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The EnvironmentallyFriendly HorseOur environment contains a variety ofplants, animals and aquatic life. Each specieshas a unique role within the environment, and,as a result, each relies on the other for survival.Maintaining such biodiversity is essential forcreating a healthy environment that is capableof sustaining all species that live within it. Themore diverse the ecosystem, the better it is ableto respond to changes or stresses, such as floods,drought, pests and disease.

You can help create and maintain a sustainableenvironment by modifying some of your landand horse management practices. The benefitsof ecosystem management will be reflected inmore productive pastures, clean water, fertilesoils, and better overall health of your horses.

This chapter outlines and describes some keyareas where your horse management practicesmay affect the environment and what you can doto minimize these effects.

Protect Your WaterClean water is vital for the good health of youand your horses. Your land and horsemanagement practices can influence the qualityof water available not only to you, but also toyour neighbours. Even if you do not live near astream or lake, you can affect water quality.

Nature’s Drain Pipe: TheWatershedWater initiates from springs, rainfall orsnowmelt, and it runs downhill or undergrounduntil it eventually reaches the ocean. An area ofland that catches rain and snow and then drainsor seeps into surface waters (i.e. creeks, streams,rivers, lakes or wetlands) or groundwater iscalled a watershed.

Essentially, we all live in a watershed, whichmeans everyone has an affect on water quality.As a landowner, you have a responsibility tomaintain or improve the quality of the waterthat leaves your property.

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The WatershedApproachMany Alberta communities are taking a“Watershed Approach” towards environmentalland stewardship. This approach takes intoconsideration both ground and surface waterflow within a particular watershed. If you areinterested in learning more about yourwatershed, the publication Getting to Know YourLocal Watershed (Agdex 576-8) is available fromAlberta Agriculture.

Nature’s Water Filter:Riparian AreasRiparian refers to the land immediatelysurrounding waterways and other surface water.Riparian areas are defined as the zone ofvegetation alongside creeks, streams, rivers,lakes and wetlands.

Riparian areas support high levels ofbiodiversity. The combination of deep rich soils,water and lush vegetation provides food, shelterand breeding grounds for many plants, animalsand aquatic life. In fact, approximately 80 percent of the province’s wildlife use riparian areasfor all or part of their life cycle.

Have you ever followed surface runoff as itflows across your land? Where does it go? Doesit flow through your corrals, pasture or manurepile? Surface and groundwater can becontaminated if runoff is allowed to run throughcorrals, riding rings and other areas eitherwhere manure is not regularly removed orwhere manure is stored (Figure 1).

Tips for MaintainingWater QualityDownstream• install rain gutters and roof runoff systems

on barns and covered arenas

• create diversion berms to divert stormrunoff around corrals and otherconfinement areas

• create catch basins for contaminatedrunoff

Figure 1. Prevent water pollution by diverting runoff from rain and snowmelt around manurestorage areas, corrals, riding rings or other areas manure accumulates.

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In addition to housing a diverse population ofplants and animals, healthy riparian areasprovide the following benefits:

• buffer the negative effects of floods and windsby reducing soil erosion

• filter sediments and nutrients from runoffbefore they enter water sources

• riparian vegetation provides shading in thesummer months and helps prevent ice damagein the winter

• reduce drought effects by holding and slowlyreleasing available water

While riparian areas are highly diverse andfunction to improve water flow and quality, theyare also very sensitive and can easily bedisturbed or destroyed by grazing animals(Figure 2). If you allow your horses to grazeriparian areas, watch for signs that they arecausing damage. Signs of damage to riparianareas include:

• reduction in number of saplings (i.e. youngtrees and shrubs)

• reduction in plant height resulting invegetation cover that resembles a mowedlawn

• evidence of pugging (hoof tracks left in softsoil) and hummocking (soil that has beenpushed up by pugging)

Riparian ManagementTips• Use alternative watering sources to keep your

horses away from the water’s edge and reducetrampling of the vegetation.

