The green guide for horse owners and riders: sustainable practices for horse care, stable management, land use, and riding

394 Pages·2009·5.16 MB·English

by  Heather Cook

THE GREEN GUIDE FOR HORSE
OWNERS AND RIDERS
THE GREEN GUIDE FOR HORSE
OWNERS AND RIDERS
Sustainable Practices for Horse Care, Stable Management, Land Use,
and Riding
HEATHER COOK
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.
Edited by Deborah Burns and Sue Ducharme
Art direction and book design by Cynthia N. McFarland
Cover design by Alethea Morrison
Text production by Jennifer Jepson Smith Cover and interior decorative art by © Mutt Ink
Illustrations by Michael Gellatly, except for insects page 144 by Cathy Baker
Infographics by Leslie Anne Charles
Maps by Ilona Sherratt
Photograph on page 8 © iStockphoto.com, with additional photos on pages 93 and 164 by Mars
Vilaubi Indexed by Nancy D. Wood © 2009 by Heather Cook
Quotation on page vii from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the
publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review
with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other
— without written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are
made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim
any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional information, please contact
Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.
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Printed in the United States by Versa Press
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Cook, Heather, 1977–
The green guide for horse owners and riders / by Heather Cook.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-60342-147-8 (pbk.: alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-60342-148-5 (hardcover: alk. paper) 1. Horses
—Environmental aspects. 2. Environmental protection—Citizen participation. I. Title.
SF285.C59 2009
636.10028′6—dc22
2009007847
CONTENTS
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PART I: Getting Started: The Big Picture
INTRODUCTION: The Green Stable
CHAPTER 1: Horse-Human Ecology
How equines evolved from
prey to partner, and how that
affected the environment
PART II: Creating a Green Farm
CHAPTER 2: Put Green Energy to Work
Earth-friendly solutions for
your power needs
CHAPTER 3: Understanding Your Land
Planning and site selection
CHAPTER 4: Getting Off on the Right Hoof
Building green structures from
scratch
CHAPTER 5: Rebuilding and Refitting
Going greener by adapting
existing structures
CHAPTER 6: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
How to have an environmentally
sound barn with minimal
consumer waste
PART III: Eco-Equine Management
CHAPTER 7: Manure Management
Emphasize reduction and reuse
CHAPTER 8: Water, Water Everywhere
How to evaluate your needs and maintain
and conserve clean water
CHAPTER 9: Field and Pasture Rotation
How to maintain pastures and protect
the ecology with effective rotation and
planting techniques
CHAPTER 10: Ecofriendly Feeding
Feeding 1 to 100 horses while
minimizing your carbon footprint
CHAPTER 11: The Chemically Challenged Horse
An overview of the common chemicals
we use on our horses with alternatives
and disposal techniques
PART IV: Riding Green
CHAPTER 12: Showing, Breeding, and Winning the Environmental Way
Considerations for the professional
horseman
CHAPTER 13: Small Eco-Hoofprints
Environmentally friendly
trail-riding strategies
EPILOGUE
APPENDIX A: Reader’s Guide
APPENDIX B: Bibliography
APPENDIX C: Resources and Best Practices
INDEX
DEDICATION
To my husband, Randall, who believed in me.
And my children, Michael and Emily,
who believed Mommy would be right there as soon as she finished this last
paragraph.
I hope you grow up in a world where being “green” is no longer a new thing.
And to my mom and dad: I guess some of those hippie genes
rubbed off on your redneck, cowgirl daughter after all.
And to my Heavenly Father, that we might tend and keep the earth you gave us.
May we humbly accept this responsibility and know that
to honor your creation is to honor you.
The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity.
Psalms 115:16
PREFACE
When you consider the age of our earth, it wasn’t so long ago that we
thought the world was flat and the sun circled around it. There may come a
day in our not-so-distant future that we look back on the early years of the
environmental movement and marvel at what we did not know.
As horse owners, we have a unique position that the average consumer
does not: we have an intimate relationship with one of God’s creatures.
Much different from your average dog or cat owner who picks up pet food
at the local supermarket, we know how our horse relies on this earth for his
food. We see the immediate connection between the health of our
ecosystem and the health of our horses. We are often the first to recognize
urban creep as cities expand into previous farmland and as civilization
expands into untouched regions of our planet.
I believe that we have a responsibility to ourselves, our children, and
yes, even to God, to care for this planet and preserve her resources. The
single most powerful natural resource on this planet is you.