Baylor University
IN-1: Innovation 1

Manure management is a vital part of our daily operations at the Baylor Willis Family Equestrian Center. We have horses that spend a significant amount of their day in stalls, accumulating large amounts of manure and stall waste. At this time we operate twenty stalls and are fortunate in that we have the land available for storing our compost on site.

A 1000-1500 pound horse will produce approximately 35-50 pounds of manure daily plus 6-10 gallons of urine. However, manure is not the only material being removed when stalls are cleaned. Wet and soiled bedding material is also removed and will equal almost twice the volume of the manure itself. Soiled bedding, including shavings and hay, adds another 15-20 pounds of waste daily. The total amount of waste removed from each stall averages between 50-70 pounds per day. Multiply this by twenty horses (1000-1400 pounds) and it is easy to see the importance of having methods in place to manage the manure produced on a daily basis. Letting manure pile up in the stalls and paddock areas leads to a host of problems. It is not only unhealthy for our horses, but also is inviting for pests and odors, and aesthetically unpleasing. On a yearly basis, each our horses produce approximately 9 tons of manure and 3.5 tons of urine. If the manure from one horse were allowed to pile up in a 12 foot x 12 foot box stall for one year, it would accumulate to a height of six feet!

Our typical horse stall waste tends to be dry and needs added moisture to create the ideal conditions for compost microbes. However, we do not water our compost piles, as we rely only on rainfall to provide this moisture.

There are many benefits from composting our manure and stall waste. It keeps our horses at low risk for respiratory illnesses while limiting our risk of parasites, especially flies. It is aesthetically pleasing to those working and visiting our facility and keeps odors to a minimum. Proper manure management not only protects the environment and increases the efficiency and aesthetics of our Baylor Willis Family Equestrian Center it also saves Baylor University funds by applying the compost to our pastures and eliminating the need of transporting the waste off site for disposal.