Looking for riders input on horse riders leaving poop behind

Do you pick it up it immediately or go back after the ride? If the latter how would you ever find it again?

If riding you carry it along or bag it then to pick up on the way back ?? My in laws dog rolls in everything and especially loves fresh poop, so I made the pasture dog proof…

Our roads here are narrow, up and down and curvy and we have no shoulder-- just a deep ditch or drop off in many places UNLESS you ride along the edge of people yards. Our road is busier than you would think.

That would be the only safe way to ride down our roads( nobody does). That would have your horse pooping on private property. Very well may be the issue with the OP and where their property lies.

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The issue here is that the OP wants the riders in question to do something they don’t want to do. No matter what any of us might say or feel about the reasonableness of the request, if they’re not breaking any laws or ordinances, he can’t make them do it.

So he can either spend his time getting angry about it and creating a feud with his neighbors or he can just buy a manure fork and spend 30 seconds flinging the manure into the grass or the ditch.

I live right next to the path for a neighborhood park. People cut across my yard, kick soccer balls into my flower beds, drop trash in my yard, leave dog poop un-picked up, etc. I could put up angry signs or yell at people, but instead I just spend a couple of minutes a week picking it up and go on with my life.

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Pick it up after the ride. In an open hay field where the horses travel around the edges, it’s not hard to find. I go back out with a muck tub and fork in the golf cart and follow my path. If it’s at the far edges of the property, next to the woods, I may throw it into the woods and spread it out liberally.

Annoying, but not as annoying as losing access to the land on the other side.

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OK, now my finger’s so tired from scrolling through one person’s inane and mean-spirited arguments that I’m having flashbacks to the Michael Barisone thread.

When someone’s horse leaves a pile in someone else’s driveway, on their lawn, or in a parking lot or staging area, it’s the responsibility of the owner of the horse to remove the pile. I also kick piles off the trail, because I value my trail access.

I’d previously suggested that the homeowner leave a muck bucket and fork for the riders but I changed my mind. It’s not his responsibility.

I think he should contact the barn owner, since the manager was rude and unprofessional.

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He can also install a gate or cattle guard at his driveway to force riders to stay on the pavement or on the other, dangerous shoulder of the road.

I find the attitude of “Oh, well, nothing he can do about it, might as well suck it up.” baffling.

There’s a lot he can do about it. It seems he would prefer that riders give him some small accommodation before he resorts to that.

I remember a time when people were outraged at the idea that they needed to pick up after their dogs, and insisted that people were being unreasonable, and that dogs needed to relieve themselves. I see those people carrying poop bags with them on dog walks now.

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I thought of a cattle guard, but horses can trip on it and break their legs if they accidentally step on it, and if a rider then falls and injures himself, then the owner may be liable, if the laws are like those of sidewalks.
Also I’m not sure if the home owner “owns” the last few feet of his driveway and can prohibit public access. There’s some laws about the city owns x number of feet from the center of the road into the property of the landowner.
Rather than a cattle guard, a plastic tarp might be safer alternative.

And everything suggested is more time, effort, or cost than simply dealing with the poop himself. Sometimes being “in the right” just isn’t worth it. But everyone decides for themselves what battles they want to pick in life.

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I did a little research this afternoon and it turns out that the original street the town owns is 15 feet wide as its a very old street. However after many years of repair and improvements and paving it has grown into just under 16 feet So really I own right to the actual pavement because the town ended up paving to the edge of their right of way. At least that is what the road agent explained to me this afternoon. So it is actually my land they are riding on as soon as they aren’t riding on the pavement…and I totally understand that riders don’t really want to ride on the pavement because of the situations that you guys have explained in this thread. That’s fine not a problem, I don’t want anyone to get hurt or hurt their horse. I’m not a horse and rider hater I actually think it’s cool to see them pass by, I just don’t want to have to deal with someone else’s poop mess. I’m sorry if this makes some of you guys angry… I’ve made a little sign asking please clean up your horse and will put it up on the side of my driveway in the morning on the way to work. I also took the shinny wind mill advice and got a few ill put out when this keeps happening, even though I really hate the idea of it. I really don’t want a fence of any kind because it’s more work to mow and trim around just like cleaning up after someone else’s horse mess. I work alot and have other obligations as well including making my little piece of land and house nice and well kept after being in such disarray for several years. I really did not intend on starting an argument between all of you horse riders. I was looking for different points of view on this topic and I definitely got them. I’m not a city slicker and I think it’s nice that people are enjoying their horses. I’m not even bothered by the foot prints that are left behind on my grass and driveway. Or even if the poop was on the grass just keep the horse moving so its not a big pile so at least the mower would grind it up every time I mow. Just not a big pile because it does kill the grass I was trying to explain this stuff at the farm but they just weren’t wanting to even hear my side. I’m sorry but poop is poop and that’s just how I see it. Thank all of you for participating in my thread even the ones that I don’t agree with!! I see that horse riders are very passionate about their horses and riding that’s a good thing! Every animal deserves to be loved and cared for!! Just like I’m passionate about making my grandparents house nice again. I’ll let you guys know how I make out. Thanks!!

