When you have horses, dealing with manure is simply a fact of life. After all, an average-sized horse defecates anywhere from 4 to 13 times each day. This means each horse produces approximately 35 to 50 pounds of manure per day. [1].
Other than cleaning stalls and paddocks, horse owners may not pay too much attention to their horse’s manure. However, manure can tell you a lot about your horse’s health, especially when it comes to their digestive system.
It’s good to get in the habit of doing a daily check of your horse’s manure. Not only will this help you figure out what’s normal for your horse, but it will also help you spot any problems early.”
Continue reading to learn about different appearances of manure and what this can tell you about your horse. If you notice any sudden changes or if your horse’s manure looks strange, this could be a sign of a health problem. Contact your veterinarian if you are concerned about changes in your horse’s bowel movements.
As a horse owner, you get very familiar with managing manure. But have you ever wondered just how often horses pass manure in a day? The frequency of defecation varies quite a bit between individual horses based on diet, exercise level, health status and other factors. Here’s a closer look at how often you can expect your horse to poop along with what influences pooping frequency.
The Average Pooping Frequency
Most healthy adult horses will defecate somewhere between 8 to 12 times per day. This equates to roughly once every 2 to 3 hours when they are awake and active. However, this average can fluctuate up or down pretty significantly. Some horses may only pass manure 5 or 6 times a day while others can go 20 times or more.
Foals tend to defecate even more frequently, sometimes up to 30 times per day when very young. This is likely due to their smaller intestinal capacity and faster transit time of ingesta. As the digestive system matures, defecation frequency decreases to adult levels by around 6 months of age.
Diet Affects Frequency
One of the biggest factors influencing poop frequency is diet. Horses eating higher fiber diets, such as high roughage or all-forage, will defecate more often than horses eating concentrates and low fiber diets.
Fiber is not digested in the small intestine like other nutrients. Instead it passes to the hindgut where fiber-digesting bacteria break it down via fermentation. This process happens continuously leading to almost constant production of waste material that must be eliminated.
Horses fed high-quality, early maturity hays will generally poop less than those eating more mature, stemmy hays. Leafy, fine-stemmed hays are more rapidly and thoroughly digested compared to coarse hays.
Conversely horses fed high grain low forage diets tend to defecate less. Grains and concentrates are more thoroughly digested and absorbed by enzymes in the small intestine, resulting in less undigested material reaching the hindgut.
Exercise Increases Frequency
Exercise and activity level also impact pooping frequency. The muscular contractions during exercise help move ingesta through the digestive tract at a faster rate. This faster gut motility equals more frequent manure output.
Horses worked frequently or for longer durations will defecate more often than horses in light work or at pasture. The intensity of exercise also plays a role. Faster paced work that engages the entire body leads to greater increases in motility and defecation rates versus slower, steady exercise like trail riding.
In addition, many horses feel an urge to defecate shortly after starting exercise as activity stimulates their bowels. So that first poop on a trail ride is often quickly followed by a second once the horse relaxes again into exercise.
Health Issues Can Cause Changes
Diseases of the digestive tract often alter manure output. For example, horses with chronic diarrhea may defecate up to 50% more often than healthy horses.
Impacted ingesta, intestinal blockages, inflammatory bowel disease and other conditions that impair gut motility tend to greatly reduce frequency. Colic can temporarily stop manure passage altogether.
Parasites may increase poop frequency as damage to the intestinal lining can speed up ingesta transit time. Meanwhile, Sand colic can cause reduced manure output.
If you notice an unexplained, persistent increase or decrease in your horse’s manure frequency, have your vet examine them for potential health issues.
Individual Variation
While the average poop rate per day is around 8 to 12 times, individual differences play a large role. Some horses just tend to poop more than others on the same diet and management.
Breed and size may account for some of this variability. Draft horse breeds like Percherons and Clydesdales often have a reputation as prolific manure producers. Small pony breeds tend to defecate less than light horse breeds.
Age can also be a factor with young and senior horses tending towards more frequent defecation. Individual metabolism, digestibility, transit time and gut flora all contribute to differences among horses.
Tips For Managing Frequent Poopers
While poop frequency is strongly influenced by diet and exercise, some individuals just seem predisposed to defecating more often. Here are some tips for managing horses who pass manure upwards of 15 to 20 times per day:
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Feed smaller hay meals 4 to 6 times daily rather than 1 or 2 large meals. This helps slow intake and minimize waste.
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Prioritize exercise before feeding. The spurt of gut motility during exercise will clear out some manure before more food goes in.
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Provide ample turnout time since movement and grazing keeps the gut active.
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Choose feeds with quality fibers that are highly digestible such as alfalfa, beet pulp or soybean hulls.
