Should you clean up after your horse?

Had a conversation today with FIL. He lives on a quiet road which is regularly used by horse riders. He is livid at the state the road is in with horse poo. There are a lot of children who play in this area and in the summer it can be bad with flies and the smell.

So my question is - Should horse owners have to clear up after their horses as dog owners do?

How on earth would that be practical?

That would mean:

• getting off the horse, not always a good idea with some horses
• trying to control said horse whilst managing a shovel
• carrying a shovel with you
• carrying a very large bag full of poop
• having to then carry a very large bag full of manure

As someone who's horse often had a runny tum after being out at grass I would also have to carry a hose or jet wash!

Manure is totally green, does not carry disease in the way cat or dog poo does and they are herbivores so no nasties.
Has he not got any roses?

Not only that but when trotting along you aren't always aware they have been!

I realise that it isnt pratical but i have to say i get royally pee'd off when riders use the pavements..imagine if our dogs left piles of steaming poo and we just walked off? We live of the very edge of a small village, the pavements that lead down the hill and into the countryside are relatively wide whilst the road is fairly narrow (odd i know!) so the riders regularly use the pavement..have you ever tried to walk down a pavement with 7 dogs when they all rather fancy a mouthful..difficult!

sniffs in the air........................urm the joys of the countryside

Dog poo is different to horse poo, and maybe they use the pavements because the road is narrow, or because sometimes motorists really don't give a wotist about passing close by and spooking the horses. Plus you are in the countryside of which horses are a major part.
There are places in this country you are not allowed to walk 7 dogs at once.

Exactly, it's those good old country smells that make the countryside what it is.
Fox poop, hedgehog poop, sheep poop, cow poop, every sort of poop you can imagine. If it all had to be cleared up that would be one enormous pile of poop.

Agree with wishbone here - it would be pretty much impossible to do! For one, getting on and off a horse from the ground when you're a shorty like me is definately not a possibility - plus some horses have a tendancy to wander off whilst the rider is mounting, which could lead to the horse wandering into the road and into the path of an oncoming car. Plus you would have to carry a shovel and a large bag / bucket which is totally impractical and again almost impossible - not to mention dangerous as the control of the horse would be compromised.

Unfortunately it's just part of living in an area where horses are present - whilst I appreciate that the smell can be a bit nasty, it does not, as wishbone has already stated, carry the nasty diseases as dogs do.

FIL (who was a jockey) would not expect a rider to dismount and clear it up but feels that because it is a large riding centre they should be resposible for clearing up behind themselves

Now there's a thought, poo bags for horse muck

Horse much is absolutely nothing like dog muck...and although it can be a pain, it is all part and parcel of country living....

And to be honest, you can usually see some little old man, with his shovel and bucket, picking the muck up after said horses, for his manure patch.

Is this true, if so where abouts are you talking of?

A bit off topic I know- sorry

L.

Brighton & Hove council have a bylaw that states all bridleways that are on council land have to be kept clear of horse poo, so what happens is that once a week you see people with wheelbarrows and shovels picking it all up.

I mean how hard or difficult is it just to keep the place clean. If riders use the bridleways, then it should be riders that clean them up.