STANWOOD — Snohomish County is home to many horse owners and the Snohomish Conservation District wants to help equine farmers do their best to have happy animals, healthy pastures and environmentally safe streams.
To that end, the district has scheduled several workshops.
*Pasture Management and Horse Health is 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 20 at the Stillaguamish Grange, 6521 Pioneer Highway, Stanwood.
Participants will learn how to weave pasture care, equine nutrition and horse health together.
Alayne Blickle from the organization Horses for Clean Water will cover pasture management and how it relates to horse health.
The class will include basic techniques for good pasture management including monitoring grass growth, fencing, liming, using compost, and integrating a sacrifice paddock or outdoor pen that helps with rotational grazing. Other topics include what constitutes a “lush” pasture and how to manage horses and grazing so horses don’t become overweight.
Register at pasturemanage mentandhorsehealth.eventbrite.com.
*Holistic Manure Management is 1 to 4 p.m. April 24, also at the Stillaguamish Grange.
For this session Blickle, from Horses for Clean Water, will talk about the latest in manure management techniques and tips for horse health.
She will be joined by local veterinarian Julie Eihl, who will outline a holistic approach to parasite control.
Manure management, including how to compost horse manure, control parasites and safely cut back on deworming, are part of the session.
Participants can learn to “save money, keep your horse healthy and keep the environment healthy, too,” Bickle said.
Register at holisticmanure management.eventbrite.com.
*On June 2, the Snohomish Conservation District and Horses for Clean Water will offer a free farm tour from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 2nd in the Stanwood area.
See how this horse owner made chores easier for herself and improved her property for her animals while also protecting the surrounding watershed.
Highlighted will be new compost bins, a fencing and buffer project along a stream, heavy-use areas for the horses and a roof runoff system the owner uses to help prevent mud in her paddocks.
More details will follow on the Snohomish Conservation District website: www.snohomish cd.org.
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