Candice Kontzie is giddy about Giddy-Up.
The Portage la Prairie, Man., horse breeder is the exclusive marketing agent of the product, an absorbent all-natural pea fibre.
Kontzie said anyone who has worked in a horse barn will understand why she’s excited about Giddy-Up.
“If you’ve ever been around a mare in heat, her urine is rank,” Kontzie said.
The product is an absorbent material made from pea fibre that can eliminate ammonia odours caused by horse urine and manure. The material, which Kontzie described as “kind of (like) rolled oats, only chopped up ones,” can absorb up to three times its own volume, and with it the odours common to barns.
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“If you sprinkle it down, walk out of the box stall, then walk back in, (the smell is) all gone.”
Kontzie cautioned that the product on its own is not enough to eliminate a barn’s ammonia smells, and proper management is still important. Once the stalls have been cleaned, the product can be applied on the areas where the horse urinated of defecated, and then hay or shavings can be spread on top.
“With it not having any chemicals in it, it’s a lot healthier, not only for the people working in the barn, but it’s a lot healthier for the animals too,” she added.
Since the product is chemical free, horse manure can be composted. Kontzie said that since the product has been mixed with composting manure, fewer flies gather around the composting area.
The product is manufactured by Best Cooking Pulses, a Portage la Prairie-based pulse processor. The company said it buys all its pulses, including the peas used to make Giddy-Up, from growers in southern Saskatchewan. The peas are split and hulled at a Rowatt, Sask., facility and further processed in Portage la Prairie.
Marketing of the product began in June and the response has been positive, she said. There are distributors in Alberta and Manitoba, but more are sought for other regions. The manufacturer is also looking at possible exports to Japan and Florida. There may also be applications in the poultry and hog industries.
More information can be found at www.roycan.ca.
