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Going green isn't just for humans these days. In Montgomery County, where residents share the land with a growing population of about 14,000 horses, horse keepers need to think about more than just their own impact on the environment, according to David Tobin, equine resources coordinator for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Though horses are often associated with open space and conservation, according to Tobin, improper horse management can work against what's best for the environment.

And a "carbon hoofprint" is nothing to sniff at. Unhealthy horse fields can lose grass cover and become muddy, contributing to erosion that can pollute streams and the local water supply. However, Tobin said getting horse owners to green up their management practices can pose challenges, and he hopes to lead by example through the county horse parks that he oversees.

"We wanted to make sure that at least the parks department equestrian facilities were not only meeting the required standards but were going further, and would be out there on the cutting edge to be good examples for private facilities," Tobin said.

The Potomac Horse Center in North Potomac is one of the public facilities making strides in green horse-keeping, Tobin said. The center is close to the completion of a 14,400-square-foot, $160,000 manure storage structure, which will allow for enough room to compost the soiled bedding, manure and wasted hay produced by more than 80 horses there.

"Instead of trucking [manure] off the property, we are now able to use it as a soil enhancer," said Rick Terselic, horse center administrator.

Using manure as fertilizer is "green" for several reasons, according to Eddie Franceschi, equine resource conservationist at the Montgomery Soil Conservation District. It eliminates the need for gas-fueled vehicles to cart away waste, and contributes to healthy, grassy pastures. Grass, experts say, is a key ingredient for combating erosion, and it's also horse food — cutting down on the need for buying expensive hay.

"It's all about becoming self-sufficient," Franceschi said. "Conservation is really about the management of your limited resources to maximize them."

Franceschi's group helps horse farmers green up through on-site waste management and composting. The group helps horse owners by testing soil and developing a nutrient management program — letting them know which nutrients will contribute to healthier, grassier fields.

Lots of education is required, Tobin said, because best practices for soil aren't common knowledge for many horse keepers. "Most of the people that manage horse farms are not farmers — they're horse people," said Tobin.

"The whole nutrient management program has been a good thing — it makes you aware of how you're contributing to the problems in the Chesapeake Bay," said George Sengstack, manager at the Callithea Farm in Potomac, which is run by the Park and Planning commission. At the 100-acre farm, Tobin hopes to seek the help of a grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture to construct a structure to contain waste onsite and swales to direct clean water away from pastures.

Park and Planning, along with the Soil Conservation District, the agricultural services division within the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, the Maryland Cooperative Extension, an agricultural education wing of the University of Maryland, and the Equestrian Partners in Conservation are teaming up to develop a survey to better understand how county horse owners manage their farms.

The groups hope to administer the survey to between 2,000 and 2,500 county horse owners by year's end, according to Franceschi.

A key part of the survey is honing in on what it will take for horse owners to start using green practices, Tobin said. Some may be wary of changing their practice, while others may be worried at the cost, Tobin said — many, he said, are not aware that grants from the Maryland Department of Agriculture can cover up to 87 percent. The cost-share grant helped to pay for the construction of the manure storage structure at the Potomac Horse Center.

Changing behavior, however, may have a lot to do with changing a mindset, Tobin and Franceschi agree.

"It' not that different from the concept of recycling 30 or 40 years ago, when you first told people recycling was a good thing," Tobin said. "It takes a long time and a combination of incentives and education to get people to change their behavior."