Alexa’s Adventures in Bokashi Composting
As promised in my Happy Trackin’ Magazine article – a post on my composting experiments!
When we moved onto our farm 7 months ago we quickly realized that while we were rich in rocks and gravel, we were very poor in soil of any kind! Our hope over the next few years is to create more and more growing space, but bringing in soil is expensive and not always supportive for the land. One other thing that we are rich in, like all horse property owners is poop! There is sooo much manure, but figuring out how to quickly turn that manure into something supportive for the garden and not just an annoyance is the key. Enter my bokashi composting experiment.
In October, my partner Patrick and I took a workshop in this composting method at Raincoast Farm https://raincoastfarm.ca/ in the Comox Valley. To say I am a beginner at composting and soil creation is an understatement, but I love to experiment and I am a hedgewitch at heart, so brewing potions and creating wonderful things for my plant friends with said potions is up there on my list of favourite things. So this article is about my very imprecise experiments and my successes and failures with this method.
So what is Bokashi and how does it apply to you? I am figuring that out as I go – so far I know that it is based on a Japanese and Korean style of farming and composting that supports and creates “living soil” full of the right kind of organisms, including worms and beneficial bacteria. Because of the fermentation process, the nutrients are retained as well as micro-organisms that support plant growth and reduce pests and disease. It also allows us here on the farm to use Bran Bokashi, a mixture of a fermented molasses mixture and bran (which I conveniently had extra of in the feed room) to compost all of our food wastes including meat and bones using a fermentation process that allows the retention of nutrients in the soil, something we very much need in our soil here.
At the composting workshop we received a starter (like a Kombucha starter) of Living Soil Liquid, which is a fermented molasses liquid, and recipes to start our own brew. As you can imagine, our countertop is now covered in large containers of this liquid, because brewing things is very satisfying, it allows me to make more Bran Bokashi and Bokashi with wood pellets, as well as alfalfa pellet fermented fertilizer for my plants, and because it can be used to “innoculate” our horse manure in the correct dilution. I kind of love how I can literally find all the ingredients needed (bran, wood pellets, alfalfa pellets and unsulphured molasses) in my feed room!
So let’s go back to the Bokashi composting method – we learned to make a bucket that I’ve been keeping indoors (for heat) and that has air holes in the bottom and is nested in another large bucket. Compost is added to the bucket and then the Bran Bokashi is sprinkled on top. I have another larger tote with air holes dug into my manure pit to keep it warm (pictured below) and add my bucket to this every few weeks and give it a stir to get the micro-organisms all mixed in.
Eventually I will add this into my manure pile or into our other compost bin and then into the garden once it’s well broken down.
For manure, I have poured diluted living soil liquid over a few of the piles and then covered with a tarp to retain nutrients (the rains have come here to the West Coast and there is an ideal moisture level so that the pile is moist but the nutrients don’t wash away) and am crossing my fingers – more learning needed here, but I will keep you all in the loop! They also shared in the workshop that manure can be soaked in diluted Living soil liquid to make it usable in the garden in about 2 weeks – I am definitely going to be trying this!
My hope is to have Ian from Raincoast Farm do a webinar on this method sometime in the coming months so I’ll also keep you posted on this.
Come back and visit for updates on my composting adventures! Alexa
Hoof Care Fundamentals
I absolutely loved the Equine Hoof Care Fundamentals Online Course, and I wholeheartedly wish every horse owner I know would take it! This course is an invaluable and easy-to-understand resource, overflowing with essential information. I was genuinely amazed at how much content is included! The course features a wealth of examples, photos, and videos, showcasing fascinating hooves I’ve never encountered before, as well as common issues that many horse owners are sure to recognize. Additionally, there’s a treasure trove of resources—links, articles, websites, books, and more—for those who want to dive even deeper into specific topics. I believe the knowledge shared in this course will empower anyone to better care for their horse. It’s perfect for everyone, whether you’re a first-time horse owner or a hoof nerd like myself. I even picked up a few new insights along the way! I highly recommend it—you’re sure to enjoy it and have fun while learning!
