Should they pick up the poop?

They should be forced to eat it.

Cities enforce measurements to fine pet owners for leaving poop behind. I don’t see why it should be different in a rural area if it’s in the road and, clearly, also coating private property as a result of car spray.

I think the town should take photographic documentation. Maybe you can submit a formal complaint against them? They should definitely be fined for littering, at the very least. I think they should be given community service to clean up the streets, but I’m not sure how your area handles issues like this.

I’m not crazy about the idea of firing guns to discourage people from riding (what a surprise). There’s no reason to terrorize the horses, which are just doing what they do.

If the community agrees that the poop is a serious nuisance, can they not simply get a bylaw passed requiring riders to pick up after their horses? Then they could post signs stating that this is a rule, and fines could be collected from repeat offenders. I mean, I know you’re not likely to have a police presence in the woods, but residents could report the riders.

Can’t they make a horse poop bag that riders can use? They make them for carriages.

Yes they do have horse diapers

Theoretically there are poop laws on the books but, for our neighbors and their dogs, nobody bothers with them. We all respect each others’ property and would never leave it someplace where it matters. This is different.
@ragingloli If the owners poop do we make the horse eat that, too?
@muppetish I suppose I could start taking pictures for documentation. It is difficult to catch the horse in the act but they are the only ones who ride here so the group should be responsible.
@glacial Gunshots are a normal part of the “ambiance” here. We hear them every day. During hunting season is it not uncommon to hear scores of shots during the first few minutes of sunrise. Believe it or not. this is a really thoughtful place. We intentionally don’t drive 4 wheelers and even move our mowers to the back when they pass by our houses. Sadly, we are thinking of becoming less tolerant.
@keobooks I can’t imagine those girls changing a poop bag – or doing anything remotely dirty. They are clearly from a fancy, high priced neighborhood.

How about getting in touch with the horse farms and telling them that you have been tolerant but are considering other actions, and hopefully they will pass the info on to the riders? It sounds like that won’t do the trick, though. I am thinking perhaps requesting the cops drive by more often, and they can enforce the laws.

@LuckyGuy Having grown up in the country, I realize that gunshots can be a part of the background noise – but if you’re talking about deliberately using them to ward off riders, then you can’t be talking about something that will blend into the background. Presumably, you’re talking about trying to get their attention, and in a negative way. That’s what I’m responding to.

it will definitely get their attention when their horses collapse from a bullet in the head :P

@glacial Don’t worry. We won’t do it We will likely stop being so considerate and will continue mowing when we are mowing.
@jca Good idea about talking to the horse farms! They will surely know who is riding here.

I’d dump a load of it on their Lexus if it’s possible to do it without getting caught. The hood the first time.

I’d dump a load right by their tires. Hood’s a bit extreme.
Even though I gave lurve for that answer.

Do we leave a note that says: “You forgot this.” or “You accidentally dropped this.” ?

We could leave it on the ground near their car doors.

@Nimis Probably right. I don’t do subtle well. Second time I was thinking seats.

Have your spoken to them directly as a community? I am not sure from what you wrote if you have. I would at least let them know you and your neighbors don’t appreciate it and see what they say. Maybe they can ride in a different area. By the side of the road near the brush I guess it might be difficult to enforce, but on a bridge? They need to fix that. That is unnacceptable.

@Adirondackwannabe Direct and to the point. I can appreciate that.

@JLeslie We did not speak with them about it. Frankly I don’t know what they would do differently . The bridge was disgusting. They really should have come back and shoveled it off. But why would they? I’m sure their thinking is that Nature, or someone else, will take care of it, like it does with all the other poop they drop along the way.

I’m really liking the idea of talking to the horse farm – and leaving some by the car doors.

@LuckyGuy Sometimes people feel differently when they have to face someone. But, it is of course possible they still won’t care.

@LuckyGuy I’d do tires instead of doors. That way they’re forced to pick it up or run over it. Seems fitting since you’ve had to track it into your driveway in a similar fashion. Not sure about the note. It would feel satisfying, but it might be overkill. You want to get your point across without pissing them off so much that they don’t even care. Or worse, they do more of it.

But, yeah. Talking to them is probably the more civilized approach.

