waft of ammonia. Very happy on the pee front.

Dust has not subsided, even with our humid weather, but it continues to stay low and settle fast. I hope I don’t have to continue wetting it throughout the winter. Tracking continues to be fairly minimal.

Sprinkled some pine shavings on top today to hopefully convince my geldings to try laying down in it. They are, however, addicted to standing in it. I shut them off from that paddock today so I could install 3 tons of crushed stone to help abate the mud (shovel by shovel, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow, I do NOT know if I will be able to move in the morning). Both horses had outright tantrums that they were cut off from the shed for noon nap time :lol: Pacing the fence and whickering, when I finally let them back in they trotted to their peat bed, cocked a leg and snoozed. Apparently they are now refusing to nap anywhere else.

Feet continue to appear better off. So far, finding more things to like than dislike about peat!

Please keep the stories coming!

[Hinderella]

I used peat with a bit of shavings mixed in on two occasions when I had a horse on long term stall rest. It cut down significantly on the ammonia smell and was easy to pick. When my horse was recovering from colic surgery I did not use it because I didn’t know if it would be a problem if it stuck to her incision. But otherwise I found it a great bedding material.

[Hinderella]

I used peat with a bit of shavings mixed in on two occasions when I had a horse on long term stall rest. It cut down significantly on the ammonia smell and was easy to pick. When my horse was recovering from colic surgery I did not use it because I didn’t know if it would be a problem if it stuck to her incision. But otherwise I found it a great bedding material.

[Equibrit]

I tried it once. Couldn’t stand the dust. Gets everywhere, including lungs.
You have to have the stuff really damp to prevent it and that’s pretty unpleasant, especially when it gets cold.

[Foxtrot_s]

Keep the bed dampened and you will not have any more dust than with shavings, sawdust, or pellets. Just that it is dark and shows more. As the mattress matures, and gets deeper, it will not need constant dampening.

[buck22]

Had an interesting test with the peat this past weekend. I traveled for three days, so just had the BO stop by to drop feed and check water. Normally, I tend to the shed daily - round up all the tracked bedding, remove soiled bits, use a leaf blower to blow all the dust out, etc. So this was a test of 3 days no maintenance of any kind.

What a mess! :lol:

While 24 hours of tracking isn’t bad, 72 hours is horrible! But honestly, not much worse than sawdust. And it swept up easier. AND, it doesn’t seem to work its way under mats like sawdust, so that was a huge bonus, no having to lift up mat corners and scrape out mounds.

The dust however was ridiculous.

I’ve been making a daily habit of tossing a bucket of water in a spray over the bed. The dust had been minimal. But 3 days of no watering and the dust was just unbelievable. Perhaps the mattress just needs time to mature, but at this early stage maintenance is still very much required.

If I had a run-in that I only maintained once a week or so, based on my experience, I would not use peat, or I would at least experiment with significant wetting of the bed.

I travel a lot during the winter, so I am really going to have to see how this mattress matures over the next few weeks to know if I will keep peat for the winter or not. The dust really may be a deal breaker if it keeps up like this.

On the feet front, a nose inspection turns up next-to-no thrush odor in one of my geldings, a huge improvement in a very mild case, and a slightly improved condition in my oldster’s feet. Good news there.

No flies, no pee smell and no wet spots.

If I can get the dust under control I will be very happy with peat.

[Bluey]

So, it was 40+ years ago, but I don’t remember the peat moss we had being that dusty?
Horses that rolled on it were dirty and you needed to brush and vacuum them more than on other bedding, but the barn didn’t seem especially dusty.

Maybe your horses are more active coming and going that ours were standing in their stalls when not turned out or ridden?

My main problem was, I don’t see very good.
Going from white bedding to so dark made it hard to be sure I had really cleaned all well, was not missing anything that needed picking up, that bothered me.

[buck22]

I’m starting to think its the brand of peat frankly, dust reports here are either one way or the other.

My horses being actively in and out dozens of times during a day certainly is a big factor too… and the reason my sawdust becomes dusty before its time is up. Hence looking for a new solution with all of the composting I’m doing.

Oh well, I’ll see how the next few weeks go!

Horses are still addicted to standing in it. And now that my younger gelding has figured out he can actually sleep in it, he’s been taking long naps. Had major “bed head” this morning on his flanks. :lol:

[Simkie]

I am grateful that you are chronicling this, Buck! I’ve always liked the idea of bedding on peat, but haven’t ever had the opportunity to try. Might have to give it a go, especially for my big peeing mare or the old lady that really appreciates her naps.

[buck22]

I’m grateful for all of the great tips and feedback I’m getting! Being a life-long shavings user this was a bit of a shock.:lol: Its a nice feeling knowing you’re not alone!

I think - like Foxtrot has been saying all along - if I find a system for moisture management and learn to “read” the bed, I’ll get the upper hand on the dust and then love it.

I’m VERY interested when its time to compost it. I keep walking the sandy paddocks thinking “I’ll put some here… and some there… and some over there…” What a nice thing to look forward to mucking a stall to improve the health of the paddocks for a change.

It is remarkable how much my horses love standing in it. I caught the two of them snugged up to each other together snoozing in it today.

[Foxtrot_s]

For all the energy and time you save in the winter, it will come back on you big time when it is time to dig out the old bed and compost it for the garden.
It packs down and can absorb prodigous amounts of urine. Hire a local teenager! or tractor.

[Dewey]

[QUOTE=buck22;7793334]

Here is what I found on peat

http://www.peatmoss.com/blog/using-peat-moss/concerns/environmental-concerns/[/QUOTE]

Maybe this is accurate, maybe not–but the source is the peat moss industry–hardly a neutral source. I always warn my students about using sources from “.com” websites.

[buck22]

Wise advice.

Here are a couple of comments from less-not-so-neutral sources (but perhaps paid off! :lol:):

http://www.peatsociety.org/

http://www.theecologist.org/blogs_and_comments/commentators/other_comments/1780209/the_truth_about_peat_moss.html

http://www.garden.org/urbangardening/?page=august_peat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum

and a very lively discussion from the CoTH of Gardening :lol:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0401073119830.html

I think actually, now after reading through some of this, there is a very real distinction from Sphagnum Moss and actual real Peat. The moss being relatively quick growing and renewable and the peat being the product that takes millennia to establish.

Appears that perhaps the devil is in the [marketing] details.