Safe work practices with horses
Consider what can be contracted from horses that are in poor health or have illnesses with potential zoonotic potential—tetanus, ringworm and some diarrhoea type infections like salmonella, plus many more.
Therefore, you should use protective equipment wherever appropriate—example, protective clothing, masks and gloves.
Before you take a drink and eat something, make sure you wash your hands using the correct chemicals to stop transmission. Remember, the problems can be from horse to humans and humans to horse.
Removing horse bedding and waste
Bedding and wastes from horses that are sick, diseased and possibly infectious should be burnt or buried to stop the spread of disease.
Horse manure is loaded with bacteria, and can be a source of deadly tetanus spores, that can easily enter a wound on animals or people.
When dealing with an infectious horse or a horse that has had diarrhoea, its stable should be cleaned completely before it is reused. To clean the stable, make sure you dispose of all the bedding. At least one of these procedures should be done to all the walls, floors, doors and fittings:
· steam cleaned—this is the best type of cleaning available in this situation
· scrubbed with an antibacterial agent, at hospital strength
· scrubbed with hot water and disinfectant
· hosed out with cold water and bleach.
Removing horse manure
Waste removal is one of the tasks of working with horses—whether healthy or ones in poor health.
Piling waste in a heap takes up less space while at the same time it also heats up and ferments. This then breaks down the rotting bedding and wastes, as well as destroys parasites, eggs or larvae. The end product makes an excellent garden compost. If odours are a problem, throwing some hydrated lime onto the pile will help reduce this.
The photo below shows the manure pile in a safe horse-proof place but it is not enclosed, therefore taking up too much space.
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The photo below shows the right idea! The manure from the stable is emptied into a box trailer that is hooked to a car and towed away. This is great as it is easy to remove, hygienic and takes up very little space.
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Locating the dung pile or manure pit
The dung pile, or manure pit, needs to be located far enough way from both animal and people housing to avoid odours, flies, parasites and disease transmission. It also needs to be:
· away from the stable complex and feed storage
· in an area that is completely horse-proof
· in an area that is easy to access with a wheelbarrow
· in an open area, where there is little chance of a fire, or if there is a fire, so that it cannot spread from the dung pile
· easy to get to with cars, trailers or even trucks, so that the wastes can be taken away
· closed in on two or three sides to keep it in a pile—eg sides made from sheets of corrugated iron and steel posts.
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© NSW DET 2007