The official newsletter of Horses for Clean Water, http://www.horsesforcleanwater.com
Published on the 10th of each month by Alayne Blickle, Director of Horses for Clean Water

	HCW Baseball Cap Priced at $14.97 Take a look at this month’s featured HCW product. And don’t forget to browse our CafePress store and find something that will show your support for HCW programs and the environmentally sensitive horsekeeping message!

	In this issue... Message from Alayne: Horse Angels Dealing with Odors in Horse Paddocks Going Batty with Bats in Your House? Are the Bugs Bugging You? Tip of the Month: Pull Tansy Ragwort Our Horse Lives are Rich with Feeling Educational Events

Message From Alayne: Horse Angels

I love sharing my horses. It came from the experiences I had when I was a little girl, way back when. As many of you can probably relate to, even though I didn’t grow up anyplace near or around horses I loved them from the day I opened my eyes. It was just innate. So I sought them out wherever I went, which was not an easy task growing up in suburbia USA where horses were a thing of the past even when I was a kid. I remember being in a park once when I saw a man ride up on a palomino. I could not take my eyes off that stunning horse. Soon I was part of a small flock of kids gathered around the man and horse as he chatted with a young woman. Eventually I got bold enough to ask if I could pet the horse, but the rider was not interested in little kids (he was probably more interested in the young lady!) and, needless to say, I was crushed. But there were many other times when a rider would kindly accommodate my wishes, letting me pet their horse or maybe even place me in the saddle. THAT would be the highlight of my day—or week—or month.

When I was that little kid, I made a promise to myself that when I grew up and had my own horse I would be sure to share my horse as much as possible with “the horseless.” I’ve been paying back that promise for a long time now, and I never tire of it.

This past week I had a terrific opportunity to pay back the little kid in me; my cousin was here with her three young children and we had a wonderful week of playing “horse camp”. I assigned each of them their “own” horse for the week. They were responsible for taking care of their horse, feeding, grooming, tacking up, etc. We rode twice a day, splitting the time between lessons and trail rides. They learned about parts of the saddle and bridle, how to bath a horse, horse behavior, horse care—it was a blast! The kids ate everything up, and wanted more, and I was in horse heaven along with them. The grand finale came on the last day when both of the older girls were able to ride independently and do some fine demonstrations of their newly acquired skills. Catie (age 12) was cantering, picking up the correct lead and guiding, all without holding onto the saddle horn. Cara (age 8) was guiding in and out of obstacles at the walk and jog, as well as posting. Jamey, the littlest, (age 4) was just having fun alternating between hugging horses’ legs, being led on the pony (borrowed from my trainer) and playing in the arena sand. I couldn’t have been more proud of them all!

My horses were angels, too. As my trainer often says, horses seem to sense that these small ones are very precious cargo. It delighted me to no end to see my horses studying their young riders, carefully keeping an ear tuned to them as they rode independently in the arena, or lowering their head to have a halter or fly mask removed. They were so generous and kind it just melted my heart.

I love thinking back on the little kid in me and sharing in that excitement of doing something so magnificent, so exhilarating. And I am thrilled that I am now able to share this with others, too.

Happy trails!

Alayne

Dealing with Odors in Horse Paddocks

Part 2 of a 2 part series

by Alayne Blickle

While gravel products like crushed rock or sand provide an excellent footing for horse paddocks, they can also potentially harbor urine odors—unpleasant for us and our neighbors, and unhealthy for our horses. Last month in this series, we talked about how the design of your paddock can affect odors. We also discussed the use of zeolite products, such as Sweet PDZ, which can substantially reduce ammonia. This month, we’ll cover other odor control options including using beneficial microorganisms.

At Horses for Clean Water, we have found sprays with beneficial microorganisms to be very useful. These microbial sprays contain different types of “friendly” bacteria, enzymes, and/or fungi. They come in highly concentrated solutions that are diluted and sprayed onto smelly paddock areas with the aid of a garden sprayer. Beneficial bacteria, enzymes, and fungal organisms break down ammonia and organic material that cause odors and attract flies. These safe solutions can be applied as often as odors are detected as well as before or after rainfalls. Beneficial microbial sprays are available at organic garden supply companies. The product we use is called EM-1 Microbial Inoculants and can be purchased from Arbico Organics (use of Arbico products supports HCW—let your Arbico representative know you heard about them from Horses for Clean Water).