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For what it’s worth I think you sound like a wonderful neighbor. I apologize on behalf of the equestrians down your street. They give the rest of us a bad name.

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This is where I’m at. Alienating a neighbor that could potentially be a big help to you later (farm = tractor = driveway grading, plowing, yanking tree stumps, hauling the wood out, etc etc) seems horribly short sighted. It’s not worth it TO ME.

If that’s what others want to do, go for it.

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5E9B9485-1CD0-4540-9CBD-12A29943D2B1

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This goes triple for the riders and the barn manager. So short sighted of them all to be Grade A arseholes to the new neighbour over whose land they ride.

If they want to alienate him and have to walk in the road near the drop off, go for it, I guess. :woman_shrugging:

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It’s just wild how you don’t view this as a two way street.

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And how she fails to see that the riders were the first offenders, not the other way around. They were the ones who saw a new person move in and start to fix the place up and LITERALLY :poop: all over any neighbourly relations. Love of god, can a person really be this obtuse or is this performance art? :crazy_face:

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Yours may be the most reasonable voice on this thread :laughing:
But, as you noticed, horsepeople are passionate about things - beginning & ending with their horses.

I hope you find a solution you can live with.
My property is at an intersection of 2 increasingly busy roads.
When I mowed my lawn (have since hired out that job) I always found trash people had tossed from their cars on the easement that became my property & where I mowed to keep the roadway looking neat.
Cans (soda & beer) fast food containers, cigarette butts, glass bottles & etcetera.
All of which required me to stop the mower - which meant turning it off - & collect the crap so it wouldn’t damage the mower… Or ME mowing over it.
Irritating?
Yup.
But I never found a way to prevent it.
Just the cost of dealing with the thoughtless Public :expressionless:

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At this juncture they’ve shown they aren’t interested in picking it up.

So the OP is going to put up a sign, that they won’t heed. (Waste of time and energy).

So they’re going to have to tell them not to trespass, which is what I’ve been saying all along.

But good luck with a small town sheriff when you call him to tell him you don’t want the horses riding on the side of the road.

This is all likely to go nowhere. Why waste the energy on the futile plight?

image

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It’s so rude to say that you think the OP is bullshitting us. I can 100% see riders and a BO/BM acting like this, and I have seen it. It’s bloody foolish.

We had a neighborhood request that we clean up after our horses, even if it was in the road, and you know what? We did. BO even supplied the tools to do so as well as a bin. Everyone was fine with this arrangement. Yes, it was in the country and even if it were in the road people could deal, but why make waves about it? I’d rather keep horse/rider and neighbor relations good.

It’s also not your right to ride on someone’s property to stay out of the road. If you do have to do so, be respectful about it. I’m sorry that the OP is dealing with such people that only add to stereotypes such as horse people being spoiled, entitled, antisocial, weird, and/or crazy.

Most of the time if it’s in the road, people will grumble and get over it, but if it is in or directly at the end of someone’s driveway or on their lawn, it’s just common courtesy to remove it.

I really can’t fault the OP in this situation based off of what the OP has reported.

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ummm, they can ride in another direction or not at all down the road. which is what I’d do as a boarder if I couldn’t ride on the ‘safe’ side of the road because other folks were so petty about picking up manure that the landowner closed off the edge of the road with a fence, even if small

there is no law that says riders can ride off property. Only the goodwill and tolerance of the neighbors whose land they cross

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