Feasibility analysis of different bedding materials for horses.

The aim of this paper is to assess the economic aspects of bedding materials for sport/recreational horses. Four materials are tested: sawdust in bulk, wood shavings, squared harvest straw, and slice-dusted straw. The process of collecting data for feasibility analysis is structured into two different trials. In Trial 1, daily observations are collected and measured to obtain data about the technical and cleaning characteristics of the four different bedding materials, and in Trial 2, the durability of the bedding materials is tested. From an economic (cost) standpoint, the most suitable bedding materials are squared harvest straw and slice-dusted straw. Unfavourable economic results are found for wood shavings and sawdust in bulk. However, the durability analysis shows wood shavings and slice-dusted straw to be the better options. Thus, the results indicate that some bedding types are better for durability reasons and others are better for economic reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]