Climate change is a defining issue of our time, and we’re at a pivotal moment. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and increasing at a mind-numbing rate.
Climate resilience is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to hazardous events, trends, or disturbances related to climate change.
Addressing climate change isn’t just something that non-horsey people do, it’s something we all can tackle, each in our own ways. We are all part of the problem as well as potentially being part of the solution. The American Horse Council reports there are 7.2 million horses in the United States. Owners of these horses have the unique opportunity to manage animals and land in a manner which benefits the bigger picture.
Here are 6 tips guaranteed to help reduce climate change as well as benefit horse health, chore efficiency, and improve your land’s productivity.
- Compost
If you aren’t already doing so, now’s the time to begin composting. Horses produce 50 pounds of manure per horse per day. Add used bedding and spent hay to that and soon you have a sizable amount of stall waste to deal with daily. Composting will reduce the volume of that material by about 50%. Plus, it provides you with a free, easy, and very valuable soil amendment that locks in soil moisture, stimulates biological activity in soil, suppresses plant disease, and helps grow healthier plants and pastures.
Applying compost to pastures will help get pastures through droughty times. Healthy pasture plants mean more carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) sequestered from the atmosphere. And with over 7 million horses in the United States (as estimated by the American Horse Council) we are talking about a sizable benefit.
- Rotational Grazing
Overgrazed pastures and bare, exposed soils contribute to climate change by absorbing more sunlight and making the ground hotter and drier and requiring more water. Poor pasture management also means reduced quality and quantity of grass, increased soil erosion, nitrogen runoff (from manure and urine), and weeds. It also increases feed costs because of the reduced pasture productivity and potentially increased vet bills if your horse eats toxic weeds.
Good pasture growth shades the ground (keeping it cool and helping to retain moisture) and keeps pasture plants photosynthesizing and sequestering carbon. Through the process of photosynthesis, plants remove carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) from the air and utilize it to form new growth, including root mass. Plus, by implementing a rotational grazing system, you can grow more pasture for your horses.
Cross-fence your pastures and rotate horses through grazing areas to prevent overgrazing and soil compaction. At least three inches of leafy grass is needed for rapid regrowth and the biofiltration of nutrients, sediments, and chemicals. Compaction of the soil makes water infiltration and root growth difficult.
- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Recycling was a virtue before we knew we had a climate problem, but now it turns out that transporting and processing materials for recycling is carbon intensive. Plus, many plastics can’t be recycled for a lack of a market. Recycling still uses less energy than making new products from scratch but reducing and reusing are even cleaner.
While recycling is an important part of waste reduction, it’s critical to take multiple approaches to curb waste, including reducing how much we consume and reusing what we already have. When we do recycle, we need to do so responsibly as recycling restrictions vary widely based on location. You can even make it a bit of a game on your horse property to seek out and discover new ways to reduce and reuse items. As I heard it said at a conference, “Recycling is a good place to start and a bad place to stop.
- Plant Native Plants
Humans, horses, wildlife, and ecosystems all benefit from a landscape of native plants. Native plants are those that have evolved over thousands of years in a particular region. They have adapted to the geography, hydrology, and climate of a specific region, co-evolving with animals, insects, fungi, and microbes. These plants are the foundation of our natural systems. As a result, a community of native plants provides habitat for a variety of native wildlife species—from the songbirds and butterflies we enjoy to ones we depend on for pest control like barn owls and swallows.
Enhancing our horse properties with native plants not only promotes native animals and insects, it can also help create shade, control erosion, provide a visual buffer, offer a windscreen, aid mud management in wet areas, or filter out chemicals and nutrients. Plus, native plants sequester carbon. In short, native plants are always working for you!
- Conserve Water
Conserving water will be key as we move into hotter and drier times. There are many ways to reduce water use on livestock properties; perhaps you can even think of some yourself. Here are a few to start with:
- Water landscaping and pastures efficiently. When possible, water at night or early morning when evaporation is lower. For maximum efficiency in landscaping, use drip irrigation, micro-sprays, or soaker hoses wherever possible. The goal is to apply water directly to the soil with minimal evaporation or runoff.
- Install automatic waterers for horses. Automatic watering systems conserve water because they only use as much water as your horse can drink. Look for systems with moderate-sized water pans—a large one will quickly get dirty and full of algae requiring you to clean and dump it frequently. There’s another advantage to an automatic waterer: since water is circulating and not stagnant, it won’t provide habitat for mosquitoes—and you won’t be wasting large volumes of water as you might when cleaning and dumping a stock tank.
- Plant a Garden
No matter how small the effort, growing any plants will sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Creating more green space is always welcomed in any community, whether it’s a garden at the barn or a raised bed at home. Growing your own food has the added benefit of creating food resilience, the ability to prepare for, withstand, and recover from a crisis or supply chain disruption as we’ve seen in recent months. You might even want to grow some treats for your horsey friends!
Sometimes it feels like what we have to offer is minuscule especially when faced with escalating environmental issues. But these simple tasks are easy and fun to implement. And if an army of horse owners implemented them, they’d be sure to make a difference. To quote Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
For help with each of these topics check out the Horses for Clean Water Tip Sheets at horsesforcleanwater.com/tip-sheets.
See this article in the May/June 2022 online edition:
Alayne Blickle, a life-long equestrian and educator, is the creator/director of Horses for Clean Water, an award-winning, nationally acclaimed environmental education program that “wrote the book” on caring for horses and land. Known for her enthusiastic, fun and down-to-earth approach, she is an educator and photojournalist who has worked with horses and livestock owners for over 20 years. Alayne teaches and travels throughout North America and abroad, and also runs Sweet Pepper Ranch, an eco-sensitive guest ranch and horse motel in Southwestern Idaho where she and her husband raise top-notch reining horses and beautiful grass hay. For more information contact Alayne at alayne@horsesforcleanwater.com or 206-909-0225.