This is part of a series of posts about manure management on a small horse property (the property is small, not the horse…)

I’m going to interrupt my series on selecting a manure management system to delve into some of the reasons compost is so important, and add some reasons you may want to consider compost production as the manure management method you select.

Let’s start with a little lesson on soils. For a while, I considered becoming a landscape designer, and as part of the program I took a soils class. I learned that soil (it is NEVER called “dirt”, which is what gets under your fingernails) has both texture and structure. Texture refers to the relative volumes of sand, silt and clay in the soil. These are inorganic materials and have different characteristics.

Sand is the largest particle and is generally round or angular. It has large air spaces that improve aeration, but does not hold water or nutrients well.

Silt is a mid-sized particle. It feels like flour when dry and velvety when wet. It holds water and nutrients well. Like sand, its shape is round or angular

Clay is the smallest size particle. Clay particles tend to be flat. They stick together and do not provide good aeration. It does hold water and nutrients well. Clay forms hard clumps when dry and is sticky when wet.

The percentage of each of these 3 particles in the soil determine the soil texture. There is a Textural Triangle that tells you what type of soil you have based on these percentages. This is based only on the content of sand, silt and clay and ignores any other components of a soil. Here’s the USDA Textural Triangle:

The soil tends to be very sandy where I live. When I was buying the property, a new well needed to be drilled. When you drill a well, you end up with quite a lot of soil, called “tailings”, that is removed during the drilling process. Those tailings need to go somewhere, and in my case they got dumped in what is now part of my garden. That included an impressive amount of clay that was from a layer below the typical sandy soil.

I thought, no problem, we have a lot of sand, the clay will just balance it out, right? WRONG! It doesn’t work that way. Meanwhile, I have a slimy mess in that part of the garden.

A few years later, I found myself in the soils class, and asked the instructor why mixing the sand and the clay didn’t result in some beautiful improved soil mix. That’s where soil structure entered the picture. Soil structure is the way sand, silt and clay form aggregates through a variety of processes and result in a variety of shapes. In my case, I basically got sandstone.

Soil consists of more than sand, silt and clay. Those just determine what soil type you have. In addition, you have water, air spaces and organic matter. When I asked my instructor how to improve my soil, the answer was—add organic matter. Adding organic matter will improve almost any soil. It improves aeration and the ability to hold nutrients, and generally makes it more workable. Guess what compost is? Yep-organic matter. And if you have horses on your property and are dealing with the poop that goes along with that, you have the raw ingredients to magically improve your soil.

Organic matter eventually breaks down and is consumed, unlike the inorganic components of sand, silt and clay, so it needs to be continually replenished. And your horses are happy to oblige. So with a good system of composting horse manure, you can keep your soil happy, healthy, and usable now and in the future.

It is now Spring after a year of heavy rain. I’m finally able to get out in the yard and tackle the weeds. And of course, I started in what is still a clay mud pit. Each weed I pulled came up with a sucking sound and a couple pounds of mud. The area was a sulky blue-gray color and slippery. I trundled off with a wheelbarrow to the one fully composted pile in the pasture and started incorporating organic material into the sticky clay. It’s going to need a lot more, and fortunately more is in the works.  But my motivation to install a better composting system that will result in faster production of higher-quality compost has gotten a new boost.

Poop happens. Pick it up.

This is Part 2 of a series on Manure Management for back-yard horse owners. In Part 1 https://inbalanceequestrian.com/manure-management-for-the-back-yard-horse-owner/, I covered the challenges of managing the manure produced by horses on a small facility. Here’s a brief recap and list of fun facts about horse manure:

