If you care for horses on your own place then you have, no doubt, wondered about what to do with that huge mound of manure and stall waste generated by your horse. In fact, one horse produces about 50 pounds of manure per day, over eight tons per year! Add to that the bedding you use each day and in no time at all you have a virtual manure mountain!

There are other concerns related to a mismanaged manure pile: horses allowed to graze near their own manure are quickly reinfested with worms, runoff from soggy manure piles can cause serious surface water contamination problems, and then there are the associated odor and fly problems. Composting horse manure is an excellent manure management technique which has these benefits:

•  The composting process reduces the size of your manure pile by about 50 percent!
•  Heat generated by composting kills worm eggs, fly larvae, pathogens and weed seeds.
•  Composting reduces flies, runoff and odors.
•  Composted manure is a valuable addition to your pastures, garden, or yard. And, if you can’t use it on your own property, “horseless” neighbors are usually glad to take it.

We compost on our guest ranch, Sweet Pepper Ranch, here in southwestern Idaho. It’s not a complicated process. Just follow the five steps below and you’ll find that pile of manure behind your barn will quickly turn into black gold!

#1 Select a Site

First, select a site for your manure pile. Look for a high, level area on your property; don’t put your pile in a low lying area or it will turn into a soggy mess during the rainy season. Choose an area away from property lines to avoid zoning issues and problems with neighbors. A location that’s convenient to your stall and paddock areas will make the chore time easier and less time consuming