Choosing the right bedding for your horse’s stall is one of those decisions that really does make a difference day to day. The right setup keeps your horse comfortable, supports healthy hooves and lungs, and even shapes how much time and effort you spend managing the barn.

With so many options out there, it’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed at first—but once you understand what each type offers, it becomes much simpler to find a bedding that suits both your horse and your routine.

Before getting into specific options, it helps to understand why bedding choice matters so much. Good bedding does far more than just fill a stall—it plays a key role in your horse’s overall comfort and health:

• Cushioning and comfort for joints, especially for older horses or those recovering from injury
• Moisture absorption to keep the stall dry and help prevent issues like thrush and white line disease
• Insulation from cold ground temperatures
• Ammonia control to protect your horse’s sensitive respiratory system
• Traction to help prevent slipping

When bedding falls short, it doesn’t take long for comfort and cleanliness to follow—so choosing thoughtfully really pays off.

Straw has been used as horse bedding for centuries—it’s readily available, relatively inexpensive, and horses tend to find it comfortable to lie on.

Types of Straw Used for Horse Bedding:

• Wheat straw: the most common, bright golden color, reasonably absorbent
• Barley straw: softer but can irritate skin due to its awns
• Oat straw: palatable and soft, but horses are more likely to eat it, which can cause digestive issues

Pros of Straw Bedding:

• Low cost, especially in agricultural areas
• Easy to source in bulk
• Biodegrades well, making mucking out easy for composting
• Horses find it comfortable and natural

Cons of Straw Bedding:

• Less absorbent than wood-based beddings
• Horses may eat it, adding unwanted calories
• Can harbor mold and fungal spores, worsening respiratory conditions
• Requires more frequent and thorough mucking out
• Not ideal for horses with skin sensitivities or Cushing’s disease

Best For: 

• Budget conscious owners with easy access to straw
• Horses without respiratory issues or dietary concerns

Wood shavings are arguably the most widely used horse bedding in the world—they offer excellent absorbency, have a pleasant aroma, and offer ease of management.

Key Considerations for Wood Shavings:

• Always use dust-extracted or dust-free shavings to protect your horse’s airway
• Avoid black walnut shavings at all costs—even small amounts can cause laminitis in horses
• Pine and aspen shavings are the safest and most commonly available options
• Cedar shavings—while aromatic and an insect repellent—can cause respiratory irritation for some horses

Pros of Wood Shavings:

• Highly absorbent—great at trapping moisture and reducing ammonia
• Easy to find at feed stores, farm supply shops, and in bulk
• Comfortable and cushioning underfoot
• Relatively affordable
• Horses generally don’t eat them

Cons of Wood Shavings:

• Can be dusty if not properly processed—a major concern for horses with heaves or RAO
• Wet shavings are heavy and mucking out can be labor intensive
• Not the most eco-friendly option unless sourced from sustainable forestry
• Cost can add up with a deep bed management system

Best For: 

• Most horse owners looking for a reliable, versatile bedding with good absorbency

Wood pellets have gained enormous popularity in recent years, particularly among owners managing horses with respiratory conditions or those seeking a lower maintenance stall.

Wood pellets are made from compressed sawdust and when moistened, they expands into a soft, fine bed. They also absorb several times their own weight in moisture, and their compressed nature means you use far less volume than shavings.

How to Use Wood Pellet Bedding:

1. Lay a base layer of pellets (about 1 to 2 bags depending on stall size)
2. Add water to activate expansion
3. Allow pellets to break down into a soft, fine material
4. Spot clean daily and top up as needed

Pros of Wood Pellets:

• Exceptional absorbency—far better than shavings or straw
• Very low dust—excellent for horses with respiratory sensitivities
• Highly economical—fewer bags needed and less waste when mucking out
• Compact storage means less barn space required
• Excellent ammonia control

Cons of Wood Pellets:

• Higher upfront cost per bag compared to shavings
• Requires wetting and setup time
• Can be slippery until fully expanded—horses should not be placed on dry pellets
• Wet material becomes very heavy to remove

Best For: 

• Horses with heaves, allergies, or COPD
• Owners who want low maintenance, high performance bedding

Shredded or chopped paper bedding is one of the best options on the market for horses with severe respiratory problems—it produces virtually no dust and is highly absorbent.