Considering the amount of garbage I have to pick up from the through street in front of my house, dropped very deliberately by two-legged animals riding in cars, and who always have other choices, I’d be happy to trade problems with you. I’d have no problem at all scooping up horse manure from in front of the house and dropping it onto my compost pile, where it will be put to good use.

But I can appreciate that it’s a nuisance where you live, even though it’s not going to be a “severe nuisance”. (That is especially so if dog shit at the side of the road is left unenforced.) Since dog shit is left alone (more often than not, I’m thinking), and it would be so difficult for many riders to dismount, retain control of the horse while picking up the load, and then remounting (not every rider can mount without assistance), the cure might be worse than the disease if a horse should get loose or a rider hurt in the attempt.

You might be able to enlist the riders in an effort to at least find the side of the road (same as the dogs), where the pile can be left in relative peace, most of the time.

I would politely ask them to stop and discuss it and tell them you will take legal action if it continues. Firing shots may cause the horses to take off and seriously injure the horse or even worse, the rider.

I cannot even begin to tell you how pissed off I get when people don’t clean up after their animals. I used to carry extra bags with me at all times because I didn’t want to run out and leave a mess behind. Another reason that I carried extra is because, being the rude bitch that I am, when I saw somebody not cleaning up their dogs poop I would hand them a bag and tell them to clean it up. It takes 2 seconds. Seriously.

I would try to speak with the offenders. If that doesn’t work, then maybe bagging and setting it in fire on their front porches might do the trick.

Edit:
How is this for disgusting? My ex and I were walking our dog in the park one day and these people decided that it was ok to change their kids diaper on the bench and leave the diaper and wipes just sitting there. My ex told me to just let it go, but I refused. I made them look really stupid in front of a crowd of people. I asked nicely once, they totally ignored me. I decided public humiliation was the way to go.

@Katniss: They are probably not from around where @LuckyGuy lives. They probably go in their Lexus (like he said), to the horse farms to ride.

@LuckyGuy: Hand them bags when you see them and tell them you can lend them a shovel, if they need it! :)

@jca Good point lol

Hey, it’s horse droppings, it’s not dog shit!

Dog shit is disgusting and stinks and kills plants of put on it. Horse manure is a time honored fertilizer and helps the garden.

Big difference! I’d let the cows roam free too! Horse and cow manure can wash away in the rain with no damage.

Find the parents, have a meeting, set some ground rules.

@KNOWITALL Is it wrong that I’d be more concerned about the horse? lol

And I looked & behold a shitting horse & his name that sat on him was arrogance & distressed locals followed with him.
Quite a revelation when you think about it.

@Katniss Nah,a lot of humans suck, but seems like they’re young, probably just need schooled!! :) I’ve seen some mean horses though, biting the rider when they’re in a mood and such, I’m out.

@zenvelo: Horse poop is more earthy smelling than dog poop, but I would not want horse poop tracked into my house, which is what I think one of the concerns is here. Would you want to get into your car with horse poop on your shoe? I don’t think I would like that.

A couple of neighbors have suggested we discharge a firearm or two (that is legal here) in our back woods when they are on the road. The noise might discourage them.
The noise might also literally scare the shit out of the horses. I don’t think that’s the best idea.

@dxs That’s what I was thinking too. It had better work quickly or they’ll have a bigger mess then they do now.

@Adirondackwannabe Now what if the horses got scared, relieved themselves, and the girls fell into the shit as the horses jumped up in fright and ran away?

good. preferably face first.

Oh, if that happened to me and I knew where they lived, I’d totally bag it up and deposit it on their porch or next to the car door so they step in it.

@jca Eh, you can vacuum it out, it’s just modified hay, Dog poop sticks in anything and everything.

Teenage girls? Shit. Grab a broom, yell something that sort of makes sense (referring to the poop), and run up on them. I’m sure you’ll get that shit out of your life.

Yes they should.
But “Should they pick up the poop” is a normative statement.
They know this, and so the chances are they will not.

” Town law says people must pick up their dog’s poop but on this road nobody bothers. As long as it is not in front of someone’s mailbox or driveway, nobody cares. ”

I do not care about the horse shit as I gather the majority of you people do not have too many horses. Regardless, horses are not plagued by many parasites and horse to horse parasite transfer is not that big a problem. Plus, horse shit decomposes rapidly enough.

