We launched Wood & Slumber in August 2025, and we’ve been blown away by the response from horse owners, trainers, yard managers, equine hospitals and retailers across the UK.
From the very beginning, our aim was to produce consistently high-quality, dust-extracted horse bedding that people could rely on.
As part of Arbor Forest Products, home to one of the UK’s most advanced sawmills, we have complete oversight of the timber that goes into every bale. That means responsibly sourced pine and spruce, consistent quality, reliable year-round availability and full traceability as part of our BETA NOPS accreditation.
Putting our absorbency claims to the test
You’ll often hear bedding brands talk about absorbency, but we wanted to go one step further and put our claims to the test.
We had good reason to believe Wood & Slumber would perform well. Our timber is kiln dried before it is processed into shavings, while softwood is naturally highly absorbent.
We were confident in the product we had created, but we wanted the facts to support that confidence. The results would also give our retailers clear evidence and useful talking points when recommending Wood & Slumber to their customers.
So, we designed a simple experiment to see how Wood & Slumber compared with some of the UK’s leading shavings brands.
The absorbency experiment
We tested five leading shavings brands
Including Wood & Slumber, using the same quantity of shavings, the same volume of water and the same testing method each time.
- 75g of shavings was taken from each brand.
- 500ml of water was added to each sample.
- Each sample was shaken for 30 seconds.
- It was then left to settle for 30 seconds.
- The contents were carefully poured out over 30 seconds.
- The remaining water was measured to calculate how much had been absorbed.
- Each brand was tested three times, with the results used to calculate an average.
Repeating the test gave us more reliable data to work from. It also helped reduce the effect of any individual sample that may have been exposed to damp or affected by another outside factor.
And the results were…
Wood & Slumber came out on top, with just 75g of shavings absorbing an average of 336.7ml of water across the three tests.
Average water absorbed by 75g of shavings
336.7ml
288.3ml
268.3ml
211.7ml
195ml
16.8% more absorbent
than the next best-performing shavings brand in our test.
Wood & Slumber was the clear winner. It absorbed 16.8% more water than the next best-performing brand and nearly 73% more than the lowest-performing product.
It’s safe to say we’re very pleased with those results.
What does greater absorbency mean for horse owners?
Carrying out this testing was about making sure the claims we make about Wood & Slumber stand up to scrutiny. It is incredibly satisfying to have test data that supports what we have believed from the very beginning.
The results give horse owners and yard managers confidence that they are choosing bedding with exceptional absorbency. They also give our retailers clear evidence to support their recommendations.
More absorbent bedding can help keep the stable environment drier and more comfortable for horses and ponies. It can also mean that each bale goes further, helping owners and yard managers get more from their bedding.
Try Wood & Slumber for yourself
Find your nearest Wood & Slumber retailer using our online stockist finder.
The results shown are based on Arbor Forest Products’ controlled comparison test using 75g samples from five shavings brands. Each product was tested three times using the same method, with the figures shown representing the average result.
