Once you get more than a couple of horses, some basic power equipment is almost a necessity. However, there are some less expensive options. Several brands of ground-drive, small-scale, towable manure spreaders exist. These can be pulled behind a four-wheeler or even a riding lawnmower. This product is provided as an example only and does not imply an endorsement: Equine Manure Spreader. You can get several manufacturer hits on a Web search engine using the terms "small manure spreader" or "horse manure spreader." If you could acquire one piece of equipment, something like this would be recommended. Simply clean stalls or paddocks by hand into the spreader wagon, then head out to the "back 40" or wherever you would like to spread the manure. To protect water quality, this should be a calculated practice that is planned and documented in a nutrient- or manure-management plan. In other words, you need to have adequate land to utilize the plant nutrients contained in the manure and prevent runoff or leaching.
If any capital investment is out of the question, try giving the manure away. Place ads in the paper or call garden clubs and composting businesses in the area and just offer the manure for pick-up. Some may actually pay for it. If you are using any pasture herbicides, chemicals can sometimes persist in the manure. That is fine if the manure/bedding mix is going back out on pasture but not if it is going on gardens. For example, Picloram (Grazon), a herbicide that may be present, will persist in manure and compost and kill garden plants if used there.
Finally, for a side business or fundraiser, have 4-H or saddle club members bag the manure in old feed bags to sell at a farmer's market or fair as "expensive poop from expensive horses."
Talk to your county Cooperative Extension agent about other ideas for marketing or exporting manure.
Author: Thomas Bass, Montana State University
