Posted: 15th October 2025 | Back to news feed
For many years, the UK equestrian bedding market has been dominated by three core options: purpose-made shavings, baled straw, and wood pellets. Recent industry surveys show that shavings such as BEDMAX account for around 50% of all bedding used by UK horse owners. Baled straw and wood pellets follow as the next most popular choices.
However, a fourth option is quickly gaining ground. Straw pellets, including leading brands like Strawmax, are now establishing themselves as a bedding solution that combines the benefits of both straw and wood pellets, with fewer of their drawbacks. As a result, they are becoming a major force in the £1 billion UK equine bedding market.
Straw pellets appeal to horse owners because they perform strongly across all the key factors that matter in choosing a stable bedding. These include:
- Naturally sourced, high-quality material
- Very low dust content
- Excellent absorbency
- Minimal waste and easy mucking out
- Sustainable and compostable
- Value for money
Straw pellets offer an economical and practical solution for owners prioritising their horses’ health, stable hygiene, and responsible environmental practices.
Straw pellets are produced in the UK from locally sourced, harvested straw. The straw is chopped, crushed, and dust-extracted and dried to high temperatures before being compressed under pressure into pellet form. This simple, mechanical process ensures the final product is natural, hygienic, and consistent.
Unlike loose straw, which can carry high levels of dust, spores, and allergens, straw pellets are clean and safe. They provide a stable bedding with much lower respiratory risk for horses. Their pelletised form also makes them easier to handle, store, and spread, offering similar convenience to wood pellets with a more natural composition.
Absorbency is one of the biggest advantages of straw pellets. Market feedback suggests they are even more absorbent than wood pellets. In the stable, they localise urine into small, concentrated patches, which can be removed with minimal waste. This reduces the amount of clean bedding lost during mucking out, making the bed last longer and keeping muck heaps smaller.
Used straw pellets also compost very quickly, breaking down into clean, fertile material that can be returned to the soil. This makes them an ideal choice for yards looking to reduce their environmental footprint.
Straw pellets offer one of the strongest sustainability profiles of any bedding on the market. They are made from an agricultural by-product, using a low-energy manufacturing process. They are fully compostable, biodegradable, and sourced locally, reducing transport emissions and supporting UK farming.
This level of eco-responsibility is increasingly important to both professional and private horse owners looking to reduce the environmental impact of their yard.
Highly Economical Bedding
While straw pellets may not always be the cheapest option per bag, they are among the most economical to use. You need less product to create and maintain an effective bed compared to traditional shavings or straw. Once the initial bed is established, many owners find they only need around one bag per week to maintain it.
Because straw pellets are so absorbent and low in waste, costs are reduced over time, not only in terms of bedding purchase, but also in waste removal and storage. This makes straw pellets a cost-effective option during a period when many owners are actively looking for savings without compromising horse care.
The growth in demand for straw pellets has been recognised by established bedding manufacturers. Bedmax, one of the UK’s leading producers of equine bedding, launched its own straw pellet brand, Strawmax.
Bedmax Managing Director Tim Smalley explains:
“Our vision has always been to produce bedding that helps owners keep their horses as healthy and happy in their stables as possible. Good quality straw pellets meet these criteria, and already they are taking a substantial and growing share of the market from loose straw and wood pellets.”
This endorsement from a respected brand highlights the rising status of straw pellets across all sectors of the market.
One of the few concerns raised by owners is whether horses will eat straw pellets. In practice, most horses do not. Straw pellets are usually dampened before use, which increases their volume and makes them less appealing to eat. If a horse does try a few pellets, they are made from 100% natural, untreated straw and are entirely safe.
Strawmax straw pellets also carry the BETA NOPS accreditation, offering further reassurance that they are safe for use in regulated competition environments and free from prohibited substances.
Straw pellets are rapidly emerging as one of the most practical and forward-thinking bedding choices available to UK horse owners. They combine high performance, consistency, cost-efficiency, and strong sustainability. When used correctly, they create a clean, comfortable and hygienic environment for horses, with minimal dust and waste.
As the equine bedding market continues to evolve, straw pellets are proving to be a smart, reliable, and responsible choice for modern stable management.
The Equestrian Index newsfeed is compiled from articles submitted by advertising members and expresses the opinions of those members. Watsons Directories Ltd shall not be held liable for any inaccuracies or mis-statements therein.