Every day without fail and up to 12 times a day, your horse presents you with a nice pile of manure, adding up to 30 or so pounds by the end of each day. She won’t stop until she’s cold and stiff in the ground, so we have to deal with it, and deal with it we do. But if you think you have a problem, join me in a little time travel to 1880 New York City. You would no doubt be overwhelmed by the giant piles of horse manure lining the streets. Some empty lots had small mountains of the stuff over three stories high. At the time, there were between 150,000 and 200,000 horses toiling in the city, pulling wagons, streetcars, carriages, and carts. At a conservative estimate of 20 pounds a day per animal, the result was an almost insurmountable sanitary crisis, as over three million pounds were deposited on the streets each day.

A few decades earlier, the manure was collected and sold to farmers, but as the city population grew and the amount of manure escalated, it fell in value to a point where the city had to pay to have it hauled away. Imagine what it was like after a heavy rain when the streets turned into a fetid mess. The New York stoop, the short stairway leading to a raised front door, was an architectural response to the situation. The problem also inspired the first international meeting on urban planning with manure disposal a key topic. There were no easy solutions. Of course, what eventually happened was the development of the internal combustion engine and its speedy adoption around the turn of the century. The last horsecar in New York was retired in 1917, and the great manure disposal problem faded into history.

Fast forward to 2022. We still have to figure out what to do with these equine offerings. The good news is that manure breaks down quickly and is generally not a health risk to humans. It’s completely decomposed in a week or two, compared to dog stool, which hangs around for months and is a home to worms and dangerous bacteria. Any horse owner will tell you that horse manure smells a heck of a lot better, too. The solutions depend on how many horses you have and how much area your horses occupy. Most of us either pay to have it hauled away, or compost it. For owners that have horses with 24 hour turnout in a large field, it may not be necessary to do anything and let nature take its course. Most larger stables have a dumpster dropped off by a commercial carting company. Located in a convenient spot, it is added to each day by the wheelbarrow full and replaced as needed. Costs depend on the size of the container and the pickup schedule. Backyard horse owners tend to deal with their manure onsite.

Andrea Brosnan of Newtown has a well contained manure pile covered in a tarp to avoid runoff when it rains, which also promotes heat that breaks down the manure more quickly. Similarly, horse owner Allison Goff has five horses turned out on seven acres. She does not pick up the manure in the field but when the horses are in smaller paddocks in front of the barn, the manure is picked once or twice a day and put into a giant compost pile. She also has cows, chickens, and goats. All the manure goes in the pile, which is tall, hot, and wet to favor anaerobic conditions of at least 160 degrees. It breaks down in a matter of weeks to a month, turning into rich compost which she uses on her lawn and gardens.

Robin Kosak in North Salem, N.Y., has up to seven horses on her property at a time. She composts all her manure and uses pelleted bedding that breaks down quickly. Diana Dorta of Newtown has two horses and had it hauled for years. This year, she has started composting and loves both the cost savings and the final product. Amy Smith in Easton has eight horses on 11 acres. The stalls are mucked into a dumpster and it is picked up as needed. The manure in the fields is either picked up or she uses a drag to spread it.

There are many different approaches to composting manure, but it is very important that fresh manure breaks down adequately before it is applied to gardens. Otherwise, it will bring weed seeds and bacteria along for the ride. Successful composting is the result of heat, airflow, moisture, and organic material. Horse manure on its own has a good balance of carbon and nitrogen and converts well to nutritious compost. Too much bedding included in the mix will slow the decomposition process. Build the pile up to at least three feet to allow the temperature to rise to at least 110 degrees to allow the decomposition to occur. Temperatures between 135 and 160 are ideal and will kill the bad stuff.

Manure is also a great indicator of horse health. I found a very helpful article by Deb M. Eldredge, DVM, an award winning veterinarian and writer. While we can be overwhelmed by how much manure a horse produces, remember that decreased or absent manure is very bad news and an indication of a blockage in the digestive tract. Call the vet pronto! The color of the manure tells you something about their diet. I recently went on a trail ride in Hawaii. The horses we rode all produced brown manure because they ate a standard diet of hay and grain. Interestingly, there were also a number of feral horses in the area that lived on grass and other vegetation. Their manure was vividly green! If you feed your horse beet pulp, the manure might have a reddish tinge. Skip this part if you find it icky: healthy manure should be well formed, kind of glossy and break up easily; these are indicators of good hydration. If the output is dry or hard, your horse needs more fluids! Do you see pieces of hay and intact grains in the manure? Your horse may not be chewing properly and a visit from the equine dentist is in order. Stress and a hard workout can produce soft or liquid manure. If it doesn’t resolve, take his temperature. There may be something else going on.

A word on “road apples.” Here at the Newtown Bridle Lands Association, we ask that all our riders be as considerate as possible when their horse drops manure. If on a trail in a public area that is used by pedestrians, bicyclists and strollers, we get off and kick the manure to the side. Deep in the woods, we leave it to decompose. If we are out on a paved road, safety is the priority. It is usually not possible to safely dismount and kick the manure off the road, but we’ll try. The good news is that either way it will be gone soon as it naturally breaks down.

Composted horse manure is black gold for gardeners. It is rich in organic matter, and contains carbon, nitrogen, potassium, and small amounts of phosphorus. When mixed into garden beds, it improves the texture of the soil and promotes good drainage. Believe it or not, you can purchase fresh thoroughbred horse manure on Etsy (online marketplace). At a price of $22 for 10 pounds, plus shipping, it has got to be the most expensive pile of you-know-what a person can buy. That’s more expensive than the cost of the grain you’re putting in the other end of the horse. If you are looking for a supply of nicely composted local horse manure, you’re in luck. The Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard is hosting two more compost drives on Saturday, April 23 and Saturday April 30, from 9 am to 1 pm. The drive is located at 21 Old Farm Road, just beyond the dog park in Fairfield Hills. Bring your own container and a donation for this worthy organization.

Tracy Van Buskirk is a 37-year resident of Newtown and president of the Newtown Bridle Lands Association, at www.nblact.com, a nonprofit volunteer organization formed in 1978 to foster an interest in horseback riding as well as preserving, protecting and maintaining riding and hiking trails in the community. Horses have always been a part of her life. She owns a small bay quarter horse named Little Bear.