Hey everyone, wondering if anyone has used pelleted bedding in a horse trailer?
I currently use a healthy amount of shavings when I trailer (have a steel frame, aluminum skin, treated wood floor with rubber mats on top new Gore trailer which I love) - but my main complaint is how dusty shavings are.
I was thinking of using pelleted bedding (I’ve used in stalls before when I’ve managed barns and liked them) to cut down on dust, but wondering if there is a reason not to try this that I’m not thinking of. Anyone do it? Pros/cons? Recommended or no?
Hard pellets need to be wet and broken down (at least partially) or they’ll just roll under the feet until they’re crushed enough, which can take some time.
Softer pellets are still a bit risky for rolling until they’re crushed enough, which takes less time.
You’ll still need to wet them down to keep the dust down, so the same can be done with regular shavings (of whatever size)
Agree with JB. Dry pellets will be hard and move around. Dampened pellets will be even more dusty than shavings when they dry. I just water my shavings with a watering can when they get dusty.
If your mats have any gaps I also find the pellets get stuck in any cracks which is annoying. I find the large flakes from tractor supply aren’t very dusty especially if you strip them regularly.
I do a bag of fine flakes anwhere they may poop or urinate and then top the entire thing with large flakes, which are less likely to get airborne. Then you have the best of both worlds - absorbency and fluff. I tried straw once. That was SOO slippery over my mats - never again!
Should have clarified that I was planning on wetting down so they are soft and slightly damp (at least initially). I suppose I’m thinking that these pellets, unlike shavings, are designed to be a bit damp, so they might stay damp longer than if you wet down shavings? Maybe no?
Like others are saying- I’ve found larger flakes less dusty and less airborne-- but less absorbant. Interesting idea to put small flakes down first then large.
Regarding the gaps, I guess that’s one of the things I’m wondering about. I have small gaps where mats join, and inevitably some shavings get wedged in there. I do my best to keep them out and do pull mats a couple times a year to clear these all out, but my thinking was that maybe with the pellets, which are designed to be more absorbant, they might be better in those cracks than the wedges of shavings? Or maybe that’s exactly wrong, and they’d be worse in there?
Again, should clarify that when I say “pellets” I do mean the bedding that results from wetting down the pellets enough that they’re not in pellet form anymore.
They’re not “designed” in the way I think you’re thinking. The need to be wet down either to break the down initially (most really hard pellets), or to keep their particles from being airborne, which is pretty instant once they dry out since the particles are so small and light. Yes, they’re more absorbent because they’re essentially dehydrated, so fluff up a lot on the initial wetting
Regular big flake shavings are too heavy to get airborne, but their (usually present) dust, and the bigger pieces as they get trampled on and broken down, do become light enough to float around. They’re still quite absorbent, they do a good job absorbing urine. A lot of people trailering enough distant in hot weather really soak down the bigger shavings to help keep the feet cooler and more protected against the heat of the pavement
I also like the idea of the finer shavings (like the yellow bag from TSC) topped by a layer of large flakes
But really, if you’re fully wetting down the pellets, the pellets themselves aren’t a hazard. The question then is - how many hours at a time would you be driving? The more they dry out, the more will become airborne
Pellets are 100% worse. They get in between the mats making the gaps worse, under the mats, etc. I think you might be over thinking it. Use a mix of small/large flake shavings and sweep up after every use. Sweeping removes a lot of the dusty stuff. Shavings just get dusty over time so replace frequently.
IME, it’s a hard No! if you’re using a stock trailer.
Though I’m imagining roof vents or screened windows might get the same result.
3h drive, arrived to find mini covered in dust & even with the center gate shut, everything in front of the gate also coated.
I’d watered the pellets before loading, enough so the top layer was breaking down.
Im back to using fine shavings in the same trailer & don’t have the problem.
I use big flake shavings --but only a small amount where horse will pee and poop. I move the poop as soon as I stop and replace the now wet shavings with again a small amount of dry. By “small” I mean what would fill a 5 gallon bucket. I have seen trailers deeply bedded with shavings --that wouldn’t work well for me as I wash out my trailer after each use.
I did try pellets once --when I walked in (horse wasn’t inside yet) I nearly fell when the pellets slipped under my feet!
When I bought my trailer the dealer told me not to put any bedding in it. He said it would work its way between the wood floor and metal sides, retain moisture, and cause the wood to rot and metal to rust. I just have mats on the floor. Not sure what they’re made of, but they interlock and have a slightly rough texture so they don’t get slick when wet.
Call me frugal
I reuse shavings that aren’t peed or pooped on after a trip.
I pick out manure & soiled shavings, then sweep the rest into a big garbage bag.
Serves 2 purposes:
I can get at least 3 uses from 1/2 a 40cf bag of shavings
&
Trailer gets swept clean after every use.
@2DogsFarm --I have ONE horse that never poops or pees in the trailer --it is 90 min to the hunt club and 90 min back --trailer looks just as pristine as when I loaded W – love that horse!
But, then there is Bob. Bob immediately poops in the trailer as soon as I load him (yep, tried walking him around awhile before hand, still pooped in the trailer as soon as he was loaded). I take a minute after I load him to remove THAT pile. By the time we are wherever we are going (5 miles, 50 miles, doesn’t matter) he’s pooped 10 more times and peed three. He is the only horse I have that paints the walls of the trailer with poop --I THINK he crouches down, dips his tail in the oozy mess he’s made then does his best to hit every surface. It’s good that he’s a dark color because he always looks pretty clean when I unload him from the disaster he’s created.
I carry half a bag of shavings to tidy his side of the trailer when we get to where we are going. Scrape his mess to one side, then spread dry shavings where he will poop and pee on the way home.
My most-hauled is Bugs.
He’s pretty conservative with his leavings.
After a 3h haul there’ll be maybe a single pile & some wet shavings.
Being a mini, both are easy to discard, leaving plenty to recycle.
Harley makes a larger deposit, but still leaves me enough for reuse.
As an aside, I tape all the seams in between my mats w wide gorilla tape. I also tape the sides. It amazingly keeps everything from getting between/under the mats.
Thank you everyone! I’m convinced not to try pellets, and equipped with the amazing idea of taping mats with gorilla tape to keep shavings from getting between, as well as small flakes underneath with large flakes on top (and maybe we them a bit too).
Okay I’ll be the voice of dissent. I put a bag of pellets spread out along the butt end wall and then a bag of shavings on top spread throughout the trailer. I don’t wet them first. I have a 3 horse stock slant and a 2 horse slant LQ and use this technique in both. I do not have a problem with them blowing around (I have ridden in the back of both) or with the horses having issues with footing
I also use a bag of pelleted bedding, moistened in a muck tub to expand, in my trailer. I have not found it any dustier than the fine or large flake shavings. We also only use pelleted bedding in the barn, and any stalls that are dusty seem to be from horses tracking in mud when brought in for the night or owners picking hooves in the stall. Even using a blower to clean up the aisle and push the bedding back from the stall doorways doesn’t kick up dust from the bedding.
Oh, Bob!
