I just read an interesting article in America’s Horse the March/April 2014 issue that we can file in the back of our minds to try to ease the squeamish new horse persons concerns, and possibly even your neighbors.  I will share what their findings were and if you want to read the research behind these talking points, visit www.bayequest.info/static/pdf/manure.pdf. – From Equine Land Conservation Resource, WWW.ELCR.ORG.

As horse owners we don’t give it much thought.  We step in it and shovel it, it’s just part of having horses.  But it’s always funny to watch people who are new to horses deal with it.  They step around it and giggle about the natural bodily functions of an equine.  Not that humans don’t do the same thing.  So the next time someone makes a comment about “it” you can share the real “Scoop On Poop.”

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For Horse people, manure is part of day-to-day life.  For people who do not have experience with horses, manure can appear dirty and even toxic.  Here are some talking points to help dispel that myth:

• Horse manure is 70-80 percent liquid and 20-30 percent solids.  The liquid portion absorbs quickly into the ground.  The majority of the solid portion – mostly grass and forage leavings – breaks down in the first six days.
• Horse manure is biodegradable, natural and contains no petroleum or animal byproducts.
• Horse manure is an excellent fertilizer and can improve soil conditions.
• There are no known toxic effects on humans due to exposure to horse manure.
• The Environmental Protection Agency excluded horse manure from solid waste regulation because it contains neither significant amounts of hazardous materials nor exhibits hazardous characteristics.
• Horses do not carry any of the 120 viruses and pathogens that create risk for humans from carnivore and omnivore species.
• The pathogens that do exist in horse leavings require ingestion to create a health risk, typically abdominal discomfort.
• Most of these pathogens have a very short lifespan on the ground, meaning the risk of infection through ingestion is very limited.
• No record exists of horses transmitting any disease to humans.”

This article was reprinted by permission from the American Quarter Horse Association.

So now that researchers have proven what we’ve always known, you can rest easy when you see your children or grandchildren running through it barefooted.