Bedtime Adventures

All our stables are now bedded by Caviera.  We used to be all straw but space and storage are a bit of a challenge at Mountford HQ and getting so much straw in and then the mountains of waste out, was proving problematic. So we moved to having some on straw and some on shavings – but that was hard work, we still had the issue of the lack of dry straw storage,  and getting in  shavings ten or so bales at a time both felt, and was, expensive.  

Ummm, what to do…

Our farmer in shining tractor was Nick of Caviera Bedding, who responded to our plea for samples and has set about proving to me once and for all that good horse bedding really can be affordable, comfortable and convenient!

And so we’re now confirmed and committed Caviera’fans 😊  

We’ve tried out the Raviera with Lavendar, the Raviera and the Cavianthus; we’ve settled on using Raviera and Cavianthus.  The Lavendar addition is wonderful and spoiling and fragrant and satisfyingly-not-delicious-to-horses (the main reason for the scented addition) but while we’re bedding down 12 stables a day, alas not yet for us.

My Bed’Oscar Awards are:

Best for sensitive schnozzers. Raviera Lavendar. It’s lavender scented which not only disguises the smell of the bittering agent which is added to put off bed eaters, but also imbues both mucker-outers and mucker-inners with calm, soothing reminders of how lovely life is  

Best for supine snoozers. Raviera. The chopped and dust-extracted oil seed rape straw makes for a dust-free and really comfy bed which our lazy lummocks love lying down in

Best for soggy stables. Cavianthus. Made from Miscanthus (elephant grass) and particularly effective for those horses and stables that tend to get really wet.  Ie We bed our two outdoor-barn stables down with this as they’re not quite as weather-proof as they could be!

Best for enjoyably eco-friendly. All three! All Caviera bedding is 100% sustainable, and the Cavianthus 100% organic. It is grown locally and processed, dust-extracted etc on site.  And unlike shavings which can cause nitrogen issues in muckheaps, all three of these compost beautifully. And the company collects and reuses the pallets 😊

Best for belted budgets. Of the three we’ve tested, Raviera. But overall, once muck removal, storage, replenishment etc is taken into consideration, Caviera is exceedingly ‘good value for money’ compared to our previous straw and straw/shavings.  An unexpected result to my mind, but a very welcome one.

Best for minimal muckheaps. Caviera Bedding, full stop! Our muck trailer removal rate has literally  halved since our straw days.

Best for supportive service. Nick Walker a) he answered my plea for samples, b) delivery is unbelievably prompt and efficient and friendly, c) Caviera now includes Mountford Sport Horses amongst its supported cohort

Talking of that last point, a rather lovely word from Nick on ‘Why us?’ ….  

‘Working full time with horses is hard work – I like supporting a young rider like Polly. Also I very much like the idea of a future Badminton winner or two being nestled down in our Caviera bedding – quality rider, quality horses, quality bedding!’ 

So, that’s it, an all-British product that makes great bedding specifically for horses, does (more than) its bit for the environment, delivers reliably and efficiently, AND HAS HEART!  

Job done,  #caviera #thebest.

Please support them as they are us.

Polly x