Horse Environmental Awareness Program (HEAP)

What is the Focus?

A coalition of agencies, organizations, and individuals interested in educating horse owners and stable managers on how to protect the environment using Best Management Practices (BMPs).

What Does NRCS Offer?

Educational videos, fact sheets, demonstration sites, and the Horse Farm of Environmental Distinction Award Program.

What is an Example of the HEAP Program?

WATERFORD, CT – Horse owners, stable managers, and municipal officials interested in protecting the quality of nearby water sources from polluted runoff have a place to see successful conservation practices firsthand. Camp Harkness, home to the state-run Therapeutic Equestrian Program for the past 23 years, worked closely with experts from the Horse Environmental Awareness Program (HEAP) Program to demonstrate BMPs, including fencing to exclude animals from wet areas, a stream crossing, barn gutters, a manure storage structure, and pasture rotation and management.

Who are the Partners?

• Connecticut Horse Council
• University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System
• University of Connecticut Department of Animal Science
• Soil and Water Conservation Districts
• Connecticut Farm Bureau
• Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
• Connecticut Water Company
• Connecticut Department of Agriculture
• King’s Mark Resource Conservation and Development Council

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