Time on the water, either with or without horses, is often restorative and a fun way to cool off. A horse owner’s thoughts may turn to dreams of riding on the beach or swimming with horses. However, here are some considerations of horses around water bodies.
Ensuring that the use of beaches that are open to horses as well as respecting beach closures (which may be seasonal) is essential. Also, equestrians should prevent horses from defecating or urinating, which pollutes the water. Avoid entering wildlife sanctuaries, bird and turtle nesting areas, and dune restoration areas that may have fragile or endangered foliage.
Current environmental research shows that having horses drink directly out of natural water sources may lead to erosion of stream banks, and pollution of the water with nutrients, pathogens, and sediment. Excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen can be harmful to aquatic life in a number of ways:
- Phosphates cause excessive growth of algae. Nitrogen can result in the presence of ammonia which can be toxic to fish.
- Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in water can lead to an overgrowth of floating plants like duckweed and filamentous algae, which results in dense scum on the water surface, depriving aquatic plants, fish and other lake organisms of sunlight and oxygen needed to survive.
- Harmful algal blooms (such as blue green algal blooms caused by cyanobacteria in freshwater and red tide in seawater) may also result.
- The harmful effects of excess nutrients are not limited to aquatic life though. Nitrate, another primary form of nitrogen in lakes and streams, can result in health problems in people such as a lack of ability to carry oxygen in the blood, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting and dehydration, among others, when it gets into drinking water.
A vegetated buffer will help to filter nutrients, protect the water body from pathogens and sediment coming from storm water runoff, and also may provide wildlife habitat. To create a vegetated buffer, use either a natural or a landscaped buffer. An appropriate buffer may range from 35 to 100+ feet in width. This area would be from the water body up onto the property. Manure storage or sacrifice areas should be farther from the water body. If using a natural buffer, remove any invasive plants (see this link for help with identifying: https://cipwg.uconn.edu/invasive_plant_list/).
Maintain existing vegetation by no longer mowing the area, and letting trees and woody shrubs reestablish themselves (which may take several years). If a landscaped buffer is preferred, obtain a soil test (https://soiltesting.cahnr.uconn.edu/) to better understand how to reduce or eliminate the need to use lime or fertilizer. Plant native species and preferably a mix of trees, shrubs and groundcover. Most native species will provide wildlife habitat and require little or no fertilizer. Be sure to choose non-invasive shrubs and saplings that will help increase the uptake of nutrients. Choose grasses that are dense, stiff species, which will trap sediment.
Horse owners should strive to keep clean water clean by using gutters on run-in sheds, stables and arenas with downspouts, that lead to dry wells or pipes that disperse water away from paddocks, wash areas, and other horse keeping areas. Swales can be used to help intercept runoff from areas with slope and prevent runoff from occurring by delivering water away from horse keeping areas. Swales are shallow channels with gently sloping sides that can help slow, store and spread water.
Practice rotational grazing or have a sacrifice area (dry lot) that can be used for horses, to prevent them from overgrazing pastures. If horses overgraze an area, it may result in loss of vegetation. This may lead to polluted surface runoff. Keep water clean by ensuring that activities and horse keeping practices are done in a way that protects water bodies.