[John obrien]

I've just got back from visiting my local stables / equestrian centre and they have the largest piles of manure I've ever seen.
My question is can I put this straight onto the ground for winter or do I need to pile it all up and rot it down for a while?
The manure itself is full of straw and wood shavings.
I never thought I would get excited about finding a local free poo mountain.
Thanks

[mumofstig]

If it doesn't smell of 'manure' it should be ok to use on your beds, so it can rot down over winter and the worms can take it into the soil.

[Pescador]

I'd be very excited as we John!
As MOS says, it'll be fine by spring, so get it on.

[rowlandwells]

I've been using horse manure for some years now my horse manure is what we call apples as it picked up from the field no shavings no straw I collect the trailer already loaded take it to the allotments and stack it on the plot I intend to manure that year

on the subject of horse manure we had a problem with soil capping but since using horse manure on that ground the soil is much better to cultivate no capping

depending on how old your horse manure is i would be a bit apprehensive in using fresh manure but that's my take the other thing worth mentioning is if your supplier uses hay or fodder to feed there horses that has been weed treated  this mite cause you problems with your horse manure when growing plants etc

hope this info helps 

[John obrien]

Thanks for the advice everyone.
The Horses are fed on hay but there is a lot of straw amongst the manure from the stable.
Think I'll give it go on a section of my patch and see how I get on.
Thanks again.

[AlaninCarlisle]

We have three ponies and at this time of the year, when we muck-out, I pile it straight onto the beds I intend to plant up next spring. I pile it into a heap about two or three feet deep and continue until Christmas and then in February just spread it out and dig it in. The "muckings-out" are a mixture of dung, straw and wood shavings. I find that after two or three months in a heap it's quite rotted down. Obviously I avoid using it where I intend to plant parsnip. After February, I put it in a heap for next autumn's use