Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Where do we stand on horse shit ?

34 replies

mamatomany · 09/10/2010 00:04

Obviously owners are meant to pick up after their dogs but our local pavement on the way to the shops, so we are not talking the depths of the countryside here is covered in horse shite. I thought I'd avoided it but I have it on the buggy wheels and was very upset to discover it's in my house.
Surely the fouling laws apply to horse owners too (are they even meant to be on the pavement) ? Just in case I catch one in the act.

OP posts:
sharbie · 09/10/2010 00:06

errrrrr.... to the side sorry Grin
we have that problem here too

AgentZigzag · 09/10/2010 00:06

Great thread title Grin

I've never seen it stay around for long enough to be a problem, usually some enterprising gardener gets it shovelled up sharpish.

Scuttlebutter · 09/10/2010 00:06

No, no legal requirement for your local council to clear. Not classed as litter.

BitOfFun · 09/10/2010 00:06

We try not to stand on it at all. But it is great for the garden, and people pay for it, so I imagine it is not seen as a nasty in the same way as dog shit is.

GrimmaTheNome · 09/10/2010 00:07

Where do we stand on horse shit

At this time of night the obvious answer is 'ankle deep'. Ew, sorry.

I wouldn't have thought that horses should be on the pavement - much worse than a bike surely?

Notyetamummy · 09/10/2010 00:08

I generally try not to stand on it to be honest, but if you must, you may as well go don some wellies and jump right into the middle Grin

GothMummy · 09/10/2010 00:11

Horses shouldnt be ridden or lead on the pavement, but manure isnt offensive or dangerous like dog muck. Honestly. Ask any pony mad little girl if she ever got sick from handling horse muck!

LacksDaisies · 09/10/2010 00:11

shovel it into bags and stick it on your veg garden....marvellous stuff Grin

seriously though, horse shit isn't all that unpleasant compared to dog poo and I think the main issue with dog poo is the parasites in it that can cause serious illnesses in humans.

Lol at catching one in the act; not sure it would pay any attention to you telling it it wasn't allowed to shit on the pavement Wink

too much wine....sorry>

KurriKurri · 09/10/2010 00:11

I think the shit of animals that don't eat meat is generally thought to be less noxious.

I don't think horses are supposed to be on the pavement though, all the ones round here are ridden on the road.

GrimmaTheNome · 09/10/2010 00:14

The problem with horse shit is the quantity, it must be really hard to avoid if theres a dollop in the middle of the pavement.

Original poster
mamatomany · 09/10/2010 00:16

I was planning to chase the owner of the shitting horse shouting "I say, did you know"
Good to hear it's not toxic though that's something at least.
Hadn't thought of taking it home with me, i'll turf DS out of the buggy and fill up next time Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
mamatomany · 09/10/2010 00:17

"The problem with horse shit is the quantity, it must be really hard to avoid if theres a dollop in the middle of the pavement."

Exactly tbh i wasn't 100% it was horse but we don't see many elephants so i'd ruled them out.

OP posts:
SecretNutellaFix · 09/10/2010 00:20

I believe that fouling laws cannot apply to livestock, which horses would be classed as?

echt · 09/10/2010 00:22

The horses drawing carriages in Melbourne all wear nappies. :)

GrimmaTheNome · 09/10/2010 00:25

In Philadelphia they have a bag contraption under the tail. Not sure if it would work on a riding horse

Yani · 09/10/2010 00:27

On pavement? I would only ride on the pavement if it was very wide or seperated from the road by a wide grass verge. (one unexpected sideways prance and thats it) Are the horses from a local yard? contact the owner and speak to them. I used pavements as a method of not annoying motorists, but now I'm the owner of a pushchair I can see the yuckyness of pooing on the pavement :-)

TheNoodlesIncident · 09/10/2010 00:29

Horses are meant to be on the road, but where small child riders and nervous horses are concerned, personally I would rather they were on the pavement, at least on twisty roads where drivers cannot see around the bend.

Dollops of poo on the pavement, regardless of what kind of animal it's from, are not a joyful thing for most people. However it is less offensive than carnivore poo, even if you still don't want to step in it. I don't think fouling laws can apply to animals of nomadic habits, as they cannot be trained to do it at home - they just haven't evolved that way.

If there are local stables the culprits are coming from, do go and complain nicely - usually the livery owners tell the horse owners to go out with barrow and shovel and do the necessary. (They do round here, hope they are as accommodating in your area.)

LacksDaisies · 09/10/2010 00:31

similarly, the qualtity of horseshit makes it a LOT easier to spot, and hence take avoidance measures to avoid, than a blob of dog poo. Horse shit is visible from quite a way off; dog poo isn't!

Dawnybabe · 09/10/2010 00:33

I thought horses weren't allowed on pavements? Or is that just footpaths?

I class them as a sort of transport, and therefore think they should be on the road.

IME if a horse wants to prance sideways it will keep going whether it's desperate owner is trying to keep it on the path or not. (bloody stupid animal the other day)

And I too have had horse shit in my house. I know it's not exactly toxic but it doesn't smell very nice.

LadyWellian · 09/10/2010 00:34

Where do I stand on horse shit? Usually in the middle of the street, as we are on a police horse route. And if police horses do it, it must be OK.

ValentinCrimble · 09/10/2010 00:34

Nappies? On a HORSE? Oh dear me no.

Original poster
mamatomany · 09/10/2010 00:38

It is easier to spot but there was so much of it on a not particularly wide pavement i'd have had to go on a grass verge full of dog shit to avoid it all together so we swerved between dollops so to speak.

OP posts:
AgentZigzag · 09/10/2010 00:40

I love a good horse shit thread, you don't often see them these days.

usualsuspect · 09/10/2010 00:42

shit is shit is shit

LacksDaisies · 09/10/2010 00:52

ah, caught between a plop and a soft place...bugger

I do hope the Melbourne horse nappies are washables!