Introducing Champion Shavings: Our New Standard for Quality and Efficiency
An article by Kaelya Sommer - Executive Director of Equestrian Operations at LAEC
“Los Angeles Equestrian Center will be transitioning to Champion Shavings’ kiln-dried Mountain Blend... ”
For the past five months, my focus has been on elevating the quality of our shavings while maintaining cost efficiency and streamlining operations. Despite facing challenges with inconsistent quality and excessive dust, our team has remained committed to finding a solution. These challenges with our shavings, including inconsistent quality and excessive dust, caused many inefficiencies for our staff and discomfort to our boarders and equine residents. It’s been a priority to solve these issues and improve our situation overall.
I’m thrilled to share that Los Angeles Equestrian Center will be transitioning to Champion Shavings' kiln-dried Mountain Blend of shavings, gradually phasing out bulk shavings across the entire property starting July 2024! This high-quality blend offers nearly dustless kiln-dried pine, fir, and cedar shavings with a delightful aroma. The kiln-dried bags are lightweight with little to no moisture yet still provide 12 cubic feet of coverage. Our staff will no longer need to make repeated trips to the shavings bay; instead, they can conveniently place bags in front of stalls at the beginning of their day to use as they work.
To ensure a smooth transition and address any concerns, I contacted Thomas Harbom, our Champion Shavings representative, and asked for his insights on some key questions. See his responses below!
Q & A with Thomas Harbom & Kaeyla Sommer:
Q: How long has Champion Shavings been in the equine business?
A: Champion Shavings was founded in 2004.
Q: Where are Champion Shavings located?
A: The head office is in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada (this is where all orders are placed); however, we have production plants all over the U.S. and Canada, including Quebec, Virginia, Florida, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Washington State.
Q: How many facilities does Champion Shavings supply?
A: Champion Shavings supplies hundreds of private farms, feed stores, and horse shows across the United States and Canada. We have even had shavings shipped as far as Hawaii, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.
Q: Where do the shavings at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center originate from?
A: Our “Mountain Blend” shavings (soon to be renamed to “California Blend”) originate from our newest facility located in Bellingham, Washington.
Q: What do kiln-dried shavings mean?
A: This simply means the wood has been dried down to a low moisture level (~15%). Champion sells both kiln-dried as well as non-kiln-dried (known as “green”) shavings. Our Mountain Blend is 100% kiln-dried shavings.
Q: What causes the shavings to be dustless?
A: With any kiln-dried shavings there is always going to be a little dust regardless of the screener, but after screening 99.5% of the dust has been removed. We use a specially designed triple screen that separates mountains of dust and debris prior to bagging. All our shavings (at every production plant) run through this same type of screener.
Q: How are you able to ensure consistency in the quality of the shavings?
A: Because we are partnered with a sawmill and operate on the same property it gives us a high degree of control over what raw material we put into the bags.
Q: Why are the bags so light?
A: Because they are kiln-dried! High levels of moisture in shavings (aka green shavings) makes them heavy because their moisture content is much higher (up to 50%). The difference in weight between kiln-dried and green shavings in the same size bag can be a staggering 15 lbs or more. While the weights may be different, then volume is all that matters. Shavings are always sold by volume, so do not be mistaken into thinking there are more shavings in a heavier bag. A very fine flake (mini flake) can also make for a heavy bag. Our shavings are a mix of small, medium and large flakes.
FUN FACT:
We are partnering with the Los Angeles City Sanitation program to recycle all bags!
Q: Are the plastic bags recyclable?
A: Our plastic bags are LDPE 4 (which stands for low-density polyethylene). The ability to recycle plastic labeled as “grade 4” varies widely from state to state and even by city or town. Please check with your local department of waste to clarify if it is possible to recycle LDPE 4 in your area. Our bags are labeled with the recycling symbol, as seen below.