September 2010

In this issue of The Green Horse

• Message from Alayne: New Territories; Home on the Range
• News from You the Reader: My First Horse
• Last Chance To Spread Compost This Year!
• Tip of the Month: Setting Up Winter Paddocks Chore Efficiently
• Farm Focus: Rausch Farm
• Educational Events

Message from Alayne: New Territories; Home on the Range

Alayne with Saylee and Rikki

For years I’ve been helping others renovate and change their horse properties into something more chore efficient and eco-sensitive. It’s remarkable to now be the one with the “small farm makeover” adventure!

Matt and I and our animal crew lived in the Seattle area for over 23 years. About five years ago I decided it was time for a change and began researching a new place to call home (read about our plans for our move in the May 2008 issue of The Green Horse) all while getting our farm ready to sell. For a while we thought it would never happen as our plans coincided with the dip in the real estate market and the economic downturn. But it all did happen. This past June we sold our Maple Valley, WA farm to a wonderful family who will enjoy it and be good stewards of the land.

Then, somehow Matt and I (with the help of friends!) managed the monumental task of moving our eight horses, two dogs, two cats and small farm’s worth of stuff to the high desert of southern Idaho. As of July 1, 2010 our new address officially read Nampa, Idaho. We are meeting new neighbors, figuring out where the local grocery store is, finding the nearest farm store and laying out a new horse property.

While it’s exciting and invigorating, much like reality TV a small farm makeover is without its extreme challenges. Some of our trials have included learning how to irrigate and not flood out our neighbors, dealing with the hoards of relentless mosquitoes that live in the irrigated pastures (come on swallows and bring your friends!!), breathing smoke from neighbors burning fields, dealing with invasive weeds (painful Goatshead which can pop a bike tire) and figuring out how to manage the powdery soil that turns from billowing clouds of dust to deep, boot-sucking goo at the mere mention of water. The learning curve is steep, but research shows that immersing ourselves wholly into activities that involve planning and anticipation reduces stress and helps our brains form new neural pathways. Currently Matt and I are experiencing lots of opportunities for new neural pathways!

We both have joined the virtual work community, maintaining our present employment in Puget Sound and occasionally traveling back for meetings, to teach classes or for other work. I hope to expand Horses for Clean Water into southern Idaho and parts of the West. Stay tuned as we have ideas for classes, clinics and retreats at our new property, including guest ranch ideas like a cowgirl retreat as well as a horse motel. I am excited about the new learning experiences and I look forward to sharing them with you.

Mostly I have to pinch myself to be sure I’m not dreaming. I love waking up every morning to sunshine and the exhilarating feeling that I’m onto something good. My ponies have way more grass than they can handle so we’ll be learning how to harvest hay. I ride every day in our huge outdoor arena—I’ll finally be able to perfect that sliding stop! Our new home has amenities we’ve never experienced (a garage, laundry room, copious closet space, guest rooms and a swimming pool!!) Sitting in the summer evenings on the cool of our front porch with a warm summer breeze and revisiting the day’s hard work makes our makeover rewarding.

I’ll keep you posted on how our adventures progress. In the meantime come see us in Nampa. Bring your swim suit, your sunscreen—and your pony!

Alayne

P.S. – I am blogging weekly for TheHorse.com in their “stable” of blogs. Check out Smart Horse Keeping to get your horse keeping questions answered! The RSS feed of those posts is also here on the main home page of the HCW web site.

Now Available: HCW DVDs

Here at HCW we’ve been working hard to come up with the best ways to help you have horsekeeping success. We recently worked on a few short DVD presentations and they are now becoming available for purchase through Amazon and CreateSpace.

The first DVD is Manure Management on Horse Properties. Purchase this 11 minute video from Amazon or CreateSpace via the links here:

Purchase via CreateSpace

Purchase via Amazon

The second DVD is Mud Management on Horse Properties. Purchase this 11 minute video from Amazon or CreateSpace via the links here:

Purchase via CreateSpace

Purchase via Amazon

We will post announcements as the other DVDs are released.

News from You the Reader: My First Horse

Hi Alayne,

I met you years and years ago at an environmental conference. You gave me one of your Horses for Clean Water binders after I mentioned I dreamed of having a horse again someday in the future. “For when you get your horse,” you said with a smile. I still have the binder. It helped me hold on to my dream and now it’s helping me plan our horse layout! At 44 years old I’m finally getting back into horses! So glad your great ideas have spread, you have made a real difference in the world! Thank you!

Jackie
Freeland, WA

Last Chance To Spread Compost This Year!

