Striving for sustainable horse care in South Africa

Sustainability is becoming an essential part of responsible horse ownership, especially here in South Africa, where environmental concerns like water scarcity and soil degradation are major challenges. But, with this growing need to become more eco-friendly, what changes can we make to reduce our environmental impact and ensure the long-term health of our horses and the land on which the live? Here are some of our top suggestions:

1. Reduce chemical use

We commonly use chemicals on and around our horses, in the form of fly sprays, grooming products and dewormers. Whilst there are many cases where these products are important, cutting back on their use can reduce the impact of chemicals not only on our individual horses but also on the environment in general.

Here are a couple of ways we can reduce our chemical usage:

• Natural products, where circumstances allow: Natural grooming products and, in low fly season, natural fly sprays can be excellent alternatives that avoid adding extra chemical pollutants to the environment.
• Targeted deworming: Routine deworming has long been standard practice, but excessive use of chemical dewormers can contribute to parasite resistance and environmental contamination. A more sustainable approach is to conduct faecal egg counts (FECs) before administering dewormers. This involves testing a small sample of your horse’s manure to determine the level of parasite eggs present. If the count is low, deworming may not be necessary, reducing both chemical use and costs. By targeting only horses with high parasite loads, owners can maintain effective parasite control while minimising the impact on the environment.

2. Buy local where possible

Supporting local suppliers helps the local economy and reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting goods long distances.

3. Manage manure

Manure management is a key aspect of sustainable horse care. Regularly picking up manure not only reduces the risk of worms but also prevents runoff pollution into waterways.

Once collected, consider composting your manure. Whilst composting can be a fairly labour and space-intensive process, composted manure is a nutrient-rich soil amendment that can enhance soil quality and reduce the need for chemical fertilisers. If you are unable to do the composting process on your property, there are plenty of farmers and gardeners who are willing to collect, compost, and use the manure on their own properties.

Did you know?

Introducing dung beetles through low insecticide use, keeping manure in one location and even introducing beetles to your property, is a great natural way to manage manure and improve the health of the environment. Here are some of the beetles’ (very impressive) skills:

• Dung beetles reduce the parasitic burdens in horses by taking manure underground, along with the ‘worm’ larvae. Once underground the larvae are unable to get back to the surface.
• Dung beetles reduce fly numbers as flies need intact piles of manure to carry out their life cycle. When manure is taken underground and broken up by dung beetles, the flies lose their habitat. Even the fine desiccated manure left on the surface by the dung beetles soon dries out and cannot be used for flies. Furthermore, some dung beetle species consume fly larvae reducing the fly population still further.
• Dung beetles significantly improve soil quality by aerating it with their tunnelling behaviour. This aeration also allows pasture plants to grow much longer roots than was previously possible in the compacted soil. The long roots reduce flooding and topsoil loss.
• With dung beetles, plant roots also go deeper because they seek out the nutrients that the dung beetles have taken down deep into the soil. Plants with more extended root systems grow taller above ground. Pasture plants that continuously grow tall, then are grazed back, followed by a period of rest so that they grow tall again, are healthier (lower in sugar) and sequester carbon more rapidly.
• Finally, dung beetles reduce methane gas production as they aerate the manure pile dramatically reducing the methane production from the manure. Methane is a hazardous greenhouse gas so this effect is a great climate change plus point!

4. Energy efficiency

Use natural ventilation, insulate buildings, and consider solar power for energy needs. Solar power provides a clean, renewable and sustainable energy source with minimal environmental impact, leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and less reliance on finite resources such as coal and oil. Whilst it is often expensive to install, over the long run most find it dramatically reduces their overall energy expenditure.

5. Conserve water

Water is a precious resource in South Africa (although it may not feel that way in our current weather system), and we should all be aiming to minimise wastage. Installing rainwater harvesting systems to collect and store water for troughs, washing, and irrigation can significantly reduce reliance on municipal or borehole water. Regularly checking for and fixing leaks in automatic waterers and pipes can also prevent unnecessary wastage.

6. Improve paddock management

Poorly managed paddocks result in soil erosion, reduced plant diversity and greater water run-off.

Rotational grazing is one effective method of improving paddock health. It reduces the risk of overgrazing and maintains strong root systems, which help retain moisture and prevent soil erosion. If rotational grazing is not possible, even fencing off small areas of the paddock (especially around the edges) for a few months at a time can allow grass and other plants to regrow. When the fencing is taken down and moved, the horses graze this area, allowing other areas to rest.

TOP TIP

Resting paddocks is important, particularly in the wet weather we are currently experiencing, to avoid soil damage and allow grass to regrow.

7. Reduce, reuse, recycle

We, as horse owners, can make a difference by adopting a reduce, reuse, recycle mindset. Repurposing old feed bags, buying second-hand, repairing tack and blankets instead of discarding them, donating reasonable and usable items to charity, using old spray bottles for watering plants at home, keeping carrots in plastic supplement tubs to prevent them going off, and using durable, long-lasting products where available all contribute to reducing waste.

8. Sustainable transportation

Horse transport contributes to carbon emissions, but there are ways to mitigate the impact. Carpooling with other riders when attending shows or clinics reduces the number of vehicles on the road. Regular maintenance of horse trailers and towing vehicles ensures they run efficiently, reducing fuel consumption. For local outings, considering riding to destinations instead of driving can also reduce emissions.

Conclusion

By implementing these sustainable practices, we can minimise our ecological footprint while promoting the well-being of our horses. Small changes, like using faecal egg counts, buying local, composting manure, and conserving water, can have a significant impact over time.