AIBU - Horse riders pick up poo?

[kaz2810]

First time asking on here so here it goes!

I'm bloody fuming, we live in a fairly large town but are lucky enough to live by a lovely canal. First 1/4 mile or so is a concrete path wide enough for 2 people to walk side by side. I'm walking along this afternoon and in the distance there are some horses & a women with a buggy feeding ducks. One of the horses poo's and as normal keeps going leaving a steaming pile all over the path meaning that anyone with a pram, wheelchair etc cannot get past unless they lift over or roll straight through it. ( bushes one side & water the other side of path) this is a daily occurance and I'm totally fed up of dodging it. Surely when on a concrete pathway the riders could show some consideration to others?

If it’s a towpath rather than a bridlepath, which I think it will be, contact the Rivers and Canal Trust about the problem. They may ban horses if it’s causing a problem.

On saying that, I would much rather have someone riding a horse on a towpath than a speeding cyclist.

When we are in our narrow boat and I see horse muck on the canal path I just get a spade, shovel it up and shove it in the bushes.

Horse manure bags are the way forward

I've seen these and similar "poo-catchers" in use in Belgium. I thought it was a good idea.
We also get horse riders walking along the pavements here, and leaving their offerings. I don't mind if it's on the road/ bridleway/country lane etc, but I do object to it on a pavement - it is unfair not just on people with buggies and prams, but also wheelchair users and blind people and my horrible spaniels try to et as much as they can, the stinky buggers

Sometimes I wonder if some peoples lives are really that dull they get worked up about stuff like this. I have a baby and walk along a path covered in all sorts of shit...horse,dog,fox and god knows what else. That's life in the country and I don't recall it ever making me this upset.

People don't want horses on roads and now not off road paths. What should we do then shoot them all as we can't ride them anywhere without offending someone

We live within a mile of 2 racing yards. Both stables road work their horses round our estate.

I have lived here since 1993 and have never heard anyone complain about horse shit on the roads and pavements, despite there being plenty of it. People moan much more about the litter dropped by people near the shop and at the bus stops.

But then most people moved here because it's right next to open countryside, and accept that horses (and the occasional escaped sheep) are part and parcel of that.

This made me laugh! Of course you are being ridiculously unreasonable. If it were dog poo, I am with you! It is vile. But horse manure is not going to kill anyone and you just live with it. If this bothers you so much then don't use that road.

No wonder people think horse riders are rich snobs.

The tow path may have been designed for towing- but who's towing? Not them!

If the op had travelled back in time with her buggy and walking down a path where working horses were towing boats it's reasonable to assume that those riding the horses don't have time to dismount and scrap up poo. But out for a morning jaunt? Are horse riders SO important they couldn't stop and hold horses reigns with one hand whilst kicking the stuff to one side?

Why is it so unreasonable? People on mn have a fit of the vapours at the faintest lingering of cigarette smoke, cat shit in the garden or strong perfume but horse shit is fine?

Personally I'm lucky enough not to live somewhere (anymore) where I come across horse shit , but it stinks ! I dont care if it's good for your roses, take it home if it's that good!

The argument that dog shit can make you ill and horse shit can't is null unless you are rubbing the shit on your shoe in your mouth. They both stink and are unpleasant to step in and would require some scraping of buggy wheels before you go much further.

And again, if the op was arguing that horse shit from horse fields should be cleaned up before she walks in it then I'd agree with horses are here first, but she isn't.

I live near a national trust area where they have created a path to beach with car park at the end. Sometimes there are horses on the road . I normally inch round the horses nice and slow but going by this thread I could drive as fast as I like because that road was created for cars to go near the beach, not for horses to take a shortcut.

But they weren’t designed for leisure riding either, were they?

The assertion made was that they weren't designed for horses.

The poster made no clarification beyond that.

So yes, they were designed for horses. The purpose might have evolved, the general use might have evolved, the number of people and horses might have evolved.

But the paths were definitely designed for horses.

If people can't cope with living in the country then perhaps a town might suit them better.

It’s not like dog shit, it doesn’t contain disease like dog shit, it doesn’t cling like dog shit, it is water soluble unlike dog shit so will wash away in the next good rain. You can’t compare the two. Dismounting a horse is unadvisable unless completely necessary, the rider is in far better control of the animal mounted. There are many many footpaths available for you to use that horses are not permitted to use.

The answer is obvious-horse riders should only ride on bridleways, not walk ways.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/section/149

Well tbh if some riders are unable to get back on their horse unaided, they shouldn't be allowed to ride in public without someone accompanying them.

If people can't cope with living in the country then perhaps a town might suit them better.
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This only works if we ban horse riding schools in urban areas. The beach I mentioned is near a town and whilst not inner city would not be considered countryside by anyone.

