Horse poo versus dog poo ...... ?

Question

We have to clear up after our dogs by law ( and quite rightly too ) but it seems that horses can poo almost anywhere, on the paths and roads, without it being cleared. Is this because it's regarded as biodegradable and do horse riders have an obligation to clear it up or move it into the gutter?

Answer 1

Dogs poo blinds children and horse poo makes your roses grow fab.....this may have something to do with it without getting too technical!

Answer 2

the reason horse ridders dont have to pick there poo up is because most horse owners are posh and god forbid that they would have to pick poo up. u might say but they have dogs to. and u would be right but thy also have people to walk there dogs

Answer 3

generally horse manure is concidered a biodegradable.  And has been used for centuries as fertilizer.  Some places have ordinances requireing horsemen to move(either by bucket in case of a cart Or by kicking it to the side in case of horseback) manure.  Most do not. It is not concidered a biohazard, breeding ground for disease nor does it contain E. Colli and it WILL dry up and wash away on its own in a very short time, becoming  hard to distinguish from the clods put out by a mower on wet grass.

Dog poo however is a biohazard.  In the 1990's scientists did a study in the US to locate the source of elevated levels of biological contaninates ( E. Colli ect) in lakes streams and even at some beaches.. The cause.  Dog Poo.

A microbiologist at U of FL reports dogs are the usual suspect  being 3 on the list of ofcontributors to bacteria in contaminated waters ( 1 and 2 being chemical lawn fertilizer and Motor oil from autos)

It contains E. Coli, and can harbor salmonella and  giardia.   Dog f***s not cleaned up contributes 10 to 20% of the E. Colli in many water systems, it leaches into ground water and contaminates wells.

So while unfair it may seem, and unamusing to anyone who is blind enough to miss seeing a pile of horse manure to step in.. There actually is a need to remove dog waste other then smell and getting it on your shoe.

edit:  Olympicles..back in the day everyone owned a horse.. Now 4 in 10 homes have atleast 1 dog and usually 2, some more.. 1 in 200 homes now average 1 horse , some 2 and rarely more  Excluding kennels and Broodfarms.

Answer 4

Funny ..... I have a friend who got a ticket for not cleaning up after her horse ..... she was expected to carry a shovel!

Southern Cal ... what do you expect?

Answer 5

yes i think it should be law

ita much bigger and smellyer

if you steped in horse poo you would probply lose you shoe

Answer 6

Horse = Herbivore the only thing you can catch from horse poo is worms.

Answer 7

This is because horse poo is not dangerous to humans if we touch it because it doesn't carry any diseases whereas dog poo does. This means that people do not have to pick it up which would be slightly awkward. I know a lady that carries a plastic bag around with her to pick it up and then ties it to her saddle until she finds the nearest bin, so its not unknown! Hope this helps. xx

Answer 8

i agree with the answer above me

horse poo is better for growing things also

Answer 9

dog poo carries canis toxicara, which is deadly and causes blindness etc...

horse poo is good for the garden... and back in the day, it was collected and used...

Answer 10

It is because horse poo doesn't carry the pin worms and other worms that can cross infest humans.  Dog poo does.  Actually there are several parasites that dogs can carry and transmit to small children.  In some cases children have even died because of playing in areas where dogs defecate.  This is why we have our dogs penned out of the front yard where our daughter does most of her playing.  We also keep our dogs wormed but not everyone does.

In addition most of what horses drop is plant fiber.  What dogs drop is mostly bacteria (about 50% of the dry weight of the dropping is the cell walls of bacteria).

As for as people who ride horses being snobs.  Well first I am just a high school science teacher and do not consider myself a snob at all.  Especially since I work in one of the lowest paid districts of a state with among the lowest paid teachers.    And I am the major bread winner of the family.  Second if you have ever watched polo and stuck around after the game you would know that it is a tradition for the audience to help out by taking off their shoes and walking around and stomping the fresh horse piles (politely called apples) into the lawn in order to help them decompose.

Answer 11

it is because horses are Herbivores, they only eat plants (and maybe the odd treat) so horse poo is very theraputic (so iv heard) and also it does degrade and it is very good for the wildlife, plants ect.

dog poo oin the other hand STINKS!!! its discusting and is so unhigenic.

it makes people go blind!

