Why don't you carry a shovel ?

[AdorableAlice]

I have to share a most hilarious moment.

The comment of 'why don't you carry a shovel' came from a dog walker today and was directed at my two horses out on exercise. The horses were stood on a very wide, highway owned verge on a B road whilst on coming and traffic from behind went past them. Both ridden by mature experienced ladies. The B road links a lovely circular hacking route and is only about 800 yards of the route with excellent visibility plus the wide verge so we use it a fair bit.

The dog walker was on the path at the edge of verge and some 50 foot away from the horses. There was a pile of old horse muck on the grass adjacent the path. The dog walker with dog on lead had a rant at the riders demanding to know why no shovel was being carried and blaming them for dumping the horse muck where her dog could eat it. The riders were a little bemused by the rant, but advised the dog walker that the muck was old and had not been provided by either of the horses, adding that as the dog was on the lead she could just prevent it eating the muck.

The dog walker then let rip, ranting about her dog having stomach issues and the horse poo was making him more ill. The riders are to blame and they should be carrying a shovel, they should get off and shovel the poo immediately. I am relieved I was not there, my response would not have been quite so polite as the riders were !

So fellow riders, get yourselves a shovel ! How you attach it to your person or the horse is optional.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

There is a hilarious skit done by a blonde girl called 'Educating horse riders' where said blonde girl makes her friend come with her for a hack dragging a mounting block with her and shovel/bag for poo. Utterly silly but very funny.

 

[Fleece Navidad]

I have to share a most hilarious moment.

The comment of 'why don't you carry a shovel' came from a dog walker today and was directed at my two horses out on exercise. The horses were stood on a very wide, highway owned verge on a B road whilst on coming and traffic from behind went past them. Both ridden by mature experienced ladies. The B road links a lovely circular hacking route and is only about 800 yards of the route with excellent visibility plus the wide verge so we use it a fair bit.

The dog walker was on the path at the edge of verge and some 50 foot away from the horses. There was a pile of old horse muck on the grass adjacent the path. The dog walker with dog on lead had a rant at the riders demanding to know why no shovel was being carried and blaming them for dumping the horse muck where her dog could eat it. The riders were a little bemused by the rant, but advised the dog walker that the muck was old and had not been provided by either of the horses, adding that as the dog was on the lead she could just prevent it eating the muck.
ave
The dog walker then let rip, ranting about her dog having stomach issues and the horse poo was making him more ill. The riders are to blame and they should be carrying a shovel, they should get off and shovel the poo immediately. I am relieved I was not there, my response would not have been quite so polite as the riders were !

So fellow riders, get yourselves a shovel ! How you attach it to your person or the horse is optional.

Any bag, any skip I suppose? As it would be hard to shove into any of the footpath bins around here...

 

[criso]

To be fair a shovel makes a very effective weapon and can then be used for burying the evidence/dog walker.

 

[AdorableAlice]

To be fair a shovel makes a very effective weapon and can then be used for burying the evidence/dog walker.

Fair point, but neither of the riders can get back on without the use of either a massive mounting block or a block and tackle. We have tried to teach Ted The Twit to kneel down but he hasn't grasped the concept yet.

 

[MereChristmas]

You have reminded me of this.
In the late 60’s and early 70’s to get to my best hack I had to ride through small estate of bungalows. Most people would shovel any muck and use it on their gardens. One day I was halted by a woman who demanded that I carry a bag in future to carry that ‘disgusting stuff’ away with me.

 

[Upthecreek]

And are we supposed to bag up the sh*t and carry that when we get back on the horse as well as the shovel? ?

 

[Merry neddy man]

I would have asked her name to put on top of the mound of earth her body would have been under.

 

[Flicker]

And are we supposed to bag up the sh*t and carry that when we get back on the horse as well as the shovel? ?

No just hang the bag full of sh*te from a tree like the dog walkers.