Alum, or aluminum sulfate, is another product being used in livestock operations for its odor-reducing properties. This is a salt that reacts with the ammonia in urine to form ammonium sulfate that is very water-soluble. The poultry industry currently uses alum to reduce the strong and offensive ammonia odors that build up in chicken houses. However, it’s not clear whether the low pH that will occur as a result is harmful to the environment—or a horse. Other animal industry materials being used in other for odor control include gypsum and chloride salts. If you are curious about these products, a little Internet research will provide you with information on testing results, as well as odor control abilities and health, and safety concerns. If you choose to try one of these products it is important that you follow the manufacturers written directions.

Another option might be to try some of the many enzyme products made for this type of use. These are pricier, but are reported to work well. Like beneficial microbes, these products come in a concentrate that is diluted with water and sprayed on urine spots. I have not used these, but others have and report their success. It is often thought that because these are enzymes (or enzymes and bacteria), they are “safe” because they are “natural.” However, natural doesn’t necessarily mean safe or non-toxic to the environment. Until the usage/effectiveness of the product has been tested with the USDA or other research agency, it is most important to read and follow directions carefully.

Other anecdotal techniques abound, include sprinkling baking soda or Dolomite lime on the affected areas, or using a spray of white vinegar. More information may be available on these options if you surf the Internet. Again, remember that just because a product is reported to be natural doesn’t mean that it can’t be toxic to animals, people, or the environment. It’s good to experiment, but exercise caution with anecdotal cures.

And yet another idea might be to create a sort of a “horse urinal” in an area of your paddock and potty train your horses to use that spot. Horses tend to urinate in an area where urine won’t splash, so if you set up a small area with shavings (or other wood products) that can be regularly cleaned or scraped out, that might work well for you.

We hope one of these options will be useful to you. Keep us posted at HCW on what you try, what works and doesn’t work.

We at HCW encourage horse owners to use bats to control insects on horse properties by providing habitat and bat boxes. But occasionally they may slip into places where we don’t want them: our homes, tack rooms or other such areas. Here is some useful information on what to do when that occurs.

Going Batty with Bats in Your House?

Reprinted by permission from Bat Conservation International.

Bat Conservation International receives more requests for public information about bats that have slipped into homes and other buildings than any other topic.

And most of those telephone calls wind up with resident expert, Science Officer Barbara French, who also lectures on the topic to groups ranging from public health officials and veterinarians to police officers.

As part of those lectures, French recently developed a short video (about ten and a half minutes) that demonstrates exactly how to capture and remove wayward bats from homes without harming the bat or yourself.

It also shows likely entrance points for bats and offers tips on how to exclude bats and keep them from returning.

This video may be viewed for free on BCI’s web site at or by going right to link name. In addition to the video, you’ll also find lots of other valuable information about dealing with unwelcome bats that venture indoors.

Bat Fact: Did you know...mother Mexican free-tailed bats (common in Texas and parts of the southwest) find and nurse their own young, even in huge colonies where many millions of babies cluster at up to 500 per square foot.

If you would like more info or to subscribe to BCI’s free electronic newsletter, Bat Conservation Times, then visit link name.

Are The Bugs Bugging You?

by April LaLande

Photos copyright Sterling International, Inc.

“Bugs are not going to inherit the earth; they own it now, so we might as well make peace with the landlord.”
—T. Eisner

Today, experts agree that instead of using pest control strategies that harm non-target species and cause chemical resistance, an integrated pest management system, or IPM works best for people, the environment, livestock and wildlife. IPM means to simply use more than one approach of common sense practices when trying to eliminate harmful insects and pests. Here are a few easy and inexpensive IPM ideas to keep the “bad bugs” from bugging you.

Identify the Problem

Remember that everything is cyclical, so becoming informed about the cycle of insect damage will help you make an informed decision on how, or even if, you need to take action to treat the problem. Many times if we are patient, a little damage will actually attract the “good guys” to our property and prevent future problems without having to do anything.

