The question we get most often from stable managers planning next season. Here are the numbers we and our customers work with.
Initial fill
Reckon with about 11.5 kg of pellets per square metre for a 5 cm layer. A 10 m² box therefore needs roughly 120 kg – 8 bags of 15 kg or 7–8 bags of 16 kg. A 12 m² box needs around 140 kg.
Weekly top-up
Once the bed is established, most horses need 15–30 kg per week (1–2 bags), depending on how long the horse stays inside, how wet it is and how thoroughly the box is mucked out. Horses that are out all day sit at the low end.
Per year
Initial fill plus 52 weeks of top-ups gives roughly 900–1,600 kg per horse per year. In practice one pallet of about 1,000 kg is the common planning figure for one horse, with a second pallet for horses kept inside a lot.
For a whole stable
A 20-horse yard therefore uses around 20–30 tonnes a year – which is exactly one full truckload from us (24 t), delivered to your door at producer prices. Larger yards order two or three loads spread over the season.
What reduces consumption
- Remove only droppings and the wet spot, leave the clean bedding in place
- Rubber mats under the bed
- Watering the pellets properly at set-up so they open fully
Want us to calculate your stable? Send us the number of horses and box sizes and we quote a delivered price per truckload.
