Sustainable Changes You Can Make to Your Livery Yard

The words sustainable and eco-friendly are being used more in recent years. For horse livery yards, there are changes you can make to be more environmentally friendly. These changes not only benefit your environment but can also improve your horse’s well-being. 

How can you make sustainable changes to your horse livery yard? We look at four ways to keep your horses happy whilst having a positive impact on your environment. 

Eco-Friendly Bedding 

Eco-friendly bedding is available in different materials for horse livery yards. The wide option means that you can find the right bedding for you and your horse. Whilst traditional straw bedding is eco-friendly, here are some alternatives:  

Paper 

Paper beddings are a good way to reduce dust and provide comfort for your horse. They are normally a mix of newspaper and other printed materials that can vary in absorbency. 

However, It is important to research before buying a paper bedding as some of the ink used in print can be toxic. As well as this, the paper can stick together making it difficult to muck out. 

Wood Fibre

When looking for an eco-friendly bedding, wood fibre is a great choice. Made from recycled wood, it has low dust and is absorbent. Wood fibre is best used as a deep litter bed and is less likely to move when your horse lies down or gets up. 

Hemp 

A newer eco-friendly bedding is hemp. It is made from the chopped steam of hemp stems and is starting to become a popular horse bedding. Whilst being dust free and is safe to ingest, it can initially be an expensive bedding to choose.  

Eco-Friendly Horse Products 

You can still be sustainable when looking after your horse, with eco-friendly horse products. If you look round your horse livery yard, you will see a lot of plastic that is having an effect on the environment. Many companies are now becoming plastic free and using more organic ingredients. 

When looking for grooming equipment, wooden brushes with natural horsehair are a great choice. They will not only make your horse shine, they are also better for the environment than plastic brushes. 

Natural Horse Food 

Since horses are grazing animals, you should be feeding them little and often. By feeding them this way, it helps imitate their natural feeding pattern. 

Natural horse food will benefit both your horse and the environment. Choosing a forage based feed with only a few ingredients will mean you wont get unnecessary preservatives. Your horse will get a natural diet that can be supplemented with minerals when required. 

Sustainable Riding Surface

At Combi Ride we offer the best arena surfaces that benefit your horse’s performance. Our arenas are sustainable, with expert maintenance advice your surface will have a life. 

Our arena fibre is a great addition to any horse livery yard arena. The stabiliser can be added to old sand based surfaces. This  allows for comfortable footing whilst reusing your existing sand. 

Get in touch with our friendly team to find out more about sustainable riding surfaces.