Empower Yourself with the Equine Hoof Care Fundamentals
Are you an equine enthusiast looking to better understand your equine’s hooves and ensure their well-being?
Whether you’re a first-time owner or an experienced professional, this online course on Equine Hoof Care is designed to equip you with the essential knowledge to maintain healthy hooves and recognize potential issues before they become serious problems.
Why Hoof Care Matters
The hooves of your equine are critical to their overall health and performance. Proper care isn’t just about what your hoof care provider does every appointment; it’s about daily attention, understanding hoof anatomy, recognizing common hoof problems, and knowing how to develop and maintain healthy hooves.
With this course, you’ll gain the insights needed to confidently care for your horse’s hooves and empower yourself to ask the right questions of your vets and hoof care providers when needed.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is ideal for equine owners, riders, and caretakers of all experience levels. Whether you have one animal or manage a whole barn, understanding hoof care is a vital part of ensuring the health and happiness of your equine companions. If you’re ready to become more confident in caring for their hooves, this course is for you!
Course Features:
- Designed for All Experience Levels: Whether you’re a beginner or have years of experience , this course will be of value.
- Engaging, Visual Learning: Over 20 chapters, tons of photos with some videos too! You’ll get a closer look at hoof anatomy, common issues, and how to maintain optimal hoof health.
- Empower Yourself: Feel confident knowing you can recognize signs of trouble and have the knowledge to ask the right questions.
- Holistic Approach: This course is about more than just hooves. Discover what impact all aspects of your equine’s lives have on the health of the hoof, and learn how to help your equine develop the best hooves possible.
- Amazing Resources: A long list of helpful resources that expands on the course material and will allow you to dive deeper into whatever hoof care rabbit hole you are inspired to follow next!
- A Dedicated Community Space and Support: Ask questions about the course material, get additional insights and clarifications and connect with other students and discuss your learning in the Members Only Facebook Group.
- Lifetime Access: Learn at your own pace, whenever you’re ready. Your access to the course material will never expire.
Get Started Today!
Don’t wait for problems to arise. Take control of your horse’s hoof health now, and gain the knowledge to keep your equine companion thriving. Click below to sign up
Nicole has been my main hoof care provider and resource for my herd of 3 for the last 5 years. She is an absolute wealth of knowledge and this comprehensive course brings this knowledge to every horse person! I am so excited to be able to share her work here on Outside the Box to support many horses and their hooves.
I cannot recommend this course ENOUGH! If I could have one wish granted, it would be for all owners to feel confident and empowered in caring for, and at times advocating for, the horses in their lives. This course is SO valuable, and will not only add a ton of knowledge and understanding for the owner – but I feel that this will become a regular reference in their toolkit for years to come. The information is well organized, well written, and allows owners to understand the context behind the information being given. I wish that something like this had been available 8 or 9 years ago when I started my hoof care journey. No matter your pre-existing hoof knowledge or background going into this course, you will come out the other side better for it. Nicole has been an absolute rock in my life as a friend and mentor. She is a wealth of information, and for everyone that knows her knows how amazing it is to be able to pick her brain and soak up her knowledge. This course is like having Nicole-on-Demand, with unlimited access to the course you can go back and re-reference things as many times or as often as needed. Thank you Nicole, for this fantastic resource! You are making the world better for horses by empowering their people.
I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this online course from Nicole Joty. As an Equine Therapist, it is imperative for me to strive for an ever-increasing depth of knowledge of equine bodies – including the hooves. I am always eager to learn more about how the health of the equine hoof affects the body, and vice-versa.
However, it has become increasingly obvious to me over the years that most horse owners are not armed with the knowledge that they need to recognize and provide a state of health and function in their own horse’s feet. Nicole, in her work as a hoof care practitioner over the past 20+ years, saw the need for a hoof care resource that is easily accessible, contains practical and digestible information, includes outside resources and community support, and is designed for both horse owners and professionals alike to expand their understanding. And now we have just that!
