scottish riders to pick up dung when hacking out??

wildpoppywild

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come on scots whats ur view on this??

in my town after the common riding they wanted all the muck picked up off the roads, now this only happened after all the new houses in our area were built, if u move to the country what do u expect?

i cant get on abby from the ground so i would struggle anyway and i dont think mum would love me for gettin out the car and picking it up lol!!
 

miss_c

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I'm not in Scotland but it sounds daft to me...

Some of the points in the article made me giggle though I must admit!

""We are inches away from having a fouling fine introduced because people are letting their horses foul everywhere when they are out riding."

How do they suggest we should stop them? I don't think Genie would listen if I told her she wasn't allowed to 'foul' while being ridden.

"It is not a good enough excuse to say they can't remount as they would dismount soon enough if their horse had a stone in its foot."

If Genie had a stone in her foot and went lame I would dismount and wouldn't remount as I would walk home.

I can understand that if riders have been allowed access onto what was previously a footpath they should be as courteous as possible, however if on a bridlepath why should we even consider picking up manure? As many people have said, the clue is in the name!

I agree with wildpoppywild that all this only seems to be happening after more houses have been built in the country and 'townies' (for lack of a better word) have moved to the country. What next? Paying tolls to ride on the roads to access bridlepaths?
 

Baileyhoss

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I think it's absolute nonsense! as you say. these people move to the country then complain when birds tweet in the mornngs, animals shite and they continue to drive as though they were on a motorway.
Stricter immigration policy for the country is required!.
in some areas of our nearest village the neighbours rush out to grab the poo for their gardens, it's only in the 'towny' areas and near the council houses that people moan about it.

Horse poo is different from dog poo - it's NOT toxic!. horses were originally a mode of transport, they are entitled to be on the roads and are part and parcel of the country. To outlaw their natural functions is not practically possible. it's just a closer step to banning them being on the roads altogether.

F x
 

Box_Of_Frogs

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There's a sort of hessian bag thing that attaches to the hrose's harness (?) somehow on some carriage driving horses. It hangs under the tail and catches the poo. Maybe if this issue gets any more ridiculous someone will produce one that attaches easily to the tack of a riding horse. Do the Horseguards have something similar for major London events?
 

lauraandjack

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Gotta be townies complaining. Lets face it, the poo soon disappears in the rain or once a few cars have flattened it. Oh, I'm sorry, has it made your pristine 4x4 dirty?

These are probably the same people that won't go above 45mph on a main road in the countryside and brake at every bend, yet get them on to one that's single track and they are trying to drive like Michael Schumacer (despite the fact that there may well be a horse/flock of sheep/ tractor round the next corner).

And don't get me started on the ones that sound their horn on a bend, yet still drive round it so fast you have no chance of getting out of the way in time even if you know they are coming!
 

lizzie_liz

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It is a load of nonsense. I live in Scotland and I know I wont be stopping to pick or move my horses muck. It will very shortly be absorbed into the ground/washed away by the rain.

Should we not be more concerned about the litter that is left on country roads. The amount of times I have been driving or walking around the countryside and found large amounts of cans, bottles and other such litter. This is more likely to damage the environment than a bit of horse manure.

Dont even start on the car or motorcycels. On BBC news website this week for North east scotland, out of the 6 stories covered 3 or 4 were to do with serious road crashes. And only yesterday did I narrowly miss being hit by another car as it came speeding round a bend.
 

Puddock

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I think the whole thing is ridiculous - and shame on the BHS for pandering to it.

Complainers - there's a very simple solution: walk around it you lazy fat gits.
 

wildpoppywild

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i am glad to hear u all agree i think it totally ridiculous and i will not be paying any fine for my horse having a poo, as u say its biodegradable and washes away. i am tempted to send BHS scotland an email telling them what i think.

[ QUOTE ]
Gotta be townies complaining. Lets face it, the poo soon disappears in the rain or once a few cars have flattened it. Oh, I'm sorry, has it made your pristine 4x4 dirty?

These are probably the same people that won't go above 45mph on a main road in the countryside and brake at every bend, yet get them on to one that's single track and they are trying to drive like Michael Schumacer (despite the fact that there may well be a horse/flock of sheep/ tractor round the next corner).


[/ QUOTE ]

i have no doubt in my mind it would be "townies" or as we call them "incomers" who have complained they want to live here to be in the countryside and now they complain about things tht make the countryside the countryside FFS go back where u came from if u hate it so much!!
 

