urban trail riders- cleaning off the poop?

[CatOnLap]

I did a search, but found nothing, so I am asking- those of you who are urban trail riders, do you stop to clean the manure off the trail if your horse lets go in public?

I live in an urban area that has miles of multi use trails, shared by bikers, riders, hikers and dog walkers ( off leash) There is no requirement for dog owners to scoop ( although many do, many don't and they leave foul smelling piles everywhere)

My property fronts about 600 feet of trail and I go out once a week and scoop all the dog doo and horse poop off the trail which keeps our frontage smelling and looking nice. I also sweep animal poop off the trail while walking my dogs in other places and we scoop our dogdoo and remove it always. My horses very rarely manure on the trail- they hsave all developed the habit of letting go when we stop, off the trail. My mare in particular will step off into the bush if she has to manure and I have learned to recognize her signals.

Am I some sort of neat freak or fanatic? Does anyone else do this?

[CBudFrggy]

My friend's gelding steps off the trail to urinate. Maybe your mare and he are just being good citizens! :yes::yes:

[Foxyrab]

If I'm riding on a trail such as what you have described, yes, I do dismount and kick the manure off the trail, simply as a courtesy to others.

[carp]

I'll pick it up if the horse let loose within easy walking distance of home base. Depending on the kind of trail, I may or may not get off and kick the pile into the underbrush if we're far from home. I'm still trying to figure out how to politely handle the situation when there's no place to hide the pile and I'm too far from home to return with a shovel. Packing it all into a saddlebag just isn't practical!

[pj]

the trails i ride tend to be wilderness trails and i don't get off and dispose of any manure. i do, however, keep my area in camp/parking picked up and thrown off into the bushes.
i think in an area like you're talking about people should at least get manure off the trail. too much left and you might find a sign one day saying "horses not allowed".

[redpony]

Equestrians in our area are trying to open up multi-use trails to horses. The big stumbling block is, you guessed it, the big piles of poo. I'm not going to go into the things we all know about - the poo being biodegradable and so on, when thinking about why riders have such problems with cleaning up after their horses on the trail, I came up with this. Is the issue having to dismount and remount? Has no one thought of a retractable small pitchfork that you could carry behind your saddle in an airtight bag or container that would allow you to scape/push the manure off the trail into the woods without dismounting? If it comes to a choice about cleaning up after your horse or not being able to use the trails, would you use such a thing? I'm sure I could get my thoroughbreds to accept such shennanigans, after all polo ponies are good with mallets swinging around their heads! Am I overthinking this? Do I need a life?

[CanterQueen]

We occasionally cut through a subdivision that sits between two sets of trails. We all go back and pick up any piles left by our mounts. This seems to keep the neighbors happy and lets us use their streets without issue.

[Auventera Two]

One of my mares will RARELY "go" unless she's in or near her trailer. She'll hold it for hours and get really figidty. Sometimes if I take her off the trail down into the brush, she'll go. But sometimes not. She will NEVER go on the trail. My other mare isn't ridden enough for me to really know what she prefers. The third one would let fly with her Triple As (arab anxiety apples) continually, one turd at a time. But thankfully she's pretty much over that and asks to stop and poop, so I swing her hiney off the trail. She's getting the hang of that now pretty good.

[nj2]

Recently a town in NJ passed an ordinance about cleaning up after your horse - the regulation was initiated by new suburbanites who were bothered by horse piles

Nobody in the nearby horse community seems to be able to findout if it was just some ultra persnickity homeowners or if there really was a problem with inconsiderate riders

Regardless - you are sharing the trails and want to remain welcome on said trails
One recommendation we have heard that makes sense:
Horses tend to poop most within the trailer area or the first 1/2 mile of trail
It should even need saying that you clear your trailer area - and not just kick it into the woods nearby (if lots of trailering is going on that will soon fill up too!)
AND its worth it to make the walk back the last bit to the trailer OR go back to clean up that start of the trail area

Besides - in many "local" parks - thats as far as some walkers go - so you want them to not be "icked" out but the horses

[ChocoMare]

Fortunately the trail I ride on is grass/dirt/etc. off to the side of the concrete bike/walk path and so we're not required to get off and kick poop to the side.

