Why are horses allowed to shit in the street when dogs can't?

[JacknDiane]

Just seen a horse and rider going down our road, we are near to open fields. The horse stopped and left a massive dump in the middle of the road. Then the rider made him walk on.
Now this is a busy street we live on, with kids out on their bikes a lot and generally people coming and going.
Why are horse riders allowed to let their horses do this?
Im not stupid, I haven't a clue how the rider could clear it up. But it still seems totally wrong.

'Thank you to all you drivers out there who slow down for horses (10mph) and pass wide, and dog walkers who keep their dogs under control. It is very much appreciated'

You're welcome. Appreciated enough that you may do something in return like clear the mounds of crap away?

I mean dog poo is “natural “ in the sense it comes from an animal…

Horse poo doesn’t contain bacteria toxic to people, which dog shit can plus it is less objectionable in texture and smell due to what horses eat. Also a hang over form the fact that horses used to be transport so was a fact of life.

except your dogs are required to be controlled under law and to slow down your car for horses because to throw the rider off can cause death or serious life changing injury. Nobody owes you any nice consideration in return.

if you don’t understand this then you aren’t competent to own a dog nor a car.

.

Ah.. comes round once a year.

• Horse shit does not present the same parasite/pathogen risk that carnivore shit does.
• It is not practical to clear up there and then
• It is not safe to clear up there and then
• In some places, for example, a route a riding school take twice a day, people do come back and clear up a couple of times a week

Imagine having to hold a horse, and pick up sizeable shit, you can't carry a shovel really so you're changing gloves, picking up shit into a bag, changing gloves back again, then remounting horse whilst carrying a large bag of shit...

Thats really dangerous to do in a road. The rider has significantly less control on the ground holding the reins, whilst focusing on whats on the floor not on the horse or whats coming. That increases the chances of the horse getting loose, and a nasty accident and a horse through the windscreen of a car will absolutely risk driver/passenger death.

Riders should really get on using a mounting block, its harder and its bad for the horses back to get on from the ground. So depending on where the horse has crapped, the rider might be in for a long walk leading the horse back to a natural object they can use as a mounting block - and the whole time the horse is led rather than ridden, the risk to horse, rider and members of the public is higher.

Scraping it into the verge might be possible in some places/for some riders/horses but certainly not for all, you're still increasing risk whilst you do that, spending more time lingering in the road being a hazard. Local cyclists really won't thankyou for a verge full of slippery shit, its already a hazard with all the bits of metal, glass, plastic etc in there!

My grandmother used to rush into the road to collect fresh horse manure for the compost heap.

Police horses in New York do wear “nappies” so it is possible.

I do think police/military horses in London should do the same. Their waste does smell and frequently gets left in cycle lanes where it does pose a risk as it becomes slippy.

In the countryside I guess it’s more expected, but in cities it shouldn’t be left.

My dad used to bag it up🙈🤣 bag and shovel in the boot as ‘you never know’. Very good for the garden!

Cats and dogs eat meat products and it stinks and can present a health hazard. Horses eat grass etc and it doesn't. Great for roses 🌹👍👍👍

TBH I quite like the smell of horse poo.

If a bit of digested hay and horse feed so upsets you, clean it up yourself.

i live in a countryside village and there are a lot of people with horses. If they shit outside it is usually gone within a day, someone will turn up with a brush and bucket and take it away for their compost heap.

Although one time i was outside when a horse did an almighty shit on the road by my house, and it was more like cow or pigshit, so i called the rider back and told them to clean it up. Which, to be fair, they did (called her dad to bring cleaning supplies). Her dad did moan at me though until he actually got down to cleaning it up then said he didn't blame me for telling her to get rid of it.

800,000 horses (most live in fields and shit there) vs 14,000,000 dogs who mainly live in surburban areas and shit there). Horse shit not toxic, dog shit is.

Are you really proposing that the rider holds up the traffic while they dismount, collect the shit (with what? bare hands? or are they supposed to strap a poo picker to their backs just in case their horse has a shit?) and then continue on their way somehow carrying a massive bag of shit?
Horses eat grass - horse shit on a road poses no danger to anyone, unlike dog shit.
That said, I have been known to dismount and kick the shit out of the way if my horse shits in front of someone's driveway. I did once have a delightful woman scream abuse at me about the pile of horse shit in front of her driveway, as I approached her driveway. Pointed out that the shit comes out of the horse's arse, not its mouth, so how exactly did she arrive at the conclusion that my horse was the guilty party?

Dog dirt is a health hazard, it’s dangerous. Horses isn’t.

'I pop my dogs lead on when I see a horse as I'm a considerate and responsible owner'

'There's a law stating your dog has to be under control at all times. Unless you want a criminal record and your dog pts?'

My dog is under control at all times. My point was I put her lead on when I see a horse, not that she'd chase it but out of consideration for the rider. They're often nervy like their horses so if I can help calm them by showing clearly there's nothing to worry about I do it.

Now, back to the steaming piles of crap on public areas. That's not ok is it?

How precisely would a rider stop it? or pick it up?

It's grass. That's it. People used to collect it for their roses.

People really do have absolutely no tolerance for anything but themselves.

Probably already been said but horses are herbivores and their shit is inert. It doesn’t contain the same harmful parasites and bacteria as dog shit. That’s why. Next?

Agreed. I guess humans have always been self absorbed but it seems to have a reached a level of what can only be described as hysteria.

Clearly no one has used wattle and daub.

Humanity is doomed.

Our local riding school actively encourages people to come and help themselves to as much horse shit as they want.

Useful tip, bags for life are perfect, stand upright, wide open at the top to get a spade in, when full they fit in the boot and are about the right weight to be lifted.

Because they are vegetarian so their shit is far less offensive than dog, human, cat, fox poo etc.

I don't! That's my point! But there's still horse poo left on the pavements and road around here by the people that keep them nearby

Horse poo is lovely, especially the poo of stable-living horses. It smells warm and cosy, and reminds me of the comfy sound of a horse munching hay.

If a horse poo'ed in my street, I would utilise it, first for aromatherapy and then, after a few moments, for shovelling onto my garden plants.

Dog poo, not so much.