Build a Healthy Environment

There are things you can do to create a healthy environment so beneficial insects and wildlife are attracted to your property. The healthier your soils and plants become, the more beneficial insects and wildlife you will attract—and that means less work for you! Here are a few examples of what you can do:

• Mow your lawn and pastures regularly to stop weeds before they have a chance to go to seed.
• Attract bug-eating birds (such as swallows) and bats by providing nest boxes and water.
• Build healthy soil by adding organic matter such as compost and make sure your plants get the right amount of water, sun and shade, and that they are planted in the right kind of soil.

Ironically, many harmful insects feed on trees and plants that are already diseased, so it is interesting to consider what the problem really is: the nuisance pest or a problem with the environment that the pests are attracted to? For example, if you take a plant and put it in soil that is too wet or too dry for its specific needs, it will be vulnerable to attack from insect pests. You’ll be better off moving the plant rather than battling the insects. Always make sure you are not treating a secondary problem that the “bad guys” are trying to clean up.

Know that you when you target a specific pest, you will never get rid of every single one. A little diversity is actually a good thing—we all need a few flies around to take care of what we can’t clean up. Try to find some balance by creating an environment that attracts more of the “good” bugs in order to keep the “bad bugs” at a tolerable level.

Consider Biological Control Methods

• If your plants are already eaten and/or dead, it’s much too late to spray chemicals, but biological control methods can often help to keep the problem from reoccurring. Beneficial nematodes (tiny wormlike critters you add to your soil) provide broad range control for more than 200 species of insect pests and can be purchased at many garden centers or online. They are a great biological way to take care of turf and soil insects, ants and grubs.
• For flies, biological control methods such as fly predators can reduce populations by up to 70% if started before the fly cycle gets out of hand.
• Use natural oils and repellants in selective areas, hang attractant traps, and use species specific traps for problems such as moths and cut worms.

Use Physical Barriers and Devices

Physical barriers such as screens, fly sheets and masks help prevent horse and deer fly bites which can be very painful. Most horses really appreciate the relief that these physical barriers provide. A fan inside your horse’s stall can also be helpful. Mosquitoes, small houseflies and biting flies do not like air movement, so a fan can be used to prevent bites and irritation.

Control Habitat

There are things you can do to control habitat for pests so that they have fewer ways to breed and thrive:

• Flies will lay their eggs in filth, so you can reduce their breeding grounds by picking up manure regularly and covering your manure or compost pile.
• Mosquitoes need stagnant water to breed, so do everything you can to eliminate sources of standing water. Clean gutters regularly and remove empty flowerpots, tires, or other containers where water can accumulate. If you have birdbaths or if you keep water bowls for your pets outside, change the water at least once a week—mosquito larvae need about a week to before they hatch.
• If you have standing water you cannot change, as long as it isn’t running off your property into streams or storm drains, you can use mosquito dunks (Bt or Bacilllus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring bacterium) that will kill the larvae but is harmless to other wildlife.
• There are many native mosquito and mosquito larvae predators including dragonflies, assassin bugs, bats, praying mantis, swallows and snakes to name a few...all easy helpers to attract to your environment.

Use Pesticides as a Last Resort

• If you do need to integrate pesticides into your IPM program, first find out what the cycle of your problem is. In other words, if you have a huge fly problem in October, they are all going to die off naturally and spraying won’t do a lot of good to keep the problem from happening again. You’d be better off starting early next spring by introducing fly predators to your property, using traps and other biological control methods so you don’t have the same problem again.
• A few facts about pesticides:
1. Many, many species will become resistant if the same pesticide is used all the time (this includes horse sprays)
2. New pesticides and chemicals are introduced at an alarming rate, with little to no long-term studies on safety and efficacy
3. Many pesticides end up in our waterways, in fact, all waterways in the northwest have residues of common pesticides and herbicides such as 2,4-D (weed and feeds), Diazinon, and many others due to overuse and misuse of products that were not designed for routine maintenance.
• Pesticides do have their uses, such as for mosquito-borne diseases like Malaria or deforestation by Gypsy Moths. At the same time, pesticides also can cause reoccurring problems by killing off natural predators, other species, and lingering in the environment. In the past, DDT was routinely used in Western Washington for tent caterpillar, which has a naturally occurring cycle in this region. Unfortunately, infestations were made worse because many natural predators were killed off too, making the tent caterpillar king of the decade. It is always going to be a balancing act to ascertain the risks vs. the benefits of using insecticides, and the decision is yours.
• Be informed about the chemicals you use and always follow label instructions. You can check the Pesticide Action Network’s Pesticides Database if you want more information on any product registered in the United States.