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Check teeth regularly since poor dentition decreases digestibility.
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Deworm frequently to prevent parasites from exacerbating loose manure.
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Consider probiotics to support healthy fermentation in the hindgut.
While passing manure is just a fact of life with horses, paying attention to poop frequency can give you insight into your horse’s health and diet efficiency. Knowing what factors affect defecation patterns can help you manage prolific poopers and catch problems early. With a little diligence, you and your horse can stay on top of manure production.
What Does Healthy Horse Manure Look Like?
Manure has several identifying characteristics that can relay information about a horse’s health. These characteristics include consistency, color, odor, and overall appearance. When you look at your horse’s waste, remember these things and compare them to what is normal for your horse.
Because healthy horse manure can look different depending on diet and age, it’s important to keep an eye on each horse on a regular basis to see what its health indicators are.
Normal horse manure should appear as well-formed fecal balls that are moist and easily breakable. Bad things can happen if manure is either very dry and hard or very loose and wet.
With that said, occasional loose manure may simply reflect a recent change in diet. This can happen in spring when green grass begins to come in. Moving a horse to a new pasture with different grasses or more full-grown, diverse plants may also cause loose manure. [2].
The color of your horse’s manure reflects the contents of their diet and how well they’re digesting food. In some cases, unusual color is an indication of medical concern. The following are all colors that you might see in a horse’s manure: [3][4][9].
Brown
A brown color is considered normal and suggests the horse’s digestive system is functioning as it should. Brown manure indicates your horse is eating an appropriate diet and is absorbing nutrients properly.
Green
Green manure usually indicates undigested plant material in the gut. If horses are eating lush, green pasture or hays with a lot of chlorophyll, like alfalfa, this color might be seen as normal. Green manure usually isn’t a problem unless it occurs in conjunction with diarrhea.
Black, Tarry, or Abnormally Dark
In newborn foals, passing black feces, known as meconium, is normal. If an older horse is passing black or dark manure, it could mean that its stomach is bleeding. This could be from severe ulcers or other problems.
If you notice black or tarry manure coming from your mature horse, contact your veterinarian right away.
Red or Bloody
If there are red spots or signs of blood in the manure, it means that your horse may be bleeding a lot in the right dorsal colon and/or small colon. Other causes of red or bloody manure include colitis, parasites, or rectal tears. Red or bloody manure is another cause for immediate veterinary attention.
Remember that being fed a lot of beet pulp can also turn manure a reddish-brown color. In such cases, fecal balls may also have a clear film around them. It’s always a good idea to have your vet look at your horse’s red poop if you’re not sure what’s causing it.
Yellow
If you see yellow manure, it could mean that you have liver disease or limited bile flow, which usually means that you have trouble digesting fats in your food. However, horses on a high-fat or high-grain diet may also have yellowish manure.
Get your horse to the vet right away if it has yellow poop, is tired, or acts differently in any other way.
Other Colors
Sometimes horse manure can appear other colors such as gray, orange, or even purple. These colors are usually caused by specific medications, supplements or feed additives. However, if these color change occurs with other symptoms, contact your veterinarian.
| Color | Status | Possible Causes | Requires Medical Attention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | Normal | Manure from a healthy horse should be brown and well formed | No |
| Green | Normal | Undigested plant material, resulting from eating lush grasses | No |
| Black or Tarry | Normal in newborn foals; Abnormal otherwise | In foals, black meconium is the first stool passed after birth Otherwise, could point to bleeding high in the GI tract | Yes, except for meconium |
| Red or Bloody | Abnormal | Bleeding in the GI tract, such as from ulcers or rectal tears | Yes |
| Yellow | Abnormal | Biliary system dysfunction leading to improper digestion of fats | Yes |
| Other Colors | Variable | Certain medications or feed additives | Yes |
Horse manure that is healthy shouldn’t smell bad or strong, but it might smell earthy or like hay or grass. If the smell is strong or bad, it could mean that there is an infection or problem with the digestive system that needs to be looked into.
Fresh, healthy horse manure should be moist, well-formed into clear feces balls, and keep its shape. This means the horse is properly hydrated and digesting food.
The size of the feces ball can depend on the breed of horse. Ponies and smaller breeds produce smaller feces balls than larger breeds. It’s important to know the normal fecal ball size for your horse to detect any changes.
