We talk a lot about dust-extracted bedding, but if you’ve ever wondered how that works and why it matters, this blog is for you! We’re going to take a closer look at how we take freshly produced wood shavings and remove the tiny particles of dust that are generated during the manufacturing process. We’ll also explore why it’s so important to create and maintain a healthy stable environment for our horses and ponies.
It’s an important question, particularly with autumn lurking just over the horizon and our minds starting to think about when to change stable routines around again. For most horses, though not all horses, the cooler, darker and wetter months of the year mean spending more time in the stable.
That’s why now is a great time to explore dust-extracted horse bedding and ways to make stables clean and comfortable. Let’s take a look!
Why does dust matter in the stable?
Horses have sensitive respiratory systems and that means that the quality of the air around them is important. That’s important for all horses, including youngstock, veterans, retired horses and those in light work, but it’s vital for sports horses being asked to perform at high intensity.
When we create a routine that means horses will spend hours standing in a stable, we need to do our best to ensure that we address the dust levels they’re exposed to.
Of course, it’s important to remember that dust doesn’t only come from your horse’s bedding. Hay and forage, dried mud, feed, cobwebs and the general activity of mucking out and sweeping can all contribute to the amount of airborne material that’s in their stable.
Every time a horse moves around its stable, lies down, gets up or has a good roll, those particles are disturbed and sent into the air. That’s why we look at ways to reduce sources of stable dust wherever we can, and dust-extracted bedding is a great place to start.
How is dust extracted from wood shavings?
At Wood & Slumber, we use kiln-dried pine and spruce to produce our small-flake shavings. As part of the UK’s largest independent timber importer and processor, we’re able to ensure our shavings are made from wood that’s traceable and sustainable.
If you’re interested in minimising the impact of owning a horse on the environment, our bedding is a good choice! But back to how we make sure they’re dust-extracted…
Once the timber has been processed into shavings, the aim is to separate the larger, fluffy flakes that mean Wood & Slumber makes such a great bedding from the much smaller particles of fine wood dust created during production.
To do this, we use a two-stage process called screening and air extraction. Screening comes first, and then we pass the shavings through a specialist vacuum extraction process. These allow the smallest particles of dust, wood flour and fragments to fall away while retaining the larger bedding flakes.
Air extraction then uses controlled airflow to draw away lightweight dust and fine material, while the heavier wood shavings remain.
The result is the soft flakes that go into the bale you open at home and spread out to create a bed, with unwanted fine particles removed before the bedding reaches your stable.
Why kiln drying matters too
You might have spotted us talking about kiln drying as well as dust extraction, and we thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about why that matters, too. It’s a different job to dust extraction, but it’s still important when it comes to bedding and stable health!
Kiln drying reduces the moisture content of our timber before it becomes your horse’s bedding. It can also ensure that any mould or fungi spores that could be on the wood, after all, it is a natural product, are removed before it’s then processed into shavings.
That means that as well as being a low-dust product, you can be confident that our bedding doesn’t have any lurking mould or mildew in the bale.
Creating a healthier winter stable
There will always be some dust around horses, particularly in a working yard, and bedding is only one part of the bigger picture.
Making sure that your stables have good ventilation and selecting good-quality hay both help. Making sure you muck out and sweep when horses aren’t in the stable can help too.
But choosing dust-extracted horse bedding is an easy way to reduce the amount of unnecessary fine material in your horse’s immediate environment.
Find out more about Wood & Slumber horse bedding, our kiln-dried, dust-extracted wood shavings and where to find your nearest stockist.
