Caring for a couple of horses as a single woman takes time and dedication, along with a lot of hard work. Caring for 30 horses on 25 acres takes a team. And that is just what Norma Furlong, owner of Vossenberg Farms in Ridgefield, Washington has at her disposal, in the form of family, friends, neighbors, hired help, and local agency personnel. Anna Collier, Norma’s daughter, operates much of the equestrian aspect of the farm, while Norma sees herself as the facilities manager. Over the past 12 years Norma transformed her property from a former racehorse rehabilitation facility into a unique eventing equestrian property. Along the way, she cultivated key relationships that allowed her to complete projects which have improved and enhanced the property for people, horses, wildlife, and the environment.

Vossenberg Farms sits among rolling hills above the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The farm’s proximity to such valuable wildlife habitat, along with a creek and pond on the property, inspired Norma to implement projects to control runoff and keep water clean. Norma also felt “it simply needed to be done.” The farm stables between 25 and 30 horses, most of whom participate in eventing with their owners. A riding trail surrounds the property and a small cross-country course is located near the front of the property. The riding trail has the added benefit of allowing access for perimeter fence maintenance.

The property has three barns and a large 80’ by 180’enclosed arena. The arena alone produces nearly 400,000 gallons of runoff per year, and together all of the buildings produce nearly a million gallons of water per year. With so much runoff, Norma knew she needed to manage it to make her place useable and safe, keep costs down, and reduce chore time. All of that runoff presents a large problem since it causes mud at entryways, gates, and in turnouts. The original gutters and downspouts were replaced on the barns, many of which were falling down or even absent in some cases. Gutters were also installed when building the covered arena. Gutters are an important first step in managing roof runoff. Using the gutters and downspouts to collect rain water from the barns and arena, runoff is diverted around entryways, turnouts, and gates. The runoff is then diverted into a series of underground pipes, which eventually outlet the clean rainwater to the vegetated buffer above the creek on the southern property boundary. The rainwater receives additional filtration as it flows through grass and plants before eventually making its way to the stream.

Some of the rainwater from one of the barns is collected in a 1,200 gallon tank. This stored water was found to be invaluable one summer when the well went dry. While waiting for another well to be drilled, Norma was able to water the horses, a feat that would have been impossible without the tank. Since then, the water is occasionally used for the horses, particularly during power outages and extremely cold weather.

Norma admitted that along the way she “has made some mistakes.” When creating turnout areas for a stallion and young horses, a felt fabric was used under the rock and gravel footing materials. The felt material did not hold up well in these heavily-used areas. Mud eventually worked its way through the felt and mixed with the gravel, making a mess. “We used road fabric on other parts of the farm and it has held up perfect,” Norma says. Despite the cost of road fabric, Norma feels the investment was worth it, as it provides a good separation barrier between the underlying soil and gravel footing, while allowing water to filter through. This keeps the expensive gravel footing material clean and increases the longevity of the turnouts. Norma emphasizes that the fabric “is only worth the investment if it is installed properly.”

A big decision Norma made to reduce mud and protect water quality was to fence the horses out of the sloped area above the stream and the stream itself. She felt it was important to keep soil and manure particles out of the stream, protecting it for fish and wildlife. The stream, a tributary of Gee Creek, flows through the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge before entering the Columbia River. This area was previously covered with blackberries, so a contractor was hired to clear the area. The blackberries were replaced with native plants from the local Clark Conservation District’s annual plant sale, a source of low-cost native plants. Working with the Gee Creek Watershed Program, over 430 trees and shrubs were planted at a Saturday work party, with the help of more than 30 Boy Scouts and volunteers. With help from her brother, Dan, Norma has worked to keep weeds from taking over the young plants, to give them a chance to grow. Dan has taken classes to learn about proper herbicide application from his local Washington State University Extension office in Ferry County and was glad to assist on the farm.

With 30 horses to care for, there is always a lot to do, including cleaning stalls. The average horse produces 50 pounds of manure a day, along with any bedding. Nearly a ton of manure and soiled bedding must be disposed of at Vossenberg Farms every day. The stall cleaners initially piled the material in an effort to compost it, but the material could not be used or disposed of quickly enough and the piles got too big to keep covered. Uncovered manure piles exposed to rain water can leach out nutrients and wash them into the nearest water body, presenting a potential source of pollution. Keeping piles covered also improves the composting process by retaining moisture and helping the pile heat up, killing weeds seeds and pathogens. Proper composting may also reduce the total volume by up to 50%.

While taking the free Living on the Land course at the local WSU Clark County Extension office, Norma learned of two partner organizations that provide cost share funds for best management practices to farms meeting certain criteria. She received funding from the Natural Resource Conservation Services’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program in 2005. This program offered Norma funds and a five year plan to implement guttering and drainage to reduce mud, and manure storage for composting. However, unanticipated cost increases nearly prevented Norma from finishing the manure storage building. The Clark Conservation District pitched in additional funds and, with some other money from the Washington State Conservation Commission, Norma was able to complete the building. The composted manure will be given away in the meantime, but Norma is considering selling it in the future—a great way to turn a problem into a resource. The compost is currently being monitored for temperature, to ensure weed seeds are killed, making it more attractive to nurseries and commercial growers. Although the process provided her with funds to complete valuable projects, she cautions anyone looking into funds such as these to “be aware of the requirements of any grants you apply for.”

Norma’s efforts earned her status as a model farm from the Small Acreage Program in Clark County. She received a sign, so people on their way to the nearby wildlife refuge can recognize the success of her hard work and know what a good horse property looks like. She has also showcased her farm in several public tours, in partnership with the Small Acreage Program and the Clark Conservation District. She encourages all landowners to seek support and to “not be fearful of opening your facility for evaluation. I highly recommend the classes [at WSU Extension]. There are some great opportunities for receiving supportive advice.”

Norma feels the relationships she has formed over the years have been very valuable. “What we’ve found in the community is that people help each other out or trade. Some neighbors have become friends and clients of the farm.” As Norma has shown, careful planning and community involvement can pay off with less mud, well managed manure, great friendships, and a beautiful property she can be proud of.

For more information and links to the programs described in this article click here.

Erin Harwood coordinates the Small Acreage Program, a partnership between WSU Extension Clark County, Clark County Clean Water Program, & the Clark Conservation District. She assists small acreage landowners in managing their property through workshops, tours, classes, resource materials, & individual assistance. Reach her at (360) 397-6060 x7720 or erin.harwood@clark.wa.gov.