ajpa, no need to be shy about it! Just look at it this way: either the people who own the horses want the manure, or they don't. So, really, just ask.

Of course, now that I've said that, I'll admit: I'm a bit in your boat. There are many farms here, and if I want, I can get horse, cow, alpaca, pig, sheep manures; also what's cleaned up from chicken coops and rabbit hutches. In fact, my neighbor across the lane (who I don't know well and never see in the winter) has horses, and she has said I can have all the manure I want.

I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Why?

Because what I've found is the most difficult part of asking is figuring out WHEN to ask, not WHAT to say. During the day....few people are home. Evenings....who wants a stranger walking up a long drive & knocking on the door, asking for manure LOL.

Best time is probably during the day on a weekend, but I never seem to be around.

Anyway, I'm getting off track....Around here, many farmers spread their manures on their fields. But there are also many people who own horses for pleasure or who run riding stables or rent out stalls & pastures. They do not want and do not need all that c...p lol.

1. So, step one for you: ask yourself whether the places are working, crop-growing farms or just horsy places. Since you've not done this before, you'll probably find it easier to start with the horsy people.

2. If horsy people, pick a weekend day.

3. Go up to the door. Introduce yourself...tell them you're a neighbor or you drive by their place all the time. Or something like that.

4. And say something like: you're a gardener who's learned that manures are great for the garden. You saw the horses, and you were curious to know whether they've made any arrangements to get rid of the manures.

5. If they say they have someone who picks it up, just say thanks. ***But also ask whether they have friends who might have manures for you!*** (There you go: instant introduction to the next place!)

6. If they don't have the stuff picked up, ask them whether you could make some kind of arrangement. Offer to pay them for delivery, for example. Or ask whether you could rent a truck and pick it up.

7. If they like the idea, just ask when it would be convenient for them.

8. And voila....you have manure for your garden. :)

Seriously, it shouldn't be hard. Many people would LOVE to get rid of the stuff. They'll THANK you. You'll be a LIFE SAVER.

OK, having babbled on about this, here are my situations, and what I plan to do about it:

1. Neighbor who owns all the property on the other side of the lane has two horses. I know they've spread manures this past fall, but they'll have more by now. Next time I see her (and she's either shy, like you, or just not too sociable, so I don't see her very much), I'll remind her of her offer.

2. Friends own horses. They've offered to bring their truck, loaded. So they'll be easy....I'll invite them and their manure over LOL.

3. Horse farms around the corner from me. Both places have very long drives. I will go there on a weekend day. I probably will just walk, rather than drive up to their houses in my car. Will go through the whole spiel I suggested to you (I live around the corner, my name is lynxe, etc etc).

4. Person who owns the fishing/outdoor clothing & equipment shop up a ways....I got to talking with her while paying for some fishing boots (great for slogging through mucky gardens and around manure piles!). Seems she owns horses, and she hasn't a clue what to do with the manure. It apparently is just PILED up near the stables. She JUMPED at the idea of my taking it. Since, like you, I don't own a truck, she offered to drop it by. Only issue: I feel I should pay for her time, so I need to come to an agreement with her.

5. Manure Mountain. A treasure trove. There's a stable here, horses and mules, with a pile that is literally well over my head. Huge. You could hide several cars under it, I kid you not. And this is aged. I know someone who lives near MM, and she thinks I should just go and take stuff. Instead, I'll park in my friend's drive, walk round the corner to the stables, and start chatting up the people who work there....again, the spiel. In this case, I'll get the owner's name, contact the person (ideally, would prefer to talk in person), and make arrangements. Ideally, it'd be great if someone at the stable would load a pickup for me, with me paying for gas or something. Else I have to rent a truck.

I've gone on too long, but my point is that there's nothing to it. Just tailor what you say to the specific situation, and just ask.

Good luck!

BTW, I live in Bucks County. Not exactly SE PA, but maybe close to you?

Thanks lynxe!

I don't think I could use a truckload of HM just yet -- in fact I'm pretty sure hubby would kill me if that suddenly turned up in the yard! LOL. I was thinking more like a bag or two at a time.

You are right about when to go being the problem.

