Horse Stable Manure Management

waste a year per stall with 8 5 tons being manure from a 1000pound horse.
The density of horse manure is about 63 pounds per cubic foot lbft3. Therefore 51 pounds of manure would occupy about 0 81 cubic feet. The soiled stall bedding removed with this manure would be about twice this volume so the total volume of stall waste removed per day per 1000pound horse may be estimated as 2 4 ft3. To put all these numbers in perspective annual stall waste from one horse would fill its 12foot by 12foot stall about 6 feet deep assuming no settling. Plan now for handling this material!
Barn chores include a daily cleanout of manure and soiled bedding leading to a steady stream of waste to handle. There are several common stall bedding materials and each has different characteristics in handling field application suitability to composting and acceptance for sales. Availability and cost of bedding materials in the stable area will probably have the greatest influence on bedding selection Tables 1 and 2.
The manure management needs of pastured horses are different from  those of stabled horses. The fielddeposited manure is beneficial because it serves as a fertilizer. Substantial amounts of manure can accumulate where horses congregate around gates waterers favorite shade areas feeders and shelters. These areas should be cleaned weekly for better pasture management parasite control and to diminish fly breeding.
Manure collected from paddocks and pastures may be added to the stall waste stockpile.
Horse manure has been considered a valuable resource rather than a waste.  Fertilizer value of the 8 5 tons of manure produced annually by a 1000pound horse is about 102 pounds of nitrogen N 43 pounds of P2O5 phosphorus pentoxide phosphate 43 7 percent P and 77 pounds of K2O potash 83 percent K. The nutrient content of
horse manure can also be represented as 12 lbton of N 5 lbton of P2O5 and 9 lbton of K2O nutrient values for any manure vary widely so these are only guidelines. Traditionally nitratenitrogen is the component that presents the most pollution potential since it moves freely in the soil. Most of horse manures nitrogen is contained in the urine.
These values are an average for horse manure urine and feces. With the large amount of bedding material mixed with manure in typical stall waste the fertilizer nutrient value would vary see Direct Disposal section below.
Environmental Impact

Minimizing Nuisances
For a suburban setting
one potential problem includes overcoming misconceptions about the nuisance and pollution potential of horse facilities. Most people enjoy horses yet neighbors can be more concerned that horses are manuregenerating fly and odor machines. A horse facility operating with a large number of horses on limited acreage can intensify nuisance problems not noticed at small stables. Generally in the Northeast 2 to 3 acres of good pasture per horse is needed for summer feeding purposes. More horses per acre are common and successfully managed with supplemental feeding. Fortunately careful management and attention to detail can overcome potential problems of intensive horse operations.

Pests commonly associated with animal agriculture are flies and small rodents such as mice and rats. Flies and odors are the most common complaints but proper manure management can virtually eliminate farm pests and odors. Figure 2 shows some simple yet important siteplanning features to minimize nuisances associated with manure management.