From the paddock to the sea – horses and water management
Horses play an important role in many European countries, both as a hobby and as a business. At the same time, keeping horses can have a negative impact on the environment, as nutrients leach from the manure and contribute to eutrophication of water bodies. Many horse farms and equestrian facilities need concrete support in their environmental work.
“From the paddock to the sea” is an international conference to share experiences, increase awareness of the risks of nutrient leakage from horse keeping and discuss possible measures and solutions.
The conference will be held in English.
Participation and registration
This two-day conference is of interest for persons working on issues related to environmental protection and water management, at local, regional or national level, researchers, advisers and of course the horse keeping community. The conference is free of charge. Online participation is possible on 24 April.
Registrations for on-site participation is now closed.
You can still sign up for online participation. Register here.
Workshops 24 April
On-site participants will chose one of the four workshops. The workshops are described here.
Agenda
Day 1: 24 April 2024, Västerås, Sweden
| 10.00 – 10.20 | Welcome Key note speaker: Karolina Lagerlund, director, Swedish Horse Industry Foundation (HNS) |
| 10.20 – 10.35 | Eutrophication – an overview of horse keeping and water status in Sweden Martin Erlandsson Lampa, Water Authority of the North Baltic Sea Water District |
| 10.35 – 10.55 | Supervision to create awareness among horse keepers Johannes Eskilsson, Swedish Board of Agriculture |
| 10.55 – 11.20 | Sustainability of equine housing systems – a Swiss perspective Marianne Cockburn, Agroscope/Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Switzerland |
| 11.20 – 11.50 | EUnet Horse – a Horizon project in 9 countries Amandine Julien, French Horse and Riding Institute |
| 11.50 – 13.00 | Exhibition and lunch |
| 13.00 – 13.15 | Impacts of horse keeping on water quality Helena Aronsson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| 13.15 – 13.30 | Horses, the landscape and biodiversity Monica Hammer, Södertörn University |
| 13.30 – 13.50 | Preventing harmful effects on water bodies Markku Saastamoinen, LUKE Natural Research Institute, Finland |
| 13.55 – 14.00 | Short break |
| 14.00 – 15.00 | Swedish initiatives on horses and sustainability – outlook for the future Greppa Näringen/Focus on Nutrients, Race for the Baltic, Swedish Horse Industry Foundation, Swedish Equestrian Federation |
| 15.00 – 15.30 | Coffee break |
| 15.30 – 16.30 | For on-site participants: Workshops: 1. Catchment approach to horse keeping 2. Manure as a resource 3. Effects and experiences from water measures on horse farms 4. Project development For online participants: Water planning at the farm level and advisory services for horse keepers Mia Sklenar, LIFE IP Rich Waters |
| 16.30 – 17.00 | Reports from workshops and closing of day 1 |
Day 2: 25 April 2024, Strömsholm National Equestrian Center
| 8.30 – 9.00 | Bus from Västerås to Strömsholm National Equestrian Center |
| 9.00 – 10.00 | Water planning at the farm level and advisory services for horse keepers Mia Sklenar, LIFE IP Rich Waters Line Strand, Hushållningssällskapet |
| 10.00 – 10.30 | Water planning at Strömsholm National Equestrian Center Linda Kjellberg, environmental coordinator, Strömsholm |
| 10.30 – 11.00 | Coffee break |
| 11.00 – 12.00 | Site visit, Strömsholm |
| 12.00 – 13.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 – 13.30 | Bus back to Västerås |
About the organisers
The EU-funded project LIFE IP Rich Waters started in January 2017. The overall goal is to improve the aquatic environment in the Northern Baltic Sea River Basin District. LIFE IP Rich Waters is a partnership between national authorities, municipalities, companies, researchers and water preservation associations. Among other things, project partners have developed a method for water planning at horse farms to identify and describe high risks of nutrient leaching.
Practical information
Venue: The conference takes place at Hotel Plaza, Kopparbergsvägen 10 in central Västerås: https://plazavasteras.se/en/. Day 2 includes a field trip to Strömsholm National Equestrian Center, approximately 30 minutes by bus from Västerås: https://stromsholm.com/.
Food: Vegetarian lunch, coffee and snacks are provided to conference participants both days. Please inform us of any food allergies or special requirements in advance.
Questions? Contact Rosita Ericsson, rosita.ericsson@lansstyrelsen.se or Lova Lind, lova.lind@lansstyrelsen.se
