In an effort to celebrate Earth Day, The Aiding and Abetting Amateur will be hosting a multiple part series of posts that promote efficiency and sustainability within your equestrian facility. Earth-loving equestrians unite to put ideas on paper (recycled paper, of course!) on how reduce the size our footprints and hoofprints on our planet.
Because of the sheer volume of resources used in the daily operation of a barn, there is a tremendous amount of waste in the industry. By trying to replicate nature and meet the needs of the domesticated horse, we end up impacting our planet negatively.
As all good environmentally conscious citizens, we should echo the coined phrase, “reduce, reuse, recycle.”
Bedding is the first area that comes to mind when we think about waste within the barn. Traditional wood shavings are an agricultural good, meaning that their price and avalibility fluctuate based on market conditions. Straw is often a better choice. Straw is an agricultural by-product, meaning, it has very few uses and people just want to get rid of it and whether or not there is demand for it, it will still be produced during the agricultural process. Straw, however, has drawbacks of its own. If you have ever bedded with it, you know what a pain it can be. This is an important decision for facilities to make.
A quick, relatively cheap improvement we can all make is to place rubber stall mats in our stalls. These mats will increase efficiency as less bedding will be needed in the stall. These mats also help with moisture related problems in your horses feet (i.e. thrush). Essentially, stall mats rock.
Volume is key here. The fewer shavings or other bedding products we use, the smaller our “hoofprint”. Even if we can only decrease the volume used by a tiny bit every week, think about what this translates to over a year-long period…. or a five year-long period. Not only are we decreasing our hoofprint, we are saving money! One way to decrease volume is obviously not to over-bed stalls. Deeply bedded stalls harbor lots of bacteria. Not only are they harder to pick out, they hold in more moisture. The general rule of thumb is to bed just enough to absorb moisture, but not so much that it stays wet for days. Also, its easier to bed less and strip more, meaning bed less and every 2 or 3 days take everything out of the stall. This promotes hoof health and results in less waste.
Consider giving your horse more time outside. Grass is the best bedding, as often nature demonstrates more creativity than we could ever wish to have. Its good for his feet and his mind. Turn-out can save you money! Turn-out can decrease your hoofprint!
Consider alternative bedding options. You might be surprised by what is out there. There are many creative solutions that help us reduce our impact on the planet while taking better care of our equine-partner. Being more self-aware of how much we use is the first step to making a positive change. Estimate the volume of shavings you use annually. It might shock you just how big your “hoofprint” really is… Think miniature horse sized, not our current Percheron-sized hoofprints.
“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” John Muir
Keep reading, knowledge is power.
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