There is no need for a pallet under a compost pile. If the pile is less that 6 feet x 6 feet air flow will be adequate.
Whether a compost pile emits steam or not does not necessarily mean the internal temperature is not where it should be. How quickly a compost piles internal temperature rises depends on the ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen (and most of us do not really calculate that, we pretty much guess), the moisture level (too much moisture will not allow for temperature rise), and how well the air infiltrates and too much water also prevents that.
You want the material in your pile to be just barely moist, not wet.

I wouldn't bother to put a pallet on the bottom. You'll get air in there without it, it will be prone to rotting and it will make forking/shovelling the finished compost out difficult. The piles can just sit on the earth and work fine.

You COULD take it all apart and try to get it going hotter and faster. It depends on your approach. Some of us here are more lazy, errr I mean efficient, and just leave the heap to get on with it. A bit like sticking a casserole in a low oven and going away to do something else. Others take a more proactive stance and juggle their ingredients and treat composting like wok cookery - hot, fast and active. Either way will give you compost - or a delicious meal.

momstar .... I agree that pallet not needed on bottom of pile. I criss/cross larger branches/twigs at bottom level... so plenty of air flow and when It's time to harvest the pile [I don't turn], when I come to the larger material, I know I'm at the bottom. You might add blood mead or urine to heat the pile up.

You mentioned horse manure, is it just manure or does it have bedding mixed in? If it has bedding mixed in, then you probably do not have nearly enough greens.

The "old dried stuff" might have had the easily digestible material consumed already and the stuff you have left is probably not conducive to high, rapid, prolonged heat generation.

Lloyd

The manure did not have a lot of bedding in it. It was mixed old and fresh so maybe that is some of the problem.

I'm thinking of going back and getting some fresher stuff and mixing it in. Just a thought.

I might give it some more time. Overnight results are not typical.

Sometimes decomposition is seen just by shrinking, rather than steam.

It has been my experience that brand-new compost piles -- even if they have all the right ingredients and conditions -- often take a long time to get "cooking." I think (and this is not backed up by science, just my own speculation) that the pile needs to build up a critical mass of composty microbes, before you really see any action.

I've moved around a lot, over the years, and have started a lot of compost piles. Many of them languished for depressingly long time, and then all of a sudden, they just took off.

Don't worry.

Update.

I, being the impatient sort, pulled the compost bin apart this weekend. I read somewhere that there are several reasons to turn compost; aerating, finding dry spots, breaking material down to smaller pieces, and satisfying curiosity. Well that was enough for me.

I pulled the pallet door off the front of the first bin and started to pitch fork all the material out in front. It was a pleasant surprise. Although my pile hasn't been steaming it has obviously been composting. The material on the edges was pretty much the same as it had been when I put it in there, but the middle of the pile was breaking down. I put some celery stalks in the middle when making the pile and they were gone (unrecognizable).

There were some dry spots, but mostly it was spongy. I put two 2" pvc pipes through the side and about halfway into the pile (just because I felt like that would help aerate the pile), forked the pile back in place, and walked away smiling. That was 8 a.m. Saturday.

Then #3 son mowed lawns yesterday and DH got involved and thought he'd be "helpful" with the compost. Son and Hubby layered grass clippings, shredded paper, and the stuff from my compost pile into the second bin, watering as they went. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Kinda like when someone helps you in the kitchen, you appreciate the help but you have to bite your tongue because they don't cook the way you do. I'm just going to bite my tongue on this one and be grateful for the raw materials and help.

I know compost happens. But I like it fast and hot better than slow and steady. (somehow that doesn't sound right)