What is Sustainable Horse Keeping?
Sustainable horse keeping refers to the development of amenities which consider the environmental impact of managing an equestrian facility (Shere 2012; ISC-Audubon 2013). This includes reducing the usage of resources that are non-renewable, minimizing waste, ensuring waste is disposed of properly, and the development of an environment which is healthy and productive (ISC-Audubon 2013). Creation of a facility which meets these requirements ensures that the people and animals which utilize the amenities are kept happy and healthy.
A sustainable stable will lessen the potential negative environmental effects of horse keeping (Shere 2012). These adverse conditions can affect many variables of both the surrounding …show more content…
In order to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, renewable energy sources need to be considered. Some of these which can be utilized efficiently for horse stables include solar and wind energy (Shere 2012). Solar panels may be more usable for equestrian facilities due to the amount of roof space that the buildings supply. The panels for solar energy can be mounted on a roof structure or on a pole depending on location (Shere 2012). In order for the energy from the panels to be utilized the direct current that is concentrated in the photovoltaic cells needs to be converted into alternating current (Shere 2012). If the facility is not connected to an electrical grid, the alternating current energy can be stored in batteries for future use (Shere 2012). Another thing that needs to be considered with the use of energy is lighting and the type of bulb as it is well known that certain light bulbs use more energy than others. Compact florescent (CFL) bulbs use significantly less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs, and light emitting diodes (LED) are even more efficient than CFLs (Shere 2012). LEDs can also function at low wattages so can be utilized with solar power systems (Shere 2012). Due to wanting to implement the use of solar panels with this facility, LEDs are the best choice for lighting in the …show more content…
This refrigerator is an energy efficient unit certified by Energy Star, which is recommended by Shere (2012). As described by Shere (2012), the water heater that will be utilized is a tank-less unit that will use the stored energy from the solar panels to heat water on demand. All farm machinery on the farm will run on diesel fuel, which is much more fuel efficient than gasoline engines (Cole 2014; Equine Guelph 2016). An industrial tractor will be used to bring hay in off the fields and store the bales in the storage building. For moving hay bales and bedding from storage, as well as moving manure from the barn to the manure pile, an all-terrain vehicle with an attachable wagon shall be utilized. Hay and bedding will be brought over as needed on a daily basis, as to limit the potential for fires with storing these materials in the barn. Any excess material will be stored in one of the tack stalls, as there are four, so that the hay and bedding are separate from the stalls. See Figures 6 – 8 as an example of the machinery combinations that will be found on property. For general lawn maintenance, a diesel riding lawnmower will be
Sustainable horse keeping refers to the development of amenities which consider the environmental impact of managing an equestrian facility (Shere 2012; ISC-Audubon 2013). This includes reducing the usage of resources that are non-renewable, minimizing waste, ensuring waste is disposed of properly, and the development of an environment which is healthy and productive (ISC-Audubon 2013). Creation of a facility which meets these requirements ensures that the people and animals which utilize the amenities are kept happy and healthy.
A sustainable stable will lessen the potential negative environmental effects of horse keeping (Shere 2012). These adverse conditions can affect many variables of both the surrounding …show more content…
In order to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, renewable energy sources need to be considered. Some of these which can be utilized efficiently for horse stables include solar and wind energy (Shere 2012). Solar panels may be more usable for equestrian facilities due to the amount of roof space that the buildings supply. The panels for solar energy can be mounted on a roof structure or on a pole depending on location (Shere 2012). In order for the energy from the panels to be utilized the direct current that is concentrated in the photovoltaic cells needs to be converted into alternating current (Shere 2012). If the facility is not connected to an electrical grid, the alternating current energy can be stored in batteries for future use (Shere 2012). Another thing that needs to be considered with the use of energy is lighting and the type of bulb as it is well known that certain light bulbs use more energy than others. Compact florescent (CFL) bulbs use significantly less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs, and light emitting diodes (LED) are even more efficient than CFLs (Shere 2012). LEDs can also function at low wattages so can be utilized with solar power systems (Shere 2012). Due to wanting to implement the use of solar panels with this facility, LEDs are the best choice for lighting in the …show more content…
This refrigerator is an energy efficient unit certified by Energy Star, which is recommended by Shere (2012). As described by Shere (2012), the water heater that will be utilized is a tank-less unit that will use the stored energy from the solar panels to heat water on demand. All farm machinery on the farm will run on diesel fuel, which is much more fuel efficient than gasoline engines (Cole 2014; Equine Guelph 2016). An industrial tractor will be used to bring hay in off the fields and store the bales in the storage building. For moving hay bales and bedding from storage, as well as moving manure from the barn to the manure pile, an all-terrain vehicle with an attachable wagon shall be utilized. Hay and bedding will be brought over as needed on a daily basis, as to limit the potential for fires with storing these materials in the barn. Any excess material will be stored in one of the tack stalls, as there are four, so that the hay and bedding are separate from the stalls. See Figures 6 – 8 as an example of the machinery combinations that will be found on property. For general lawn maintenance, a diesel riding lawnmower will be