Statement of Issues and Justification

Overview:  Horses are a gateway to the U.S. agriculture industry for millions of youth and families.  Horse ownership teaches responsibility, empathy and helps maintain both physical and mental health.  Historically, horses helped build the U.S. infrastructure and economy through being a mode of transportation and horsepower.  More recently, horses have become an important recreational, performance and therapeutic resource for youth, families and military veterans.  In a recent survey, 30% of U.S household included a horse owner, or someone involved in the horse industry (AHC, 2017). Although horses are classified as livestock in the U.S., they are unique when compared to other livestock industries.  A clear majority of horse owners are educated women over the age of 40 who have owned horses for more than 15 years. Additionally, 89% of horse farms are consider “small farms” with 19 or fewer horses, which accounts for 60% of all equines in the U.S. (USDA-APHIS, 2017). 

1.      Pasture management

Justification:  Pastures offer an economic and nutrient dense feed source for horses.  However, owners and managers tend to struggle with pasture and manure management which can lead to negative environmental consequences. Horse farms across the U.S. present unique challenges because of their relatively small size, location near suburban areas, lack of owner knowledge of farm management and available resources, high cost of horse care and ownership, and the complexity of horse health and management. Therefore, collaborative research, outreach and education on pasture and manure management is critical to the health and well-being of horses, the environment, the long-term success of horse ownership and global One Health.  Additionally, outreach, education and training are needed for veterinarians, farriers, Extension agents, agency and industry partners who also work closely with horse owners and managers.    

The lack of sound grazing- and pasture-management leads to inefficient pasture utilization, poor plant viability, poor soil health, and negative horse-health consequences.  Many of these problems occur due to the mismatch between forage supply and demand. Forage supply varies seasonally and depends upon the seasonal type of forage (e.g., warm-season or cool-season).  Warm and cool season forages, as the name implies, have peak productivity during warm and cool seasons respectively. Therefore, pastures containing only one seasonal type of forage often have an abundance of forage during peak production, and limited forage during the non-productive season.  An overabundance of forage can contribute to overconsumption and obesity related problems (e.g., insulin resistance, laminitis), whereas limited forage production can result in a greater probability of over-grazing. Over-grazing contributes to loss of resources and negative impacts on soil health leading to negative environmental consequences (e.g., erosion, weed invasion, increased susceptibility to drought).  Therefore, grazing and pasture management strategies that improve the balance of supply and demand have the potential to improve the efficiency of production, as well as horse and soil health.

• Strategies to extend and improve the grazing season using warm-season grasses, annual grasses, cover crops and stockpiling


• Parasite resistance and management


• Soil quality and nutrient recycling


• Weed control


• Erosion Control


• Outreach to improve the adoption of pasture management BMPs

2.      Manure disposal and composting

Justification: Adult horses produce over 50 pounds of manure and urine daily along with an additional 15 pounds of bedding.  More than one-third of U.S horse farms (35.4%) have no manure disposal plan and leave their manure “to nature” (USDA-APHIS, 2017).  Improperly managed manure presents significant environmental consequences including nutrient runoff to bodies of water, fly breeding sites, excessive odors, negative esthetics and localized accumulation of nutrients under stockpiles.  Additionally, 39% of owners apply manure to pastures; however, horse owners tend to have high pasture stocking rates which can contribute to excessive parasite loads and anthelmintic use in equines. Research that investigates novel bedding types, composting methods and owner adoptions of BMPs may lead to reduced fly populations and antibiotic use; improved air, soil and water quality; and reduced parasite load and anthelmintic use in horses.       

• Fly control


• Ammonia emission


• Bedding type and use


• Antibiotic resistance

3.      Carcass disposal and composting

Justification:  More than half (60%) of the U.S. equine operations have an end of life plan for their equines; however, the plans focus on criteria for euthanasia but not carcass disposal.  No data exists on the proportion of horse carcasses disposed of via rendering, composting, burial, cremation and landfill disposal. The high cost of euthanasia and disposal (<$550) along with declining options for carcass disposal presents a significant challenge to all horse owners. Additionally, environmental concerns including protected and endangered wildlife access to carcasses euthanized with barbiturates (or treated with antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals) and associated water quality and public health concerns present additional barriers for horse carcass disposal.      

• Method of carcass disposal


• Barbiturates use


• Antibiotic use

4.      Pasture and manure management BMPs adoption and outreach

Justification:  Horse owners commonly rely on their veterinarians and farriers for information related to horse care and management.  However, these professionals have limited training and expertise in pasture and manure management. Therefore, this team aims to educate both horse owners and managers in addition to these equine professionals.  Education and outreach will include traditional methods of face-to-face to educational offerings (e.g. field days and seminars) along with cutting-edge and novel online learning platforms including social media, online courses, infographics and YouTube videos.  These online platforms will be used to better understand current pasture and manure management and carcass disposal options used by horse owners and long-term adoption of new and existing research-based Best Management Practices (BMPs). These efforts should highlight the intimate connection of pasture and manure management and their impacts on environmental, human and horse health.          

• Economic analysis of pasture, manure and carcass disposal BMPs


• Survey of U.S. horse owner and manager implementation of BMPs