PucciNPoni

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Oh dear gawd...this reminds me of a fight we used to have with our next door neighbor (in the US). She was a NYC transplant that used to come to her house in the country, would stroll down in to our farm where we kept not only horses, but llamas, ostriches, peacocks, and so forth. She thought it was perfectly okay to come and SEE THE ANIMALS without invitation or notice. And yet, when we rebuilt the barn and made it higher, she complained to the zoning department because it was going to spoil her view. Til it was pointed out that when the trees grow their leaves on again in the summer, she didn't have a view! The funniest bit was when there were wild rabbits in her garden she wanted us to come and collect them cos they might "doody" near the river and spoil her well water. ARRRGH!

I digress...sorry

I'm in Scotland and yep, I find that it's stupid, plain and simple. We have 211 new houses being built across the road from me in what used to be a beautiful rippling barley field. No doubt some of the folk there will love seeing horses go by, and most will be annoyed by the inconvenience of having to a) slow down to pass them b) have to see their unsightly poos c) be downwind the cow dung at the farm next door to my house.

I can't help but wonder if this doesn't become an us versus them type battle - and that the drivers start becoming nasty towards riders on the road. I've found that in the last few months, while hacking on the roads that drivers are much less inclined to slow down etc where they always would before. And the difference is that folk have started moving in to those 211 houses....
 

swellhillcottage

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I am not a Scot but i would like to go reply to this and go against the grain here as i live in the country the Sunny Cotswolds to be precise and work as a postie in one of the larger touristy villages which has a riding school based within it - Quite often the ponies poop on the footpaths and roads in the village as they hack thru it regulaly these areas are used by pedestrians and in all fairness i think they should come back and pick it up they would have to if it was dogpoo and to normal folk there is no difference it looks horrible and smells horrible and quite often they poo in convoy !! Dont think it matters about grassy bridleways or fields as it doesnt affect anyone but footpaths and roads in pedestrian areas yes they should .


Sharonxx
 

PucciNPoni

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I can see what you're saying....

however, we eventually EAT from horse poo - we use it on our veg patches etc. I don't see this being doing with dog poo....so I don't see it as the same, personally. I would happily walk bare foot, pick up iwth my bare hand horse dung. I'm a dog groomer, and work round dogs and their bodily functions and yet I wouldn't do EITHER of those things with dog poo.

The thing is this -take my area for instance. The horses were here long before the houses. If the horse people are to be bullied off the roads with impolite motorists and folk who can't tolerate horse droppings, where are they to go? Just ride in our schools? I hack sometimes for miles and miles and miles. Is it really feasible to go back later and lift the poo? Is it feasible to dismount, lift it and carry it in a sack like I'd do with dog faeces? I may be completely biased (I am sure of it in fact) but til I see fly tipping/littering handled better, I'm going to be so pig stubborn about horse poo!
 

wildpoppywild

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do u think they'll put out horse poop bins?? :p i agree dog poo is totally different to horse poo, horse poo is mostly grass
smile.gif
 

Enfys

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I was once asked (politely) by a motorcyclist NOT to ride my horse around a particular lane (very rural Wales) as his bike skidded on horse muck!
 

miss_c

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[ QUOTE ]
I was once asked (politely) by a motorcyclist NOT to ride my horse around a particular lane (very rural Wales) as his bike skidded on horse muck!

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow! At least he was polite, but I hope you replied with a polite 'no'!
 

shellonabeach

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We had an issue in our village where the local riding school was taking out hacks on a weekend up to 4 times a day with up to 20 horses in the group. The hack would be around residential estates (same route almost every time) and they had to cross an A road bypass to get from the riding school to the estate.

The residents wrote letters weekly to the local newspaper about all the horsemuck and I became ashamed and afraid to ride my horse on the same streets due to the ill feeling
frown.gif
(my horses are kept the same side of the bypass as the estate).

IMO in this situation where it was a BUSINESS making this mess and causing problems for residents then I think the owner of the business should clear up after her horses.

Personally if my horse poos along the lane where the stables are (I rent a small yard) - then I go clear it up when I get back in the spirit of being a good neighbour (of course sometimes my field neighbours take it for their gardens!). For some reason my gelding always goes in front of one particular house about 20m out of my gateway
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and yet my mare will never go on the road
grin.gif
!
 

hellsdarkrose

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I think it is ridiculous although I am not in Scotland.

I hope that riders in Scotland are bombarding the BHS with letters to tell them what they think on the matter and just how impractical and pandering they are being.
 