It will probably do a young child a lot of good to be exposed to horse shit. Children are far too sanitized and it's leading to all sorts of health problems.

They both stink and are unpleasant to step in and would require some scraping of buggy wheels before you go much further.

I’ve never scrapped that of DDs’ pram. It just doesn’t stick (unlike dog poo), it's usually long gone when we get home.

The tow path may have been designed for towing- but who's towing? Not them! I definitely agree with this.

The horse nappies (manure bags) seem like the perfect solution for shared paths.

Although I personally am more concerned about an elderly person slipping / stumbling than poo stuck on a pram’s wheels... I’m not being disingenuous, but it just doesn’t seem like an issue to me personally.

*Personally I'm lucky enough not to live somewhere (anymore) where I come across horse shit , but it stinks ! I dont care if it's good for your roses, take it home if it's that good!

I live near a national trust area where they have created a path to beach with car park at the end. Sometimes there are horses on the road . I normally inch round the horses nice and slow but going by this thread I could drive as fast as I like because that road was created for cars to go near the beach, not for horses to take a shortcut.*

Aloamora, you've got the solution, excellent. Where do we find these amazing horses that don't defecate ?

I must say my mom gets so frustrated! They always take a dump outside of her house!

I have nothing against horses I love them or people who ride them just to add!

I live near a farm which is on a main road and the people who ride the horses along the path to get to the canal clean the paths twice a day. They don't get off the horse to do it but the always go back on foot (not sure if they use transport I would imagine depends on where it is) and clean it up with a couple of shovels. Like a huge poopa scoopa that you can buy for dogs..

Of course people who ride know when they poo! They have to keep a watch out for cars which is looking back and forth. I would get frustrated if it was outside of my house.

And if the rider doesn’t have legs long enough to re mount after he/she has kicked her manure to the side they will have to lead the horse all the way back to the yard, so horse and rider side by side on a narrow path or worse a loose horse coming at you at speed on a narrow path.

It will probably do a young child a lot of good to be exposed to horse shit. Children are far too sanitized and it's leading to all sorts of health problems.
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Probably would do most kids some good to be exposed to chicken pox young or dog shit or even human shit to tbf for same reason. Most wouldn't get sick (well except chicken pox) and it would build up their immune system but we consider it antisocial to make those choices for others so we not?

7 pages talking about horse shit 😂

I live in a rural area and the instant any horse shit is spotted there is a mass brawl of residents with shovels fighting to collect it.

so No one can go out on their horses and enjoy themselves in case they poo and inconvenience anyone? I’d like to go out and not put up with things that annoy me, but I realise the world doesn’t revolve around me!

Yet another example of the country side being made to run by metropolis rules. It is not neat and clean it is a working environment not a rural Disneyland. Shit happens, literally.

So true. Sadly, as villages and hamlets expand with new building, I think this kind of conflict will become more common. Among the objections to a recent development was the fact that dogwalkers and riders would have to go through the estate and down a cul-de-sac to access the nearby footpaths and bridleways. The developer agreed to sacrifice a bit of land at the edge and the paths have been re-routed round the edge.

yes, they were designed for horses. The purpose might have evolved, the general use might have evolved, the number of people and horses might have evolved.

I imagine that they meant to say that the path wasn’t created with the intention ofnhaving it used as a bridle path / by riders. But I might be wrong about that.

I do think that we need to consider the fact that riding is a leisure activity for most people nowadays. And that our towns have expanded... Anything else does seem slightly disingenuous to me personally.

Not sure why OP is getting such a hard time, possibly there are a lot of horse riders on here who don’t want to pick it up. I think if you are taking any animal out onto a public area you should be responsible for cleaning up the mess. I’m sure if horses are strong anough to pull cars/carts/carry mahoosive people, they’ll barely feel the weight of a small shovel/hand trowel. Even if the rider just moves it out of the path it would be something.
How would they know it had pooed? How do I know if my dogs have pooed? I keep an eye, it’s not hard. Even easier when there’s a few horses riding together, oi Lord Stinky Bottom, your horse just shit, I’ll hold it for you so you can move it.
If you can’t get up and down off your horse, and control your horse, should you be riding?
Horse riders will throw all the excuses they want, the real reason is that they don’t want to pick up the poo, it’s why they are so defensive about it.

Dog shit - yuck,smells foul,health hazard,clings like ,well ,a clingy thing.Horse shit...um,what's the big deal?
If this path isn't a bridle way or a permissive path horses are allowed on,they shouldn't be there- but i thought OP said that it was?
If you are walking on a bridle way then horses and cyclists have just as much right to be there as you do,and if the horses can be there there will be some manure.If you don't like that,perhaps take another path? There aren't many bridle ways at all compared to the number of footpaths.