Technically speaking you can use fresh manure (yucky). Manure heats up as it decomposes so you would not want it by young plants with tender new roots. You also would not want to place very much in one spot so that you don't burn feeder roots. Lets face it if you have outside kitties rabbits ect. theres fresh manure out there.

The bigger danger is the pathogens contained in manure. Thanks to the extensive use of antibiotics especially in cows and chickens. Newer strains of antibiotic resistant forms of e-coli are emerging. Thou infection from pathogens is still rare. All dung whether from us, our pets or other animals contains pathogens.

You may wish to consider water run off for example does your rain runoff into your neighbors veggie garden. Properly composted manure does kill off most pathogens in manure. I say most as some of the newer strain are resisting death be normal composting. So this was more information than you asked for. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

As Patty suggests, the nitrogen from the horse pee might be too strong for tender, young plants. I would add it depends upon the climate, too. I've used many truck loads of stuff right out of the animals over the years in my rose beds, with only passing chlorosis due to the tremendous growth triggered by the "stuff". But, I am in a completely different climate with totally different soil, water and temperatures. What worked well for me in the mid desert, didn't work well along the coast where it was tremendously cooler and wetter. If your heat is high and the manure is kept well watered, it should break down quickly and trigger an explosion of growth which should settle down and look perfect in a few weeks. If your conditions aren't "hot" and the stuff remains too wet, you may encounter less desirable issues. Definitely, in either set of conditions, keep it away from the crowns of the plants. Spreading it from just around the drip lines of the plants and between them would be better than pushing it up underneath the bushes. I would make sure the soil is very well watered before spreading, then water the manure quite well to start leaching the urine (nitrogen) and other salts from it so it percolates through the roil and feeder roots to "fertilize" the plants. As long as the right balance of heat, oxygen and moisture are achieved and maintained, your manure should begin cooking, composting in place and the plants should love it. Much of that is going to depend upon your temps and water.

So much knowledge here. I now have a good sense of how to use my friend's horse offerings. Thank you all so much.

Martinca, did you apply the manure this past spring and how did it work for your roses?

No, I didn't, bcause of all the above " yes, but" advice. I was left thinking, "when in doubt, do without". However, they're due for their mid summer trim, and I may give it a try .

As a miniature horse owner and manic gardener, I've composted manure for 14 years and have never had any bad effects. My horses live in dry lots and hand-graze our lawn, so they eat a minimum of weeds and no herbicides. You need to ask the owner if their horses' hay has been treated with aminopyralid, as some farmers use it on hay crops and it will kill your plants. I wait a year before using horse manure on edibles, but for ornamentals it depends upon the individual plant. Irises would grow right beneath the horse if they could. Roses like it fairly fresh, but to be safe I put thoroughly finished compost near the roots and keep the newer stuff further away, where it composts in place. Aesthetically, I prefer not to have manure balls visible in my garden beds, but when they do I just refer to them as time release capsules. I just opened a forgotten garbage filled with 5-year-old manure compost. Black gold!

I suggest you let it age for one year. Turn it over monthly, that will hasten the process. It seems like a long time, but besides the pathogens needing to be neutralized, there will be weed and grain seeds from the hay and straw intermixed in the pure fresh dung that need to germinate, then be turned over to kill them.

Fresh manure will burn like crazy, damaging or even killing your roses. Horse manure is very hot. Horses are very inefficient digesters of food taken in to convert into muscle or for energy, they being ungulates having only one stomach. Their food is not entirely digested as it exits making a very rich dung which needs time to continue decomposition to be safe to use.

The wetter and hotter your climate the faster the manure will age/compost.

I use partially composted pigeon manure from my loft, top dressed, barely scratched into the pine bark mulch. It's put down once a year, a year's supply started last year's November put down in this year's November just when the roses go dormant. By leaf out in mid March it is fully decomposed. If I put fresh pigeon manure down during any time of active growth severe damage would be the result.

Great care must be exercised with any manure other than well composted.