Clean up after your horse...

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FfionWinnie

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I was idly looking at notices on the livery yard board tonight and noticed a letter from the BHS to the yard owner saying there had been complaints about dung on the road outside a residential area. The letter said that they weren't blaming our yard, and were writing to all the yards in the area, and that lots of hacking was being lost all over Scotland due to (not the exact wording!) irresponsible riders who foul the roads. It went on to say that of course its not always safe to dismount and clear up dung (where would you put it please?) but one should return later to clean it up.

So, what do we think?

Personally as a member of the BHS I am really rather disappointed in their attitude, I feel they should be defending horse riders not cow towing to this sort of hating the country and all it brings attitude. What's happened to the days of folk being pleased to get a bit of dung for their roses? Secondly, is horse dung dangerous, I really don't think so, it's on the road, nothing like as disgusting as dog mess, its chewed up grass essentially. Usually its driven in to the tarmac and disappeared within a few hours. Not many years ago out yard was a dairy farm, and the cows would be walked along the same road - making far more mess than the occasional pile of dung, and twice a day, every day! Furthermore the farm was there for probably a hundred years before the housing estates next to it.
 
I agree. I would be tempted to write back to the BHS and point out that lots of hacking has been lost all over the land under their watch. It's nonsense to suggest it's anything to do with droppings on the road or to do with the occasional horse rider who doesn't respect bridlepaths etc. There are far more motorists, walkers, dog owners and cyclists around and a minority of these also disrespect the rules - that 'bad' minority is greater than the 'bad' horse riding minority and yet motorists, walkers and, to a lesser extend, cyclists are well catered for. Horse riders are a minority that aren't considered important politically.

I've seen other posters on this board agree that riders should go out after their ride to collect droppings. I think these people and the BHS should take their lol-worthy views and go bend over in the road to collect their "droppings" so that motorists and local councils etc can more easily take advantage of the surrender monkeys :)
 
Irresponsible riders fouling the roads I hope not!! All jokes aside... how the Dickens would you clear up, hardly carry a bucket and spade (not with my mare anyway)
 
That is ridiculous. Horse dung is perfectly fine and far less harmful than exhaust fumes deposited every day by motorists! And litter dropped by most road users. I work in London and noticed a little pile on the pavement (not the road) the other day clearly left by a police horse... so it can't be illegal!
 
I would def. make your views strongly known to BHS before it becomes 'policy' to clear up after horses. Horse droppings cause a lot less hazard to health than vehicle exhaust fumes!
 
No I do not think we should have to clean up after a horse on a public road.
Roads were built for horses. Horses poo.
Residential areas in horsey areas often built on sold farmers land, if you live near lots of horses chances are you are in the countryside- animal poo is just one of the facts of life.
Unlike say dog poo, horse dung does not contain the bad pathogens.
What next perhaps birds, hedgehogs, squirrel poo should all be cleaned up too???!! Let's cement it all over and have no nature!!
 
I'm amazed that the BHS are adopting that line, to be honest. It's absurd. Unless, of course, it's all a misunderstanding and they were thinking the same way as gmw ;)
 
Complain in writing to the BHS. You're right that there's no health risk from horse droppings, there's no reason to pick them up. The only reason that dog mess has to be cleaned up is that it is a health hazard.

I'm a bit hardline about things like this because the last yard I rode out from was built round over about 15 years. We started getting complaints about muck so used to go back and clean up. Then the demands that we don't ride down 'their' roads on a weekend morning as the noise ruined their lie ins - our only other exit from the yard was onto a NSL road and as we were just setting out we were only walking. Residents on the same estate tried to get the BOAT turned into a foot path as we made it muddy apparently - that didn't work as it was over farm property... The same few people reported us constantly to RSPCA et al because there were horses and cattle in the fields (No ***** Sherlock) and they couldn't use the footpaths as their kids were scared and it was cruel to have animals out in the winter. They also made the fields muddy and 'it didn't look nice'. The one complaint they did succeed on was having kissing gates installed rather than styles so they could get buggies onto the ROWs. They even went to the local papers - with lovely DM sad faces - after a horse was PTS after breaking a leg and it took a couple of hours to collect the body. What the silly paper didn't mention was that 1) the body was in an area that didn't have any ROW within 1/2 mile so they were trespassing and 2) if they'd left the tarp that covered it alone their children wouldn't have been traumatised, would they?

The poor guy who owned the farm was getting constant complaints about noise, smells, even got rid of his cockerels to try and keep the peace even though they were nowhere near the houses. It was the same few people geeing up their neighbours, writing letters and petitions then going to the council all the time. They also thought that every green space was a public park and were regularly outraged that their picnics (yes, in a horse field) were, how shall I put it :) interrupted. Or that their dogs got chased when they got between cows and calves on private property...

These days, while not neighbourly I wouldn't give an inch because I'm firmly convinced that if these little Hitlers had been told no at the beginning they would never have got such an entitled attitude that had rights to demand it all their own way - I don't care that you 'paid £500k for naice executive hame' (direct quote btw :)) you're still on the edge of a rural area. It might be pretty but it's still got to earn its keep and why shouldn't it do so in the way it has done for a couple of centuries?
 
The letter was date 2013 (I've just moved to the yard). Do you think its still worth writing to them?

I totally agree if you give into this sort of thing it just paves the way for more and more unreasonable demands.
 
I am going to go against the consensus here as I think that on some tracks where horses are allowed alongside other users: walkers, pram pushers and cyclists, I personally think it is only polite to try and either pull your horse to the side when you feel them about to poo or get off and kick it to the side. Some of these users will be very vocal in their objection to horse droppings to the local council and before you know it, it becomes just a walkers or cyclists route.