Most of you just enjoyed a nice long Labor Day weekend but now it’s time to get to work spreading compost! A good rule of thumb is to get your compost spread on your pastures some time between Labor Day and mid-October. Compost can also be spread earlier in the growing season (between mid-March to early October) but spreading compost in early autumn is one of the most important times of year—it will help your grass plants get through the winter and be productive next spring. Spreading compost later in the fall or during the winter won’t do any good because the grass plants are dormant and soils are either frozen or saturated. Also, spreading during the dormant season means nutrients may go to waste and potentially contribute to water pollution instead. Rains can wash valuable nutrients into nearby streams, lakes, and rivers. So now’s the time to get to it!

Here are a few things to keep in mind when spreading compost:

• Spread a ¼ to ½ inch layer at a time and no more than about 3 to 4 inches in the same area per season. This avoids smothering pasture plants as well as putting out more nutrients than a plant can use. Realistically, when you spread compost rarely is it going to look like a thin, even layer but more like clumps here and there.
• Compost can be spread by hand or with a manure spreader. Hand spreading is a good option if you are spreading on two acres or less and have one or two horses. It really isn’t as hard as it sounds and can be done with a wheelbarrow and shovel. Simply transport your compost to the area of your pasture where you want to spread and toss away. Be sure to crumble up any large clods as you toss them so that plants can more easily break down nutrients and organic materials.
• If you are considering purchasing a manure spreader, keep in mind that there are two basic categories: ground-driven and PTO-driven. Ground-driven means that when the wheels turn on the manure spreader the belt that powers the beater bars turns and throws out the compost. A ground-driven manure spreader can be pulled by an 18 horsepower riding lawnmower, a small four wheel-drive pickup or even an ATV. PTO (Power Take-Off) driven means that the PTO on your tractor will power the drive unit on the spreader. If you choose to go with a PTO driven model then you’ll obviously need to consider the type of tractor to needed to handle the size spreader you purchase.
• One more thing about manure spreaders: be sure it is adapted for horse manure or composted horse manure and not cow manure. Cow manure is softer and more “pie” shaped which often makes a difference in how the tines in the spreader are structured.

Compost is a rich soil enhancement that improves the health of both plants and soil and helps to retain moisture. It contains micro and macronutrients that benefit plants and it adds important organic material to your soil. If you have horse manure that hasn’t been actively composted, you can spread that also, but composted horse manure is much more desirable. Composting kills the parasites in manure—when you spread raw manure on pastures, you increase the risk that your horse will ingest the parasites in manure. So if your manure isn’t composted yet, you may want to let it compost over the winter and spread it next spring. For more information on composting, purchase the Horses for Clean Water Tip Sheet, 5 Easy Steps to Compost.

Tip of the Month: Setting Up Winter Paddocks Chore Efficiently

Chore efficiency is paramount when designing your confinement area for winter. Here are a few things to consider:

• Is the area close to your manure pile and feed storage for ease of daily chores?
• Are alleys and paths wide enough for wheelbarrows or any other equipment you expect to use?
• Is it easy to get in and out of horse areas?
• Can deliveries be made without moving horses or will people have to drive through a pasture to get to your confinement area?
• Is there access to water (that won’t freeze) for your horses?
• During the grazing season, can you move horses to pasture areas or elsewhere with ease?

Farm Focus: Rausch Farm

AN ENCORE FARM TOUR: Five Acre Sustainable Family Farm in rapidly developing urban Renton, WA

• Interested in reducing chemical use on your property?
• Would you like to get ideas on how to grow more of your own food on your property, including meat, milk, cheese, eggs and produce?
• Have you thought about raising smaller Dexter cows, geese, goats or chickens?
• Would you like to learn more about composting manure and utilizing it on your place?
• Would you like to see how children can become more a part of the family farm and chore routine?

Then join the King Conservation District and Horses for Clean Water on Saturday, October 2, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon in Renton, WA to tour a five acre urban farm. A few years back this family began researching how to grow and raise food for themselves that was lower in chemicals and artificial ingredients. Their journey in organics and sustainability brought them to finding ways to produce their own healthy food utilizing only their yard, garden, lawn and wooded areas. Today they raise goats and Dexter cows for meat, milk and cheese; chickens, ducks and geese for eggs and meat; vegetable gardens and fruit trees for produce; bees for pollination and honey; and they graze all grassy areas.

Join us at this educational event to learn ways to reduce chemical use, ideas for cost-savings on food production, low-tech gardening techniques such as chicken tractors and rain water harvesting, and how children can be an important part of the chore and animal-care routine.

You’ll be amazed by the volume and value of healthy food produced on this small farm, we promise!

This event is FREE but you must pre-register as registration is limited. To register and receive directions contact the King Conservation District at 425-282-1949 or by e-mail.

To view more details about this event, visit the Farm Tour Listing.
To view more photos, visit the Rausch Farm Demonstration Farm Page.

Educational Events

Please visit the Events section for the most current listings.