I actually think it makes sense if you are internet savvy, to ask a question on a chat group for background before going to talk to people in person. I do this about all kinds of things.
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Where I’m at the road is pretty narrow and there is mabey a 1 foot of shoulder, I’ve noticed that the riders do tend to stay off of the pavement and on the shoulder of the road. They do tend to take up more of the 1 foot shoulder probably like you say because they don’t want to be on the pavement. That’s reasonable I can understand that, but it also means that they are cutting on my driveway and yard too. I don’t really care about them doing it to be honest, I would just like the poop picked up at some point if they happen to go onto my driveway a few feet.
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If this isn’t a joke, I suggest the OP fix up the house and sell it asap. The horses were there first, and if you can’t figure out how to take a shovel and whoop it on the lawn so it breaks up into fertilizer, you’re in for a bad time at this house.
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I do understand that the rider may forget, and be tired we are only human, they do have to drive past my place on the way back from the horse farm tho. I mentioned before it would be fine if they would take care of it at some point after the ride. Not get off and have to deal with it while trying to hang onto their horse and use a shovel, now that you guys explained how much of a hassle it is to do. I had never considered that until I posted here. I literally know nothing about horses and riders, this is giving me a great education tho
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Composted manure, sure. Just the way it hits the dirt? We haven’t had any luck with it.
And I realize there are ways to get horse poop to compost, but we live in a semi-arid climate, and only a small portion of the manure in our poop-pile will actually compost in the ~6mo intervals between having to pay somebody to come and haul it off. They tell me it goes to a facility that specializes in making compost, and that it takes a couple of years to get it to happen. Thus endeth my knowledge of the subject :-D.
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I admit, that I am not only surprised by some of the answers given, I am totally shocked by the attitude.
I live in a reasonably rural area.
I ride down the road periodically.
When my horse manures in a place that is a rude place to leave piles of manure, I do go back after and clean it up. Sometimes that even involves tossing a muck bucket in the truck and driving there and scooping up the manure and driving home.
Manure just on the shoulder of the road not causing a problem is left. But for sure if my horse manures on the end of the driveway of someone (it has happened) I will make sure that is picked up as soon as I can. None of my neighbors should have to deal with the mess my horse makes on their driveway.
I think it is not unreasonable for the OP to ask here, we are horse people.
I also think it is not unreasonable for the OP to ask at the local barn where these horses likely come from that if they manure on the driveway could they please stop by after their ride and remove the manure from the drive.
The conversation with the barn owner will likely go best if you tell the barn owner that you have no problem with the riders, but please can they do something about the mess on the driveway.
???
What are you riding that you do not know your horse is manuring?
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A question for you manure-savvy folks – I rode for a while at a barn that had just built an indoor arena and floored it with stall cleanings. Fresh manure and pee-soaked shavings, just dumped on the bare ground.
The question – how bad is it to inhale that stuff? I was required to take lessons, which were always in the indoor. It was dusty, brown dust, and my nose would be coated inside with brown. Ew. But how dangerous is it, really?
It’s residential I guess, I’m the only house on the same side as the horse farm. There is quite a few places on the other side but those are set way off the street. The farm is only a few years old, my grandfather was gone before it was built. My grandmother was struggling living alone so she moved to assisted living shortly after the farm was opened. The houses on the other side were there and a few more popped up recently. When my grandparents built their house 50 years ago they were the only house on the road. And for what ever reason they built it fairly close to the road, maybe didn’t want to shovel out a big long driveway in the winter. Horses ride by during the week but definitely see many more on the weekends. I don’t care about the poops along the roadside. I just would like it if my little driveway didn’t have horse land mines left along the first few feet of it as i had it redone with crushed stone when I moved in.
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I don’t have horses, why does this have to be my job to clean up after someone else’s horse? Should I go down and shovel out the horse poop from the barn too? I’m trying to fix up and maintain a nice little house in the neighborhood. I’ve mentioned before I don’t care if the poop on the roadside. If they wanna stay off pavement while riding it’s fine I get it, but when the horse leaves a pile on my driveway when they cross over I think it’s pretty much common sense to come back and clean it up
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Sigh.
Urban encroachment on previously real areas is a very sad thing for equestrians…
And it’s true that manure is so much a part of being a horseman/woman that we scarcely notice it.
That said…if I was riding in a residential area and had to cross someone’s driveway and my horse picked that driveway to relieve herself, I would feel guilty if I didn’t clean it up on my way home. Provided I had access to a shovel or fork. If I was boarding my horse, I couldn’t just take the muck tools off the property as they aren’t mine. If there was a shovel or fork near the driveway, I would clean it up.
However I wouldn’t give it a thought if my horse poops on the side of the road. Horses produce over 50 lbs of manure daily. If we stopped to clean everything they pooped, we’d never get to ride.
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Thanks I appreciate your support! I don’t think I’m outta line here. I have enough stuff to do with fixing up the place and dealing with a full-time job. I shouldn’t have to clean up someone’s horse poop from my driveway even occasionally.
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I think you can tell from the answers here that most horseback riders don’t think that this is a problem and that you’re overreacting. So if you want to stay on good terms with your neighbors, my suggestion is that you drop the issue and buy yourself a shovel. If you want to be “that neighbor”, then go ahead and have your first conversation with them be a complaint.
