A Foundation
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| Quick Fact: There are a lot of horses in Minnesota. In Hennepin County alone there are at least 2800 horses, and probably about the same amount in the Cannon River region. |
 Outdoor Arena at Filitosa
Farm.
A lot of consideration
must go into
making an outdoor arena, including considerations about drainage, soil type, intended use and location. The Equine Arena Handbook has good advice on how to design a long lasting arena with good footing that will be environmentally friendly as well. |
| Quick Fact: Typical horse owners in Hennepin County, and most likely it is similar for the Cannon River Region have around 20 acres and from 5 to 10 horses. |
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| Quick Fact: A typical 1,000 pound horse produces between 45 and 55 pounds of manure a day. |
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Until very recently there
was
not much solid research on the environmental implications of
keeping horses on a smaller farm. This may have been because
there weren't enough small horse farms to warrant the research or that
those smaller horse farms weren't causing any issues by their
management practices. It is more likely the case, though, that
small horse
farms just weren't on the radar screen when the experts thought about
the environmental issues that go along with animal farms. But,
within the last couple of years at certain universities and in certain
communities the small horse farm is reaching the radar screen. As
most cities and towns are pushing outwards into the rural agricultural
areas, like here in Northfield, the horse farm is starting
to have more of a presence in neighborhoods and it is becoming
increasingly important for farms to have good management practices
as well as to make the
least possible impact on the environment.
The horse farm has not
reached everyone's radar screen though. In
a typical text book on this subject, Equine
Science & Management, environmental implications and
management practices from an environmental perspective were not very
well explored. There was a brief mention that is is important not
to over gaze pastures and to have a grazing plan. It was also
mentioned that grazing management has been a difficult concept for
horse owners to identify and use, but after this statement there wasn't
much to inform students or horse owners how to rectify this
problem. There also was no mention of the other environmental issues
that go along with
managing a smaller horse farm. There was nothing in this text
book on manure management
or water quality issues (Gibson, 1999).
Most books that touch on
this subject that are written for the horse
owning population come at these issues from the vantage point of horse
health and developing a nice facility. In the Equine Arena Handbook there is a
surprising amount of space dedicated to water issues, manure
management, and soils all in relation to building a good riding arena
and keeping riding surfaces nice for a long time (Malmgren,
1999). In Natural Healing for
Horses: The Complete Guide to Preventive Health Care and Natural
Remedies the importance of a healthy environment in order to
have healthy horses is stressed. But, there is nothing in the
section that deals with a healthy environment that gets at how to keep
that environment sound past that of a narrow view of what the horse
needs. There are a few sentences dedicated to telling the reader
that pastures should be rested and the droppings should be picked up
regularly so that the pasture can be maintained (Morgan, 2002).
The Organic Horse: The Natural
Management of Horses Explained goes into a bit more detail on
keeping horses' environments 'natural' and healthy to promote health
in the horse. This book goes into a lot more detail about
environmental problems and is more explicit about causes, effects, and
remedies (Gray, 2001). There is a lot of good information that
comes from these books, but there is also a glaring lack of certain
connections. The
connection between keeping the environment healthy and the long term
viability and health of the farm as a whole is not made explicit or
often even mentioned. And it seems like keeping the farm as a
whole healthy and viable, not to mention lessening the impact on the
environment elsewhere, will go the farthest to help keep the farm
productive and therefore the horses healthy and happy. Another
issue with these books is that they are a bit geared down from the more
scientifically based information put out by the university extension
services or from other experts. And these types of books are
where many horse people
go to get their information, intead of looking to the university
extensions.
Some university extensions and a few other horse organizations that are lucky enough to have some experts as members are exploring the connections between the environment and keeping horses in a more systematic and scientific way. Often these studies are also from the point of view of horse health or education of non-horse people, but there seems to be more of an environmental undercurrent in this type of research. And there is some newer information coming out specifically on the impacts of horses on the environment and what to do about it.
The main areas that research is being focused for environmental issues on the smaller horse farm are the management of manure, the management of pastures, types of bedding, and water pollution issues. Follow the links below to find out what the latest research and best management practice recommendations are for each area.
Some university extensions and a few other horse organizations that are lucky enough to have some experts as members are exploring the connections between the environment and keeping horses in a more systematic and scientific way. Often these studies are also from the point of view of horse health or education of non-horse people, but there seems to be more of an environmental undercurrent in this type of research. And there is some newer information coming out specifically on the impacts of horses on the environment and what to do about it.
The main areas that research is being focused for environmental issues on the smaller horse farm are the management of manure, the management of pastures, types of bedding, and water pollution issues. Follow the links below to find out what the latest research and best management practice recommendations are for each area.
Horse Farms of Northfield ~ Conclusions ~ Works Cited