I am thinking of getting my first horse, but in all the books and articles I have looked at, none of them say how people dispose of the manure heap. What do you do?

Some of my gardening friends use it as fertilizer or may fill up holes in the yard. For large quantity, contact local farmers to see if they want it to spread on their fields. They might even have a manure spreader you could fill up. Some people fill in ravines- not near a water source though, that would be environmentally hazardous. Good luck! Hope you get your dream horse!

You can try advertizing in local gardening magazines/classifies/etc. A lot of gardeners will come pick up free manure especially if it has been allowed to compost for awhile; some will even pay for it. When I was at a very large boarding facility they charged $50 a truckload if they loaded it for you (otherwise it was free) and they actually had a landscaping/dirt company come and take it occassionally (when the pile got really large).

You can also get a small spreader (they make them now that will attatch to a gator, mule, or 4wheeler) and spread it to fertilize your pastures if you have enough area. Be careful though because most horses won't graze where there is fresh manure, so you'll need to rotate what sections you spread in.

The City of Norco contracts with Waste Mangement to pick up dedicated manure bins. We pay per month by how much we use. Some larger barns have two or three big bins picked up twice a week all the way down to a single horse household having a rolling bin picked up once per week. (Each bin has a sign on it; "Clean manure only." ) In California, most places separate green waste into rolling bins and you could probably use that. I guess it depends on where you are.

We have a Waste Management dumpster that they come empty every week

Jessi

I've seen dumpsters, too. However, if you have some acreage, spread it with a manure spreader on the fields (NOT in your pastures!) If you're not sure what the requirements are for your area or you can't find a solution that works for you, contact your local cooperative extention or county soil conservation office. They can give you ideas, fill you in on any county/state requirements, etc.

I am fortunate to have enough land that I spread my own -- every morning - manually. I load the dump cart, drive it to a spot, tilt the bed, pull the manure off and spread it. Whenever we get rain, boy does my grass grow.

Not to mention that it's great for upper body strength - especially when you're old like me and your upper arm keeps waving long after the hand quits

That being said, I want to tip my hat to you in a big way for thinking about such details. Disposing of manure is an important issue that many folks don't think about when they get their first horse

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Not to mention that it's great for upper body strength - especially when you're old like me and your upper arm keeps waving long after the hand quits

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ROTFLMAO!!!!!!! Good one!!

OK....now I know who has been watching these old arms flap!

Thanks for your help everyone!

we are lucky to have the land to spread it on. we muck right into the "mini" speader (which is attached to the back of the ATV) then spread it on our riding trails. it's awsome for filling in dips on the trail.

Couple of articles from EquiSearch

Manure Strategies: Compost It!
http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/farm_ranch/management/eqcompost496/index.html

How to Control Manure Piles
http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/farm_ranch/management/eqmanure912/index.html

Sorry I duplicated, I'll be more careful next time! And thanks for finding the articles!

You're very welcome.  Something amusing just came to mind when I saw the title of the post again.

Back when I was a kid, when some tradesmen had horse drawn vehicles (yes, I'm THAT old, LOL) my mum and the neighbors would RACE each other into the street should a passing cart horse leave a deposit in the street! LOL!

Check my article - The Rag and Bone Man's Horse - http://www.equisearch.com/breeds/eqragman2637/

Well it really depends on where you live. LOL  I am in Kansas on 80 acres.  The horses have access to 20 acres most of the time and another 60 about now thru winter. Or they did before cheno lost his sight. Now they take turns over there but he doesn't get to go anymore.   Back to the subject tho.. I don't DO anything with the poo out in the pasture.  Up around the barn I do pick up and dump in a pile. Hub is groundsman and he takes the composted and puts it on the garden or wherever else it may be needed.  When I was a kid we put it on the garden. Horse manure is not "hot" like cattle poo is and can actually be added to the garden fairly fresh.   If you don't mind horseballs laying around., LOL