ducks4you
Garden Master
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I was just reading one of Hattie's links from oldvegiepatch regarding using horse manure. I wanted to mention that practically EVERY horse owner uses pine shavings at one time or another, if no where else, then in the trailer for absorption. When pine shavings become popular, around the 1980's, the supply stores started carrying "Manure Forks."
These forks have thin tines, and were designed to separate the manure from the shavings for the expressed purpose of NOT throwing away any clean shavings, as one does when you use only a shovel. May I suggest three things if you're looking for horse manure:
1) Get it from a Show Stable, if possible.
Show people keep their show horses a lot longer than race horses. They are worred about their horses' teeth, so they no longer feed whole grain. They feed extruded pelleted grain. You won't have any oats or corn growing up in your garden. Horses are the BEST re-seeding grazing animal in the world. MY horses seeded their own pastures from their hay and grain.
2) Separate the poo from the shavings.
Use the shavings to mulch. The poo will break down faster and disinegrate to dirt on a compost pile. I KNOW this because I've seen it happen.
3) Buy a plastic manure fork
http://www.horse.com/Manure-and-Bedding-Fork-BRW20.html
I don't want to spend any more money than necessary for my hobbies, BUT one fork will last forever if you DON'T abuse it. (Some people new to horses treat them like metal shovels and break/buy a new one every year. DH and DD did that to the plastic ergonomic show shovels that I had been using for a decade. They BOTH broke them the same day breaking up ice.
gotta love 'em, though 
)
These forks have thin tines, and were designed to separate the manure from the shavings for the expressed purpose of NOT throwing away any clean shavings, as one does when you use only a shovel. May I suggest three things if you're looking for horse manure:
1) Get it from a Show Stable, if possible.
Show people keep their show horses a lot longer than race horses. They are worred about their horses' teeth, so they no longer feed whole grain. They feed extruded pelleted grain. You won't have any oats or corn growing up in your garden. Horses are the BEST re-seeding grazing animal in the world. MY horses seeded their own pastures from their hay and grain.
2) Separate the poo from the shavings.
Use the shavings to mulch. The poo will break down faster and disinegrate to dirt on a compost pile. I KNOW this because I've seen it happen.
3) Buy a plastic manure fork
http://www.horse.com/Manure-and-Bedding-Fork-BRW20.html
I don't want to spend any more money than necessary for my hobbies, BUT one fork will last forever if you DON'T abuse it. (Some people new to horses treat them like metal shovels and break/buy a new one every year. DH and DD did that to the plastic ergonomic show shovels that I had been using for a decade. They BOTH broke them the same day breaking up ice.
gotta love 'em, though )
