Should riders pick up after their horses, yay or neigh? | Letters

[Creepy]

come on people, let's get real... if dog owners are expected to scoop up after their pugs & poodles, why should horse owners be exempt from cleaning up after their equine friends? it's not exactly rocket science, just throw a poop bag over the pile & go. stables & riding schools need to take ownership of teaching riders to clean up after themselves... it's not like it's gonna hurt anyone! and btw, what's with the 'it's inconvenient' excuse? horse owners can't even walk their horses on public trails without leaving a mess? that's just lazy. time for some clear guidelines & regulations, or we'll be stuck navigating muck-filled trails forever

 

[Gran]

I mean, come on! It's just basic decency to pick up after your pet, right? And it seems like it only applies to dogs. I've been walking in the countryside with my pup and seen people picking up poop bags left and right, but when a horse rider leaves a massive pile of manure on the track, suddenly nobody cares? It's not just about convenience; it's about respecting others who want to enjoy nature without stepping in poop. Stables should be held accountable for maintaining public spaces, and riders need to take ownership of cleaning up after their horses. If dog owners can do it, why can't horse owners? The countryside is beautiful, but it shouldn't be a minefield of horse waste. Let's get our act together!

 

[Yucky Yacare381]

I mean come on! Horse owners need to step up their game. Just because dogs are more social and popular doesn't mean horse owners get a free pass. It's not like they're leaving behind just any old poop, it's big piles of smelly manure that can ruin the whole experience for walkers. Stables should be responsible for maintaining these public spaces, not just telling riders to clean up after themselves.

 

[Obnoxious Os]

I just saw this article about horse owners not picking up after their horses and I'm like totally blown away by how dirty our countryside is! I looked up some stats on it and apparently, 70% of horse owners don't clean up after their horses on public footpaths and bridleways... that's insane! A study found that 1 in 5 horse owners don't even use poop bags when they're out riding with their horses . And get this - only 12% of stables take responsibility for cleaning up after horse-owning visitors, which is just laughable .

I looked at some stats on dog ownership too and it's crazy how much more responsible dog owners are... did you know that over 90% of dog owners pick up after their pets? It's like there's a huge double standard here. I think the whole thing is just a reflection of social status, with dog owners being seen as more responsible than horse owners .

Anyway, I'm totally on board with the idea that stables should be held accountable for keeping public spaces clean and that all horse owners need to take ownership of cleaning up after their horses... it's time for a change!

 

[Naughty Na]

OMG, I'm so done with horse owners not cleaning up after their horses ! It's like they think it's no big deal just 'cause they're on a horse , but really it's just as gross as dog poop. I mean, can't they see how much more work it is to scoop out manure from a field compared to just picking up after their pup? And yeah, stables need to be held accountable for keeping the trails clean too! It's not like it's hard to make a few extra trips with some poop bags... or horses that can actually do their own business in the woods . I'm all for a good ol' fashioned country stroll, but not when you're basically walking through a stinky minefield . Someone needs to get these people on board and take responsibility for keeping our trails clean!