• Provide salt, supplemental feed and analternative water source away from riparianareas. These practices will decrease the amountof time your horses spend in the riparian areaand will reduce the risk of water contamination.

• Fence off access to riparian areas with eitherpermanent or temporary fencing. This barriercreates a vegetative buffer zone between thewater’s edge and the pasture, which provides anatural filter for contaminated pasture runoff.

• If you allow your horses to graze riparian areas,turn them out for short periods to preventoveruse and trampling of the area. One optionis to include the riparian area in your rotationalgrazing program. For more information ongrazing management, refer to the chapter“Better Management of Your Horse’s Pasture”in this manual.

• Avoid grazing riparian areas during the springwhen the vegetation is more vulnerable todamage.

• For additional information on riparian areamanagement, refer to the publication, “Caringfor the Green Zone: Riparian Areas: A User’sGuide to Health” (ISBN No. 0-7785-2305-5)available from the Public Lands Branch ofAlberta Sustainable Resource Development.

Figure 2. Riparian areas are highly diverse and fragile. They can easily be damaged by grazinganimals. Use riparian areas for short durations to reduce grazing impact.

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to enhance soil structure and protect soil fromerosion. Maintaining a healthy vegetative coverin your pasture will protect the soil from botherosion and compaction.

Tips for Preventing SoilErosion and CompactionPlant a Shelter BeltA shelter belt is a row of trees or tall shrubs thatact to capture blowing soil. Trees with a deeproot system will bind soil aggregates better thanshallow-rooted trees. Agriculture and Agri-FoodCanada, Prairie Farm RehabilitationAdministration (PFRA), has a shelter beltprogram. For information on planting suitableshelter belts, contact your local PFRA office, orvisit their website: www.agr.ca/pfra

Understand the TopographyUnderstand the landscape of your property andbe aware of the drainage patterns on your landas well as on neighbouring lands. Protect areasof high runoff with vegetation cover. In somecases, it may be necessary to remove horsesfrom an area entirely if the area is susceptible towater erosion.

Adjust Stocking RatesDo not turn out more horses than your pasturecan support (i.e. overstocking) and do not allowhorses to graze plants down to the soil (i.e.overgrazing). Overstocking and overgrazing notonly compact soil and cause erosion, they alsoseverely reduce your pasture productivity.

Practice Rotational GrazingSeason-long grazing can reduce plant vigour andplant cover, resulting in a decline in pastureproductivity. Cross-fence large pastures intosmaller paddocks and rotate your horsesbetween the paddocks. This type of grazingmanagement gives each pasture a periodic restfrom grazing and gives plants a chance to grow.For additional information on grazing systems,refer to the chapter “Better Management ofYour Horse’s Pasture” in this manual.

Alter Grazing PatternsChange the location of your water source, feedbunks and salt blocks regularly to reduce theformation of dirt trails and to minimize theeffect on areas where horses loiter.

Healthy Soil = HealthyPlantsPlants obtain the nutrients they need for growthfrom the soil. Therefore, to have a productivepasture, you need to maintain healthy soil.

Bare patches in your pasture and other areasthat lack vegetative cover are vulnerable to soilerosion by wind or water (Figure 3). Erosionremoves valuable topsoil, which is where mostsoil nutrients are found. Therefore, erosion canseverely deplete soil fertility levels and starvepasture plants of nutrients needed for growth.

The health of your pasture can also be adverselyaffected by soil compaction. Soil will oftenbecome compacted in high traffic areas, such asnear gates, along fencelines and on paths to andfrom water sources. There is also a risk of soilcompaction in areas where horses loiterthroughout the day, such as around feed bunks,water tanks and in shady areas. Overuse of suchareas destroys plant cover and compacts the soil,reducing air and water infiltration as well asincreasing the risk of soil erosion.

