By Susan Raymond, Equine Research Centre, Guelph, Ontario

Absorbency is an important property to consider when deciding which bedding to use for your stalls. Your bedding should also be dust and mould free, supportive and easy to use and dispose of. The more absorbent a bedding is, the lower the levels of ammonia should be in the barn. In addition, the added moisture may decrease dust levels. Absorbent beddings are easier to muck out as the dirty bedding will tend to clump and may allow less bedding to be used over all. The following charts illustrate the varying abilities of common beddings to absorb water. Your choice of bedding will depend on a combination of personal preference, cost effectiveness, local availability and type of horse housed.