REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Horse s* vs. Dog s*

1662 Views 37 Replies 29 Participants Last post by Pain Freak, Jan 3, 2006

West Side Rider

Discussion Starter · Dec 30, 2005

Why is it that it is well posted on every trail that people are required to pick up after their dogs, but equestrians are not required to carry a shovel and dispose of the much larger and more frequent horse leftovers? This just doesn't make sense to me at all. Does anyone have any insight into this. It's getting to be a big pet peeve of mine.

Thanks in advance for your excrement insite.

1 - 20 of 38 Posts

Ryan G.

· #2 · Dec 30, 2005

I doubt one is more biodegradable, unless the horse has a healthier diet than the table scraps my pooches get.

I would love to see a giant poop bag for a horse, be a good gallon sized garbage bag. Maybe the horse riders would be hassled to much if they had to get off their ****ing high horse to pick up its sheet.

adamantane

· #3 · Dec 30, 2005

West Side Rider said:
Why is it that it is well posted on every trail that people are required to pick up after their dogs, but equestrians are not required to carry a shovel and dispose of the much larger and more frequent horse leftovers? This just doesn't make sense to me at all. Does anyone have any insight into this. It's getting to be a big pet peeve of mine.

Thanks in advance for your excrement insite.

mass balance, basically...can anybody lift a wet bail of hay, at least 100 lbs

standard235

· #4 · Dec 30, 2005

baycat said:
I doubt one is more biodegradable, unless the horse has a healthier diet than the table scraps my pooches get.

I would love to see a giant poop bag for a horse, be a good gallon sized garbage bag. Maybe the horse riders would be hassled to much if they had to get off their ****ing high horse to pick up its sheet.

And they want MTB'ers to wear a bell? Hah!

bike_freak

· #5 · Dec 30, 2005

West Side Rider said:
Why is it that it is well posted on every trail that people are required to pick up after their dogs, but equestrians are not required to carry a shovel and dispose of the much larger and more frequent horse leftovers? This just doesn't make sense to me at all. Does anyone have any insight into this. It's getting to be a big pet peeve of mine.

Thanks in advance for your excrement insite.

I agree with the whole horse owners should pick up the crap..

One thing is the introduction of other plant seeds and such from the crap, that could bring in a foreign plant onto the trails...

Another is just flying round a corner and getting int oa 2 wheel drift cause your tries can't get any grip amongst the horse crap...

Bikinfoolferlife

· #6 · Dec 30, 2005

Right on! I'm all for horse people to have to pickup crap just like folks do for their dogs, at least on public multiuse trails. There are diapers available for this so that the rider doesn't have to stop and deal with it like this one http://www.equisan.com.au/. There are complaints that these cause the horse discomfort, but they cause me discomfort, so I really don't see the problem being relevant. I've heard the argument that pound for pound dog shite is more toxic than horse shite, but I don't think that's a good excuse for the equestrians.

Frozenspokes

· #7 · Dec 30, 2005

Cow SH!T

It's just a fact of life here in ND. Be happy you only have to deal with horse poop!

drunkle

· #8 · Dec 30, 2005

dog owners are a dime a dozen. horse owners have $.

West Side Rider

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 30, 2005

The other thing that gets me about it is that in a few parks in San Diego, mtn bikes are prohibited from single track sections, but horses (their owners) can leave crap all over them.

I think it goes beyond the fact that they have more money, it's that they've been around longer.

azdrawdy

· #10 · Dec 30, 2005

Deer!

I think deer should be required to "drop" off the trail. That stuff is like brown glue

Michael

me.

· #11 · Dec 30, 2005

In some places the horses are required to wear diapers.

The first place that comes to mind is Charleston, SC. They created a rule that required (primarily aimed at tour operators) any horse in the city to be a equipped with a diaper when on public property. True it's not an MTB trail, but it sets a precedence.

There are also some parks in Ga and Tenn that were requiring diapers/cleanup on the multi-use trails. I'm not sure if it stuck, but from what I heard it was due to complaints from the non-equestrian users

Berge

· #12 · Dec 30, 2005

I think

I think that it mostly has to do with the composition of the fecal matter.

Dogs generally have a carrion (meat) based diet, while horses have a grain (hay) based diet.

On the trail, the carrion based fecal matter will attract predators (coyote, mt. lion, bear) while the grain based will not.

Sasquatch

· #13 · Dec 30, 2005

Berge said:
I think that it mostly has to do with the composition of the fecal matter.

Dogs generally have a carrion (meat) based diet, while horses have a grain (hay) based diet.

On the trail, the carrion based fecal matter will attract predators (coyote, mt. lion, bear) while the grain based will not.

