# First horse property - seeking help with pasture management and manure composting!



## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

Can't answer all your questions but will say this. IMO it would not be good to spread the manure back onto your pasture, composted or not. Horses will not eat grass fertilized by their manure. With only one acre, ideally should be at least 1 acre per horse. Anyway horses usually find a dedicated spot to poop and use it. I believe it's called the spoil or stale. By respreading it on your pasture you further reduce the amount of grazing space.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Your weather is different than mine so things for maintaining will also be different...
So, 3 horses and 1 acre of grass = overgrazed and nothing left in a short time if you put them out to graze as long as you plan.
1 acre per horse is pushing it for 12 hours a day grazing time.
3 on 1 acre is not going to work.
You may get 3 on 1 acre for_ 2 hours a day_ tops...that is all!
The grass has no time to recuperate and grow, period.
Watering is fine...but growth takes time.
Fertilize with pasture fertilizers is necessary to "push" the growth cycle and nutrients you want and need.

I would _not_ be spreading that manure often, composted or not either from 3 horses on your land. No offense but your land is small and the horses manufacture a lot of poop...do you realize how much manure 3 horses make a day, x 7 days a week and only so much ground to spread it on. 
Clean up, rake up, stalls.... all put on a pile and entice someone to come take it for free!_ Yes free so it is gone_. 
Find a spot in the property easy to get a tractor and dump trailer to and make a pile having it removed every 3-4 weeks...you will be amazed at the size it is in such a short time span.
Just piling it up it will compost down in a matter of 10 days time from the heat. Add some lime and sprinkle with water and you have top soil in record time.
Keep your horses as drug free and free of added supplements which transfer to their waste and you can entice with "organic" in the title...a selling or giving away point of enticement!
If no one is interested in removing manure, then contact a carting company for a dumpster and get it off the property.
You need to check with your local zoning about how you accumulate, store and dispose of horse feces...there are rules and laws in many places about it...truth.
_jmo..
:runninghorse2:....
_


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Agree with what everyone has said. I have two small horses on about 1.5 acres plus a sacrifice paddock and it's not enough. I am adding 2 or 3 more acres this summer. The sheer amount of manure horses produce means they will soon ruin the 1 acre of pasture you have for them. It would be better for you to pick the pasture clean daily. Remove all the manure and find a way to get rid of it. If your land is large enough, you can compost it, but you will need a large area dedicated to this. You're right that three piles is best (I don't use bins, you'd have to have really giant bins to make that work). It takes about three years to compost manure if you don't do anything to it, so I am creating a pile each year. Those are BIG piles! But I have 13 acres. It is possible to accelerate the process by adding pvc piles for aeration and stirring it. But keep in mind, each horse produces about 50 lbs of waste PER DAY. That is a LOT of manure! 

Is there no way you can add land to your pasture? Even 1 acre per horse is not very much, but one acre for 3 horses means they will ruin it in a very short time and you'll have dust/mud/manure everywhere. If you cannot add to it, then I would advise you to get just one horse, and a companion, like a pony or something. Even so, it's unlikely you will ever get grass to grow there. Plan on feeding hay year round.


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## horseylover1_1 (Feb 13, 2008)

Subbing as we are buying a 4.25 acre lot. 

To answer your question though, there is no way you will keep grass on 1 acre with 3 horses. I am worried myself because ideally I wanted around 10+ acres for the amount of horses I expect to have someday (5ish). It's not the end of the world, you'll just have to plan on feeding hay all year round. 

But congratulations on your new place!! That's wonderful!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I believe I was told many years ago that to have a horse on_ pasture__ only_ and thrive....
First you need a climate where it is mild in weather conditions year round, good soil and a great growing season and more land than you think you need.
Think that number was 3 acres minimum_* per horse*_ so you can rotate and rest the land..5 acres per horse if they just roam with _no pasture management _and that is pushing the 5 acres hard.
Currently, my horses are out 2 hours a day. 
Total of 5 horses out 2 hours a day on 6 1/2 acres....can't wait for the grass to really come in. 
The other hours a day my horses consume hay, lots of hay = lots of poop!!! 
Mountains of poop... :icon_rolleyes:

Please also remember that although you have "green" stuff called grass in the field it is *not* all eaten by the horse.
Horses are finicky, picky eaters and will walk away from many grass plants and weeds....
So, if you are lucky and have 1 1/2 acres of grass you might have 1 acre of grass the horse will consume...:shock:
:runninghorse2:...


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Might have to consider keeping a round bale out in the pasture all the time if you want the horses to be turned out every day. Put the round bale under a little roof of some sort to keep it fresh. 

Might want to turn them out at night and stall during the day to get them away from the heat. 

Will have to pick up manure daily. 

Forget a composting bin, would have to be huge to work for horses output! 

Nature composts my manure here in one year with me doing nothing except piling it up in a shady, wet area of the pasture. But I live in the humid and rainy 'Bama. Turns into rich black dirt. Once it is at that stage, I can spread it out or use it to fill holes. Or make fabulous flower beds, lol. 