I'm in Chester County, practically next to to Valley Forge Park. So we're not that far from each other, I think. :)

-aj-

I live in suburban Chicago where we have a number of horse stables located adjacent to our county forest preserves. A few of them actually have signs posting "free manure". I called the one a mile from my house and they said it was free for the taking. When I went to the stable I went to the office and asked if I needed to check every time I wanted some and they said no, just help yourself. The mound is as large as a semi trailer with some fresh stuff as well as aged. The proper term for it is "stable litter", as it's comprised of urine-soaked sawdust, manure and some hay scraps. It's the perfect base for my compost bins at home, as it's somewhat balanced between greens (nitrogen) and browns (carbon). I add my home scraps and mix it once a week. It mixes beautifully because the sawdust particles are fine and loose. After one month I stop adding to it and move it from my starter bin (a modified garbage can) to my finisher/tumbler for an additional month of mixing and aerating. The whole process takes 8 weeks and I produce one heaping wheelbarrow full. I have two batches going simultaneously with the starter and finisher bins, so I get one batch of fine, aged compost per month.

organic....how do you get it to your house? Do you have a truck? I've considered packing the trunk of our older car with plastic tubs or small garbage cans, but it doesn't seem very efficient...a lot of effort, including possible driving time, for a relatively small amount of manure. Hence, my idea of renting a truck.

aj, we're not far from each other at all. I'm just a bit north of Doylestown. Maybe I drove past your house this past summer! One of my local daylily clubs had an event at the house of someone who lives near the park. To get there, I drove down Rt. 611 to the turnpike, got off at the VF exit, took that road (whatever it is) through the park, turned left somewhere just beyond a little town or something, drove into a neighborhood....and there I was, surrounded by daylilies!

ZOMG! My house would be near the 3rd stop light after you get out of that road through the park!

Let me know the next time you decide to drive down to this area -- I will give you directions and make you drink tea while you cluck over the poor messy state of my flower beds.

Heavy-duty bags, such as horse/cow/chicken/dog feed bags, will hold more than those rubbermaid tubs, at least inside a car.

You might ask the stable if they have extras.

Just cover your floorboards & seats, including the backs, with plastic, & drive home with the windows down!

Sounds great, aj. I'd LOVE to cluck over your garden. See....if I'm doing that, I'm not clucking over my own LOL.

Seriously, that'd be fun. I do know that I'll be going back for that same event next August. But if not before then, when you're next in this area, you could stop by. :)

I have to figure out how to change my email address here on my page or whatever it's called. I've moved, and that one no longer works.

You might check craigslist.org in your area, or even request manure on CL or freecycle. You never know what you might find.

Horse owners are usually happy to have you take it away. Often, they have to pay to have it removed, so you just may be doing them a favor. They may also have a pile of spoiled hay to give away as well.

One nice thing about asking strangers (that don't live across the street that is) for things like that, the worst that can happen is they say no, and you go away and never see them again.

I second the suggestion about craigslist. I was able to locate multiple sources in my area by watching the craigslist adverts over time and they are more than happy for you to haul it away.

I really need to call the stables near my parents house. I don't have a place for a mountain of manure at my house, but my parents do and my mom would love it for her garden as well.

I made a flyer and put it in mailboxes of people close with horses. They want to get rid of it as much as you want it most of the time. Now I have an unlimited supply. Luckily I have a dump trailer so I pick up 5 cubic yard loads and just keep a large pile next to the garden in the summer. In the spring it all goes in the garden.

The horse farms around here are happy to see me load up my pickup with manure. A few people put ads in the local paper reading "free manure". The only catch is that I have to compost it myself, it has lots of wood shavings in it.

You've already gotten such good advice. I would just add that I asked my vet when I had my dog in for a checkup. She made a call and hooked me up with access to horse manure any time I can go get it. They literally have a mountain and even load the truck for me!

I've been thinking and thinking about this and what I would do. This would only work if they are within walking distance though. I'd take the dog (or go alone) for a walk many times past their place hoping to see the owners out. Then tell them what lovely horses they have and strike up a conversation. Then right before you leave, say something like...if you ever want to get rid of any of that HM let me know. That should do it. Really only kinda works if it's in walking distance.

Val

You might also post on your local freecycle.

Sylvia, I should have thought of that! I just searched my local freecycle, and lo & behold, someone with a horse farm offered free manure last spring!
I just emailed asking if they are still offering that (fingers crossed).

Can you really go up on a horse farm and "ask " for their poop? How weird would that be?

Not weird at all Sunny. They are usually glad to get rid of it. I get them to load it in my trailer and everything and they call me back and tell me when they have a trailer load. They pay $80 a load to get rid of it here so free is a good deal for them. I can use about 50 cubic yards a year in my garden so it works out great for all. I just pick it up about every 5 weeks and put it in a large compost pile. When I need it, I take it from the oldest part of the pile.

I just need to throw this out there, because I find it absolutely hysterical (I live in PA, too, near Gettysburg).

Pennsylvania has a website called Manure Trader. Seriously. Farmers can list manure for trade or sale. Usually it is a LOT and usually it is up to you to transport, but you can always just try to see if you can take what you need. I mean, they want to get rid of it, right?

Jody

Here is a link that might be useful: PA Manure Trader

OMG, that's awesome.
Darn -- no one posted for my county. I'll keep an eye on it, though.

Thanks baliset!

