Removal of waste in stables

With its implications for health, waste removal is a key aspect of management. It requires proper planning and a well-designed system that allow the task to be done quickly and efficiently, says Dr Mac.

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Managing horse manure and bedding is a daily task, and as such, when your staff go on holiday or are ill, everything comes to a halt. Being short-staffed during the rainy season is particularly difficult, as wet bedding and manure rot rapidly!

Getting the manure out of the stable is only part of the problem. The entire cycle involves collection, movement to a temporary location, and composting or final disposal. And over a long holiday period, such as Easter or Christmas, even the company that removes the manure may be unavailable.

Manure can heap up quickly. A single horse can produce about 23kg of urine and manure a day. If the animal is stabled, that’s about 12t of manure, urine and dirty bedding material a year!