You may be wondering if there is a better alternative to pine shavings or straw for hemp for horse bedding. Some horses have respiratory issues and shavings can be dusty. Dust from pine shavings can cause some horses to cough. Straw is less absorbent than shavings, but does provide some warmth in the Winter. It does nothing to control odors that build up when horses are in their stalls for the night.
A great alternative to traditional types of bedding is to use hemp for horse bedding. It offers many advantages over other materials and may help improve a horse’s overall health when used in place of shavings or straw.
Straw can get moldy when it gets wet and stays wet for very long. It could even happen overnight under certain conditions. Straw can provide extra warmth on those cold Winter nights when horses are bedded down in their stalls. However, hemp is far more absorbent and will not get moldy. It is as strong as straw but easier to handle, as it comes in finer curds (the inner part of the hemp plant). It also keeps horse stalls warm, so it can provide an additional benefit of keeping horses warm in the barn on cold nights.
Hemp is more absorbent than straw or pine shavings. Horses will be healthier and likely cleaner when hemp shavings are used in their stalls. Many barns smell like horses. That is many bards tend to take on certain odors of the animals inside, including horses. But, when hemp is used, there are few odors and the barn is likely to feel cleaner that other barns.
Hemp is not dusty at all. This makes it an ideal choice for bedding, for horses that are prone to respiratory issues or have heaves. It is cleaner than other types of bedding and lasts longer, making it a better, more cost effective choice for large stables and small barns alike. It is healthier for horses and for horse owners or those who work around the barn.
Hemp is a sustainable product like straw. It is biodegradable and has antibacterial properties as well. These features as well as the other benefits of hemp make it a suitable choice for all animal bedding needs. But, hemp makes an excellent bedding choice for horses because it can keep up with the strong and noxious odors in horse stalls and ammonia smells produced by horses that are kept in a barn for at least part of the day.
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