Dogs, on the other hand, carry and transfer many parasites. From worms to protists to parvo. Their shit needs to be picked up not because you may track it into your home, get it on your shoes or any other inconvenience to you. We pick up dog shit to lower the possibility that the next dog sniffing along does not pick us the shitting dogs parasites.

That simple.

Scoop it up and spread it in the yard. Free fertilizer!

It’s teenagers i missed that. I would definitely try to approach the parents. If you can get a photo of the girls and a photo of the crap in a place where you feel it is unnacceptable that might help. The parents might be freaked out enough just that their photos were taken and tell them not to take their horses near your houses.

Poop is poop, it’s unsanitary.
I would speak to the girls and if they act like they are above cleaning it, find out where they live and call their parents. Of course, you have to be prepared that the parents will take up for their precious children as a lot do now.

How do you know where they park their car, or if it’s theirs? They’re on horses, right? You cannot drive a car and ride horses at the same time. I’ve checked.

@snowberry A Lexus with a horse trailer attached magically appears in the parking lot of a nearby park when they are riding. It is very safe to assume it belongs to them.

People around here use F series Fords or GM trucks to haul any kind of trailer. And ours are usually dirty.

On a related topic, grown adults calling (sh) it poop…really weird cute.

I am thinking the best approach is to photograph it and just place a picture on their windshield with a note.

It will be getting cold here in another couple of weeks so there is little chance Ashley, Brittney, Cecily, and Darby will be riding for at least 5 months. By then they will have other interests.

@ucme I figure this is the interwebs and kids of all ages can read it. Beats calling it kaka.

Slash their tyres.

@LuckyGuy For sure, but we’d say “poo”, the extra “p” just seems unnecessary.
Maybe it’s just the American way.

@ucme Clearly this is a language issue. Where you might say “Put the poo in their boot”. That would have a totally different meaning here. “Bleeech!”

@zenvelo and @Neodarwinian: You guys seem to minimize the effects of horse poop in the house. It may not have parasites (although that’s probably debatable) and it may not smell as sharp as dog poop, but it’s not something that I would want in my house. I would not want to be walking on floors that have horse poop on them or on a driveway that has horse poop on it.

@ucme: I use the word “poop” because I am at work and so I try not to use harsh language on work computers.

@LuckyGuy Can’t think of a single scenario where that would ever be said.
@jca Yes, that was already clear, just the word itself sounds toddler-ish, for want of a better word

And it is so much faster and easier to type than “horse excrement”.

Missing the point entirely, I couldn’t care less what “safe” word anyone chooses to use, a wise & polite move.
As i’ve said, the word “poop” itself just comes across as odd.

You’re right. It is an odd word. Shit is so much prouder, and more useful. Poop just lays there, limp and inert. No one ever says “Don’t give me any of your poop.” or “I’ve had enough of your poop.” And don’t even think of pairing it with Bull.

Raging Poop, movie just wouldn’t have worked.

@Adirondackwannabe @ucme Just drop it. Nobody gives a poop!

@jca

Minimize?!?

” I do not care about the horse shit ”

Do you read? Doubtful as you missed both points, the horse shit and the dog shit points.

@dxs If you wanna drop your shit go right ahead, dirty bastard.

I am not sure how to say this without coming off as kind of strange but dude, horse poop is pretty unoffensive in the overall scope of thing to worry about. Now dog poop, that is an entirely different pile of plop.

I am really confused as to why people think horse poop is an acceptable thing to have tracked into one’s home.

My guess is that there’s so much of the stuff all over the road that it’s a problem. Besides the fact that it adheres to tires where it gets tracked onto driveways and then into the house on feet) it also carries a possibility of causing an accident because of lack of traction. The dog poop, as the OP states, is not an issue.

Let us know what ends up happening.

@jca

I just think you are really confused as no one said that in particular, but in comparison to other more important things.

@jca Don’t step in it! And wipe your feet before you go in the house, and take your shoes off. You’re tracking in much worse than horse crap, and really, don’t you ever use fertilizer on plants?