Chestnuttymare

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I don't think there is nay legislation imminent to say we have to pick up horses poo. I can see the point after the common riding, that amount of horses must leave a bit of a mess. I am sure the cleansing department would come out to clear it. surely they won't expect you to do it at ohter times.

I remember as a kid, if one of the ponies did one, the householders were out as quick as they could to claim it for their gardens.

I would love to see how they would police it lol
On the estate where were have our horses, they have big posh wedding throughout the summer. If one our horses poos on the road where the bridal car will be then we go back after our hack and move it .
 

wildpoppywild

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[ QUOTE ]
I think it is ridiculous although I am not in Scotland.

I hope that riders in Scotland are bombarding the BHS with letters to tell them what they think on the matter and just how impractical and pandering they are being.

[/ QUOTE ]

just trying to come up with one now
smile.gif
 

swellhillcottage

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Personally I am in agreement with you about dog poo its horrid stuff and i dont see it as the same either mind you i dont really like horse poo and i live on a farm LOL But non horseyfolk or non animal folk would just see it as poo whether dog human or horse its just poo ....
Worryingly Where i live and they have been using human poo on the surrounding crop fields which i guess we would end up eating .
confused.gif



Sharonxx
 

ynneb

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When I lived in Devon I had to ride through a very beautiful yachting village to get to the beach. This village was immaculate in every way. The local shop, pub and B&Bs depended on visitors for survival. So I always carried a large poly bag! I didn't use it that often but there was no way I could have left a pile of steaming horse poo in that lovely village. I did wonder what the person who emptied the doggie bin thought when he found my girl's enormous poos inside!
 

MagicMelon

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Ridiculous IMO. I can't really comment though as I dont hack anymore!! I gave up due to too many incidents, roads arent what they used to be (good god how old do I sound!!).

I am unsure how they would want riders to pick it up?? Do they honestly expect them to carry round a shovel and a bin bag?!
 

asbo

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posted bout this yesterday.

i for one will not be getting of my rather neurotic 16.2hh to pick it up as i will never get the git to stay still long enough to get back on and i will also not be going back to get it, our hacks are over the pentland hills and along the water of leith, i sure as hell and not walking for 2 or 3 hours to go pick it up
mad.gif
 

Chestnuttymare

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asbo, cool yer jets girl,
grin.gif
i am sure they mean on the streets of a village or whatever, not the pentlands.
shocked.gif

There is nothing on the go to make any legislation regarding horse poop, as far as i know anyway.
 

asbo

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[ QUOTE ]
asbo, cool yer jets girl,
grin.gif
i am sure they mean on the streets of a village or whatever, not the pentlands.
shocked.gif

There is nothing on the go to make any legislation regarding horse poop, as far as i know anyway.

[/ QUOTE ]

the water of leith would be included as its a public walkway, so if it came through we would have to get off or go back.
 

cbmcts

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There was a comment in the article about how riders had to share paths with walkers cyclists prams and wheel chair users....if they object to dung, do they object to mud? Will all bridleways have to be tarmacked?

I have to admit it drives me insane that walkers meander up bridleways - usually with dogs on extendable leads - and often won't even step aside to let riders past, afterall they have access to so many more routes in any given area - riders usually have only one choice. In my area (Essex) we don't just have people complaining about poo, they also complain loudly that we make the tracks muddy in the winter and that their dogs get too dirty. We even had to replace a style on a public footpath through grazing fields to make it accessible for buggys - what parent in their right mind would want to bring a buggy through a herd of 20+ horses????. We successfully fought the demand that mobility scooter users be given the code to the gate padlocks so they could get in and out of the field, the council said we were breaking the disability discrimination act - we asked for them to insure us against injury claims and public liability if someone let the horses out/didn't lock the gate......haven't heard anymore about that
smile.gif


I do feel that it is an awful lot about people wanting to live in the "country" but only if it's all clean and fragrant smelling and mistaking any open space as a public park and then being disappointed when the "country" includes muck spreading, horses dunging, cattle mooing and don't even mention cockerals crowing! Let alone horse owners insisting that it's not ok to let little Jemina into a large herd of horses with 1 carrot while the proud grandparents stand ready with the camcorder.....or their dog getting kicked because it was "only playing" with the horses/cattle/ sheep.