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This is similar to the " everyone wants to go live near nature until nature comes along and poops on their lawn" concept, except OP’s house was there first and for other animals, like dogs, poop is not to be left on other people’s property.
I never thought about poop from horses being offensive, but OP makes a good case and seems to be trying to be reasonable. I don’t know about any solutions, though; nothing so far proposed seems to be really wonderful.
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I’m outside messing around with house repairs this afternoon and I did see a few riders go out a while ago but was busy up on a ladder so I didn’t get a chance to talk to them. I’m going to try and bring it up when I see them pass back by.
Pavement can be slippery for horses with shoes on, especially if the driveway is angled.
If you don’t want riders on your driveway put up posts and baling twine and they will have to to ride around it.
They will have to go down to the road and contend with traffic and those with shoes on their horses may slip over and fall off on pavement. They will grumble under their breath at having to do it. It may be illegal to cordon off the public bit at the end.
Falling off a horse is worse than falling off a bike. If you get ‘thrown up’ you are falling from over 6 foot in the air. Falling onto pavement is worse. Bones break, skulls break, brains get reverberated in the skull and … If the horse slips over you can get your foot caught between the road and the pavement, but at least your driveway will be manure free.
I just asked my hubby for a male perspective.
Let it go mentally. If the worst thing in your life is horse manure at the end of your driveway you have a pretty good life.
If they give lessons you can go and take lessons and become one of us. Horses are magical, you will have a life long wonder off awe.
Or as others have said sell your house and go where there is an HOA, from what I have read you will have heaps of other problems doing that.
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I can not imagine any barn owner being upset if you ask if you can use a fork to go down the road to clean up a pile in a driveway.
I am still shocked at how rude horse people are, and I am a horse person who cleans their own stalls and all that.
I guess I should not be shocked by this with the amount of mess the horse people in my part of the world leave in the parking area at the local park.
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We have an arena and everyone coming to use it is supposed to clean after themselves, not let the parking lot/driveway in front of it become a manure pile, or us to have to be cleaning after them either.
We do have manure carts and forks by every gate, two one on each side of the main entrance.
You won’t believe how many still won’t clean after themselves?
After a few times, we deny them the use of the barn, they are not welcome any more.
No one is asking all manure is cleaned from every place, bar ditches, etc., just in places like a short driveway in front of a house/garage or front of the barn area.
Think, if that was your driveway, would you not think it rude that people riding by let their horses dump on it?
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I’m in the same boat as @trubandloki 
Clearly some of the posters here (not the OP) are not dealing with the same level of land development that exists in my part of the world. Everything – all open spaces – and I do mean everything – beaches, trails, conservation land, undeveloped land – is under attack by people that are not familiar with horses or other livestock. People view horses in the same light they would a giant dog. They think horse poop is disgusting and DO NOT UNDERSTAND why equestrians do not clean up after themselves. As a result, riders are losing access to shared use land.
It’s attitudes like the ones on this board that are going to continue to work against shared use space for equestrians.
People – it’s simple. Do the common courtesy to clean up after your horse where reasonable.
And the excuse that you can’t borrow barn tools is pathetic! I have always boarded. It is not a problem to grab a muck bucket and a shovel and drive down the road after your ride and pick it up. It’s a simple, small effort you can make to meet the community halfway. Drive back to the barn afterwards and return the tools. I can promise you no one will complain.
Also not an excuse to ‘forget’ after a long days ride and caring for your horse. Make it a priority.
The times they are A’ changing. Either change with them or lose further ground.
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Just musing out loud here…
Is it any worse to have to move a pile of horse poop, then to have to go out with my grabber and bag up the Tim Hortons, Subway and DQ rubbish that ends in my hedge at the front of the house?
I take bags with me when I walk my dogs, always pick up after them,. Our back yard is open to the service track, and people walk along there with their dogs off leash, and I end up clearing their poop out of my yard. I object to clearing both the litter, and the dog 
, but apart from pleas on the local FB page, not much I can do, because it’s not a targetable group like a barn.
So i understand your frustration, but it’s a cost benefit thing…good relationships rather than bad neighbors…
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Back when we boarded out in a rural area (more than one barn and area), my husband and I frequently rode out along the county roads. If one of our horses pooped, we ALWAYS came back afterwards and picked it up. We do the same in our semi-rural acreage tract subdivision where we (and several other people) keep horses.
Of course we couldn’t do anything about a horse right when it was happening, except for perhaps being able to feel it about to happen, and try to move the horse a bit into a less intrusive area (into the bar ditch, or just past a driveway, for instance) – a few feet at most is all that would be possible in such a situation, IME.
But we have never ever just left a pile on someone’s private property – much less in the middle of a driveway – nor edging their property (even if strictly in the public right of way). Rural area or not, there’s no sense in needlessly antagonizing property owners, especially since one never knows when it might be necessary to have their assistance sometime.
It’s truly not that big a deal, nor time consuming, to swing back by with a muck bucket and a fork to pick up a manure pile. It’s the neighborly thing to do. I feel the same way about picking up after dogs.
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