Ménage made from manure??

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Sammi375

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Hi guys I have been told about making a ménage from your mucking out (straw preferably) I just wondered if anyone has done it and how u do it ? I have heard they are brill and don't freeze etc?? Any help and advise would be appreciated thanks guys x
 
This is my thinking exactly menage is so expensive! However I don't want to make a mess and it not do it right! In theory it's a fab idea but drainage etc could be a problem I don't really know!
 
I think if this was the case, it's the best kept secret in the horse world!! I can't imagine that it would work personally.... (although I would love to be corrected!)
 
I've heard of using dirty straw to make walkways, temporary pens and circular areas for lunging/walking in icy or snowy weather where riding and turnout may be restricted but not a proper manege for long term use
 
WelshD said:
I've heard of using dirty straw to make walkways, temporary pens and circular areas for lunging/walking in icy or snowy weather where riding and turnout may be restricted but not a proper manege for long term use
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^^^ This.
It's only a temporary measure, and is not meant to be a long-term solution. Keep in mind that it gets slippery as hell when wet!
 
Cptrayes dont say that! :( we are currently half way through doing an outdoor one after a local riding school did this in there indoor.
Have to say so far its not looking good though. I think for summer/ light showers its great but depths of winter really isnt working. Its really soft so i imagine it will make falling off a little comfier! :)
 
my instructor built her menage (school) 40 years ago...good old fashioned dirt school and adds dirty shaving every now and then which break down fromng a brown dust/dirt very soft but gets everywhere if you fall off and occasssionally she waters it
 
The stable I worked in in Ireland (3x SJers and a riding school based there) did the same as LittleRocket Rider and it worked well. They would mix in fresh shavings occasionally. This was an indoor one.
 
I know someone who has done this in an indoor arena, it was a type of wood chip shavings they used in the stables , it did dry out and make a very dusty fine surface that if wet went to a solid lump. Was fine to turn the horses into for a frolic but terrible to ride in
 
cptrayes said:
What's the issue? Stabled horses lie in their own muck at night.
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For me the issue would be that it would look a complete eyesore for miles around, if it gets very dry it will blow around the yard making an even bigger mess, and my horses will constantly smell of manure, which I would find revolting. I know the horses lay in their beds at night, but I have no intention of making an arena surface out of the bits I take out.

I also do not believe for one minute it would ever work - you need a sub base and a well draining surface. Seriously, sand is not that expensive.
 
RunToEarth said:
For me the issue would be that it would look a complete eyesore for miles around, if it gets very dry it will blow around the yard making an even bigger mess, and my horses will constantly smell of manure, which I would find revolting. I know the horses lay in their beds at night, but I have no intention of making an arena surface out of the bits I take out.

I also do not believe for one minute it would ever work - you need a sub base and a well draining surface. Seriously, sand is not that expensive.
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I've already said that it won't work outdoors. Indoors, properly done and kept damp, mine rides like a waxed surface.

The question though, was about bacteria, not whether it will work as a surface.
 
cptrayes said:
mine rides like a waxed surface.
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That would worry me far more than the smell, the appearance and in fact the entire idea of it.

Most surfaces these days are over waxed. Ride like toffee in the heat and concrete in the cold; leaving horses tripping left, right and centre.

Not the kind of surface I would want to ride on long term.

Sand and clopf is very cost effective, easy to maintain and rides well.
 
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nikkimariet said:
That would worry me far more than the smell, the appearance and in fact the entire idea of it.

Most surfaces these days are over waxed. Ride like toffee in the heat and concrete in the cold; leaving horses tripping left, right and centre.

Not the kind of surface I would want to ride on long term.

Sand and clopf is very cost effective, easy to maintain and rides well.
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Sigh.

Mine rides like a good waxed surface. Neither hard nor soft, no tripping.

It has saved me from having to manage a muck heap and removal of the muck heap for many years and costs only half a dozen bales of shavings a year to maintain a small barn in which my boys are 'stabled' together and which I ride in only when the weather is too severe to be outdoors, like this morning. I would not pay for a good surface in there to ride on because it would be ruined by them also living in there at night in winter and during the day in summer. For others in the same situation, a muck surface will work well if properly managed.
 
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