It can be helpful to think of stool quality as a spectrum. This manure scoring chart can help horse owners evaluate where on the spectrum their horse’s stool lies. [15].
| Stool Score | Name | Description | Requires Medical Attention |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watery Diarrhea | Stool is more water than solid. Horse may not have any control over defecation (a.k.a. “firehose” diarrhea) | Yes, urgently |
| 2 | Diarrhea | Stool is very wet, does not hold its shape. May be malodorous | Yes |
| 3 | Soft, Unformed | Stool has some shape but is difficult to pick up | Yes, if persistent |
| 4 | Soft, Formed | Normal manure | No |
| 5 | Firm, Formed | Manure is formed and dry, may start to crumble when picked up | No, but watch for progression of symptoms |
| 6 | Hard, Dry | Manure is very crumbly. Horse may have difficulty defecating | Yes, especially if horse has difficulty defecating or shows early signs of colic |
If the feces balls in your horse’s waste are smaller than usual, this could mean that they took longer to move through the descending colon. If this is the case, the fecal balls are often covered in mucus and appear slimy. [4][5].
Horses with dental issues may have large or undigested feed particles in their manure. You may observe whole grains or pieces of grass or hay in the feces. Undigested feed particles are more common in older horses with worn or missing teeth, contributing to improper chewing.
What Does Abnormal Horse Manure Look Like?
Over the course of the year, changes in diet, exercise routines, the seasons, and other aspects of your horse’s life can cause slight changes in the quality of his manure.
However, sudden or prolonged changes might indicate an underlying health issue affecting your horse. It is helpful to know the signs of strange horse manure so you can know when to call your vet for help.
Diarrhea in horses is characterized as an increased frequency of defecation with increased water content in the feces. [9] Manure that is very loose and watery is not normal and can happen for many reasons, usually because of illness.
Changing blood flow in the intestines and electrolyte imbalances caused by the intestines holding on to water can be linked to this condition. [6].
Horses can get diarrhea from bacterial infections, parasites, antibiotic treatment, or other conditions that make it hard for the gut to absorb nutrients.
Because antibiotics kill both “good” and “bad” bacteria in the gut, they can make you have diarrhea or loose stools. While this type of diarrhea isn’t usually dangerous, it is important to monitor the horse’s condition. If it persists, contact your veterinarian for guidance.
Common antibiotics that cause this side effect include: [7]
- Tetracyclines
- Macrolides
- Cephalosporin
- Fluoroquinolone
- Trimethroprim-sulponamides
- Chloramphenicol
- B-lactams
- Metronidazole
Diarrhea associated with antibiotics should clear up after the horse finishes their course of medication. Adding probiotics to the horse’s diet following treatment is a good idea to support the horse’s gut microbiome.
Horses can get diarrhea from a number of different bacterial infections, which usually have other symptoms and need antibiotic treatment. Infections may be caused by: [4][6].
- Salmonella spp., causing salmonellosis
- Clostridium spp., causing colitis
- Neorickettsia risticii, causing Potomac Horse Fever
- Lawsonia intracellularis, causing Equine Proliferative Enteropathy
Always consult with your veterinarian if you suspect your horse has developed a bacterial infection.
Equine diarrhea can also be caused by having a lot of parasites inside the body, often along with losing weight and being in bad shape. Several parasites that may cause diarrhea in horses include: [3][4][8].
- Cyathostomins spp.
- Parascaris spp.
- Cryptosporidium spp.
- Tapeworms
If you think your horse has parasites, you can get a fecal egg count by giving your vet a sample of his or her manure or sending it to a lab that does this kind of test. Fecal egg counts can help you choose the right dewormer and let you know if the ones you’re already using are working. [8].
Diarrhea in horses may also be caused by viruses such as equine coronoavirus (ECoV), rotavirus, and protozoal infections. [4][6].
Most viruses don’t need to be treated; they just need to run their course. However, your horse may need supportive care to stay healthy.
Malabsorption syndromes, characterized by inadequate nutrient absorption in the intestines, can also cause diarrhea in horses. These conditions often present with additional symptoms like weight loss, colic, lethargy, and dermatitis. [3].
Malabsorption isn’t common in horses, but it can happen when the intestinal mucosa can’t absorb or transport nutrients properly. This is usually because of problems with the small intestine’s structure or function. Malabsorption syndromes can also involve complications in related organs such as the pancreas, liver, and biliary tract. [3] Intro to Equine NutritionGain a deeper understanding of your horses nutrition needs. This free introductory course provides a foundation for horse owners to learn how to balance your horses diet.
More than half of all foals before they are weaned get diarrhea, making it one of the most common health problems in young foals. [9].
Foals with diarrhea are even more at risk of dehydration and the problems that come with it because their bodies are not as good at dealing with fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
Additionally, foals have less developed immune systems, increasing their risk of severe infections and complications from diarrhea-causing pathogens. Prompt veterinary attention is crucial to prevent potentially life-threatening issues in foals with diarrhea.
