As more riders and trainers become aware of the risks posed by Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS), choosing the right horse bedding has become an important part of competition horse management.
Sundown Products is proud to have achieved accreditation under the BETA NOPS Bedding Code.
The accreditation covers all Sundown equine bedding products, including Sundown Green, Sundown Yellow, Sundown Purple and Sun-e-bed straw pellet bedding.
What does NOPS accreditation mean?
NOPS stands for Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances. These are substances that can naturally occur in plants or appear through accidental contamination during sourcing, storage or manufacturing. Some can trigger a positive doping test under the rules of organisations such as the FEI and the British Horseracing Authority.
The BETA NOPS Bedding Code was developed to help reduce the risk of prohibited substances being present in equine bedding. Manufacturers accredited to the scheme must meet strict standards around sourcing, storage, traceability, risk assessment, quality control and manufacturing processes.
For riders competing at any level, this offers valuable reassurance.
Why NOPS in horse bedding matters
Most horse owners carefully consider feed and supplements when managing the risk of prohibited substances, but bedding is often overlooked.
The reality is that all horses will consume some bedding, whether intentionally or accidentally while eating forage from the floor. The BETA NOPS Code specifically recognises this risk.
This is especially important for horses competing under anti doping and controlled medication regulations, where strict rules apply. Riders and trainers remain responsible for any prohibited substance found in a horse’s system, regardless of how it entered the horse.
Choosing bedding from a NOPS accredited manufacturer helps reduce that risk and gives riders and owners greater confidence in their daily management.
Sundown’s commitment to quality
Sundown Products has been manufacturing straw based products for horses and livestock since 1976. Our equine bedding is made from 100 percent British straw sourced from local farms and processed at our Cambridgeshire manufacturing facility.
As well as robust processes and procedures in our manufacturing, we have strong relationships with the farmers that grow the straw for our products.
“We are incredibly proud of the work we do to ensure consistent high quality bedding, and are delighted to receive our BETA NOPS Bedding accreditation.
We are particularly pleased to receive this as we celebrate 50 years of the business in 2026. Over that time we have continually innovated to improve our equine bedding products, including our double de-dusting process, eucalyptus fragrance, bringing a soft straw crumble pellet bedding to market in 2019, and reducing the plastic in our packaging.”
Director Rachel Cubitt.
Peace of mind for riders and trainers
Whether you compete at grassroots level, train racehorses or manage professional competition horses, ensuring the health, safety and compliance of all products you use is paramount.
By choosing BETA NOPS accredited bedding from Sundown Products, riders can be confident they are using bedding produced under independently audited processes designed to minimise the risk of NOPS.