This phenomenon is not at all unusual. In fact, it is now more the rule rather than the exception. Ours is a complaint driven society and neighbor complaints about odors, dust and flies will bring the local health district and air board right to your doorstep. It simply doesn’t matter that you’ve lived there for 30 years and have been managing the manure the same for that same length of time. Getting angry won’t help - the problem is here to stay unless you take action to solve it.

So, the question is this… “What can we as horse owners do to continue our equestrian way of life and still get along with our neighbors?”

The answer to this dilemma is to properly manage the manure by composting it using the aerated static pile method. Most of the offensive odors result from anaerobic conditions in the manure pile. By maintaining aerobic (oxygen rich) conditions throughout the compost pile, 85% of the offensive odors simply go away – it’s all about the biology. The rest of the odors are absorbed in the 6″ thick cover of finished compost that we place on top of the pile. This layer also serves to control flies by “cooking” the fly larvae in the raw manure.

Getting back on good terms with your neighbors can be a difficult challenge. Here is a strategy that seems to work in most cases:

1. Acknowledge that your horses are creating an odor / fly problem and commit to reducing or eliminating that problem by composting.
2. Install an O2Compost system. For details, refer to “Training” on our website.
3. Provide your neighbors with compost for their garden free of charge and keep them first on your list of people to call when you’ve finished your next batch.

Your greatest defender will be your previously irate neighbor when you get the manure odors and flies under control.

Unfortunately, the defense “But we’ve always done it that way” will no longer work in most situations. Some counties are responding to federal dictates and others seem to be responding more to neighbor complaints. All in all, the fact remains – times are changing and horse manure will need to be managed in accordance with a clearly written plan or the stable / training facility / clinic may be shut down for non-compliance. Ultimately, it’s all about water quality, and it’s safe to say that we all support a cleaner environment.

When will this take place? It will vary from region to region, based on a wide array of factors. It’s happening right now in Southern California and it is about to begin in central Florida. After talking with horse owners at recent Equine Affaire Expos (Pomona, CA and Columbus, OH), I sense that some horse organizations are trying to take a proactive stance while many others are ignoring the situation or dragging their heels. My opinion is that it is always better to be pro-active and take charge of your future than it is to be reactive and fight inevitable change.

Our mission at O2Compost is to help horse owners properly manage manure, protect ground water and surface water quality, and convert an operating expense into a new profit center for their farm or stable.