Common causes of diarrhea in foals include: [9]
- Enteritis
- Rotavirus
- Foal heat diarrhea
- Perinatal asphyxia syndrome
- Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
- Dietary imbalances
- Equine gastric ulcer syndrome
- Luminal irritation
- Secondary lactose intolerance
Foals between the ages of 4 and 15 days often get foal heat diarrhea, which usually lasts for 3 to 4 days. Scientists think it’s because of changes in the mare’s milk or gut bacteria during foal heat, which is the first time a mare ovulates after giving birth.
Foal heat diarrhea usually goes away on its own. These foals aren’t sick in any other way and are still nursing well. [9].
If your horse’s manure is overly dry, it might be a sign of dehydration or insufficient water intake. If you have hard, dry stools, it could mean that your digestion is slower than usual. This could be an early sign of colic.
Colic in horses, characterized by abdominal pain, can stem from various factors, including: [8][10][11]
- High parasite load
- Sudden changes in diet
- Excessive grain consumption
- Pregnancy
- Limited movement due to stall confinement
- Lack of forage
- Frequent NSAID use
Dry, hard manure may also be covered in mucus, which is another sign of slow gastrointestinal transit time. Should your horse have dry, hard, or mucus-covered poop and other signs of colic, like not eating, lying down more than usual, or rolling, you should call your vet right away.
Gritty manure is often due to high sand content in the feces. It’s not unusual for horse manure to contain small amounts of sand, soil, or gravel. Horses sometimes ingest small amounts of these materials while grazing or feeding from the ground.
But if there is a lot of sand in the manure, it means that your horse probably has sand in their colon, which can cause sand impaction, which can be fatal. [4][12] Contact your veterinarian to obtain an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.
Because horses are constantly exposed to different internal parasites, it is normal for some parasites to be in the digestive tract. These parasites can lay millions of eggs per day that are excreted in manure.
Without a microscope, these eggs are too small to see. However, whole worms or parasites are sometimes found in horse manure. If you do see parasites, you should put the manure sample in a bag that can be sealed and take it to your vet to be checked out.
Based on this, your veterinarian can suggest a suitable deworming treatment, such as Ivermectin paste.
It’s important for horse owners to regularly check their horse’s manure for normal color and consistency. Monitoring your horse often not only sets a baseline, but it also helps find digestive problems or illnesses early on.
Keep these points in mind when evaluating your horse’s manure:
- Horses that are healthy produce manure that is made up of brown, wet, well-formed fecal balls that are easy to break.
- If you feed your animals a lot of alfalfa or beet pulp, the color of their manure can change.
- You can expect small changes in your horse’s waste when it is stressed, when the diet is changed, or when it is on antibiotics.
- If your pet has diarrhea, stools that are too dry or hard, sloppy waste, or parasites that you can see, you should take them to the vet.
Manure Management Options for Horse Farms
FAQ
How long can a horse go without pooping?
How often does a horse poop in 24 hours after?
How many poos does a horse do a day?
How many times a day does a horse poop?
The average, a horse poops 35-50 lbs of manure output a day and will poop between 4-12 times in a 24 hour period. A horse defecates by setting its legs wide apart, raising its tail, and then straining to release its manure. When it’s all out, you’ll see the animal contract its rectum before going about its usual business.
Do horses poop?
I often say to people that a horse’s hooves are the windows to their bodies, so learning how to read the hoof is essential not only to soundness but to possibly pin-pointing certain health issues. On the other end of the spectrum is another indicator of health – your horse’s poop. This also holds true for you.
How long does it take a horse to poop?
Fact: it takes a horse about 36 to 72 hours to turn whatever it eats into poop aka horse apples. The whole process starts when the horse takes food into its mouth. As the animal chews, the horse’s saliva starts to break down the food matter. This initial step works to turn feed, grains, or roughage into more manageable, digestible particles.
How long does horse poop take to turn into manure?
It takes between 36 and 72 hours in total for horse feed to completely transform from a bite of food into manure. Horse poop can reveal much about a horse’s health. By paying attention to the three C’s—color, consistency, and control—you can get a good idea of your horse’s overall health. Color
How many Poos do your horses produce?
So the conclusion I drew was that my horses, between them, produce approximately 9000 poos per year, which means I have to use my scoop approximately 18000 times in a year. This post is quite irrelevant and shows the musings of a troubled mind on a Thursday evening poo-pick mission; but I wondered how many poos your horses produce?
Can horse poop be used as fuel?
Aside from fertilizer, horse manure can also be used as heating fuel. One innovative farmer used dried horse fecal matter which he formed into bricks to use as fuel for fires. How much should a horse poop? The average adult horse produces a total weight of between 35-50 pounds of manure a day at a rate of 4-12 times in a 24 hour period.