Sorry about the rant
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This weekend I've had to rescue a child from the middle of 10 horses who were all scrapping over the picnic that her and her mates decided to have in the middle of the field, walk up a bridleway at - 5 mph because of a mobility scooter that would not let me pass, in fact was very rude when I politely asked and on the same ride had little shites delibrately kick a football at my horse with mum and dad looking on laughing. Won't even mention the drivers who are so blind that they don't see a palomino pony wearing high viz tail guard and 4 high viz leg wraps with a rider wearing so much high viz that the christmas tree fairy has serious competition.....
 

gails

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AHHHHHHH, dont get me started, ok I will, his is my pet hate.

I am on the border of Lincoln and a very well to do village, an since all the 'townies' have moved into to live in the country, they do nothing by complain.

Do they not realise that the country is not a quiet haven, it is an outdoor factory, cows moo and do smelly poos, tractors are also noisey and smell, we have gas guns to scare away the pesky birds, ghe countryside is noisey, and smelly.

We as farmers were a very long time before the townies.

And just how do they wish us to stop the horses pooing.

Get a life and go back to the towns if you do not like it
 

dogatemysalad

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I think there should be a bit of give and take from both sides. My horse and I were stopped riding through a village by a lady who wanted to talk to my horse. I had to move him onto a wide pavement because of the traffic and he pooed on the pavement outside some shops. I rode home and returned in my car to clean it up. It seemed impolite to leave it there.
If an RS or trekking centre rides several times a day through a village, then surely, a member of staff should clear the mess up once a day, after all, we all clean up poo from the menage or yard areas without a second thought.
That said, I wouldn't be bothered by the occasional bit of muck on a country lane or bridlepath, because it'll disappear by itself pretty quickly.
 

Serephin

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I just read this and felt compelled to comment.
As a horse-rider, car driver, motorcyclist, bicycle cyclist and walker I think we have to consider all sides of things and not be so self obsessed with our own wants.
From a motorist/motorcyclist, cyclists perspective, many are using the roads to get to work - They are often pushed for time, they have busy lives, families etc. - They do their best to keep their cars clean, and then all of a sudden they go through a big pile of horse manure.

Often people don't look around them. I have often passed walkers, cyclists, horseriders etc who get the fright of their lives when i pass them almost as though they believe they should be the only person on the road or path.
It would solve a lot of problems if people actually paid more attention. Also, of course, many take up the full path, often wearing earphones and making it very difficult for others to pass as their horse starts to do it's business in front of them. - It's a bit much to say the least.

The roads really are the cars. Roads these days are designed for cars and we need to accept that. Horseriding, great as it is, is no longer a necessity in the 21st century. Sure there are often cycle routes alongside roads and that's great, but mostly the roads are meant for cars and as cyclists and riders we should respect that when we go onto them and really should consider them first.
Some look at it from this perspective. Why ride a horse in the first place? - They are not required these days.
I've heard motorists say "are they too lazy to walk?", "why not buy a car?" I've even heard them say "Do people really think horses like having people sit riding on them? (many of them overweight) and look at it from a 'cruelty to animals' perspective, which again, is quite understandable as many believe animals should be 'free' and not kept as 'pets', (groomed, fancy clothes etc). - To many it's a bit freakish and to me that is perfectly understandable.

All that aside; I don't think it's a big ask for horse-riders to clean up after their horses. Dog owners have to do so (many are too lazy to do that also) but it's really no big deal and just seems to be horseriders that make it one. At my riding school we are obligated to tidy up after our horse rides. A group of us will walk back the route we came and do the clearing up. People respect us for it and everyone is happy. It's just a shame more schools don't enforce this and require it of their riders.

Just yesterday I saw a little boy on a popular footpath in my area. Although their are signs up for riders to clean up after their horses, most ignore it. This little boy (on his bike) went down a small dip in the path and slid on a huge mound of horse business. He slid and came off his bike, basically covered in the stuff. - There was no way he could have avoided it, since the narrow path was absolutely caked in the stuff. I find that absolutely disgusting to be quite honest and a testament to how lazy and insconsiderate many people are these days. If all riders (like myself) cleaned up after their horses we would have much more respect from the community and probably more rights to ride. I think this lazy attitude to all this stuff causes problems for all of us. I think on roads where their is busy traffic, the need to clean up after our horses is even more important since it has been known to cause accidents and having your wheels covered in Horse poop isn't very nice.

These same rules go to everyone and should be heeded...People should clean up after their cars, horses, whatever and should be aware of their surroundings, looking behind them often and considering others also using the roads and paths. Many people are not lucky enough to be out for a 'leisure ride' and just need to get from A to B as hasslefree as possible. If everyone showed some respect the world would be a much better place.

I nearly wee'd I laughed so hard.
 
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