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The GREEN HORSE - sustainable horsekeeping

Vol 28-4

In the December/January 06/07 Issue of The Green Horse you will find the following articles:

Talking Point and Information Exchange
Greywater Solutions by Dr Ross Mars
Establishing Dung Beetle Colonies by Sharon Roberts
Safe and Secure Fencing
Chilean Needle Grass by Nicola Field
Making a Nosebag by Angela Davies
Growing Your Own Equine Herbs - Motherwort by Fiona Adams
Deeds, Steeds and Weeds
Electric Fencing - temporary fencing
Doing it Tough - tips for surviving the drought
by Chris Ferreira

GREYWATER SOLUTIONS

Grey Water Solutions
by Dr Ross Mars


Water is the number one priority on horse properties in country and outer metropolitan areas. It is important to collect as much as possible however, re-using this precious commodity is just as important. Recycling wastewater on your property is just another way of moving towards a more sustainable lifestyle and is a practical step that is just as easily applied in the country as it is in the suburbs.

What is greywater?
Greywater is the wastewater stream from all sources other than the toilet (this is called blackwater or sewage) and it is called greywater because it appears this colour, or turns grey after a short storage period. Most householders can easily reuse greywater from the bathroom and laundry, and washdown water from the stable or water from washing horse gear would also be in this category. Kitchen greywater (and dishwasher water) is not suitable for re-use as it can contain oil, fats and food scraps, which do not break down easily and can clog irrigation filters and pipes.

Why recycle greywater?
Livestock demand for water is more critical than food with horses needing between 22 litres and 65 litres of water for drinking, depending on their size, amount of work they are doing and the environmental conditions. When horses are eating green pasture, most of their water requirements are supplied by the pasture, drinking as little as four litres a day. As the amount of dry feed increases in the horse's diet so does its need for water. Water is too valuable a resource to waste, and any endeavour to reduce freshwater consumption or reduce wastewater disposal and treatment (and the energy this consumes) should be encouraged. More importantly, we should endeavour to reduce our water consumption by instigating a range of strategies. These could include installing reduced-flow heads and sprayers on washdown hoses, turning the hose off while shampooing or conditioning the horse, using water-efficient washing machines, recycling wash water by catching in a large bucket or trough and pumping back into the machine for the next load, turning off the tap between filling water buckets or troughs (how many of us go off and do something else while waiting for the bucket to fill, then find upon return that the bucket has overflowed!), and not overwatering paddocks and stable gardens.

Health concerns
Greywater contains a range of organisms that may cause disease (pathogens). Greywater is not allowed to be used in ponds or for above-surface irrigation systems due to the risk of mosquito breeding and contact with human skin and possible pathogen transfer. Many pathogens such as bacteria (ie: faecal coliforms) and protozoans (ie: Giardia) may be present in some greywater sources. It also contains bacteria and other microscopic organisms that feed on the nutrients in greywater, causing the wastewater to smell after a day or two. High levels of nitrate and phosphate may be beneficial to many plants, but can be detrimental to humans if ingested.

Greywater reuse strategies
Greywater from sources such as washdown bays, the laundry and bathroom are allowed to be reused in a number of different ways. These include subsurface drain systems and substrata drippers for plant irrigation. This is viable for sewered blocks, provided the appropriate application (and fee) is submitted and approved by the Health Department, via the local government council. A licensed plumber is required for any changes to the sewer system. Greywater cannot be used to irrigate a garden that contains below-ground food crops such as onions, potatoes and carrots, but can be used on above-ground crops such as tomatoes, broccoli and corn, and on fruit trees, lawn areas and on other plants (both exotic and native shrubs and trees). It is also possible to manually bucket greywater from troughs or washing machines to water plants. Placing greywater in the root zone of plants is the most effective way to ensure maximum uptake of both the water and the range of nutrients available in greywater. Care should be taken however, as many native plants (ie: grevillea, banksia and hakea) are susceptible to high levels of phosphate, and some introduced (exotic) plants, such as azaleas, camellias and gardenias, do not like the alkaline nature of some greywater sources. Greywater should first pass through a filter and/or settling tank before dispersal in an infiltration area. The filter or tank removes coarse material (ie: hair, soap flakes, sand and lint) which could block the drippers, draincoil pipe or soil. In sewered areas, a disused septic tank may be able to be converted to a settling or sedimentation tank.

