Introduction

Manure from grazing animals, including horses, is high in nutrients (e.g. phosphorus and nitrogen) and also contains pathogens (e.g. cryptosporidium). The pathogens and viruses that occur in manure can cause animal health problems. Excess manure left in paddocks also increases the risk of nutrients and pathogens in manure entering and polluting watercourses and underground water, where there is water runoff.
 

If manure is left to build up in horse grazing paddocks, pasture growth can become tall and rank around manure pads, both due to the concentrated nutrients, and because horses avoid grazing near manure. This leads to patches of rank pasture which horses don't like to graze, while other patches of pasture can become overgrazed. This is described as 'horse sick' pasture. When this happens, there is less of the pasture that horses can graze, and bare patches are at risk of soil erosion (see Maintain groundcover).
 

In South Australia, property owners also have responsibilities under legislation (Environmental Protection Authority's Environmental Protection (Water Quality) Policy 2003) to avoid discharging or depositing waste or pollutants into any waters, bores or onto land where it might enter the water. (Horse owners in other States will need to check requirements with their local Councils.)
 

Steps to achieve best practice

Suggested steps to take are:-

• Regularly collect manure from areas where it tends to build up, such as yards, shelters, feeding areas etc. Options to deal with the manure include:
  • composting it yourself for sale or re-use on the property,
  • selling it in bags,
  • having it removed by a waste disposal company or by Council arrangement,
  • having it collected to be composted by a composting company or community organisation which may want horse manure, e.g. Community Gardens, or
  • use Horse SA 'poo pile online' (see links).
• Consider harrowing manure in paddocks when there is a build-up of manure, to spread it out and break up the pads.
• Keep lactating mares and foals away from watercourses as their manure can contain significant concentrations of pathogens and viruses.
• In higher rainfall areas, encourage dung beetles (see links).
• If pasture growth is uneven with rank patches, consider slashing the pasture or cutting hay from the paddock.

It is not be necessary for all manure to be removed from paddocks. Manure is a natural fertiliser, and what is kept helps maintain soil fertility and therefore pasture health. The aim is to remove it often enough from paddocks/yards or manage it so that the problems mentioned above do not occur.

 

 
Manure left in paddocks increases the risk of nutrients and pathogens in the manure entering and polluting watercourses and underground water.

 

 
Harrowing with a 2 x 6m piece of construction mesh.

Links

• Legislation: www.dwlbc.sa.gov.au/legislation.html or www.parliament.sa.gov.au
• Land Management Program advisers: www.amlrnrm.sa.gov.au/services.html
• Community gardens: http://www.communitygarden.org.au/
• Poo pile online and links to composting horse manure: Horse SA website: www.horsesa.asn.au
• Horse Poo - What to Do - information brochure which can be downloaded from www.horsesa.asn.au
• Dung beetles and Identifying dung beetles on the Fleurieu Peninsula - by B. Doube and G. Dalton - leaflets available from Mt Lofty Catchment Centre, Mount Barker Ph. 8391 7500.
• Hoofprints - A manual for Horse Property Management - J. Foyel, Primary Industries SA. Agdex 461/10
• A Legal guide for South Australian primary producers - SA Law Society, available from PIRSA offices, Natural Resource Centres (but note some legislation referred to is now superseded)
• Manure Management on Small Properties - AgWest Farmnote 21/98 Western Australia Department of Agriculture
• Managing Horses on Small Properties - by Jane Myers. Landlinks Press available through CSIRO publishing or Horse SA: www.horsesa.asn.au
• Horse Sense - Landlinks Press or from Horse SA www.horsesa.asn.au
• Check the websites from your State Department of Agriculture for additional books and factsheets