This is kind of crappy...

[darkchild16]

im geussing that has to do with what I said. He wasnt scared of anythign else but a diaper, he was in public 95% of his life, he helped me teach riding lessons and he was in the middle of rodeo grounds all the time and never freaked there.

[Pops2]

it wasn't just you, there was a lot of well the shovel would make the horse freak out and a bunch of other similar stuff. if the horse is that freakin skittish it shouldn't be in a public environment like a city/county park w/ a bunch of people. having been stomped, kicked, thrown & rolled on I know haw skittish a horse can be, but i also know a horse can be trained well enough to ignore automatic weapons being shot by their riders. so people are just making excuses is the way i see it.

[Linds]

Originally Posted by darkchild16

as we have all pointed out its DANGEROUS Plain and simple.

And to me that pretty much sums up the reason why it would be a bad idea to require horse poop to be picked up after by the rider.

I don't ride horses but I do walk trails and ride my bike through them with Kaylee and to be perfectly honest horse poop has never bothered me. But I get it, that's just me and isn't a reason for everyone else to be okay with it.

BUT, the fact is that this is an animal that is much larger than the largest dog and while it may be perfect for the majority of it's life, never spooking; there is a chance it will happen and when it does the result would be much worse than a dog taking off after a squirrel. The situation would be made even more unpredictable if the rider was not on the horse and rather was paying attention to the poop. Not to mention that people are jerks I've seen way to many bikers fly up behind someone on the horse without a word and pass within mere inches. Can you imagine that happening with no rider on the horse and their attention elsewhere?

The horse people have already stated numerous reasons why it could and would lead to very dangerous situations but also that it's not easy on the horse or the person to be mounting from the ground repeatedly and in some cases impossible. Add that to the fact that you would even have to notice when the horse is pooping it all adds up to be almost laughable to try and require horse poop to be cleaned up by the riders.

If it bothers you so much why not work on getting the community or whoever keeps the trails to hire someone to clear the paths of horse poop rather than make the horse riders put them selves, their horse and other people and animals at risk.

[sillysally]

Originally Posted by Linds

If it bothers you so much why not work on getting the community or whoever keeps the trails to hire someone to clear the paths of horse poop rather than make the horse riders put them selves, their horse and other people and animals at risk.

Just organize a dog walk! That should take care of it . Sally and Jack volunteer!

[AGonzalez]

Originally Posted by Pops2

it wasn't just you, there was a lot of well the shovel would make the horse freak out and a bunch of other similar stuff. if the horse is that freakin skittish it shouldn't be in a public environment like a city/county park w/ a bunch of people. having been stomped, kicked, thrown & rolled on I know haw skittish a horse can be, but i also know a horse can be trained well enough to ignore automatic weapons being shot by their riders. so people are just making excuses is the way i see it.

Oh so you were talking about me. I can address that simply.

My horse wasn't very used to being in public, we went to rodeos, we did pick up and barrel racing. I'm not about to have a sharp object attached to ANY animal that weighs 1000 lbs and can fall and easily kill me.
He fell on me once, broken hip, arm, and fractured neck. Yeah I want to carry around a shovel now...
Safety first, horse crap second.

[Saeleofu]

I'm not about to have a sharp object attached to ANY animal that weighs 1000 lbs and can fall and easily kill me.

Very good point. Just this past weekend, the horse I was riding tripped and fell in the area. I bailed but he still landed on my leg; fortunately I wasn't hurt, and neither was he (nice soft arena footing made for a nice landing lol...also he landed on me with the side of his body so the weight was distributed, instead of a leg or something, which could have made things much worse). But had I been carrying a shovel, that probably would have been a different story. The point isn't just that horse can spook, but that even if you have a bombproof horse, accidents can happen. An accident with a 1200 pound horse is a much bigger deal than an accident with a 100 pound dog.

[JennSLK]

Pops, clearly you arent experianced with horses. Some horses simply will not tolerate a bag tied to their but. They are a prey animal and this can trigger instincts regardless of how well trained your horse is. Also, carrying a shovel or rake while ridding is just beyond dumb.