A great way to summarize the benefits of an IPM approach is this quote from famous entomologist Carl Huffaker:
“When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest, we inherit their work.”

Tip of the Month

Pull Tansy Ragwort before it goes to seed!

Put on your gloves and pull flowering tansy ragwort before it seeds. Dry ground means the roots can be tough to pull out, so bring a trowel or shovel along to help get the roots out. If pulling will take too long, get some clippers and cut off the tops to prevent seeding. Make sure to bag up all flowering stems or pile them in a truck or trailer (covered of course) and send them off with your garbage (do not compost to avoid spreading uncomposted seeds!) Make sure to keep pulled plants away from livestock—tansy ragwort remains toxic when dry and is more palatable after being pulled. Also, remember that pulling tansy ragwort now will prevent 10 years or more of weeding in the future! If you live in King County, WA, the King County Noxious Weed Program can mail you a voucher to cover the cost of taking your plants to the transfer station—just call or email their office to let them know when you have a load of tansy ragwort to discard (206-296-0290 or noxious.weeds@kingcounty.gov).

Reprinted by permission from the King County Noxious Weed Program.

Received via the Internet

Our Horse Lives are Rich with Feeling

Have you ever...

Choked back tears watching a new foal wobble to his feet for the first time...

Or watched your good horse stagger to his feet after surgery...

Or seen the ends of the reins float straight out as a reining horse spins beneath them...

Or chuckled to yourself as you watched a tiny tot on a patient pony trot through a barrel pattern at a saddle club play day...

Or felt the building tremble as an eight-up hitch of feather-legged giants towed a hand-carved beer wagon into the arena...

Or had your heart stop when you saw your horse lying motionless in the pasture on a sunny day—and waited breathlessly to see an ear flicker...

Or cheered at the screen when The Man From Snowy River slid Dunny down the mountainside, or when Seabiscuit made his final surge beating War Admiral...

Or cruised along the highway and saw a horse in the pasture and wondered what he’s like to ride...or pictured him as a prospect...

Or sucked in your breath as you watched a horse and rider approach a six-foot wall...

Or sworn a solemn oath to your horse that together you would triumph...

Or flipped through the TV channels and stopped when you saw a horse, even when it was a commercial...

Or laughed aloud when you rubbed your horse’s face and he rubbed back...

Or gotten chills hearing Dave Johnson’s “...and DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!”—or the theme song “Run For The Roses” sung for the NRHA Futurity winner...

Or stood in awe of your horse in morning play as he sprinted around the pasture, then stopped, head erect, and snorted defiance at the rest of the world...

Or been thankful to see wild horses grazing casually at the foot of a hill...

Or felt calmed by the sleekness of a silky haircoat beneath your hand...

Or felt your jaw drop as you watched a Lipizzan perform a capriole...

Or if you’ve ever seen someone in the grocery store wearing a certain kind of hat or boots or buckle, or have a certain cut and length to their jeans...and felt some remote kind of connection...

Or felt warmed by a soft-nicker greeting you as you entered the barn?

If you’ve ever been moved by any of these feelings, you know you are a horse person.

Educational Events

Summer is the time to prepare for winter! Learn great ways to ready your horse property so it’ll be chore efficient for you this coming winter—and healthier for your horses as well. Check out the web site for new events added regularly.

Fall City, WA
Living Without Horse Pasture
Saturday, September 22nd 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon FREE!	This 6 acre mini-farm had lots of challenges in the horse pasture department—rocks, no topsoil, lots of big trees. Not having much pasture led to creative thinking and alternatives. Tour this Fall City, WA farm to see good use of turn-out areas, mud-free paddocks, different footing choices, a large all-season riding arena, attractive wood fences—plus ducks, chickens and goats, fruit trees and garden. To register and receive directions contact the King Conservation District at 425-277-5581x125 or e-mail.