• The average horse produces 45 pounds of manure each day
• To store a year’s worth of manure for 1 horse, you would need an are 12 x 12 feet piled 3-5 feet deep (not including any bedding incorporated into the pile)
• Problems caused by an accumulation of manure include
  • Odor
  • Flies
  • Parasites
  • Waterway pollution from runoff
  • Takes up space
  • Eyesore
• Considerations when evaluating your options
  • Cost
  • Time
  • Space
• Options for disposal
  • Have it hauled off
    • Garbage company (expensive)
    • Compost company
    • Local farms or vineyards
  • Spread it on pasture
    • Flies and parasites still a problem
    • Pollution can still be a problem
    • Spotty nutritional composition
    • Requires labor or special equipment
  • Compost it
    • Requires space
    • Must be located to prevent pollution from runoff
    • Requires active management
    • Requires labor for most effective methods
    • Done correctly, kills flies, pathogens and weed seeds
    • Results in a useful and desirable product for farm and garden
• Composting is often the most desirable method.
  • Doesn’t require transporting the manure
  • Done properly (with heat), kills most pathogens, fly eggs, parasites
  • Results in highly desirable garden or farm product
•  Facts about composting:
  • Requires 4 things
    • Nitrogen
    • Carbon
    • Oxygen Moisture
  • The ideal carbon:nitrogen ratio is 25:1 or lower
  • Horse manure on its own (sans bedding) is close to that ideal ratio
  • Bedding adds carbon and that tends to make the ratio too heavy on carbon for successful composting. Depending on how much bedding is included in the pile, the ratio can be as high as 75:1 as bedding is almost entirely carbon (C/N ratio 500:1)
  • The heat generated by most methods destroys the flies, parasites and weed seeds
  • Usually there are 3 piles going, in various stages of completion

I’m opting for composting. Actually, I’ve technically been composting by piling it all up in my pasture, which is a form of composting, but not the most effective method.

There are several ways to create compost The three most common are:

• Anaerobic composting (the method I’ve been using).
  • Piling the manure, no active management
  • Least labor-intensive
  • Produces the lowest-quality compost.
  • Manure will, eventually, decompose but:
    •  it takes a lot longer,
    •  it tends to have an unpleasant odor,
    • attracts flies
    • does not kill pathogens, fly eggs, parasites, or weed seeds.
• Vermicomposting.
  • Adding earthworms to the manure pile (or if you’re lucky, they may just show up on their own).
  • Requires a minimal amount of equipment,
  • Composts faster than the anaerobic method
  • Produces great-quality compost.
  • Needs to be kept aerobic and a proper moisture level maintained.
  • Pathogen reduction may not be as great as in the next method.
• Aerobic thermophilic.
  • Most highly recommended method
  • Requires more active management than the other methods
  • Results in nice compost
  • The pathogens, fly eggs, parasites, and weed seeds are largely destroyed.
  • The pile is maintained in a way that provides optimal conditions for microbes
    •  that break down organic matter, and
    • generate temperatures up to 160-165 degrees F during the process.
  • Heat is what destroys the undesirable elements.
  • Requires the right mix of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and moisture.
  • To achieve the right temperature, the pile should be at least 3 feet square.

To keep the right oxygen level, the pile must be kept aerated if using the second and third method (the first method is anaerobic (without oxygen), which is why it is the least effective method.  There are a few methods for aerating the pile.

• Turning manually using a pitchfork (labor intensive. Trust me)
• Turning mechanically, using a tractor or front loader
• Using a blower system, either purchased or homemade (aka Aerated Static Compost system)

The system should be covered to prevent drying out in dry weather and getting soggy and anaerobic in wet weather. Covers can be either tarps or a roof.

Also, while I keep saying “Pile” of manure, there is also the option of building bins to contain the manure. This can keep the composting manure tidier and makes it easier to manage.

I’ve been reviving my anaerobic pile by turning it with a pitchfork (since it’s too muddy out there to bring out the tractor) and adding fresh manure. It’s been a lot of work, but that pile is now hot and “cooking”. By the way, a compost pile it is hot will take on a white coating that looks like charcoal briquettes that are ready for the food to go on the grill.  But, while I appreciate the upper body workout, the allure of the blower system is calling to me.

Blower systems come in many forms and consist of ventilated pipes that run through the pile or bin  and are connected to a blower that forces oxygen into the pile. It eliminates the need to turn the pile and, since it is usually connected to a timer that turns the blower on and off at regular intervals, it produces a consistent product.

The lead maker of static aerated systems for small acreage operations is O₂ Compost (www.o2compost.com). They have a wide variety of systems, ranging from simple self-assembly boxes to larger, more permanent and more attractive solutions. According to their website, the simplest single- box system starts at $675. They will design a system for you and install it if you like so pricing depends on what you select. They also provide training programs. I saw one of these systems at a local facility and it is on my wish list! But it might not be in my budget since I want something a bit larger and grander than the single-box system.

Plans for build-it-yourself systems are available online, both downloadable PDFs and YouTube videos. Materials vary from systems build from pallets to concrete block bins with a roof.

I’ll be evaluating my composting options and will post my progress as this project continues to take shape.