At 09:06:54 on 29.07.11, Flicka wrote:
Yesterday I read in H&H that a council in Teeside, following complaints from residents, has sent out a letter to riding schools and yards urging riders to clean up after their horse when it has defecated out on a hack. There isn't a law to state that riders have to do this but apparently there is a duty of care. The British Horse Society have advised horse owners "If a rider is on a road and their horse has dropped(muck)outside someone's driveway, and it is safe to do so, it would be courteous to dismount and kick the dung into the gutter." Arghh, this really winds me up! It just seems totally ridiculous, but maybe you disagree?

At 14:34:22 on 29.07.11, NMH wrote:
How times change... after the war, houseowners in towns used to dash out after the milkman's pony had poo'd, to be the first to shovel it up for their allotments/roses!

At 20:54:57 on 30.07.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Yep i live there :) and are we f*** picking it up! Why should we when there is dog mess everywhere? And im sorry but grenville has a bad back so me hauling myself up onto his back (which is a long long way up) every time he has a poo (which is lots when he is excited on a hack) his back would be twisted beyond reason. And if you lived in teesside you would realise it is hardly pristine anyway! Dog mess, graffitti and boarded windows everywhere so i doubt a few horse poos will make it look much worse!

At 21:07:06 on 31.07.11, ToriSilverson wrote:
but horse poo is different to dog poo because horses dont eat meat...it is essentialy just grass or hay. people are soo stupid sometimes!

At 21:31:21 on 31.07.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
i know and horse poo doesn't smell nearly as bad and if you step in it it washes straight off unlike dog poo, grrr lol

At 13:10:37 on 01.08.11, Em28 wrote:
Not sure how safe it is to dismount and start kicking horse muck around on the roadside? It may be safe when you are dismounting but then a car or cars can come flying round the corner. I would have thought this would be dangerous for horse, rider and any road users as well as pedestrians. Seriously, the council should be more concerned about dog poo, there seems to be a serious problem with this in recent years and Im sure it wont be long before we see white dog poos littering the pavements again!

At 16:39:00 on 02.08.11, Flicka wrote:
If we keep having to get on and off our horses then maybe there will be a sudden surge in the market for 14.2's and under lol.

At 17:27:08 on 02.08.11, Angwh19 wrote:
Having a 17 hand horse and being only 5'4 would I have to carry a stepladder with me at all times?? LOL!! This just takes the poo.... :-(

At 09:35:45 on 03.08.11, helen jayne wrote:
How ridiculous is this.... the councils really and truly are a law to themselves. Their proposals are putting lives at risk. I bet it was a local Councillors house that the poop was outside.... how can one letter from one resident cause the council to take this so seriously. Does that mean that my letter to my council to stop the wind turbines being erected near my home will stop them.... Err no I think not!!! I really can't get my breath and it is so sad that yet again horse owners and riders are being targetted again. Maybe more bridle paths would be the answer.... lets send one letter in and maybe it will work ha ha. Sorry rant over lol x

At 11:39:24 on 03.08.11, Loes and co wrote:
the only way out and in of the yard has been a sandy bridle way for decades. Than it was decided to make a cycle lane from Glencoe to Oban- great idea, all for it - so they tarmaced the whole stretch and somehow I now get grief from my cycling colleagues that horses are on THEIR cycle lane and complaining about the droppings. Personally I get off and one as little as possible en route as I think it is hard on Chazbo's back and it does get tidied up every few days.