 

[Hackback]

I think it would be easier to just put a nappy on the horse tbh.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I uh, taught my dog a "leave it" command and this helps her not be interested in horse poop. So you could train your dog or pay attention. Crazy ideas, I know.

If our horse pooped in a village in front of someone's house we would drive back later and scoop it up, but otherwise, just let nature take its course.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I think it would be easier to just put a nappy on the horse tbh.

Hmmm, wouldn't end well with the bonkers cart horse. Had to sedate him to put a smear of flamazine on a sore ankle yesterday. Trying to stuff 17.2 of neurotic cart horse into a pampers is a bit of a challenge.

 

[windand rain]

If ours poop near houses or on mown grassshould they venture too close we go back and pick it up sometimes its gone into gardens. I hate to see horses on well cared for lawns so I think that would make me more angry than a bit of poo. Was horrified the other day to see a man walking his dogs up the middle of a newly sown field the dogs were having a grand old time digging and tearing around the tilth. He was approximately 50 yards off the foot path he should have been on.

 

[Shilasdair]

I carry a spade....you never know when you'll need one.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I carry a spade....you never know when you'll need one.

Do you keep it tucked in your bra or down your knicker leg ? Be careful, if you have a tumble it will do you real damage and trying to explain it to the paramedic will be tricky.

 

[PapaverFollis]

MrT likes to poop in the same place every hack if he can manage it. He also prefers to go on the verge and stop to create a mountain but I try to keep him walking and in line with where car tyres go.... it disappears faster that way. Last autumn he decided his favourite spot was right outside a near neighbour's house so I did pop out with my barrow to clean up after him most days, mostly to try and discourage him. Fortunately a winter break seems to have re-set him and his spot has moved to a less antisocial section of road. The neighbour next to us thought I was being daft cleaning it up.

Having said that... A. Train your dog and B. Well just, yeah. It just horse poop.

 

[cobgoblin]

Our big cob would need panniers to carry his home. I guess the shovel could go across them.

 

[sky1000]

I'd love to see horses going past and I'd love to scoop any poo for my garden - I live in the wrong place it seems

 

[FFAQ]

I have actually seen 2 ladies squabbling in the lane over who got the poop for their garden. I think they would be really annoyed if I took it with me!

 

[Nudibranch]

I had a neighbour demand I clear up a pile of poo from the road near her house because I was "the only rider who goes down there". Yes, me and the local livery yard...
The same woman lets her dog sh** all over our verge and never even thinks about picking it up. She once asked us to go halves on repairing her dry stone wall, just because it was vaguely near our house. Not even a shared boundary.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I have to share a most hilarious moment.

The comment of 'why don't you carry a shovel' came from a dog walker today and was directed at my two horses out on exercise. The horses were stood on a very wide, highway owned verge on a B road whilst on coming and traffic from behind went past them. Both ridden by mature experienced ladies. The B road links a lovely circular hacking route and is only about 800 yards of the route with excellent visibility plus the wide verge so we use it a fair bit.

The dog walker was on the path at the edge of verge and some 50 foot away from the horses. There was a pile of old horse muck on the grass adjacent the path. The dog walker with dog on lead had a rant at the riders demanding to know why no shovel was being carried and blaming them for dumping the horse muck where her dog could eat it. The riders were a little bemused by the rant, but advised the dog walker that the muck was old and had not been provided by either of the horses, adding that as the dog was on the lead she could just prevent it eating the muck.

The dog walker then let rip, ranting about her dog having stomach issues and the horse poo was making him more ill. The riders are to blame and they should be carrying a shovel, they should get off and shovel the poo immediately. I am relieved I was not there, my response would not have been quite so polite as the riders were !

So fellow riders, get yourselves a shovel ! How you attach it to your person or the horse is optional.

