If you care for horses on your own place, then you have no doubt wondered what to do with that huge mound of manure and stall waste generated by your horse. One horse can create a serious pile in no time — about 50 pounds of manure per day, more than eight tons per year. Add to that the wheelbarrow or more of bedding you use each day, and in no time at all you will have a virtual manure mountain.

A traditional manure pile behind the barn raises other concerns besides the amount of space it eats up. Horses allowed to graze near their own manure are quickly reinfested by larva that hatch from the worm eggs deposited in the manure. Runoff from soggy manure piles can cause serious surface and ground-water contamination problems. And you will have associated odor and fly problems, which may concern your neighbors as well.

It’s best to cover your manure bin, especially if you live in an area where excessive moisture is a problem.

But you have many great options for managing manure, many of which conventional farmers previously used. All manure management options start with two important components:

1) Cleaning stalls and picking up the manure in paddocks, pens and turnout areas on a regular basis, at least every three days. This helps to break the parasite reinfestation cycle and gets the manure into your management program and out of the threat of becoming a mud or an environmental problem.

2) Covering your manure pile or bin, if you live where moisture is a problem. This can be done with a tarp, plastic sheet or roof. The cover controls moisture, keeping your piles from becoming a soggy mess in the winter and too dry in the summer. Covering also prevents the valuable nutrients you’re saving for the pasture from being washed out into the surface water and causing problems.

Begin with those two components and then choose one of the management options below.

Manure Matters

By managing manure, you can ensure that your horses don’t become reinfested with worms and that you aren’t attracting flies or causing contamination problems. Cleaning stalls and picking up manure in pastures at least every three days will help break the parasite cycle. Covering your manure pile or bin will control moisture if excessive moisture is a problem where you live. Composting manure may cut down on your fertilizer costs and give you better options for manure disposal.

Store manure and apply it to pastures.
Advantages: Manure is a great fertilizer. Applying manure back to pastures (at the agronomic rate appropriate for your land) creates a natural nutrient cycle that will save you money and greatly improve your soil and the plants that grow on it. Your local county extension agent can provide specific information about the best time and rate to apply manure so that you are providing nutrients when your pasture most needs them. One horse produces about $150 in fertilizer value each year. If you have enough pasture and don’t want to go through the composting process, you may be able to dispose of all your manure this way. This method is also fairly easy and labor-efficient to accomplish. 

Disadvantages: You’ll need to have a good deworming program in place, and if you have too much bedding in your manure, you may have to add a source of nitrogen to your pile. Also, if you don’t have enough pasture, you may not have enough room to spread all of the manure. Storage space can be an issue, depending on how frequently you spread and how many horses you have. Composting can be a great solution to these problems.

Costs: All you need with this option is a way to spread the manure and enough land to apply it at a rate appropriate for your pastures. (Tip: Check around in your area. You may be able to hire someone locally to come in and do this for you.)

Apply composted manure to pastures, gardens and flowerbeds
Advantages: When done properly, composting reduces the amount of manure you have by about 50%. The composting process also kills worm eggs, pathogens, fly larvae and weed seeds while providing a valuable soil amendment. (See Making Horse Manure into Fertilizer, April 2004)

Disadvantages: Composting takes more time, labor and money than stockpiling. And, while it’s not difficult, it will require a certain amount of education on the process.

The Art of Composting

Composting is actually a simple process that can be accomplished in any type of horse situation with either simple bins or piles. In either case, the area you choose for managing your compost should be convenient and dry. For larger operations or greater convenience, a cement pad with three walls or two large cement bins would be optimal. If you live in a wet climate, you may need to cover the compost with a tarp or a roof to prevent incoming moisture from making it too wet. However, if you live in a dry climate, rain or snow can benefit your compost. You will also need access to water because compost needs to stay as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Composting is an aerobic process, and piles can be aerated either actively (turning by hand or with a tractor) or passively (by placing chimney-like pipes into the center of the pile or laying pipes across the bottom). This kind of passive aeration system works simply and effectively for smaller operations. You will know that your compost is ready when it has reduced in volume about 50%, when the material has stopped heating and it has cured for about six weeks after the last heating cycle. The curing process is important because it lets the microorganisms that colonize the material after the heating cycles stop to finish the decomposition process. The material should look evenly textured and crumbly like soil, no longer distinguishable as the original material. It should not smell like ammonia, but have a fresh, earthy scent. Compost can be applied in the spring after the ground has thawed, during the growing season or in the fall before the ground freezes. If you have a manageable quantity, you can even spread it by hand with a manure fork or shovel and the aid of a riding lawnmower and small cart. For larger proportions, a manure spreader and a tractor make the task easy and quick.

