Good manure management—practices that enrich the soil, keep water clean and save people money—is for more than cows, more than pigs, more than chickens, but for horses too.
So says Les Ober, who's an agriculture and natural resources program coordinator with Ohio State University Extension.
"Over the years, more and more backyard horse owners have been stabling their animals in larger boarding stables," said Ober. "This concentrates a large number of animals on a small area of land. "This can lead to water quality issues if the manure isn't handled properly."
Ober, who's also a certified crop adviser, is based in northeast Ohio's Geauga County. The county ranks second in the state for its number of equines —horses and their relatives—according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures.
Disposal options, he said, include having the manure hauled away, composting it, or spreading it on the owner's or a neighbor's land.
"The first two are expensive options," Ober said. "The third one is viable only if they have enough acreage to spread it on and they're willing to manage the manure properly.
"Any time you manage manure correctly, it's beneficial to the environment and water quality," Ober said. "If horse owners store their manure in a storage facility, dispose of it properly and use all-weather turnouts in place of pasture during the off-pasture months, they'll protect the soil and water on their farm."
That jibes with the latest trend, he said, which is putting manure to use, not wasting it, in soil-, farm- and water-friendly ways.