Posted: 6th September 2024 | Back to news feed
Hundreds of horse owners all over the UK are turning to Strawmax straw pellets as the ideal alternative to traditional baled straw. Why? Because Strawmax solves the many, many downsides of straw.
After a wet spring and summer, arable crop yields are down this harvest, which means straw supplies will be reduced this winter. The wet weather also creates higher levels of bacteria and mould in baled straw, which raises the risk of respiratory infection from straw bedding for horses and for humans.
But even in a good year, although it’s 100% natural, straw offers very few of the benefits you need for your horse’s health and wellbeing, for you budget or your busy lifestyle. Traditional loose straw varies hugely in quality, and depending on the harvest it varies widely in price and availability.
Towards the end of a wet winter it can be one of the most expensive bedding options, and it often has the highest levels of dust and spores that cause respiratory disease. It is one of the least absorbent bedding materials, and it usually comes in big bales which are hard to handle and store.
Healthy for Horses. Economical for Owners
Now compare that to Strawmax straw pellets. They're purpose made using 100% natural straw, but that's the only similarity. Unlike baled straw, Strawmax pellets are rigorously dust extracted and dried at sterilising temperatures that kill spores and bacteria. They offer astonishing levels of absorbency, they're easy to use and muck out with very little waste, so they're longlasting, economical, eco-friendly and light on the muckheap.
Strawmax is made to the highest standards of consistent quality at our two dedicated production facilities in Northumberland and Hampshire, so unlike baled straw they're always available at a consistent price, and they come in handy 15kg bags from your nearest trusted supplier.
Even better with the BETA NOPS badge
One extra plus you get with Strawmax that's particularly important if you take part in any form of equestrian competition... Strawmax carries the same BETA NOPS Bedding badge as Bedmax and Littlemax shavings.
Testing for prohibited substances is becoming widespread at every level of equestrian competition today, and even tiny traces of an everyday NOPS like caffeine can be detected in your horse’s or pony’s blood – which means disqualification and possibly a penalty.
We're the first and possibly still the only bedding manufacturer to have achieved this accreditation, which signifies that every step in our production process has been audited to confirm that we take every precaution to avoid contamination by any Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substance (NOPS) that could cause a failed doping test.
So, if you’re considering using straw this winter, for your horse’s sake and your own, take a closer look at Strawmax straw pellets. You can find out more about Strawmax, see how to make a good straw pellet bed for your horse, and discover the surprising everyday sources of NOPS contamination at: strawmax.co.uk
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