Introduction
"Most of our difficulty with the earth is the effort to do what perhaps ought not to be done.... A good part of agriculture is to learn how to adapt one's work to nature....To live in right relation with his natural conditions is one of the first lessons that a wise farmer or any other wise man learns."
Wendell Berry quoting The Holy Earth
Horses have captured our
hearts
and sense of awe for thousands of years. Since the first cave
paintings of men and horses to today, horses have played a very
important role in the development of human kind. Today, even
though most of us no longer need the horse for transportation, logging,
or farming, horses are still an important part of many American's
lives. The horse industry is still thriving as people keep horses
for companions and competition partners. Because horses are kept
mostly for pleasure instead of work, many horses are kept by lay people
with no experience or knowledge of agricultural management. Thus,
management practices often get passed from horse owner to horse owner
and done because it takes the lowest investment of time, the least
amount of work, and that was the way it was always done. This
passing of practices doesn't have to be a bad thing. As Frank
Fischer quotes J.D. Bernal, "the tradition of knowledge
passed from parent to child from, master to apprentice is the very root
of science" (Fischer, 2000). In the traditions of keeping
horses there are many practices that are rooted in concepts of what is
best for the land and the horses. But, it also often
happens that there is no passing of knowledge or understanding becuase
people do not go to an expert to learn how to care for their
horses. Or as certain
management
practices are taught the understanding of the consequences for the
land, stable and
horse are not. This is not the fault of the many horse owners
that are
doing what they have been taught, read in a book, or seen other horse
people doing.
There is little research on the connections between keeping horses and the environment specifically. The body of research on management practices is growing though, and even when links are not drawn between practices and the environmental consequences, the implications are starting to be explored. As water quality issues, erosion, pasture ecosystem health become more prevalent, experts, governments, and horse owners are becoming more aware of the lands' needs and the effects that keeping horses can have on the land
While horses may not have the impacts of the huge chicken, hog, and cattle farms, horses are numerous in the United States and in the Cannon River Region, and they do have an impact on the land that they inhabit. This impact may be exacerbated because of the non-farming background of many horse owners. There are many horse farms right around Northfield and it seems that with the amount of wetland areas, soil types, and increasing urbanity of the area it would be very important to make sure that horse farms are not part of the environmental problems in the area. Horses may be having an impact on the open streams, ground water, wetland areas, erosion, and the pasture ecosystem.
There is little research on the connections between keeping horses and the environment specifically. The body of research on management practices is growing though, and even when links are not drawn between practices and the environmental consequences, the implications are starting to be explored. As water quality issues, erosion, pasture ecosystem health become more prevalent, experts, governments, and horse owners are becoming more aware of the lands' needs and the effects that keeping horses can have on the land
While horses may not have the impacts of the huge chicken, hog, and cattle farms, horses are numerous in the United States and in the Cannon River Region, and they do have an impact on the land that they inhabit. This impact may be exacerbated because of the non-farming background of many horse owners. There are many horse farms right around Northfield and it seems that with the amount of wetland areas, soil types, and increasing urbanity of the area it would be very important to make sure that horse farms are not part of the environmental problems in the area. Horses may be having an impact on the open streams, ground water, wetland areas, erosion, and the pasture ecosystem.
Through this project, I
will be exploring the following
questions:
What is the environmental impact of keeping horses?
Can a properly managed horse farm be environmentally friendly?
What management practices can help to reach this goal?
What are the unique ways that a horse farm needs to be managed in the Cannon River region?
Specifically, I will be looking at how manure and manure management practices effect the environment, as this is one of the biggest challenges for horse farm managers and one of the more important factors on a horse farm that can impact the environment. Manure management is becoming an increasingly important issue for farms in the Cannon River region as towns move outwards and subdivisions pop up in what was once a rural farming area. I will look at how wetlands and open waters are situated on farms and how the horses could be effecting the water. This is also an issue that is very specific to the Cannon River region. There are so many little streams, wetlands, and so much rain fall in this region, there is hardly a horse farm that does not have to deal with open water or the issues that come with high rain fall. I will be looking at how pastures are managed and how management practices can keep a pasture ecosystem healthy and viable for the long term. As urban centers increase and towns in the area push outwards, horse farms are often getting smaller, and more horses are kept on a smaller amount of land. Thus, pasture management becomes doubly important. Along with pasture management issues I will look into parasite control as this goes hand in hand with manure and pasture management. This is more of an exploratory project, so I will not be collecting scientific data, but looking for possible issues and trying to point the way for further inquiry.