I have a boarding and training facility near Hanover, PA. You can have as much manure as you like, some aged up to 3 years, and we can provide empty feed bags to fill as well. You can take it by the truck or trailer load, too. FREE.

Horse people are generally very friendly and helpful. You should not be shy about approaching them. If it is a large farm, like mine, then you should be able to find their phone number on the web so that you can call and inquire.

My source for aged manure is just a few miles away. It's a big stable. I have to load it myself. I don't usually compost it but rather mix it with some of my ready compost. For the fresh stuff I just take my wheelbarrow out to my pasture and follow the mules around. LOL!

We will load trucks for you with our tractor and front loader, but if you want bags, you will have to fill those yourself. Bring a shovel...LOL!!!

devirathod at "the who", if you can translate that for an email address, then you can contact me there.

There's a horse farm down the road from me. They beg folks to come take the mountains of horse poo. Some farmers with dump trucks come by for loads that they spread on their hay fields.Another lady nearby has a couple of horses and puts an add in the paper "free manure". IN other words don't be shy, in many cases they see it as you doing them a favor.

Home Depot has those orange buckets with lids for $3.00. I always carry them with me; the lids fit tight, so as not to spill over. A bucket is like getting a bag bought from the store only free. I use five buckets to make the trip worth it. To use the manure I fill the bucket with water and let it soak for a while, and then use the liquid as a fertilizer around some of my more hardy plants. I am hoping that by soaking the manure I will be killing the bugs that I get here, like scorpions, centipedes and roaches large as mice, and of course speed decomposition. The lid will help keep any smells from bumming your neighbors and help drown anything that might crawl out. I then use the stuff without composting it, by digging a hole or trench near where I plant. By the time the plant is big enough the manure has mellowed. Keep in mind that I am in zone 11, manure break down fast here.

Oh and just go to the front office and ask and they will give you the run down on the place like: do not drive too fast, the horse riders have the right away, if you open a gate close it, do not leave gates open, do not feed the horses, though they love them over sized carrots from the garden and if you bring your dog to the stables do not let him chase the chickens. There are probably more rules; those are just the ones that I know, now. Mostly though horse people are good folks and do not mind you being there.

John

I'd start with "I came over here to have a crappy conversation with you..."

I just asked around at work, back in the fall, to see if anyone owned any horses, and yup I found a woman I work with that has horses. From there, I just asked her if they would sell me any of it. She said that I could have whatever I needed in April, for free because the rest of the time the horses are out in the pasture. I then waited till April and asked again. She said yes, come on over and pick up what you want. She gave me her address. I just made sure that she knew when I would be there, and the rest is history.
I thought that I would get just a couple big bags of it, but when I got there her DH wanted to help me fork it onto the truck bed. Well, he forked over half a truck bed full! lol
I guess they really do just want to get rid of it! He even said there was someone who came the night before and took some, and he even has someone who is coming by this weekend to get a couple beds full!
Ask, around. You might be surprised at who has horses!

Show up with a bunch of bags, put a bandanna across your face, obscure the license plate on your truck/car, tell the horse owner "Fill the bags with unmarked manure and no one gets hurt."

Leave your name and number in case he wants to get rid of more later. ;-)

Lloyd

I live in suburban Williamsport, Pa. My horse manure list has nine stables four or five of which will load a truck or a trailer by appointment. None are more that a few miles from my home.

I shared the list with all my gardening friends. "Manna from the rear end of a horse"! I soon ended up purchasing a trailer. It at that time took me three days to unload because it all had to be off loaded and moved up over five terraces to the back of my property. That was done using a small trailer attached to a riding mower. I used it every way you could think of for years.

I used to work with a horse owner and he had to pay a guy to haul his manure off periodically (I'm sure the guy would tehn compost the manure and use it or sell it). He would have been ecstatic to have somebody pick them up.

These guys have it all going on in Ohio. Why do it yourself when Urban Organics does it all right for you!

Composted Horse Manure, worm Castings, fish manures ...

http://www.urbanorganicsohio.com/

Why pay for it if you can get it for free?

Cathy

I live 1/4 mile from a horse boarding/training stable, and they have a pile that must be several hundred cubic yards. There are a couple local farmers who take it and spread it on their fields, but there's too much, (and they always seem to spread the fresh stuff...). I asked and was told "take all you can - there's always more". I borrowed a small dump truck and brought about 20 yards to my house by loading with my small tractor. I dug into the oldest side of the pile, some of it's been sitting there for 3-4 years. It was black and crumbly and ready to use, and now what I have left is full of huge nightcrawlers, the worms are unreal. I am close enough that I could drive the tractor down once or twice a week, grab a bucketful and dump it on the compost pile, and have a perpetual supply. There's probably fifteen other stables within five miles, and a plethora of dairy and goat farms, that are just loaded. A few yards here and there would be easy to get, for free.