One of the things that I've been teaching in my beginners riding classes includes composting and manure's part in that. I want the kids to know all facets of horses, being a cowboy/cowgirl, and what work goes into owning animals and land. Too often children and adults are taught that they can simply hop on a horse and go! Ride like the wind, hi-yo Silver and all of that jazz. When in reality it takes a lot of work, patience, care, and simple old sweat and elbow grease to get a horse to where you would like them to be; and also to plain take care of and feed a large animal.
I believe this is why so many people end up buying horses or other livestock and then after a short amount of time end up getting rid of them. The horse is neglected, fat, irritable, bucks, bites, kicks, etc. by the time they are sold or given to another owner. To eliminate this problem I always teach kids the responsibility of owning a large animal and creating a relationship with that animal prior to realizing the un-imaginable joys of being atop of that horse.
Creating a relationship on the ground with a horse will help ease your worry as well as the horses worry when you finally climb into that saddle. Your relationship with your horse while astride will be a million times better if you create a grounded relationship with them first.
Anywhoo....I could write about this all day ;) my original intention for this blog post was to post a link about manure and composting. This link will help you build a composting system and fully understand how it works. I believe that it is invaluable to anyone who has a garden or might be planning on having one. Especially if your soil needs to be amended as it does here in North Texas. Plus just think of all of the horse, cow, goat, chicken, or rabbit poo that you can get rid of! Manure is an amazing thing when it comes to gardening, plus cleaning up your yard will keep down the flies, disease, smell, etc. Follow this link http://www.piercecountycd.org/tip_compmanure_p.html to read more. Hope that you enjoy it! Don't forget to comment, I love reading and answering them. Also you can find me on twitter, facebook, pinterest, and etsy! Hope that y'all have a good day!
Adios,
Jessie Lou
I think it's great that you are teaching them the truth the whole truth! Never had a horse, but I know that they are a lot of work and quite costly too. I have used horse manure for compost before and it worked great.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann
Thank you so much for the comment Jann! I feel that's the best way for them to learn, and yes horses are expensive...but well worth it in the long run to me! :) And I want them to see both side....the expensive hard working side and the beautiful, relaxing, and loving side.
DeleteHope that you have a lovely Sunday!
Adios!
Jessie Lou