| Most horse owners have been put to the task of | | | | by way of surface runoff during a snow melt. If |
| mucking out the horse stalls using a manure fork | | | | you are spreading horse manure on a pasture, do |
| and a wheelbarrow, then piling up the manure for | | | | so during the growing season when the grass is |
| disposal later. In a short time, that pile has grown | | | | active. I suggest to harrow the pasture soon |
| to out of control and the people who were hauling | | | | after the manure is spread, to break up the |
| away the manure no longer want it. At this point, | | | | clumps and spread the manure more uniformly |
| many folks purchase a small, ground driven | | | | across the field. This allows the heat of the sun to |
| manure spreader and attack that pile to try to | | | | penetrate the manure and kill the parasites and |
| get it down to a reasonable size. However, just | | | | their larvae much quicker than if the manure is |
| driving that manure spreader out into a field and | | | | allowed the lay in clumps. Horse manure should be |
| letting the poo fly may cause more harm than | | | | spread at least 200 feet from any surface water |
| good! | | | | area or water well. Rotate your pasture area and |
| Here are the basics of using a manure spreader | | | | if possible, keep your horses out of the harrowed |
| and why using it correctly is important for both | | | | pasture for three to five weeks depending on |
| the health of your horses and the environment. | | | | how much sunlight the pasture has absorbed. |
| Horse manure should not be spread on frozen or | | | | Spreading manure properly promotes a healthy |
| snow-covered ground. The nutrients in horse | | | | pasture, healthy animals and is good for the |
| manure cannot be absorbed into frozen soil and | | | | environment. |
| there is the real possibility of water contamination | | | | |