Private home, one person taking care of their horse and mine.
Caretaker put down solid mats in the stalls, over clay - based soil. NO BEDDING.
Doesn't seem to listen to the farrier or myself asking for bedding/shavings to be placed over the mats, no idea why.
Mats are frequently wet with urine, and stool. Wet soil under the mats. Stalls not cleaned every day, maybe every 2nd to 3rd day.
My horse is kept in the stall in rainy weather, and cold weather at night. This is because the other younger horse dominates the run- in barn and keeps my older horse out in the bad weather. So my horse will end up laying down in mud /wet ground if he is not in the stall. Yet, when kept in the stall, the mat- only stalls get wet with urine and stool.
Does anyone else know the reasoning for mats and no bedding? Smells of ammonia often, and they use some kind of stall dry material that is sprinkled down, then swept up. That's the extent of the cleaning of the mats. Still mushy wet under the mats.
Farrier diagnosed thrush in my horses hoofs the last 2 visits, and this last time he was lame from the thrush/infection and had to be put on Bute. He is better now that it hasn't rained recently while using antifungal product in hoofs. I'm afraid this is a vicious cycle.
Asked barn owner to put down shavings, said they were going to do it, but nothing now after 2 weeks.
Help!
Caretaker put down solid mats in the stalls, over clay - based soil. NO BEDDING.
Doesn't seem to listen to the farrier or myself asking for bedding/shavings to be placed over the mats, no idea why.
Mats are frequently wet with urine, and stool. Wet soil under the mats. Stalls not cleaned every day, maybe every 2nd to 3rd day.
My horse is kept in the stall in rainy weather, and cold weather at night. This is because the other younger horse dominates the run- in barn and keeps my older horse out in the bad weather. So my horse will end up laying down in mud /wet ground if he is not in the stall. Yet, when kept in the stall, the mat- only stalls get wet with urine and stool.
Does anyone else know the reasoning for mats and no bedding? Smells of ammonia often, and they use some kind of stall dry material that is sprinkled down, then swept up. That's the extent of the cleaning of the mats. Still mushy wet under the mats.
Farrier diagnosed thrush in my horses hoofs the last 2 visits, and this last time he was lame from the thrush/infection and had to be put on Bute. He is better now that it hasn't rained recently while using antifungal product in hoofs. I'm afraid this is a vicious cycle.
Asked barn owner to put down shavings, said they were going to do it, but nothing now after 2 weeks.
Help!