Knowledge is power. Learning the facts about your horse’s body and how it functions allows you to confidently make decisions regarding your horse’s care and welfare – even when faced with opposing opinions. But it can be an overwhelming feat, and most people don’t know where to start. That’s why I am very grateful to have Nicole’s course as a resource that I can provide to my clients, and get them and their horses on the road to hoof and body wellness
However, it has become increasingly obvious to me over the years that most horse owners are not armed with the knowledge that they need to recognize and provide a state of health and function in their own horse’s feet. Nicole, in her work as a hoof care practitioner over the past 20+ years, saw the need for a hoof care resource that is easily accessible, contains practical and digestible information, includes outside resources and community support, and is designed for both horse owners and professionals alike to expand their understanding. And now we have just that!
Knowledge is power. Learning the facts about your horse’s body and how it functions allows you to confidently make decisions regarding your horse’s care and welfare – even when faced with opposing opinions. But it can be an overwhelming feat, and most people don’t know where to start. That’s why I am very grateful to have Nicole’s course as a resource that I can provide to my clients, and get them and their horses on the road to hoof and body wellness
Ready to sign up?
Enjoy life-time access to all course content and all updates, plus on-going support for just $150 CDN.
Meet your Instructor
Born and raised on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, Nicole Jory been a lifetime horse owner and equine nerd. She’s spent years learning the intricacies of their health, with a special focus on their hooves. She became a Hoof Care Professional in 2002, and for over 2 decades has worked with countless equines and their owners, specializing in a holistic approach to hoof care. She is passionate about empowering equine owners to take an active role in the well-being of their equine partners.
This course was designed by Nicole to share her knowledge and many years of experience, so you can confidently care for your equine’s hooves and make informed decisions when it comes to their health.
She believes that education is the key to better care and is very excited to share these essential hoof care principles with you.
Build a Horse Track System Course
This comprehensive self-paced online course created by Alexa Linton is designed to provide you with all the foundational information for safely updating your horse spaces in small or large ways, integrating horses into a herd setting, building your own track system, working with the land you live on, adding enrichment and obstacles to your current boarding situation, or shifting your boarding stable over to a more species-specific set-up. It is suitable for youth and adults who are learning about horse-keeping, those curious about species-specific care even if they don’t have horses of their own, those boarding their horses with others, and those who own their own property and would like to implement a horse track system of their own.
A horse track system aims to mimic the way a horse would live in the wild, in a much much smaller space. This idea started gaining popularity with the release of Paddock Paradise by Jaime Jackson, but was more than likely being used prior to that as it is so intuitive and makes so much sense, particularly in wet climates and on small acreages! Amy Dell-Anthony then released her book Horse Track Systems, which has been supporting people worldwide to implement this species-specific horse keeping strategy.
This idea is slowly making it’s way to the west coast of Canada and the US (thankfully!) and our case studies for this course mainly focus on track systems along this coast (as it is where I live, on beautiful Vancouver Island, which is technically a rain forest). You can build a track on a quarter acre or 50 acres, and you it can be unique to your horse/herd, climate, ecosystems, terrain and lifestyle. This course has something to support every horse person, no matter what your unique situation or where you live.
What you will receive when you register:
- Over 12 hours of video and audio content including track tours, examples herd behaviour, tutorials, podcasts and webinars on track living and more (more being added all the time!)
- Specifics on all elements of a track system (shelter, footing, water, forage/hay, supplementation, fencing, pasture management, managing mud, parasite control, manure management, enrichment ideas, obstacles and their use, how to encourage movement and employing permaculture principles)
- 10 track system case studies of herds of varying sizes, in different climates, on different acreages (many in wet climates)
- 3 case studies of herd integration with footage of varying herds and types of integration and herd behaviour
- Tutorials on aggregate use and drainage, hay analysis, hay net making, herd integration and herd and self regulation
- Opportunities to connect with track system consultants and a supportive community of horse people
- Lifetime access to course materials (and content and case studies always being added!)