Dispersal Systems
Subsurface drain systems incorporate piped trenches, which are usually about 300 millimetres wide and 300 millimetres deep. These are filled with stone and permit the greywater to pass along the trenches and into the surrounding soil. This is a permanent solution as you cannot easily shift the trenches once installed. Dripper systems are also possible - depending on the slope, greywater may be gravity-feed to the drip irrigation or it may require pumping to paddock areas. Pumping water is always more expensive, but it gives you more flexibility, enabling the recycled greywater to be used on any area on the property. Normally, the pumped water initially passes through an irrigation filter to remove any sand or hair that may be inadvertently pumped from the tank. Dripperline can be placed about 150 millimetres below the surface, and this is called subsurface irrigation. You would use this method for irrigating lawns, gardens or trees. Alternatively, you can place the dripperline on top of the ground and then cover it with 100 millimetres of mulch. This is called substrata irrigation, and is the most common way of irrigating your garden areas.

Typical costs
Simple, do-it-yourself greywater reuse schemes start from about $500 and having someone install it may cost you another $500. The two tank, pump and dripper system usually costs about $4000 installed. This top-of-the-range system will generally irrigate the gardens around the house and even some lawn areas. This system could be converted for use in paddocks and around stable areas. There are a number of other more expensive systems that range between $1500 to $3000, and you can source information about these by visiting the websites listed.

What else do you need to know?
An overflow safety device is required to divert greywater either back into a sewer line or into an existing wastewater treatment system (septic tank and leach drain) should problems arise. A vent, with a screened cowl, will need to be installed for a tank/trench system to prevent accumulation of foul air. There are also other restrictions on the location of greywater re-use systems - for example, sedimentation tanks must be at least 1.2 metres from buildings, and trenches and dripperline must be at least 0.5 metres from closed boundary fences. All councils now permit the reuse of greywater, but it is best to find out your local council's conditions of approval as they may vary. For example, different systems are needed depending on the type of soil, and in some areas designs are required for systems close to sensitive wetlands or a high water table. The application fee is typically $180 however, approved greywater installations attract a $500 rebate from the Water Corporation.

Dr Ross Mars from Greywater Reuse Systems ­ can be contacted on 08 9294 4141.

MAKING A NOSEBAG

Making a Nosebag
by Angela Davies

A nosebag is a very handy item that is also easy to make yourself. If you make it from canvas and you carry your horse feed in a plastic bag, it serves a dual purpose as a water bucket as well as a feed bag when you are out on the trail. You can sling it over your shoulder or tuck it into a saddlebag.
Teach the horse to eat from the nosebag when he is tied up safely at home first. You can clip the leadrope onto the side rings on the halter so it doesn't interfere with his access to the bag but most horses get the idea very quickly.
Of course if tied, then the lead rope he is tied with needs to reach the ground so that he can push his nose right down to the bottom of the bag. The photo is of "Drifter", a 27 year old whose teeth have been attended to regularly but because of his age he still drops a large percentage of his chaff if fed from a bucket. Using the feed bag means none is wasted.

• You will need:
  A piece of lightweight canvas large enough for the base and sides.

• A plastic snap buckle (these comprise two parts which push together and are available from camping stores and some feed stores)

• One metre of strong flat tape of a width which will fit through the buckle.
  Note: the sizes shown are for an average cob to full sized head of a 15hh horse. You can adjust it to suit your horse or pony or to hold more feed.

Method:
Cut an oval (26x30 centimetres) for the base and an oblong (95x32 centimetres) for the wall as shown.
Turn down two centimetres along one long side of the oblong and stitch down. This becomes the top edge of the bag.
Stitch the other long edge of the oblong to the oval base section with a one centimetre seam allowance and overlap the ends. This is a bit tricky as the canvas is rather stiff and you may need to make small slashes in the seam allowance to make it fit. Keep the seam allowances on the outside of the bag. This leaves the inside of the bag smooth without seam allowances for feed to catch in. Sew up the side where the wall overlaps itself.
Cut the strap 1/4 of the way along it's length and sew one on each side of the bag for the headstrap. Attach the other two ends to the two part buckle allowing for adjustment. The buckle will then be on the side of the horse's face.
When you first introduce your horse to the nosebag don't strap it on but hold it so that he can get used to eating from it. When you do strap it on make sure it is adjusted correctly and that he can breathe easily. The top edge should be about halfway between the top of his nostrils and his cheekbones. Have him securely tied or in a small yard or stable and stay with him.
We have found our horses to be very relaxed with a nose bag but some horses may panic so take all necessary precautions before using.