I know it's ready when the horses start eating the grass growing out of it. 

You might want to just start with one horse and see how things go. Very easy to acquire horses when you have your own property!!


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## Brittany Ann McClafferty (May 18, 2017)

Thanks for the insight!


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## Brittany Ann McClafferty (May 18, 2017)

@AnitaAnne - yes, planning on rotating the turnout schedule during summer to keep them out of the sun. The plan is to start with one horse, but I will need to grow to 2 or 3 eventually as it's part of my business (doing equine guided education).
@horselovingguy - so you keep your horses off the grass most of the day and just feed hay in stalls? I'm debating whether to keep them out for half the day and just feed hay in the pasture so they at least get to spend more than an hour or two out of their stalls. 
@Arcadianartist- unfortunately, there's no way at this point in time. We're in a fairly urban area. I believe there's a 1 or 2 acre lot behind mine, but I'm not sure if the owners would be open to selling. So you think having the manure hauled away is my best bet? I don't have a ton of space for composting. One concern of mine was that the manure would pile up much faster than it could compost. 
@HombresArablegacy - thanks for that insight. I figured after it was composted it would be ok, but it makes sense that they could still smell their manure and would be turned away from the grass by it. 

Questions for all: what would you do given my set-up? Keep the horses stalled most of the day and allow them just 1-2 hours to graze? Or give them more time (6 hours) and feed hay in the pasture on rubber mats? I just didn't want them to be cooped up in their stalls if I could avoid it. But, I also don't want to destroy the land.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

The first thing to do is get your extension office out. Most will do a consultation for free or a nonimal fee. Your "pasture" sounds like it needs serious attention to get it producing. Starting with the soil, I would be spreading every last bit of manure on it. Assuming it is sandy, it is nutrient poor and holds no moisture. The manure will add body and slow released nutrients into the soil. Composted is always best but spreading fresh then harrowing it works too. You will need to overseed the bare spots with a warm season grass that does well in your area. You are probably past the planting season for now (too hot) and will need to wait for fall to seed but you can work on building up the soil. 3 horses on 1 acre will afford you about 2 hours of grazing when the grass is growing and not stressed. Simply adding hay out there while increasing the time doesn't solve anything. They will still nibble on anything green and simply walking around will compact the soil. They need to be off the grass so it can rest and grow. If it's raining or you're irrigating, they're up. Use the arena as your turnout pen not the grassy area. I have a friend in Gilbert in a similar set up and she manages to have grass 9-10 months out of the year. She'll keep them off in the hottest part of the summer when the grass is most stressed.
Chickens are a natural with horses. If you locate your compost pile where they can access it, they will make short work of it. They will keep fly larvae in check and keep the pile turned helping it break down faster.


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## Brittany Ann McClafferty (May 18, 2017)

@Left Hand Percherons - Thanks! My property is in Gilbert as well, so would be open to hear any other suggestions from you or your friend about how others in this area manage pastures! (I recently moved from San Francisco, so am still learning about the dry, hot climate)

Extension office... not sure what that is. Are you talking about 4H?

Great advice re: the pasture. I guess it was wishful thinking that one acre would suffice. I'll definitely be using the arena for a turnout and will just feed more hay.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

The cooperative extension office is your liaison with the state's land grant university. They are your resource for all agricultural management information. I can get soil and forage testing done there as well. Most will have an office at the county fairground. They do oversee 4H.
Arizona will be a huge shock for your horse. Riding before work or in the dark in the summer. Fans and misters in the barn... First summer is the worst. At least hay is cheaper.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Brittany Ann McClafferty said:


> Questions for all: what would you do given my set-up? Keep the horses stalled most of the day and allow them just 1-2 hours to graze? Or give them more time (6 hours) and feed hay in the pasture on rubber mats? I just didn't want them to be cooped up in their stalls if I could avoid it. But, I also don't want to destroy the land.


I would NOT just let them out 1-2 hours. I'd let them out at least half the day, and just forget about having a pasture. It would just be an area where they could stretch their legs, but you'd feed them hay. Which you're going to have to do no matter what.

Another option would be a paradise paddock setup: Paddock Paradise - Information on how to create it

If you google it, you'll find all kinds of setups. This allows you to make the most use out of a small area. By closing off small areas at a time, you're still able to provide a little grazing. Not enough to provide all the calories they need, but maybe a little for small nutritional benefits plus keeping the horses interested in finding the new grass.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I think you need to take into consideration the environment your horses are coming from when you are deciding about turnout and how much is needed or necessary. 
Or the time of day to put the horses out...day, evening, night..
I would make a sacrifice paddock and if you determine your horse needs out for endless hours, that is where I would send him.
A treat is the grassed pasture. Limited time or it will turn into a sandbox in no time.
I don't know how hard it will be to turn around pasture land that may not of had good care...
To chance the complete loss of your grass retreat to me is not in your best interest though either.

