Protecting Ground Water Quality on Horse Farms

It’s a pleasant mental picture: a herd of mares and foals ambling down to the creek for a cooling drink in the heat of a summer day, mares sipping while the foals paw and splash in the shallow water before they all climb back up the bank to rest under shady trees.

What this mental picture doesn’t include is the damage to stream banks caused by hooves tramping up and down several times a day, hastening erosion by destroying streamside vegetation and sending soil into the flowing water. Over time, horses and other livestock can significantly degrade water quality if they are allowed access to natural water sources.

One way to prevent this situation is to use fencing to keep animals away from streams. Water can be pumped from a pond, stream, or well to a tank in an area of the pasture where mud won’t drain directly into the stream. Geotextiles and gravel pads can be used around water tanks to minimize mud. Land owners can check to see if grants to install pumps and waterers may be available from a state or county government agency in charge of conservation or water quality.

Managers can take several other steps to avoid degradation of ground water caused by livestock. Rotating animals among several pastures allows foliage to recover before the ground becomes overgrazed and subject to erosion. In places where it is necessary for livestock or vehicles to cross creeks, owners can grade banks into a shallow contour and install gravel or concrete pads to protect the stream basin. Fencing creek banks will keep manure away from the stream and will lead to natural revegetation of degraded areas. These steps involve some expense, but once taken, especially if the effort involves the majority of land owners in a rural area, they should lead to significant progress toward improving water quality.