Determination of Phosphorus and Nitrogen Environmental Load From Six Different Bedding Types Used in an Equine Facility

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the environmental load of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) from six different bedding materials used in an equine facility. Six horses were housed on six bedding materials—peat moss (PM), wood shavings (WS), wood pellets (WP), straw (ST), chopped straw (CS), and corn cob hulls (CC)— for 7 days each in a Latin Square design. Waste was removed once daily, weighed, mixed, and a 10% sample was saved. At the end of each 7-day period, all samples were pooled, mixed, and a representative sample was analyzed for concentration of P and N. Daily waste removed was highest in ST, followed by CS, WS, WP, PM, and CC (21.1 kg/day, 17.8 kg/day, 16.7 kg/day, 15.5 kg/day, 10.6 kg/day, and 10.5 kg/day, respectively; P P P