But...for those in much more urban areas, perhaps a Bun Bag? http://www.bunbag.com/ - It will attach to a saddle - http://www.bunbag.com/files/1891290.gif

[BigHorseLittleHorse]

It depends - most of the trails I ride on are used pretty much exclusively by equestrians, so in that case, no. If I'm on a multi-use trail, I will get off and kick it off the trail. In a few cases, when I'm riding somewhere that doesn't have convenient underbrush, I will move it to the side and try to scatter it so it doesn't smother the grass underneath.

[Xanthoria]

If I feel a poop coming on, I do a quick turn on the forehand so the poop lands off the trail.

Otherwise, I get off and kick it to the side.

It's worth it to keep the trails open to us - our city has a poop ordinance that applies to horses too.

[siseley]

:cry::(:eek:
I live in a desert area where what you leave stays for eons!
BUT....I have found that if we scatter the "apples" around the local critters and dry air soon erase all traces. Without the benefit of moisture your "Apples" might remain for years!
I guess they just mummify or something. For that reason even tho we are far out we scatter if possible and hope for the best.
NOW..... when we go to the sea coast....we ALWAYS go back with my jeep or the truck and haul the "Leavins" back to the trailer for disposal. I guess it's just good manners to pick up and be considerate of those who don't have the horsey bug! LOL!

Steve, and "Siseley"

[Shadow14]

I carry a plastic dust pan on a snap on the saddle and if the horse goes on the trial I stop and scoop it up and throw it into the long grass. I do carry plastic bags in one of my saddle bags for show if I get stopped by the by laws officer but never use them.

[2Horse]

My Ky Mountain mare will get off the trail to pee. I know when she starts wondering off the beaten path, she has to go. Otherwise she poops when ever and where ever. We mostly ride on horse trails so manure isn't a problem.

[Mersy]

Kudoz for all who are poop pickers and kickers, and those who step off the trail!!!!
We have a major battle going on in my area with multi use trails and the lack of horsefolks not cleaning up after themselves. And really this all that the other users are asking....if we would just kick it off the trail.
It's great to see there are concened horsefolks who are applying good stewardship, you set a wonderful example for the whole horse community.

[linquest]

Has no one thought of a retractable small pitchfork that you could carry behind your saddle in an airtight bag or container that would allow you to scape/push the manure off the trail into the woods without dismounting? If it comes to a choice about cleaning up after your horse or not being able to use the trails, would you use such a thing? I'm sure I could get my thoroughbreds to accept such shennanigans, after all polo ponies are good with mallets swinging around their heads! Am I overthinking this? Do I need a life?

I think you need to patent that idea and make it! C'mon, the chip clip made millions :lol:

[pj]

Equestrians in our area are trying to open up multi-use trails to horses. The big stumbling block is, you guessed it, the big piles of poo. I'm not going to go into the things we all know about - the poo being biodegradable and so on, when thinking about why riders have such problems with cleaning up after their horses on the trail, I came up with this. Is the issue having to dismount and remount? Has no one thought of a retractable small pitchfork that you could carry behind your saddle in an airtight bag or container that would allow you to scape/push the manure off the trail into the woods without dismounting? If it comes to a choice about cleaning up after your horse or not being able to use the trails, would you use such a thing? I'm sure I could get my thoroughbreds to accept such shennanigans, after all polo ponies are good with mallets swinging around their heads! Am I overthinking this? Do I need a life?
HAHAHAHA I think I'd rather get off and then remount than have to fool with carrying my portable pitchfork....and I'm OLD.

[twofatponies]

I never thought about it, I guess. I mostly ride on farm fields, and there's just tall grass and weeds and woods. And being around horses and cows and deer and dogs, I've come to just ignore poop, or walk around it if I need to.

I did once ask a neighbor if I could ride on her long driveway, which provided a shortcut to another wooded area. She said only if we were careful not to poop on it. Of course the one time we decided to take that shortcut both horses pooped, and we got down to kick it off the driveway just as she pulled in and saw us. Doh. We just dropped that route from our rides.

I did just discover a new network of trails that are mostly used by ATVs - haven't met any other people there yet, but I will keep this cleanup idea in mind. They might appreciate it.