It is bad for runners to stand for too long on a bare, hard flooring so there should be a thick layer of bedding laid both at night and and in the day. The best bedding is wheat straw, though sawdust makes a comfortable bed as well. Care must be taken that materials that the runner might consider good to eat, like oat straw, and materials that are too scratchy, like barley straw, are not used.

Bedding should be laid thickly, to help absorb waste. If not enough bedding is laid, more will have to be removed when the pen is mucked out. Also, the night bedding should be thicker to encourage the runner to lay down to sleep and to provide a comfortable place to do so. Bedding should be tossed well and banked up the sides. Day bedding is made by sweeping and airing the floor and replacing straw after mucking out the pen.

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