You need a strategy for using or disposing of your horse?s manure. The proper management of manure is important to the health of your horse and your family. Needless to say, it may also be important in order to comply with state or county regulations. And if you have neighbors nearby, you will want to avoid any controversy with them.

An average 1,000-pound horse can produce 9 tons of manure waste each year. This is roughly 50 pounds per day. If you?re going to store it, this translates to about 2-cubic feet per day or 730-cubic feet per year?just from one horse.

How the manure is stored and treated will have an impact on its value. A composition of manure and bedding is rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. These nutrients can be returned to the soil and made available to pasture, lawns, landscaping, crops, and gardens.

The Importance of Manure Management

Stalls and paddocks need manure removed regularly to prevent surface water contamination and to assist with parasite control and fly breeding. Stable flies commonly breed in the moist horse manure. So it makes sense if you want to keep the fly population down, manage your horse?s manure.

The lifecycle of horse parasites also begins with eggs in the manure, which develop into infective larvae that later exist in your horse?s pasture. Consuming grass, feed, or water contaminated with infective larvae will infect your horse. Parasites are one of the most significant threats to the health of a horse kept in small acreage areas and can cause irreparable internal damage. Manure management is an important part of controlling parasites.

So What Are Your Options for Managing Manure?

Essentially, your choices are to use it on-site, give it away, or haul it off-site.

If you don’t plan to use the manure yourself, you should develop a plan so that other people can make use of it. You may be able to make arrangements with landscapers, nursery or garden centers, parks and neighbors to either buy your unprocessed or composted manure or take it off your hands for free. You may need to deliver the manure yourself.

Manure Collection

Typical management of horse manure consists of removing daily and stockpiling for later use or spreading on cropland.

Manure that is spread daily should be thinly distributed and chain harrowed (dragged) to breakup larger manure piles and to expose parasite eggs to the elements, and to encourage rapid drying. Don?t spread on pastureland that will be grazed by horses during the current year.

Alternatively, manure may be stockpiled and allowed to accumulate until it can be disposed, or composted for later use. A large storage area will allow for better flexibility in timing of manure use.

A 144 square foot enclosed space will contain the manure from one horse for a year. Over time, manure shrinks from decomposition and may accumulate to 3-to-5 feet in deep. Your storage area should be easily accessible for loading and unloading.

The location for the storage area is important in order to safeguard against surface and groundwater contamination. The storage area should be at least 150 feet away from surface water (creeks and ponds) and wells. A perimeter ditch dug around the storage area may be needed to prevent runoff. Covering the storage with either a roof or tarp can help prevent the contamination of both groundwater and surface water.

Some of the newer bedding products are more absorbent allowing you to use less bedding than traditional straw. Using less bedding means you have less waste to manage. Also, don’t use too much bedding and only use the amount necessary to soak up urine and moisture in order to reduce the amount you have to manage.

Composting

Composting manure for 6 months to a year will yield a relatively dry product that is easily handled and reduces the volume of the manure by as much as 40 to 60 percent. This also kills fly eggs, larvae, pathogens and weed seeds.

Aeration will speed the composting process. The rate of decomposition is dependent on how often the pile is turned. An alternative to turning the pile is to insert perforated PVC pipes into the pile to provide aeration. The composting process will take a little longer, but is much less labor intensive. A slow decomposition rate is usually due to a lack of aeration.

The compost pile should remain moist. It may need to be watered or covered to maintain moisture. If small moisture droplets appear when squeezing it in your hand, then the moisture content is sufficient. Compost should be sweet smelling. If an unpleasant odor is coming from the pile, it is too wet and should be kept under a cover to help keep the moisture out.

Composted manure acts as a slow release fertilizer and is a great soil supplement that can be spread on pastures. Manure that has not been composted should be spread only on cropland or other ungrazed, vegetated areas.

Hauling Off-Site

Landfills should only be used if no other option exists. And note, not all landfills will accept manure. Remember, your horse’s manure is a valuable resource and is best used for recycling as opposed to disposing.

There are some refuse/waste companies who specialize in hauling away manure as well as recycle it. This is a good alternative for people who do not have adequate land where manure can be stored or spread. These refuse companies will provide a dumpster and will schedule regular pickups based on your needs.

Randall Holman, site owner of Front Range Frenzy and horse enthusiast, is the author of this article. You will find other easy and practical basic horse care information on his website: http://www.FrontRangeFrenzy.com.

Theres a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and youre planning on being there with your horses. However, its been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and youre a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.

Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. Theres very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?

How to Ensure Safe Trailering

If youre out of practice, or if youve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.

The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.

Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:

Ready for the Highway

After youve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, youre ready to test your skills out on the road.

Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, youre ready to travel any distance with your horses.

Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation.

More articles at article database

Theres a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and youre planning on being there with your horses. However, its been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and youre a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.

Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. Theres very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?

How to Ensure Safe Trailering

If youre out of practice, or if youve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.

The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.

Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:

Ready for the Highway

After youve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, youre ready to test your skills out on the road.

Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, youre ready to travel any distance with your horses.

Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation.

More articles at article database

Theres a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and youre planning on being there with your horses. However, its been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and youre a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.

Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. Theres very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?

How to Ensure Safe Trailering

If youre out of practice, or if youve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.

The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.

Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:

Ready for the Highway

After youve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, youre ready to test your skills out on the road.

Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, youre ready to travel any distance with your horses.

Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation.

More articles at articles on database

Here’s a simple way… to help your horse learn twice as fast.

We are all pressed for time, seems there is just not enough of it. There is the job, family duties, maybe social events, all competing for our time. Our horse is ignored and we end up with a 10 year old greenbroke horse, which can mean anything from they buck or, spook sometimes, to they still need to be gee-hawed to go left, or right. They may still be trying to figure out go and whoa. Well I have found some easy ways to double the results I get when training horses, you can do the same if you will try.

Tip #1 – Rub you horse all over

You must be able to rub your horse from one end to the other, neither end is more important than the other. You should, be able to handle the mouth and ears as well a rubbing under the tail, start stroking with the hair on each side of the tail. When the horse unclamps the tail and raises it, you can then rub under the tail.

You must be able to do this or you may have to go back and redo the training later, like I did. I had a paint stallion in for training and he already had four months put on him by an other trainer, but he still was spooky and not a nice ride at all. I noticed that he did not like his ears touched but I was trying to hurry and moved on. Three weeks later he threw himself over backwards while being bridled. You better believe I spent about three days on ears 101, then bang he got it and changed, was one laid-back easygoing pussycat from then on.

Be smart and learn to rub your horse, rub don’t pat or slap them, that is not soothing to them. What would you like a back rub or a back slapping?

Tip #2 – Stop punishment when wanted behavior occurs.

Whoa! you say, what?s this punishment talk? Well I would like you to realize there are a multitude of things we do to a horse that are punishment in the horses mind, maybe not your mind, but definitely in the horses mind.

Here is a little list of punishments according to the horse:

1. pulling on a rein
2. using a spur
3. using a quirt or whip
4. using a stud chain

Do I want you to quit using the above? No, just stop using them when the horse does anything close to what you want. Let me give you some examples;

You pull the left rein to turn your horse left, the second he starts left quit pulling, if you want to turn left more ask again, as many times as you need to but reward the horse for the try.

You put your spur against your horse to move over, when he moves the slightest amount take that spur out of there, do it again if you have to, but reward that try and soon you won’t even need to wear those spurs as the horse will move off your leg, because you reward that try.

Tip #3 – Reward your horse for the right behavior.

Now you can consider the end of punishment as a reward, and that is true, but the term reward will be used to mean giving something extra to the horse for trying to do the right thing. If you can find a way to reward the try in the horse, you will have your dream horse, that partner you wanted or some of you maybe had as a kid. Kids can be givers easier than adults, my grandson gave me a kiss today, my brother never did, because he was almost an adult when I was born. Learn to be a kid again, reward your horse with:

some grain

a soothing voice

a rub on the neck

a drink of clean cool water

a handful of grass

a modern horse treat

a chunk of carrot

a slice of apple

getting off his back

The list is almost endless, the trick is to give the reward at the right time for the right behavior. quit training at the good spots

If you will take the time to follow these tips, you can double the size of your horse training toolbox. You probably already know the punishment side of training use it right and add the reward side to double your training results.

Put your ego aside, be a giver to your horse and they will give back to you in ways you can only imagine.

Dale Anderson

Foundation Quarter Horses

dale@breeds-of-horses.com; 360-398-1261

Theres a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and youre planning on being there with your horses. However, its been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and youre a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.

Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. Theres very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?

How to Ensure Safe Trailering

If youre out of practice, or if youve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.

The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.

Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:

Ready for the Highway

After youve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, youre ready to test your skills out on the road.

Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, youre ready to travel any distance with your horses.

Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation.

More articles at article database

Theres a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and youre planning on being there with your horses. However, its been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and youre a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.

Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. Theres very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?

How to Ensure Safe Trailering

If youre out of practice, or if youve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.

The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.

Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:

Ready for the Highway

After youve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, youre ready to test your skills out on the road.

Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, youre ready to travel any distance with your horses.

Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation.

More articles at article database

Theres a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and youre planning on being there with your horses. However, its been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and youre a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.

Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. Theres very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?

How to Ensure Safe Trailering

If youre out of practice, or if youve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.

The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.

Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:

Ready for the Highway

After youve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, youre ready to test your skills out on the road.

Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, youre ready to travel any distance with your horses.

Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation.

More articles at article database

Theres a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and youre planning on being there with your horses. However, its been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and youre a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.

Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. Theres very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?

How to Ensure Safe Trailering

If youre out of practice, or if youve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.

The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.

Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:

Ready for the Highway

After youve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, youre ready to test your skills out on the road.

Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, youre ready to travel any distance with your horses.

Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation.

More articles at articles database

Theres a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and youre planning on being there with your horses. However, its been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and youre a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.

Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. Theres very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?

How to Ensure Safe Trailering

If youre out of practice, or if youve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.

The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.

Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:

Ready for the Highway

After youve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, youre ready to test your skills out on the road.

Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, youre ready to travel any distance with your horses.

Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation.

More articles at article database