However, in a residential area it is a completely different issue and harder to address
 
Jnhuk said:
I am going to go against the consensus here as I think that on some tracks where horses are allowed alongside other users: walkers, pram pushers and cyclists, I personally think it is only polite to try and either pull your horse to the side when you feel them about to poo or get off and kick it to the side. Some of these users will be very vocal in their objection to horse droppings to the local council and before you know it, it becomes just a walkers or cyclists route.

However, in a residential area it is a completely different issue and harder to address
Click to expand...

It's specifically talking about a wide public road with footpaths.
 
To be fair, are even dog owners supposed to pick up if the dog fouls on the road rather than the pavement? I thought (once upon a time) that they weren't.....
 
Voice of dissent here - I am a surrender monkey (sort of).
If my horse craps outside someone's house or in a frequently walked in part of the village, I go back after my ride and sweep up. Away from houses I don't. People round here are mostly proper country folk, and tolerant, and I don't want to get up anyone's nose.
I had a great experience a few years back in a neighbouring village - cob had a huge crap outside the village shop. Shop people gave me a bag to scrape it into and were pleased to keep the contents for their garden
 
This is the dung guidance issued by the BHS scotland for scotland.

Dung and public roads
There is no legislation to oblige riders and carriage drivers to clean
up their horse’s dung from public roads, but:
• If a rider is on a road and their horse has dropped outside
someone’s driveway, and it is safe to do so, it would be
courteous to dismount and kick the dung into the gutter (but
only if the road is clear and your horse is amenable)
• Carriage drivers could carry a bucket and shovel with them to
lift and remove dung and take it home, where it is safe to do
so.
• It would be courteous for riding schools and livery yards that
regularly use public roads close by their yard to do a regular
“poo run” to clear dung from these roads.

Full leaflet here:

http://www.bhsscotland.org.uk/uploads/5/4/5/3/5453271/dung_guidance_leaflet_june_2010.pdf
 
Ridiculous!! Horse poo is organic, it breaks down comparatively quickly. Cat & dog poo doesn't. Are we going to insist cat owners clear up after their cats, like dog owners? Of course not. So why are horse riders being targeted?
 
I'm determined to make a video about how impossible it is to clean up after a horse while out on a hack! Take a shovel with me and a plastic bag and make a big song and dance about getting off and back on again :P might do it next week end!!

I was actually curious about how long droppings stay around. Ned did one down the very very quiet lane outside the yard. It was gone in 2 days.
 
Jnhuk said:
This is the dung guidance issued by the BHS scotland for scotland.

Dung and public roads
There is no legislation to oblige riders and carriage drivers to clean
up their horse’s dung from public roads, but:
• If a rider is on a road and their horse has dropped outside
someone’s driveway, and it is safe to do so, it would be
courteous to dismount and kick the dung into the gutter (but
only if the road is clear and your horse is amenable)
• Carriage drivers could carry a bucket and shovel with them to
lift and remove dung and take it home, where it is safe to do
so.
• It would be courteous for riding schools and livery yards that
regularly use public roads close by their yard to do a regular
“poo run” to clear dung from these roads.

Full leaflet here:

http://www.bhsscotland.org.uk/uploads/5/4/5/3/5453271/dung_guidance_leaflet_june_2010.pdf
Click to expand...

Idiots , but it's their opinion and their entitled to it
 
BHS advice from 2011 : The British Horse Society (BHS) advises: “If a rider is on a road and their horse has dropped outside someone’s driveway, and it is safe to do so, it would be courteous to dismount and kick the dung into the gutter.”

I am amazed that you don't all ride with pooper scoopers and rakes on your backs with bin bags slung over your horse's quarters.:tongue3::wink3:

In Pedantic's words NOA
 
How times have changed, sounds like Mrs Bucket and her ilk have moved to the country "with room for a poneh, don't you know". Forgot that they poo, didn't they.

I remember when I was very young, my Grandad and Mr Taylor next door would race each other outside with buckets and shovels in hand if the milkman's horse even lifted it's tail. High density residential area.. Ooh I'm fee!ing old
 
Well, if the BHS want to advise the should-know-better lot round here who let their fat labradors cr@p all over our verge, driveway, round my mounting block, you name it, to pick up after their animals then I will gladly do the same. Until such time, forget it....
 
No, no and yet again no. If people bow to this, it becomes a common expectation. I had this conversation with a colleague. I pointed out it is a, completely harmless b, no worse than the mud/leaves/river debris/tractor drop offs....
 
I'm afraid I just resigned (Gold member) from the BHS over ragwort! They claim one thing but adopt a difference stance in practice! I wonder if they now employ only university graduates with all the letters but no experience?

I'm of the generation who open doors and give up my seat for a lady and I would probably go back and clean up my horse's poo outside a residential house or shop -- but if the owner or fellow road user was rude about the deposit, I'd go out of my way to make sure it was a regular occurrence! :)

There is no legal requirement to clean up after horses, but there is with dogs.
 
FfionWinnie said:
The letter was date 2013 (I've just moved to the yard). Do you think its still worth writing to them?

I totally agree if you give into this sort of thing it just paves the way for more and more unreasonable demands.
Click to expand...

It seems to be a complete waste of tim to write to the BHS about anything.
 
I visited a riding school up in Surrey to pick up some qualification cards and it was on the edge of a housing estate in a not particularly rural area although it might have been once. I have to say the amount of manure on the roads squashed onto it by cars was very noticeable and in the warm sun had a rather strong aroma. I could understand why people might not be so keen on it even if it really is totally impractical to pick up.
 
I do have a problem with my cob who insists on weeing outside my neigbours garden wall every time I walk past the house. I do worry if in the summer with little rain that it would smell but I do check and it hasn't yet. I would have to do something about it if it did start to smell.
 
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