Berge is close, but the real issue is that since dogs eat a meat based diet, the crap is full of bacteria and stuff that will easily make humans sick. I bet you could eat a plate of horse crap, and other than a sore belly, you will be fine.

Not that i like riding thru horse crap. In busy areas with lotsa horses, it can be pretty disgusting, but not as bad as stepping in fresh dog crap.

I am more concerned about the damage that horses inflict on wet or soft trails than their crap. A few horses on a soft trail can do permanent damage, and horseowners rarely consider ettiquette and ethics when it comes to their behavior. I have had horse people on skittish horses that act as if its my responsibility to get 50ft from the trail so they can pass unspooked. I yeild the trail, talk to the horse, and step as far aside as possible, but sometimes, I still get attitude from some horsers cause their horses are too psycho to handle other trail users. If you can't control your dog, it doesnt belong on the trails, and the same goes for horses. They are big and dangerous, and we should not just accept the fact that they freak out easily.

And its not just horses and bikes, similar incidents have happened while backpacking. One time, a horse threw its rider about 50 feet before it reched us. The owner yelled at me cause my climbing rope, strapped to the top of my pack, "scared" the horse. Apparently horses are afraid of rope? Don't they tie horse up with rope all the time? I shrugged and said that if he couldnt handle his horse, maybe he should try hiking instead.

I also have had "hobbled" horses wander into my camp and tear apart my gear looking for food. Plus, horses dont like thick mud and snow, so they will commonly go around mud pits, or snow drifts, damaging the area, and widening the trail. Horse owners need to be responsible for their horses actions, just like dog owners and parents.

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Stuart B

· #14 · Dec 30, 2005

Sasquatch said:
Berge is close, but the real issue is that since dogs eat a meat based diet, the crap is full of bacteria and stuff that will easily make humans sick. I bet you could eat a plate of horse crap, and other than a sore belly, you will be fine.

He's right about the differences....bugs in dog crap can make you go blind!

Stu

drunkle

· #15 · Dec 30, 2005

West Side Rider said:
The other thing that gets me about it is that in a few parks in San Diego, mtn bikes are prohibited from single track sections, but horses (their owners) can leave crap all over them.

I think it goes beyond the fact that they have more money, it's that they've been around longer.

dont you go betting on the ponies every summer at del mar? been around longer and have more money and influence...

Dwight Moody

· #16 · Dec 30, 2005

Sasquatch said:
Berge is close, but the real issue is that since dogs eat a meat based diet, the crap is full of bacteria and stuff that will easily make humans sick. I bet you could eat a plate of horse crap, and other than a sore belly, you will be fine.

The dogs I had when I was a kid would seem to indicate that you'd actually feel better after eating a plate of horse ****. They were gnawing on it all the time, and seldom had stomach complaints. I think the predigested fiber helped out their bellies. Certainly when they tried to eat grass they would hurl.

skifastchad

· #17 · Dec 30, 2005 (Edited)

West Side Rider said:
Why is it that it is well posted on every trail that people are required to pick up after their dogs, but equestrians are not required to carry a shovel and dispose of the much larger and more frequent horse leftovers? This just doesn't make sense to me at all. Does anyone have any insight into this. It's getting to be a big pet peeve of mine.

Thanks in advance for your excrement insite.

Eye for an eye. Is the trailhead in a secluded area? Edit... my last suggestion would be wrong and illegal... Just crap on the ground right next to the door of the horse hauler truck.

ronny

· #18 · Dec 30, 2005 (Edited)

It is a peeve of mine mine also, as I don't like picking horse puckey out of my teeth and clothing when I am cruising down a trail.

I have noticed a disturbing trend regarding dogs as well. Most of the parks in my home town require dog owners to bag their dog's tirds and dispose of the waste properly. Well, most people are bagging the poo, but many are just leaving the bags of crap on the ground and not in the proper garbage disposal.

Now there are little plastic bags of crap everywhere littering some of the local single track.

frank n. beans

· #19 · Dec 30, 2005

Bikinfoolferlife said:
There are diapers available for this so that the rider doesn't have to stop and deal with it like this one http://www.equisan.com.au/. There are complaints that these cause the horse discomfort....

Discomfort for the horse? Is that really a valid concern? I bet the horse would be more comfortable if it wasnt carrying a human + gear on it's back.

nogearshere

· #20 · Dec 30, 2005

in the spirit of keeping multi-use trails 'balanced' I have started to crap in the middle of the trails. have you ever seen the look on a dogs face after he steps in a pile of human crap!?? Mad. Mad. Mad.

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