I want you to body check your dog as hard as you can in the spine every time he poops and you have to clean it up. Thats what mounting from the ground does to a horse.

[puppydog]

Let me settle this.





That is why. Horse pooh is WAY less gross then dog pooh. It is just grain, it smells like plants, is washes off easier and it is not as bacteria ridden.

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by Pops2

it wasn't just you, there was a lot of well the shovel would make the horse freak out and a bunch of other similar stuff. if the horse is that freakin skittish it shouldn't be in a public environment like a city/county park w/ a bunch of people. having been stomped, kicked, thrown & rolled on I know haw skittish a horse can be, but i also know a horse can be trained well enough to ignore automatic weapons being shot by their riders. so people are just making excuses is the way i see it.

Its not that a horse is 'that freakin skittish' Even the most bomb proof of horses will spook. In the back of EVERY horse's mind is a little voice telling it 'you taste good and things want to eat you.. be ready to run'. Its not just an herbivore thing, cows aren't nearly as skittish as horses, but they have horns and have the option to do the 'circle thing' vs run. Every instinct in the horse says RUN when startled. Run first, then look back and see if it was really scary.

I used to have this great flow chart on how horse's dealt with startling things.. it was funny and true.

The other issue is the only way you can get your horse used to trail riding is to do it. Yes you can desensitize your horse to some things at home... but the dog on the flexi lead who tries to wrap itself around your horse's front legs is not something you can really practise for.

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

Hmm...I guess it's too much work for me to clean up after my dog. She pulls at the leash and yanks me after squirrels while I'm trying to pick it up. It's dangerous and sucks. That's a logical reason for me to just not clean up the mess and leave it in a public place.

I have to say its obvious in this thread those who have not dealt with horses

A horse is not just a big dog. They act completely different to stimuli.

A horse is 1000 pounds+ No matter how hard your dog pulls there is no comparison.

A dog can't kick you and shatter bones.

A dog (likely) comes back when you call if the leash is jerked out of your hands.

Your dog isn't likely wearing thousands upon thousands of dollars of equipment (that can get destroyed if running loose)

Your dog is not in any way physically harmed by you picking up poop. (mounting and dismounting IS hard on horses)

People can pass you on the trail if you are stooping and scooping, not likely with a horse.

You can just use your hand and little bag to pick up the poop of your dog. What pray tell would you suggest a rider use?

Your dog stops to poop, its easy to tell they are pooping. Riders have mentioned that yes it can be impossible to tell that your horse just went.

Dog poop is gross, slimy, sticky and pungent (at least for non raw fed dogs) horse poop is firm, non sticky and made of grass/

Dogs are companion animals, horses are still legally forms of transport. Do you clean up bits of oil your car may leave in parking lots? (just wondering.. as that is actually harmful)

Its simple to poop and scoop even with an under socialized under trained dog.. even with a bomb proof horse its not going to be a simple 20 second activity.

People with minor mobility issues can still poop and scoop for their dogs, will they be able to get on their horse repeatedly from the ground (forgetting its harmful for the horse)

I too have had horse's fall on me.. its not fun.

So horse people have pointed out its going to hurt horses (physically, no matter how well trained) its going to add danger to horses, people, and equipment.

Horse ARE far more dangerous than dogs... here are some statistics for you non horse people...

Horses are the most dangerous domestic animal (NEISS 2001-2003)
for ever million horses there are 10,000 injuries treated in emergency rooms.. compared to 1/2 that of dogs.

There are 2.16 human fatalities per million horses per year. Dogs don't even come close to that number (I think it was .3 human fatalities per million per year.. its hard to read the chart as its so low)

Horses are dangerous animals, there is no getting around that. I have lost friends to riding accidents. I have been kicked, fallen on, tossed, nerve damage, broken bones etc myself. (I worked with a lot of 'problem horses'.. but a lot of those injuries came from well trained horses when something flukey happened)

So far all you people who think horses should be allowed on the trail but should have no issues picking up after them selves... well I suggest you go take some riding lessons or spend some time working with horses... then we will talk.