A Sense of Place:
The numerous horse farms in the Cannon River region and around Northfield greatly contributes to its sense of place. Just as the acres of land being used for agriculture, the many dairy farms, and the wetlands interspersed amongst the farms all intertwine to give this area its own feel, the horse farms and the horse people are a part of that feel. There are saddle clubs and many networks of horse people in this region that add to the look, feel, and community of the Cannon River region. Horse people tend to actively network with their fellow horse people that have common riding interests and this greatly adds to the bonds of community and the sense of place here in the Cannon River region.
This network of horse people make up a little culture of their own which in turn adds to the greater culture of the Northfield area. As Wendell Berry says, "A human community, too, must collect leaves and stories, and turn them to accounty. It must build soil, and build that memory of itself--in lore and story and song--that will be its culture. These two kinds of accumulation, of local soil and local culture, are intimately related" (Berry, 1990). The horse culture adds to this type of accumulation whether it be a visitor noticing the horse farms as they drive into town or the enjoyment of watching the horses in the Jesse James Day Reinactment.
The horse farms in the area also shape the landscape in and around Northfield. The sight of horses grazing in pastures along the road sides give the landscape a different look and a different feel. The sense of landsapce is important to any sense of place. It is more than just the physical shapes that we see looking out our window. It is a way of seeing the world (Mills, 1997).
I hope you get a feel of this way of seeing the world as you navigate through this site as well as learn about management practices for horses that will minimize the environmental impacts of keeping horses as well as make healthy happy horses.
What is the environmental impact of keeping horses?
Can a properly managed horse farm be environmentally friendly?
What management practices can help to reach this goal?
What are the unique ways that a horse farm needs to be managed in the Cannon River region?
Specifically, I will be looking at how manure and manure management practices effect the environment, as this is one of the biggest challenges for horse farm managers and one of the more important factors on a horse farm that can impact the environment. Manure management is becoming an increasingly important issue for farms in the Cannon River region as towns move outwards and subdivisions pop up in what was once a rural farming area. I will look at how wetlands and open waters are situated on farms and how the horses could be effecting the water. This is also an issue that is very specific to the Cannon River region. There are so many little streams, wetlands, and so much rain fall in this region, there is hardly a horse farm that does not have to deal with open water or the issues that come with high rain fall. I will be looking at how pastures are managed and how management practices can keep a pasture ecosystem healthy and viable for the long term. As urban centers increase and towns in the area push outwards, horse farms are often getting smaller, and more horses are kept on a smaller amount of land. Thus, pasture management becomes doubly important. Along with pasture management issues I will look into parasite control as this goes hand in hand with manure and pasture management. This is more of an exploratory project, so I will not be collecting scientific data, but looking for possible issues and trying to point the way for further inquiry.
A Sense of Place:
“A sense of place is, perhaps, the
ultimate synthesis, the bringing together of all dimensions of
environment, perception and experience into a vast whole. (Mills, 1997)”
The numerous horse farms in the Cannon River region and around Northfield greatly contributes to its sense of place. Just as the acres of land being used for agriculture, the many dairy farms, and the wetlands interspersed amongst the farms all intertwine to give this area its own feel, the horse farms and the horse people are a part of that feel. There are saddle clubs and many networks of horse people in this region that add to the look, feel, and community of the Cannon River region. Horse people tend to actively network with their fellow horse people that have common riding interests and this greatly adds to the bonds of community and the sense of place here in the Cannon River region.
This network of horse people make up a little culture of their own which in turn adds to the greater culture of the Northfield area. As Wendell Berry says, "A human community, too, must collect leaves and stories, and turn them to accounty. It must build soil, and build that memory of itself--in lore and story and song--that will be its culture. These two kinds of accumulation, of local soil and local culture, are intimately related" (Berry, 1990). The horse culture adds to this type of accumulation whether it be a visitor noticing the horse farms as they drive into town or the enjoyment of watching the horses in the Jesse James Day Reinactment.
The horse farms in the area also shape the landscape in and around Northfield. The sight of horses grazing in pastures along the road sides give the landscape a different look and a different feel. The sense of landsapce is important to any sense of place. It is more than just the physical shapes that we see looking out our window. It is a way of seeing the world (Mills, 1997).
I hope you get a feel of this way of seeing the world as you navigate through this site as well as learn about management practices for horses that will minimize the environmental impacts of keeping horses as well as make healthy happy horses.
A Foundation ~ Horse Farms of Northfield ~ Conclusions