The Boothbay landfill on Country Club Road may not look like much now, but the snow covered mound could soon turn to green pastures where horses and ponies graze.

That's Becky Abbott's vision, and she's hoping the town of Boothbay will lease her the landfill as a temporary pasture for Kickstart Stables.

Kickstart Stables is a therapeutic equestrian center that Abbott is hoping to open by 2015. The stables would be nestled on 10 acres of land between the Boothbay Harbor Country Club and the Boothbay Region Land Trust's Pine Tree Preserve. But before any of the site work starts, Abbott is eyeing the well-established grass atop the landfill for her horses to temporarily graze while the stables are built.

“When you're building a horse barn the biggest thing you need is pastures,” Abbott said. “It takes a long time to develop the pastures to make sure there is enough grass for the horses to graze on.”

Abbott consulted with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and discovered that many towns let livestock roam on top of landfills.

“So we wouldn't have to mow it anymore,” quipped Boothbay Selectman Steve Ham at the February 26 selectman’s meeting. The rest of the Boothbay selectmen were receptive to Abbott and her plan, however they said liability concerns that would need to be addressed.

Chairman Steve Lewis, who is also the manager of the Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District, said nearly two feet of clay separates the landfill's grass from the garbage.

“My only concern is: over time, will a horse erode that? If it does, who's responsible?” Lewis said. “I've got too much of a history with garbage to know what happens if that gets exposed. It's very expensive.”

Abbott assured the selectmen that the stables will not only pay all the costs for fencing, but they would constantly rotate the horses' grazing areas to prevent erosion. Abbott also agreed with the selectmen that liability clauses should be written into the lease.

If the town agrees to lease the land to Abbott, Boothbay voters get to ultimately decide at town meeting in May if they'll see horses on the landfill. With approval, Abbott's goal would be to break ground by fall of 2014.

Related: ‘Kickstart Stables’ eyes 2015 opening on Country Club road