16/12/2018
My stables always had lovely big banks until Maestro got cast I was given advice to ditch the banks and it hasn't happened since...this was 3 years ago 😊
DO BEDDING BANKS PREVENT HORSES GETTING CAST?
Take a look at the photo. Straw has been banked against the sides in the standard way to prevent the horse from becoming cast, but it has been completely ineffective. (It was flipped over immediately after the photo was taken).
Although it is traditional to bank the bedding (straw, shavings etc) around the edges of the stable, the evidence suggests that this will not usually have any beneficial effects (albeit it might provide some protection if the horse does become cast, as in the photo), is almost entirely decorative, and may be making things worse. When horses lie down to sleep they often will lean against the side of the stable if a bank is present. Video recordings of sleeping horses have shown that when rising from sleeping they often make a rolling motion. This may be why they are found cast against the side of the stable in the morning.
There is another downside to banking the bedding at the sides. We have noticed these are often left undisturbed (apart from maybe being added to). Inevitably there is some faecal contamination in these undisturbed areas. Fungi proliferate in this environment even in supposedly ‘safe’ bedding materials such as shavings or paper. These release spores into the stable air, which are breathed by the horse and may cause airway inflammation.
The best advice is to avoid banks completely, and with a rake, pull the bedding from the sides into the centre after mucking out, so the bedding at the edges is constantly being renewed. To prevent casting, fix a wooden batten or commercial rubber anti-cast strips to the sides of the stable about 20-30cm from the ground. The horse’s feet will be able to get a grip on this and it can push itself away from the wall.
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PENBODE EQUINE VETS HOLSWORTHY DEVON
(photo courtesy of Agnew Equine Vets)
