Horse Owners

Horse owners must consider the following points to protect water quality:

Paddock Management

Collect manure from stalls daily and uncovered paddocks daily ( particularly during winter), and store in sheltered stockpile areas
During the dry season, moisten paddock areas after manure clean up to facilitate decomposition of residual waste
Prevent excess chemicals from grooming and health products from draining directly into waterways
Maintain buffer strips of vegetation between barnyards, paddocks, manure storage areas and waterways to filter sediments and absorb nutrients in runoff
Maintain proper grading in paddock areas to avoid pooling water and mud

Maintain pasture productivity by controlling the number of livestock and amount of time they spend on a pasture
Cross-fence pastures to allow rotation of grazing animals
Prevent bare areas from forming in pastures and allow time for re-growth. Graze grass to a height of 3 to 4 inches and allow re-growth to 6 to 8 inches before returning livestock to it.
Use exclusionary fencing and limit grazing of riparian corridors
Create winter sacrifice areas to keep livestock off wet soils which will reduce mud and erosion

Maintain buffer strips of vegetation between manure storage areas and waterways to filter sediments and absorb nutrients in runoff
Store stockpiled manure on flat ground
Locate manure stockpiles on an impervious surface (concrete pad or plastic tarp) to prevent leaching
Cover manure piles to prevent rainwater from picking up any contaminants and carrying them to surface and/or ground water
Remove stockpiled manure on a regular basis