A huge thank you to our contributors Shannon Beahen (Humminghorse Equestrian), Elisse Miki (EQ Therapeutics), Kim Hallin, Hillary Schneider (Epona Rise), Kim Hallin, Rachel Gedaliya, and all our case study contributors
Build a horse track System is a must-have, comprehensive guide to creating a species-specific living environment for your equine friends. What makes this course unique is its consideration of the variety of circumstances horse owners face, and its thoughtful suggestions for navigating them – there is truly something for everyone to learn, whether you are an avid DIY property owner or someone who boards and feels as though they have limited options. Alexa brings with her not only two decades worth of practical horse-keeping experience, but a bucket load of passion and a true desire to make horses’ lives better through the material she has created and curated in this course! I loved it and will surely be returning to it as an evergreen resource in my life.
This course has been super helpful and informative when it comes to building a track system and what that looks like for every kind of horse owner/haver. Alexa lays out all of your basic essentials in an easy and fun way to understand, encourages creativity, and as always keeps the health of your horse in the forefront. She also includes links to other helpful sources, as well as a wide variety of examples of what your track could look like. I don’t have my own track system yet, but this course is full of information-lots of which I hadn’t even considered yet- and will be an incredible resource going forward.
Here are some of the benefits of horse track systems…
- They can alleviate boredom, tension and stress behaviour through supportive spaces that include friends, access to varying forage and a focus on and opportunity for lots movement.
- They can activate seeking, curiousity and play in your horse, and move them into healthier nervous system states that promote learning, focus and connection.
- They can support your horse to move freely, fully and with variation, to improve their fitness, discover autonomy and ease in their bodies, and reduce the impacts of over-use injuries, arthritis, tendon issues and aging.
- They can increase quality of life by meeting their species specific needs including enrichment, forage, movement and friendship
- They can improve proprioception, hoof health and connection to the environment
- They can reduce the risk of health issues including ulcers, colic, and metabolic conditions through increased movement, access to species-appropriate forage, enriching time with other horses, and freedom of expression. And who doesn’t love lower vet bills?
- They can enhance your horse’s sensory experience and improve emotional well-being, to allow them to show up in their domestic life in a more balanced and fulfilled way.
- They meet our horses essential needs in their domesticated environment (as much as possible) to support their overall fulfillment and health
- They allow you to improve your land, creating biodiversity, healthier more horse-friendly pasture, and habitats for many other insects, plants and animals
Ready to sign up?
Start your learning adventure right away with our user-friendly and simple Outside the Box course platform.
Want to learn more about track systems and get to know your instructor a little before deciding? Have a listen to my Whole Horse Podcast episode with the author or Horse Track Systems, Amy Dell, where we geek out about this type of horse keeping…
Meet your Instructor
Alexa Linton is a life-long horse lover, Equine Sport Therapist of 20 years, host of the Whole Horse Podcast, now in it’s 7th season, facilitator, author, and creator of the Whole Horse Apprenticeship, a 6 month equine wellness immersion program, and most recently, Outside the Box Equine, an educational hub for species-specific horse keeping. Her vision is to support a change worldwide in horse keeping practices towards more species-specific care, ethically informed training and riding, and a more collaborative approach to being with and sharing our lives with horses.
She lives with her partner Patrick, her two dogs, and cat, and recently moved onto her own 5 acre property where she has built a track system for her herd of three mares, Diva, Raven and Gwynna in the unceded territory of the Cowichan peoples, now know as the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. Her goal within the next year is to build a horse-keeping demonstration site where she can host workshops and retreats and inspire horse lovers to shift their horse spaces by showing what is possible.
Redefining Equine Online Course
Have you found yourself wondering why you might relate to horses the way you do, why you react in certain ways, or carry certain beliefs or understandings? Do you feel a desire to change the way you relate to the horses in your world? To heal and repair this relationship? To shift your story with horses?
