Feeding Horses, Humans and Mother Earth
Our Growing Practices
All food is grown without chemicals of any kind and with the gracious help of the horses–muscle and manure!
Feeding Horses: Blue Star Equiculture provides retired working horses a sanctuary, and homeless working horses the opportunity to be useful and positively improve their lives through top-notch care and good, honest work. In our fields, we depend on the horses to help us be responsible stewards of the land---from primary and secondary tillage in the spring, cultivating right through the summer into fall when we’re putting the garden to rest. This work keeps horses fit: body and mind. Bred to work, draft horses thrive when given purpose and in turn show us what it means to work with dignity and grace.
In this work, horses also help to earn money that help cover their own expenses (feed, medical care etc). At Blue Star, all too often we see horses given up because their previous owners could no longer cover the cost of their up keep. As advocates for horses and their place alongside us in our work—creating a space where they help pay their way is an invaluable example, imperative to the survival of the horse in today’s world.
Feeding Humans: Our garden wears so many hats: it’s a classroom, a meditation space, a place to work and a place to play—but equally as important is the fresh, organic vegetables it produces for the community that we love. With food and work that connects the spirit to the rhythm of the seasons, our garden nourishes all who choose to be a part of it.
To connect with our community, BSE offers our CSE as a way to get this healthy, fresh produce into the hands of those who will love and appreciate it as much as we do. We also seek to create a space where those interested can join us in the fields to learn.
Feeding Mother Earth: With the guidance of the horses and the time spent in our fields, we at BSE have strengthened our relationship to the land upon which we live and recognize our role as stewards of this space. We’re committed to growing food in a way that is as responsible and regenerative as possible and look at the health of the soil, plants and people as one. We see the far more value in the long-term investments made in soil health and nutrient density than the short term solutions offered by modern crop treatments. We grow without the use of chemicals and our fields are fertilized with the composted manure from our herd and an annual rotation of cover crops. In this effort, we are constantly exploring different ways that we can nurture our land so that our efforts to feed our community does not leave a negative impact on the land we treasure.