If this happened to me frequently, I'd carry a bin bag and a teaspoon with me. Anybody having a go at me in the way you describe would get the question "do you like roses?" If the answer is "yes" then the response would be to throw the bin bag and teaspoon at the offensive person with the instruction "take the fertiliser back home and grow your own fliping roses".

She once asked us to go halves on repairing her dry stone wall, just because it was vaguely near our house. Not even a shared boundary.

"I'll not go halves with you, but I'll provide you with a few new stones" ... [proceeds to throw stones at obnoxious person]

 

[dogatemysalad]

Until relatively recently, taxis were required by law to carry a shovel, bucket and bale of hay in the boot.

 

[Pippity]

Really makes me appreciate my horse's insistence on only ever pooing in her stable or field. I just wish she didn't have to poo EVERY time she went in her stable, even if she's only in there for five minutes.

 

[Cragrat]

Really makes me appreciate my horse's insistence on only ever pooing in her stable or field. I just wish she didn't have to poo EVERY time she went in her stable, even if she's only in there for five minutes.

I was thinking this the other day- neither of mine tend to poo whilst ridden - they both poo frequetly whilst being brought in and tacked up, or in the trailer to a venue (if I remember correctly, it's so long ago!) but once on board, that is usually it. We have a few regular hacks, and I was thinking how apart from faint hoof prints (barefoot) there is no evidence that we go that way multiple times a week Other advantage is that when we arena hire I rarely if ever have to clean up afterwards!

 

[Baywonder]

When I used to take my old boy out, a couple of pensioners (who were neighbours) used race to get to his pile of muck first! It was friendly rivalry but it always made me laugh.

Waaaayy back when I had my first pony, I was out on a hack with a friend, and we stopped at a filling station to get a drink. I was holding the ponies, and mine decided to dump a load on the forecourt. The second it hit the floor, a really snooty woman got out of her car and screamed "That is absolutely disgusting!! Aren't you going to pick it up?!!!"

At that point my friend came out and said politely, "Err no, we don't carry a shovel" The snooty woman continued her rant, much to the amusement of every customer who was there. Then, the lovely guy who owned the place came over with a bucket and shovel, scooped it up and announced, very loudly, he would move it and that it wasn't a problem. We obviously thanked him and the snooty woman drove off waving her arms and screeching like a banshee into the distance...

 

[Berpisc]

On a slightly more serious note, the person with the dog would be well advised to control what her dog eats out and about because what it might eat might give it more than just an upset stomach.
Having said that, my dog Sam would be lost without his regular intake of horse poo (from the field), its an important part of his five a day

 

[hollyandivy123]

Hmmm, wouldn't end well with the bonkers cart horse. Had to sedate him to put a smear of flamazine on a sore ankle yesterday. Trying to stuff 17.2 of neurotic cart horse into a pampers is a bit of a challenge.

but i think i speak from some of us, if you ever do we are expecting the video to prove it!



if people think the odd pile of horse poop is a criminal offence you should see what a lane 5 mile long looks like with 8 dairy farms on it...............by the end of the summer grazing you could say its a tad green

 

[Country Mouse]

We would tell them it was a free sample for their garden, if they wanted more they would have to collect it themselves.

 

[Orangehorse]

I remember having a long discussion with a Council official who was very worried about horse droppings on a cycle path.

We had to point out that horse droppings are mostly grass and hay, unlike dog and cat poo. A university study found no evidence at all of any person being infected or made ill from horse droppings, and not surprisingly it was a large study group.

I think it is possible for horses to contract salmonella, but it is rare and a handler would then have to be careful.
But normal healthy horses - OK

 

[AdorableAlice]

Until relatively recently, taxis were required by law to carry a shovel, bucket and bale of hay in the boot.

Hackney Carriage Law is one of my specialisms and yes you are right. It was the 1831 Act which was law until the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 1976 replaced parts of it.

Today the shovel is now tools to enable a wheel change at side of road whilst in service. The bucket is a first aid kit and the bale of hay a fire extinguisher.