Paper bedding typically comes in two forms:

• Shredded newspaper: very fine, almost fluffy texture
• Chopped cardboard/paper: coarser, more structured texture

Pros of Paper Bedding:

• Near zero dust—outstanding for horses with serious respiratory conditions
• Very soft and comfortable for horses to lie on
• Good absorbency
• Biodegrades quickly, making it easy to compost

Cons of Paper Bedding:

• Can become soggy quickly and needs regular removal
• May blow around in drafty barns
• Can be difficult to source in large quantities
• Ink on newsprint may occasionally cause concern (though modern soy-based inks are typically non-toxic)
• Less visually appealing than straw or shavings

Best For: 

• Horses with severe respiratory diseases (RAO, heaves, COPD) where dust elimination is the top priority

Hemp bedding is one of the most exciting innovations in equine stable management. Made from the inner core of the hemp plant, it’s highly absorbent, virtually dust-free, and one of the most eco-friendly options available.

Pros of Hemp Bedding:

• Absorbs up to 4 times its weight in moisture
• Extremely low dust—great for respiratory health
• Naturally antimicrobial and resistant to mold
• Biodegrades rapidly and is excellent for composting or garden use
• Horses tend not to eat it
• Warm and comfortable for horses to lie on

Cons of Hemp Bedding:

• More expensive than shavings or straw
• Less readily available—may need to be ordered online or from specialist suppliers
• Some horses may be unfamiliar with the texture initially

Best For: 

• Environmentally conscious owners
• Horses with respiratory or skin issues
• Horse owners who compost their horse’s stall waste

Rice hulls (also called rice husks) are the dry outer shells removed from rice grains during milling. Long used in agriculture, they’ve quietly earned a loyal following among horse owners—particularly in rice producing regions where they’re abundant and affordable. If you’ve used them, you already know: they’re a genuinely excellent stall bedding option.

Rice hulls are lightweight, free draining, and naturally resistant to mold and bacteria, making them a surprisingly high performing option that many mainstream horse owners have yet to discover.

Pros of Rice Hull Bedding:

• Outstanding drainage: liquid passes through quickly rather than pooling on top, keeping the surface drier than most other bedding types
• Naturally mold and mildew resistant: the silica content of rice hulls inhibits fungal growth
• Low dust: much less dusty than traditional wood shavings
• Lightweight: easy to handle, spread, and muck out
• Excellent ammonia control: the free draining nature pulls moisture away from the surface, reducing ammonia buildup at horse-level
• Very affordable: in rice growing regions, hulls are often available cheaply or even free as a milling byproduct
• Horses don’t eat them: no calorie or digestive concerns
• Good composting material: breaks down well and enriches garden soil

Cons of Rice Hull Bedding:

• Regional availability: can sometimes be hard to source outside of rice producing areas like the South, Gulf Coast, and parts of California
• Light and loose: can scatter easily when horses move around, and may track out of stalls more than heavier bedding
• Less cushioning: not as soft and plush as shavings or straw, so may benefit from rubber matting underneath for horses that lie down frequently
• Unfamiliar to many suppliers: you may need to source directly from a rice mill or agricultural supplier rather than a standard feed store

Tips for Using Rice Hulls:

• Pair with rubber stall mats to compensate for their firmer texture
• Start with a depth of 4 to 6 inches for adequate coverage
• Spot clean daily—their excellent drainage means wet spots are easy to identify and remove
• Source locally from rice mills for the best price and freshness

Rubber stall mats deserve a mention—but they are typically used under bedding rather than as a standalone solution. High quality interlocking rubber mats cushion the floor, reduce bedding use, protect joints, and improve traction.

When used with a thin layer of shavings, pellets, or rice hulls, rubber mats:

• Dramatically reduce the total amount of bedding needed
• Keep the stall warmer
• Protect joints and reduce fatigue for horses who stand for long periods
• Make stall cleaning significantly faster

Selecting the right bedding comes down to a few key questions:

Regardless of which bedding you choose, good management practices make all the difference:

• Spot clean daily — remove manure and wet patches every day to maintain hygiene and extend the life of your bedding

• Bank the sides — push bedding up against stall walls when the horse is out to air the floor and dry damp spots

• Fully muck out regularly — even with deep litter systems, a complete strip-out every few weeks prevents ammonia and bacteria buildup

• Store bedding correctly — keep bags and bales off the ground and away from moisture to prevent mold

• Monitor your horse — watch for signs of respiratory irritation, skin issues, or unusual stiffness that might suggest a bedding problem

There’s no single “perfect” bedding that works for every horse or every barn. The right choice depends on your horse’s individual needs, your budget, how much time you have for stall care, and even your preferences around sustainability.

What matters most is keeping things clean, dry, and comfortable—and staying consistent with your routine.

If you’re not quite sure where to begin, dust-extracted wood shavings or wood pellets over rubber matting is a polished, reliable combination that works beautifully for most setups. And if you have them available in your area, rice hulls are absolutely worth a look—they’re affordable, drain well, and do an excellent job with odor control.

At the end of the day, a thoughtfully bedded stall is one of the simplest ways to support your horse’s comfort, health, and overall well-being.