It’s great to be back!
We have always supported as many equestrian events as we can over the past 20 years.
Missing these wonderful gatherings has been a big loss over the past two years, and we’re absolutely beside ourselves to be back at a calendar of events where we’ll be sponsoring or supplying Bedmax shavings and opening the Bedmax stand again to welcome visitors.
Win 20 bags of bedding…
Just answer this question:
What percentage of recycled plastic do our bags now contain?
PS: You can find the answer on our ‘The Environment’ page…
Terms: This competition is open to any resident of the UK and Ireland aged 18 and over. The winning text entry will be drawn on Monday 9th May and the winner will receive vouchers for the purchase of 20 bags of your chosen Bedmax bedding from your nearest stockist.
Behind the Scenes at Badminton…
Jane Tuckwell first got involved in Badminton Horse Trials in 1974. She became Secretary in 1985, Assistant Director in 2006, and Event Director in 2020 – just in time for Covid.
Now she has marshalled the armies of 800 volunteers and 200 contractors that make an event like this happen, and our summer of showcase events restarts here, to the delight of the equestrian world.
“It’s taken a bit longer to fit all the jigsaw pieces together again after a two-year gap, but I think 2022 will definitely be remembered by everyone as a special year to be back at Badminton.”
Respiratory Health: Vital for Eventers…
Events like Badminton, Bramham and Burghley offer their competitors Bedmax shavings in the stables because they contain minimal levels of airborne, breathable dust – and airborne dust is a major cause of respiratory problems for horses in stables.
Spike Milligan is the Youth Performance Vet for Team GB Eventing, so he knows exactly how much damage dust can do to event horses:
“Even low grade respiratory disease will lead to poor performance and reduced stamina as horses will tire early… But when horses are tired, they can also be more susceptible to orthopaedic injuries due to muscle fatigue and also to exertional rhabdomyolysis (tying-up)… and this will lead to extended recovery times and poor performance the next day which is key for horses competing at three-day events.”
Learning from COVID…
Around 80% of the hundreds of performance horses consultant vet Dr Emmanuelle van Erck Westergren has been called in to treat turn out to be suffering from respiratory problems.
“Horses in poorly managed stables can be breathing air containing 50 times more dust than in a clean stable…When we had to wear masks some owners were appalled at the dirt on the outside of their mask after spending a day with their horse. It showed exactly what is in the air in their horse’s stables.”
Moving Forwards…
Minimising contamination by Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances…
Since we started making Bedmax in 2000 we have done our best to keep moving forward all the time with new products and improvements to our production, quality and service. We didn’t stop for COVID.
Bedmax has become the first equine bedding company to achieve NOPS accreditation, under a new scheme launched by the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) in January 2021.
The new BETA NOPS Bedding badge you will see on our bags certifies that the risk of contamination by naturally occurring prohibited substances has been proactively minimised in the production of all of our bedding products: Bedmax, Littlemax and Stockmax shavings, and our new Strawmax straw pellet bedding.
Cutting our Carbon Impact
During Covid we have also made some big strides in reducing our impact on the environment.
We still source all our timber from renewable UK forestry. We also source all the straw we use in Strawmax straw pellets from local farmers – maximising sustainability and minimising our transport footprint. Every scrap of waste from our production process is recycled.
Strawmax Straw Pellets
After 20 years of making shavings, we’ve launched a completely different kind of bedding.
Strawmax pellets are made simply from high quality straw. They’re ultra low on dust, ultra high on absorbency. They’re healthy for horses and very easy for humans to handle, store and use. They’re also very low on waste, which reduces your costs and your muckheap.