So...if your horse was in a boarding barn where he had a limited amount of turnout as is common in many areas of the country your horse may not need nor want to be "turned out" for endless hours.
If he is not acclimated to the different temperatures {there are differences, yes?} that is a major consideration not only for daylight turnout but night-time out also...
If your horse is prone to sunburn, again something to take into consideration.

I would also_ not_ use the pasture and let it just become a dust bowl just so the horses can be "out"...sorry, that is just not in your best interest.
Feeding hay on a mat...no.
I get eating hay from the ground like grazing but to much dirt/sand can be ingested to the gut that way and that can create serious issue.
Save that pasture, improve it and make the smaller area work for a t/o and riding area..
Feed hay, look into slow-feed hay nets or feeders. 
_I'm sorry... I am way ahead of you, your planning and question asking point in time..._ :redface:

Get hold of that Ag office and ask a million questions...if it has to do with land and management they are the authority in your area. 
LHP seems to have a handle on your area and how to work with the climate and tweak it to benefit you the landowner and horse owner.
Please remember that what works for one may _not_ work for everyone, in every situation or circumstance.:wink:

I offer you the best of luck and congratulations on your new property. :wave:
:runninghorse2:....


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## Maxify (Oct 18, 2010)

You can do it but it requires hours and hours of land management.
It's far more than just turning on the irrigation and watching grass grow up to their bellies.
If you have no experience in manure spreaders, tractors, fly misting systems or chemical application {Either liquid spray or granular broadcast} 
You'll have a sand pit in no time and a manure pile that can't be far enough nor close enough.
I don't want to be the wet blanket on your camp fire but you have far more dreams than you have knowledge of your predicament.

Rather like most of us when we first started out, if you want to know the truth. {Tongue planted firmly in cheek}
So, Yeah! 
It can be done but if you want easy and/or cheap?
Find another hobby!!
There, my two cents. For what it's worth?

Welcome to the world of taking care of animals that, I swear: 

1) Excrete far more than they ingest.
2) Have absolutely no clue as to how much forage is sufficient.
3) No idea that you didn't plant that tree to aid their endless scratching needs and/or flossing material.
4) Think the cushioning on the seat of the UTV you rode out on is tasty.
5) Love to roll in the sand 5 minutes after you complete arduous hours primping them, for whatever reason.

I could go on but you get the idea.

Welcome to the fray.

Sorry, I couldn't talk you out of this futile endeavor you perceive as enjoyment but rather dances around the precipice of insanity. 
It's a crowded bus we're on and, 
No, there's absolutely no cure for your dilemma. 
The only help I can offer is more saddle time headed down an old southern oak canopied pathway to a clear Florida spring fed creek.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

I'd be very hesitant to say three horses on one acre will work. Horses don't just clip the grass off, they rip it out by the roots. That's why you see smaller horse lots and pastures with not a blade of grass on them. We're in SE Oklahoma, have a 35 acre pasture (now with three horses), a 75 acre pasture (mostly for the cow/calf pairs, but with two horses), and a 5 (Now for two Houdini Bulls and one horse).

Four horses, being fed daily, and with a round bale were still too many horses on that one 5 acre piece of ground. That five acres, despite being sprigged and managed like our extension office advised, will only support so many horses. Two do well, three struggle, four was just too many.

We run a 24/7 turnout, however. To my mind, 1 acre is barely enough for one horse that's being fed hay and feed, and I suspect you'll still end up with a lootttt of bare ground.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

One acre isn't much land so having a manure compost will eat up your space. I am assuming Phoenix doesn't get much snow and rain, so you will have to add moisture to the manure to get it to rot to dirt. I have 11 acres and snow on the ground for about 5 months of that, it takes one winter to compost a manure pile (we scrape the paddocks with a bobcat and rake the pastures with the same) to turn it into black, rich, topsoil, which we spread everywhere. If I were you, I would pick manure regularly and have it hauled away or offer it up to gardeners, someone might take it away for free.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

Yep, 1 acre won't last long at all! Turn them out and plan to feed hay.


I have ~4.5 acres permanently fenced, and 1.5 acres of yard I occasionally graze - my 2 horses are in the sacrifice paddock if the ground isn't perfectly dry, because hooves tear up wet ground super fast. I supplement hay from about October thru March, and also if they'll be locked in paddock for more than 12 hours.


I drag pastures monthly and dump manure from the run-in shelter & paddock (no stalls) along the back fence line in a 3' high x 3'deep row. It breaks down considerably over a year or so (North Texas isn't known for excessive rain,) and what I don't use in my garden I pretty much leave there to continue breaking down since I don't have a spreader Anytime I have an empty grain bag or dog food bag, I fill it with manure and dump it in the trash just to get some off my property.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

You'll be in a desert. Without irrigation nothing good will grow.
If it was my place I would have a communal turnout on a dry lot & ditch the stalls unless needed for special feeding or injuries. Add multiple shade areas with feeders. This will let the horses move around freely & interact. Fans in the shaded areas are nice too.
Save the pasture as a treat.
A manure pile in Phoenix tends to dry really quick & makes everything dusty.
Not sure if composting it would work.


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