Stanwood, WA
Workshop on Choosing the Right Horse Property and Compost Options
Saturday, September 29th 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Cedarhome Elementary School FREE!	In this morning workshop we will cover different options for composting manure and stall waste as well as how to pick the right horse property. Shopping for Horse Property: How to Select a Suitable Site Many things go into selecting a suitable horse property - beyond the barn and arena. Join HCW in this presentation to discuss soils, vegetation, drainage and many other considerations that can save you frustrations and heartache down the road, as well as lots of money! Composting and Other Useful Manure Management Options Will give you ideas on how to make your place healthier for horses, reduce the insect population, help your farm become more productive during the growing season, AND make it a chore-efficient place for you to enjoy this winter! To register and receive a map contact the Snohomish Conservation District at 425-335-5634x4 or e-mail.

Preston, WA
Fall in Place: Preparing your Horse Farm for Winter
Tuesday, October 2nd 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Preston, COmmunity Center FREE!	Tips and techniques to help you get a jump on winter. Join HCW on a pre-winter journey through a checklist and presentation on things to do to prepare your farm for those dark, cold, and blustery winter months. Learn ways to make the coming winter more chore-efficient, less stressful, and healthier for your horses and the environment! To register and receive directions contact the King Conservation District at 425-277-5581x125 or e-mail.

Olympia, WA
Fall in Place: Preparing Your Horse Farm for Winter
Wednesday, October 17th 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. FREE!	Join Horses for Clean Water for an evening workshop on ways to prepare your farm so it will be easier to care for this winter with less runoff, mud and manure. Learn techniques you can put in place now to improve horse health, make chores and horse life easier and improve the health of the environment. Registration and directions, Sara Carter at 360-754-3588 or e-mail or Karin Strelioff at 360-427-9436 or e-mail.

Issaquah, WA
Workshops for Horse and Small Farm Owners
Thursdays October 18th and 25th and November 1st and 8th 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. FREE!	Hands-on workshops on livestock management practices. See a variety of options and work with technicians to discover ways you can have less mud, better pastures and manage manure. To register and receive directions contact the King Conservation District at 425-277-5581x122 or e-mail.

Langley, BC, Canada
Natural Ways to Manage Horse Properties—Workshop and Farm Tour
Saturday, November 3rd 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon and Sunday, November 4th 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.	Join HCW and Langley Environmental Partners Society for a weekend on ways to manage horse properties to reduce mud and runoff, useful manure management options and how to make pastures more productive. Saturday presentation to be held at the Langley Township Main Hall, in Langley, BC. Sunday farm tour will show practices on the ground. PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED and seats are limited. Contact the LEPS at 604-532-3515 or by e-mail. Cost is CA$40 for the November 3rd workshop and CA$25 (includes bag lunch) for the November 4th farm tour. Discounted cost of CA$50 for attending both events.

Steamboat Island (Olympia), WA
Winter Horse Farm Management Workshop and Farm Tour
Saturday, November 10th 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. FREE!	Join Horses for Clean Water for an all-day workshop on ways to prepare your farm so it will be easier to care for this winter. Morning presentations include: Buying Horse Property and 6 Tips for Managing Mud and Manure Management for Horse Owners. Afternoon session includes a farm tour of an environmentally sensitive horse property where you can view many of the discussed techniques on the ground. Improve horse health, owner convenience, farm productivity, neighborhood esthetics and the health of the environment. Registration and directions, Sara Carter at 360-754-3588 or e-mail or Karin Strelioff at 360-427-9436 or e-mail.

Fall City, WA
Preparing Your Horse Farm for Winter
Saturday, November 17th 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon FREE!	This large-scale reining horse breeding operation is beautifully set-up and managed. Tour this 20-horse Fall City, WA facility with the owners to hear and see how they designed and built it from the ground up. Learn what works for chore efficiency and what doesn’t. See winter pasture management techniques in place, tour a covered arena which doubles as turnout, hear about dust control, see gates designed for tractor access, and learn about green alder shavings which compost beautifully in their cement compost bins. To register and receive directions contact the King Conservation District at 425-277-5581x125 or e-mail.

If you have any questions or would like to submit an article for publication in The Green Horse, please e-mail info@horsesforcleanwater.com.