Answer 12

this looks like a good question but I can t see any answers and only half a page, whats up? anyway i like the smell of horses poo and cant stand dog poo,if I tread in horses poo its ok and supposed to be good luck but if I tread in dogs poo i feel sick and cleaning it off is horrid to. i have to pick up my horse poo and I dont mind it is a country smell but my dogs poo I see as a task I dont like, but when I go out for a hack or a dog walk and see horse poo  I dont mind it but I think it would be difficult by law to expect us riders to get offt he horse and pick up the poo because, some horses you would need a spade, where would we hold it until we got back to the yard? also I think some people go and pick it up for there gardens.whereas nobody picks up your dog poo but when you are taking your dog for a walk you can easily pick it up in a dog poo bag.

Answer 13

There was a debate about this in the horse and hound.  It is totally impractical to try and clear up after a horse after it has dropped on the road - and by the time you have ridden home and then driven back to where you think the horse dropped, chances are it will have been driven over by a car or picked up by an eager rose grower!  Then you would take your life in your own hands trying to pick the stuff up standing in the middle of the road.

Horse poo is just chewed and digested grass mostly.  The reason why dog poo is so dangerous is because of the meat biproducts, parasites etc in it and also because it can cause blindness in children.  AND IT SMELLS!

Dogs tend not to go in the middle of the road or near drains, but on paths where humans walk.

The debate went that it was impracticle.  But of course if you were on someoness private land the best thing to do would be to ask for a bucket and spade or a p**p scoop having tied up your horse.

Answer 14

It is not like dog poo, and owners are not obligated to clear it up, but some of us horse owners do clear it up, we do if it is in the middle of the village, but usually before we get the chance, a gardener rushes out to get it!

I would not let my horse parp on the footpath, I have horses and dogs but don't see a double standard here, as it has been mentioned above, dog poo is way nastier than horse poo. Some people would have farmers picking up after their livestock, when they walk them down the road, crazy.

Answer 15

Yes, regularly I walk out of my front door and step in a pile of horse manure, ( I think not).

It would be pretty hazardous for a horse rider to carry a shovel, or large p**p scoop, and then dismount in traffic and clear it up (still trying trying to control the horse.)

Get a life......

Answer 16

In general, no. In some seaside towns the councils have passed by laws in respect of the horse drawn carriages that are travelling round the town all day.

Otherwise, no. Horse manure doesn't have the same health risks as dog mess - simply because horses don't eat meat and dogs do.

Answer 17

Hi Michael P,

Interesting question - I agree and may I point out to Gazelle above that roses do not grow out of my feet !! And if it was so good, then the offender would surely want to pick up and take it home for his/own use.

Also, may I remind people, that when the motor car first became popular - everyone said said it would be an end to pollution - the streets were full of horse poo causing methane gas and terrific pollution problems.

They should be made to pick up as us dog owners have too.

Answer 18

We are also required to pick up horse manure or remove it from trails and local bridle paths in my area. Additionally if you drive a cart or carriage, you must also have a manure hammock to collect your horses "contributions".

Answer 19

there are a couple of reasons:

1. dog mess can contain bacteria which, if someone should somehow get it in their eye, it can cause permanant blindness which horse mess can't.

2. Horse s**t 'disolves' in rain a lot more easily than dog mess does, and breaks up more easily,

3. it simply isn't practical to p**p scope after a horse - you can't exactly get off the horse, get out a little bag and then take it with you - there is simply too much, and there is no risk from it in the same way there is with dog mess, I mean I wouldn't pick up dog mess without a proper bag or spade or something but I quite happily muck out without gloves or anything.

4. And generally horse mess simply isn't as gross as dog mess and is much easier to spot and avoid and washes off shoes a lot more easily than dog mess does.

5. Aslo I've found that often if the horse messes as you leave for a hack, by the time you get back it will often be gone - gardeners around our yard can't get enough of it, they even come and take some from the muck heap!!!

Answer 20

Apart from one horse rider who drives me nuts because she uses the path and not the road (grrrr) horses tend to poo on the road and as far as I'm aware there's not legal obligation for the rider to pick up. Nor, again as far as I'm aware, does it carry the same potential health risk to humans.

I have seen horse type nappies that look rather odd and  may be uncomfortable for the horse to wear.

Horse poo never seems to last long where I live, so I guess there must be people just waiting with baited breath to shovel it up and put it on their gardens.....(will not go into my Dobe Tori's utterly disgusting taste in "food".....)