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HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Horse Pasture, Fencing, Barns » Manure management » |
Discussion on Horse Litterbox? | |
Author | Message |
New Member: Camljohn |
Posted on Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 - 7:13 pm: I have 5 horses which I stable at night and allow to graze during the day. The pastures (about 4 acres) are irrigated burmuda which I also mow to keep at a reasonable height. In addition to the grass pastures, the horse have access to an good size dirt arena. The native dirt in San Diego is very hard clay so I've been putting the stable pickings in the arena and harrowing it several times a week. In the past, I'd pick the pastures every 2-weeks since it'd start looking like it was full of land mines but over the past 4-6 weeks or so, since the rains finally stopped, the pastures have been staying clean. I thought my stable help was doing the pasture cleaning for me but he isn't. It appears the horses have taken to walking into the arena to leave their DrOppings (using it as a litter box). I'm having a hard time believing what I'm seeing but I walked the pastures again last night and found only 1 recent DrOpping and this is with 5 horses being out for 11-hours. Has anyone else seen this sort of behavior? |
Member: Scline |
Posted on Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 - 7:45 pm: I have 2 horses in one area with a fence between them. They both go in the exact same spots in their stalls and they both have a spot in their pasture. I never find anything out of their "spots" |
Member: Paardex |
Posted on Friday, Apr 22, 2005 - 11:35 am: My horses act the same as yours .I put the manure in the corners of their pasture an they tend to go over there as long as I keep the pasture clean.Whenever someone makes a mistake you need to remove the manure otherwise they seem to think this is an additional loo.Jos |
Member: Trouble |
Posted on Friday, Apr 22, 2005 - 12:26 pm: Michael,I am curious, are the horses grazing the entire pasture area now that they are pooping in the arena, or are they still avoiding the former poop spots? I recently enlarged a paddock area for my pony. There is still a little grass in this area which is okay because it's not too much. The area added was previously used as the "bathroom". I picked it clean and clean the area daily, but the pony won't graze anywhere near it. Before I enlarged it, he was pretty good about going in another area of his paddock, but now he just poops in the new area. I pick up 10-15 piles in a 24 hour period. How can all that come from ONE pony?!! He must not have time to do anything else! Anyway, being the little piggy that he is, I figured he would EAT the grass in this area, not POOP on it!! I am wishing for too much? I am hoping that by keeping it picked regularly he might eventually go back to pooping in his old spot and grazing the area that actually still has grass! Any ideas on this? Lisa |
Member: Paardex |
Posted on Friday, Apr 22, 2005 - 6:19 pm: Lisa, use your lawnmower after you have cleaned the grass, after 1 or 2 times mowing my horses eat the pasture evenly although they have 9 acres for 2 big horses. My farrier told me it looks like a golfcourse!Jos |
Member: Trouble |
Posted on Monday, Apr 25, 2005 - 11:52 am: Jos,thanks for the tip. We keep our 4 acre pasture mowed as well. It keeps the weeds to a minimum as well as the bugs. Lisa |
New Member: Camljohn |
Posted on Monday, Apr 25, 2005 - 12:14 pm: All five horses are getting along so I leave the gates to the side pastures open allowing them to graze where ever they please. I also mow the pastures to keep the grass from getting to high and I believe it helps to stimulate new growth. I do close off some pastures when I need to fertilize. I usually keep the newly fertilized pastures closed until the fertilizer has disolved and soaked into the ground (I use weed and feed). Growing that much grass in hot southern California is a challange.I have noticed that in addition to the arena, like jos, they are using the corners of the pastures. This new behavior started after our rainy season when flood waters washed the pastures clean. I'll keep an eye out for the occasional "accident" and hopefully they'll make my job easier by keeping their DrOppings localized where it's easier to clean. These beautiful creatures still amaze me and watching them interact with each other is an on-going learning experience. Thanks everyone. |
Member: Dyduroc |
Posted on Monday, Apr 25, 2005 - 2:55 pm: Michael, this was such an interesting thread that I mentioned it to the owner of the barn where I board my horse. She was so intrigued that she's going to try 'seeding' the corners of the pastures with manure coupled with cleaning the pastures daily to see if the horses learn where the potties are!The timing was perfect because the pastures are currently fenced off while the grass comes in and the pastures maintained and the horses temporarily turned out in an area behind the barn. Thanks for sharing! |
Member: Brandi |
Posted on Monday, Apr 25, 2005 - 7:10 pm: Michael, what type of 'weed and feed' do you use? I too have bermuda (with clover/native spring-time grasses during the cool season), but I am unable to find a horse-approved weed and feed. Scott's, the popular name-brand, won't say that it's OK for horses, no matter how long you wait after applying-I've called them a couple of times over the past few years to ask. I've still used it in the past, but on a very limited basis, and rested the pasture for AT LEAST a month afterward.As for the litterbox, I am pretty immaculate about my pastures as well, and as I rotate, I clean, mow, water the heck out of them and rest them for almost a month before re-introducing, and if they are clean, I have one horse who, god love him, backs up to the compost pile and does his thing, or picks one designated area in each pasture (2 if it's a big area). But alas, there is another who wouldn't dream of even leaning one direction or another to worry about where he's pooping, so if you have 5 horses that will all go out of their way, you are one lucky horse-owner. |
Member: Annes |
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 26, 2005 - 11:32 am: I keep my empty wheelbarrow along an outside wall of the side shed to my barn. Many mornings I find where one of my horses has backed up and pooped directly into the wheelbarrow. If I could just get all 4 to do that...of course, there have been the occasional times when he missed and the handles of the wheelbarrow are a mess! |
Member: Marroon |
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 26, 2005 - 12:11 pm: Ann,I'm thinking you need to put a cam corder on that & send it into America's Most Funniest Videos. If you could turn that manure into some hard cold cash it would be worth it. Remember you must post pics here first. LOL |
Member: Lisamg |
Posted on Thursday, Apr 28, 2005 - 5:18 pm: All;A couple of my horses (we have 6 and a mini donkey) will use the "desiganted" potty spots in their pens/pastures too. Others, unfortuneatley aren't so neat. About 3 weeks ago I was free lunging one of my neater geldings in one of our dirt lots. This lot is usually open to all the horses while they are out. He actually stopped while being free lunged, walked to the back "potty" corner and went. I was so amused I let him finish before we continued his workout. Michael if you have ALL neat horses .... good for you! It only takes one slob (I have one of those) though to start several poop areas and waste pasture. I'll bet you get a lot more use of your pasture than most of us do. Lisa |