Horse Manure
Horse Manure
Horses produce large amounts of manure. In fact, if the manure produced from one horse were
allowed to pile up in a 12-foot-by-12-foot box stall for one year, it would accumulate to a height of 6
feet. On any given day, the average 1,000-pound horse will produce approximately 50 pounds of
manure. This amounts to about 8.5 tons per year.
Manure is not the only material being removed when stalls are cleaned. Wet and soiled bedding
material must also be removed and can equal almost twice the volume of the manure itself. The
amount of bedding material removed will vary by type — shavings, sawdust, straw — but on
average, totals between 8 and 15 pounds. Total stall waste produced averages between 60 and 70
pounds per day, which amounts to approximately 12 tons of stall waste per year.
When managed properly, horse manure can be a valuable resource. Manure is a source of nutrients
for pasture production and can be utilized as part of a pasture management strategy to improve soil
quality. The fertilizer value of the 8.5 tons of manure produced annually from a 1,000-pound horse
can amount to 102 pounds of nitrogen (N), 43 pounds of phosphorous (P2O5) and 77 pounds of
potash (K2O). Nutrient values for manure vary widely. The type and quantity of bedding material
included also affects the overall fertilizer value. If a more accurate measure of nutrient content is
needed, contact your local cooperative extension office for a list of laboratories that perform manure
analysis.
Environmental and Health Impacts
Many horse owners do not have enough land or vegetative cover to properly apply large amounts of
manure and nutrients. If not managed properly, manure can deposit excess nutrients into the
environment via surface runoff or as a leachate, or water-contaminated with manure, from improper
manure storage and land application. This can negatively impact water quality and subject
landowners to investigation, and in some cases, legal action under an Agricultural Stewardship Act.
For these reasons, horse operations are encouraged to use best management practices and
develop a nutrient management plan. Nutrient management plans describe the farm’s manure
production, soil fertility and recommended manure application and removal rates. For more
information on designing a plan specific to your farm’s needs or identifying other conservation
resources, contact your local cooperative extension office.
Internal parasites, insects, rodents and odors can be manure-related health concerns on horse
farms. These issues can be minimized through carefully planned manure storage and handling.
Internal parasites may be found in horse manure and can compromise the health and welfare of the
horses stabled or grazing the land. Composting manure and properly timed land application can limit
the risk of parasite exposure. Insects, especially flies, become a nuisance on farms where stockpiled
manure serves as fly larvae habitat. Flies breed when spring temperatures rise above 65-degrees F.
Flies deposit their eggs in the top few inches of moist manure, and these eggs can hatch in as little
as seven days under optimal temperature and moisture conditions. Therefore, fewer flies will
develop if you remove manure from the site or make it undesirable for fly breeding through
processes such as composting within a maximum seven-day cycle. Naturally occurring fly predators
can also be used to limit the fly population at the manure pile but are no replacement for sound
management practices. Rodents can be a problem when manure is stockpiled for extended periods
of time, providing them with a warm, safe environment. Additionally, nuisance odor from manure
piles can result in strained relationships with neighbors. Composting or timely removal of manure
piles will help keep odors to a minimum. Finally, keep in mind that large piles of manure are not
aesthetically pleasing to your neighbors or those visiting your farm. Keeping the manure storage site
screened with vegetation or fencing or by location will help to enhance the beauty of your farm.
Horse Manure Storage and Utilization
The average horse produces between 60 and 70 pounds of stall waste per day. Multiply this by
several horses, and it is easy to see the importance of having methods in place to manage the
manure produced on a daily basis. Letting manure pile up in stalls and paddock areas leads to a
host of problems. It is not only unhealthy for your horse — inviting for pests and odors — and
aesthetically unpleasing, but the sheer amount of manure produced will overwhelm you. Many
handling and storage options exist, but it’s up to you to choose the method that best suits your horse
operation.
Horse operations with available land may choose to apply stall waste to pastures as fertilizer. This
should be done based on soil-test results and nutrient needs. A soil analysis is needed to determine
the fertility needs of a pasture. Soil analysis is provided through your land-grant university’s soil
testing laboratory for agricultural operations, which include horse farms, free of charge. Contact your
local cooperative extension office for instructions on how to take a soil sample. There are also
private laboratories that offer soil-testing services.
In many situations, manure can be picked directly from the stall, deposited into a manure spreader,
applied to the pasture and harrowed into the soil. Barns not constructed with a management scheme
allowing for stall access by a manure spreader require manure to be carted from the stall to the
manure spreader some distance away. In this case, ramps or dropped spreader parking can be
helpful to avoid lifting the heavy, cumbersome stall waste. Keep in mind that when spreading
manure from stalls bedded with sawdust or shavings, the applied stall waste can stunt plant growth.
Wood products contain carbon that soil microbes use for energy but not enough nitrogen to build
proteins. The microbes draw nitrogen from the soil to make up for this deficit to such a degree that
they can actually limit plant growth. To manage this nitrogen deficiency, nitrogen fertilizer can be
applied. Or, to avoid the problem completely, manure can be composted before it is applied to the
land.
When direct pasture application is not an option, manure storage facilities become a necessity. The
storage facility should be convenient to the barn. A general rule of thumb is to plan for 180 days of
long-term manure storage. This allows operations the flexibility to store manure when conditions are
not ideal for manure application, as when fields are frozen or wet. This storage area should be
accessible to the equipment that will ultimately remove the accumulated stall waste. Manure storage
facilities should also be downwind and screened from nearby homes to avoid potential complaints
about odors and aesthetics. The size, type and location of manure storage facilities will vary by
horse operation based on the amount of manure produced, length of time the manure will be stored
and available land area. Always be sure to contact your local authorities regarding zoning
regulations and additional restrictions.
Minimum separation distances commonly recommended for composting and manure-
handling activities. Source: On-Farm Composting Handbook, NRAES-54
Minimum Separation
Sensitive Area
Distance (feet)
Bedrock 2-5
1) Pile is settling.
1) Turn pile; and/or
Pile was hot, but now 2) Moisture is
2) Add water evenly to
temps are falling. less than 50
pile.
percent.
For larger farms with access to bucket loaders, manure spreaders and/or specialized composting
equipment, larger piles or windrows may be the most efficient design options. These piles may be
slightly larger in height and width and considerably longer but will require periodic tuning.
Example of mixing / storage area with buckwall
Compost will decompose more efficiently if the mix is uniform. Starting with a uniform mix is even
more important in the case of static piles, since they will not be turned during the decomposition
process. Some farms utilize a temporary storage and mixing area to aid in this process.
Benefits of Composting
Creates valuable soil amendment
Stabilizes nitrogen into a slow release form
Avoids the problem of nitrogen immobilization
Reduces manure volume by 50 percent
Destroys weed seeds, fly larvae and internal parasites
Eliminates or reduces the cost of off-site disposal
Conclusion
With careful planning, proper manure management not only protects the environment and increases
the efficiency and aesthetics of your farm, but might also save you money while enhancing your
pastures. The following resources provide more information on composting and additional facility
design specifications.
Field Guide to On-Farm Composting and the On-Farm Composting Handbook, available from the
Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service(NRAES) at www.NRAES.org.
Horse Facilities Handbook, available from the MidWest Plan Service at www.mwpshq.org.
Check out your local university’s agronomy handbook containing information on soil production, soil
sampling, nutrient management, utilization of organic waste and more.