While the health of the soil is important to thehealth of a plant, the reverse is also true: ahealthy plant is essential for a healthy soil. Theroots of plants aerate and provide organicmatter and nutrients to the soil. Roots also act

Figure 3. Bare patches leave your pasture vulnerable to soil erosionand weeds.

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Weed InvasionsDoes your pasture appear to have more weedsthan lush pasture grasses? A sure sign of stressto the land is the appearance of invasive weedscoupled with a reduction in the regrowth ofdesirable vegetation.

Weeds invade areas that have been denuded ofvegetation because bare soil provides anecological niche to exploit. The increase inavailable nutrients, water and sunlight as aresult of a reduction in plant canopy coverprovides an ideal environment for weeds toestablish. Areas in your pasture that should bechecked for weeds frequently include handlingareas, watering sites, along fencelines andaround winter feeding areas. Weeds also invadepastures that have been overgrazed.

You may not realize that you have invasiveweeds. Some weed species produce attractiveflowers that are pleasant to look at(Figures 4 and 5). However, weeds areconsidered undesirable plants with limited or nograzing value. Some weeds may even be harmfulif eaten by your horse.

Riding in theback-country

Trail riding inAlberta’s beautifuland breathtakingcountryside is apopular getaway forhorse owners.However, many areasacross the provinceare extremelysensitive to hooftread, grazing andcontamination frommanure.

Whether you are athome or on holidayswith your horses, it isimportant to beenvironmentallyresponsible. Thefollowing are tips toreduce your impactwhile enjoying theback-country:

• camp in designatedstaging areas only

• take only weed-freefeed for yourhorses

• take out what youbring in (i.e. allgarbage, sparefeed, manure, etc.)

• stay on the trails

• avoid riding nearthe edge of streambanks, becausetrail wear can makestream banksunstable and canlead to erosionduring times ofhigh runoff

Figure 4. Purple loosestrife was introduced toAlberta as a garden ornamental because of itsattractive rose-purple flowers. Purple loosestrifechokes out waterways and the native vegetation inriparian areas.

Leaving weed infestations unchecked willdecrease the overall productivity of yourpasture, reducing the amount of nutritiousforage available to your horse.

Weed eradication can also be expensive.Pastures may have to be taken out of productionto allow time for an intense weed eradicationprogram. Loss of a pasture means the addedexpense of supplying your horse withsupplemental feed, which can be particularlyhard on the pocketbook during times of droughtor feed shortages. And depending on the weedspecies to be sprayed and the size of theaffected area, herbicide cost must be factored into the overall expense.

Early detection and early treatment is the bestapproach for preventing large scale weedinfestations. For more information on weedidentification and eradication, see the AlbertaAgriculture publications Weeds of the Prairies(Agdex 640-4) and Crop Protection(Agdex 606-1).

Figure 5. Yellow toadflax is an aggressiveinvader of pasture land. Toadflax has anextensive root system that makes it difficult andcostly to erradicate.

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Be a Good NeighbourAs a horse owner, your land managementdecisions not only affect your property, but alsothe adjoining landscape. It is your responsibility,then, to keep updated on municipal bylaws toavoid an issue from arising among you, yourneighbours and your local government.

Taking the initiative to become a goodneighbour can prevent potential tension in thecommunity. Beneficial environmental practiceswill decrease unwanted odours and pests andwill reduce the spread of weed species. Bydemonstrating responsible agricultural practiceswith your land and horses, you can helpeveryone enjoy rural Alberta.

To maintain good neighbour relations:

• maintain healthy pastures and riparian areas

• control weed populations

• properly store and dispose of manure

• properly store and remove garbage

TheBottomLine• Protect water quality by

installing rain gutters onbuildings, diverting storm

runoff away from corrals and manure storagesites and limiting your horse’s access toriparian areas.

• Prevent soil erosion and compaction bymaintaining productive pastures andperiodically rotating feeding and wateringsites.

• Detect and treat weed invasions early beforethey spread and reduce pasture quality.

• Set an example in your community and in theprovince by practicing responsible landstewardship.