Costs: If you prefer to compost in bins (versus in piles), you will need to build bins. Costs vary substantially, depending on the material choices and size. You will also need equipment to spread the finished compost on your pastures. (Tip: As above, you may be able to hire someone locally to spread compost for you.)

Give away all the manure produced on your property.
Advantages: If you advertise well and your pile is in a good location, you may be able to attract enough people to take all your manure. This is a useful option for small horse places without pasture or enough land to utilize the manure produced. It works particularly well in an urban area where neighbors are avid gardeners or natural landscapers. Networking with local organic gardeners and farmers is a good way to find takers for your manure. 

Disadvantages: Manure can be harder to get rid of than compost, and it can take time and effort to attract enough people to your site to get rid of it all. If your manure pile isn’t easy for people to access, it can be a nuisance to meet and help people interested in taking it. This option is not as feasible for larger commercial facilities that generate large volumes of material.

Costs: Advertising, although there are also many creative ways you can advertise for free. If you will be generating larger quantities of material, you may want to give it away in large amounts. In that case a tractor with a front loader makes your product more “attractive” for the small gardener with a pickup.

Placing pipes in your compost pile will help the aerobic process that is necessary for decomposition.

Give away or sell your compost.
Advantages: Compost can be a lot easier to give away or even sell than manure. If you’ve got nice compost, you probably won’t have to work too hard to get people to come and take what you produce. If you’re able to deliver it to landscapers, tree farms or topsoil companies, you may be able to charge for it and actually make a profit on your compost.

Disadvantages: Composting requires an initial investment and ongoing labor, particularly depending on the size of your operation. You’ll have to put some time into researching companies that will pay for compost, and you most likely will have to haul it to their site.

Costs: The costs of getting a good composting system started vary, but you may be able to make a profit on your investment. If you’re hauling your compost off site, you’ll need equipment for loading and transport. You may also be able to hire someone locally to move compost for you.

Advantages of composting for the horse owner

Kills worm eggs, pathogens and weed seeds. Reduces parasite reinfestation in your horse. Reduces flies by eliminating their breeding ground. Reduces odors – proper compost smells “earthy,” not putrid or sour. Reduces potential for non-point pollution (runoff of nutrients and sediments). Reduces the total volume of material (stall waste) by about 50%. Improves your pasture soil’s physical properties by increasing the rate at which water can soak in, increasing the amount of water that your soil can hold. Provides a beneficial soil amendment that will slowly and steadily release nutrients for your pasture. The amount of nitrogen released by compost is lower than with chemical fertilizer, which is better for grazing horses. Provides you with a free, easy and valuable soil amendment. Compost application guidelines Apply compost to pastures, gardens, shrubs, trees or lawns. Apply about ¼ to ½ inch at a time, no more than 2-3 inches per year.

Haul manure off your premises (or have someone pick it up) on a regular basis.
Advantages: This may require less energy and time on your part. Paying to dispose of manure off site may be the easiest way to go if you have a mountain of manure, lack of storage space or don’t have time to research or implement other options.

Disadvantages: If you have to hire out for this, it can be more expensive than the other options. It also requires an initial time investment to research potential sites.

Costs: If you have the equipment to do your own hauling, you can haul your stall waste to a composting facility. Some compost or topsoil facilities rent drop boxes that they will deliver and empty. They usually charge pick-up, rental and disposal fees. Your local garbage hauler may be able to pick up and haul away stall waste as well. Be aware, though, that this material may very well end up in a landfill. When manure is disposed of in a landfill, it decomposes very slowly, generating methane gas in the process, which ultimately contributes to greenhouse gases. 

Having a manure management system on your horse property is part of responsible horse ownership. Many local cooperative extension agents conduct small-acreage workshops, which include information about pasture and manure management. If your county doesn’t have a program like this, ask that it start one. As horse owners, diligence about manure management is just as important as properly fitting tack, a sound nutrition program, trailering safety and the many other aspects of horse ownership.

The benefits are many. Proper manure management will reduce the parasite load for your horse; cut down on mud, flies, odors and runoff; improve pastures; reduce costs for fertilizers; improve the neighborhood esthetics and make the environment a lot healthier, too. And with an effective manure management plan in place, you will know just what to do when manure happens.