This was my journey with all my mares, but especially my mare Diva, as I carried my baggage, my traditional beliefs, my entitlement and my rigidity into our relationship. This course brings together many of the big lessons we learned together on our 21 year journey, and prompts every horse person to look deeper, to explore and to open up the path to a different relationship with horses.
Whether you own horses or not, ride or not, this course is for all people who love horses and want to learn to love them better.
This course has 11 videos strategically positioned throughout, filmed with the assistance of my mares Diva and Raven. These videos are in-this-moment snapshots of the rewrite process I’m in with my relationship to horses, something that will no doubt deepen and shift as my awareness grows (looking back through my past videos for the first version of this course, it was eye-opening to see how much my story with horses has shifted in the past 6 years). Watching the videos, especially for visual and auditory learners, is a powerful way to implement the shifts and really feel like you’re a part of the action!
The exercises and reflective processes in this course are designed to take you deeper into your experience and amplify your learning and growth – it is my hope that the journaling questions will prompt key insights into your relationship with horses – past, present and future – especially when you commit time and space and endeavour to answer as honestly and openly as possible.
The prompts serve as a great way to engage with the material, find out where you are right now when it comes to horses, where you’d like to be in the future, how your past has influenced your current experience with horses, and what needs to shift to rewrite your horse story.
This course is not for the faint of heart, but if you are ready to move forward in a meaningful and powerful way in your equine relationships, this is the journey for you!
Here’s everything you’ll receive as a part of this online course…
- Over 2 hours of video support from Alexa, split into 11 videos, plus additional support
- Lifetime access to online course content
- A printable PDF of journal prompts
- 5 minute brain-balancing technique to get you in the “zone”
- Grounding visualization MP3 with Alexa
- Email access to Alexa for questions
Ready to get started?
Alexa’s course Redefining Equine does just that, it redefines how we view our horse. It changes your relationship for the better. It is no longer about domination and submission. With the help of the journal entries, the team of you and your horse becomes just that — a team. It’s amazing to understand what your horse can communicate and what you can communicate to your horse. As a farrier, taking the time to connect with the horse before working on the hooves makes it a different experience. Many horses deal with pain and by asking instead of taking, they will try their hardest to work with you. Thank you Alexa for guiding me to a more grounded relationship with horses.
I first participated in the Redefining Equine course when my mare and I were going through a lot of changes, both as individuals and as a partnership. I had been feeling quite overwhelmed with trying to manage our needs at the same time as becoming acutely aware that commonly accepted ways of working and being with horses really weren’t feeling very good for me any more.
The course really helped me to navigate my way into a more aligned, supportive and peaceful way of being with my horse. Something I’ll always be grateful for as it made a huge difference when it was really needed.
It’s not all sunshine and roses…a lot of difficult feelings can arise when you’re examining mindsets and practices that now don’t seem at all right. But this course really understands and supports with this.
The sense of knowing you’re part of a community of people who are on a similar path is invaluable as well, and I know I will continue to revisit this course again and again!
Are you ready to rewrite your story with horses?
Meet your Instructor
For over 20 years, Alexa Linton has been supportive in the healing process of thousands of horses and humans as an Equine Sport Therapist, Animal intuitive, Facilitator, Author/writer and most recently as an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner. She has taken extensive continuing education in horse care, keeping, training, herd dynamics and integration, equine facilitated learning, personal development, trauma-informed care and relationship dynamics.
She believes that when we know better, we do better, and that many of us, like herself, came from horse traditions that did not prioritize the voice, care and needs of the horse. It is her life’s work to share what she has learned, to teach, write and be a model of care in the horse industry and beyond.
This course comes from this desire – to support horse lovers to unpack what they have known, to look closely, and to let go of what is not working – rewriting their story and moving forward in a good way with the horses in their world.
Alexa also has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, an Equine Sport Therapy certificate, is an author of a book of navigating pet loss, host of the Whole Horse Podcast, and is a osteopathic manual practitioner for humans.