Serious question...NOT a rant...

So I see signs everywhere that say "Please pick up after your pooch" ...ok I get it...you have to pick up your dog's poop if they take one on the trail...cool! But why doesn't that apply to horses...is their poop different than the dogs? Just wondering

 

Think of the size of the bag!

Oh I am guessing the horsey people will claim that it's just hay so it's organic and healthy for the environment, or something like that.

Oh @horsebikerider - any thoughts on the subject? Don't worry - we will not be making you carry a shovel and Hefty bag.

 

I think that due to a horse's diet their mess ultimately plays nice with the trails? I'd rather roll through horse dung than dog poop any day. Of course, if I had my druthers I wouldn't roll through either.

 

Dog Sh!t never used to be a problem in OC before Covid ... now it is an epidemic on some trails. Horse Sh!t does not seem to be super sticky to tires.

Yeah, I just wish the dog walkers would pick up after their animals. And keep them on leash.

 

This is correct.

Dogs on the other hand are fed foods that contain meats/preservatives and who knows what else.

 

Lifted right from the Orange County Parks website for Caspers Wilderness Park... Where dogs are not allowed, but horses are quite common.

Why can't I bring my dog to Caspers Wilderness Park?
Domestic animals are an invasion in the wild animal's habitat. Wild animals rely on scents to tell them whose territory they are in, and they use defecation, urination and oils from their fur and feathers to mark that territory. Scents establish and separate their hunting, breeding and home territories. When dogs enter the wild habitat and leave their own scents, they destroy the habitat for the native animals. As carnivores, the processed food that dogs eat leaves a completely foreign scent. Dogs are also natural hunters, and those natural instincts come back to them instantly when they see another animal worth pursuing, such as a deer, a rabbit, a squirrel, or any other prey animal. This is the wild animal’s home first and they should not have to be terrorized by a foreign predator. They have plenty of natural predators as it is. Larger predator animals such as bobcats, coyotes and mountain lions could also confront or chase your dog with disastrous consequences. If your dog surprises a rattlesnake or another creature that knows how to defend itself, severe injuries could occur. Horses are an exception because they are not predators and they are vegetarians. The scents they leave are not invasive. Park Rangers have observed deer and ravens scavenging their "road apples" for the digested grain that will show up in the poop.

 

Why pick up poop and then bag it then leave it on the trail?
Corgi butts no lie

 

Run through a fresh pile of each and compare the results. There's the answer.


Not a rant, but... Why do some people interrupting your guitar playing to ask you to play guitar? Better than running your bike through poop of any kind, I guess. Unless they walk up with an instrument in hand.

 

Well, there ya go...I never knew that....thanks!

 

Horse poop is only partially digested. They will eat the poop when you withhold feed. Dog poop in a bag left in the hills is the worse. Let it drop and desiccate, the bag makes it stay wet for the longest time.

 

Yep, see this on "wilderness" trails all the time. A blue bag on the trail today in the park. Why bag it if your not going to take it out? Maybe the poop gnomes will do it for them. One can dream.

And @Geetarguy I get it. It would be nice to at least move horse poo off the trail, but in reality it's not convenient to do so, and I'm guessing the rider doesn't know when they do the doo anyway. Once it's dry like whatever, but to hit a nice fresh one at speed is never fun.
They do use diapers at some parades, so there is that.

 

My dog always runs with a backpack. If she drops it on the trail, she has to pack it out

 

What a crappy topic!

 

Mostly because equestrians have more money and more political clout.
Yes, horse poop isn't as bad, but it is poop.
I will occasionally bag my dog poop and leave it on the side of the trail when on an out and back and pick it up on the return. I seem to be in the minority. So many bags left day after day. If you aren't gonna pick up the bag, fmd don't bag it. Better at that slovenly point to leave the raw dog poop.
I remember some years ago Animal Control cited an equestrian in the Back Bay for not picking up poop. Not sure how it resolved.
There are ways to contain horse poop.

 

My favorite is when dog owners bag up the poop and toss the bag to the side of the trail. I see that a lot when riding the Coto horse trail out and back.

 

Horses are herbivores and only eat hay and grain, unlike dogs. Horse manure will dry out and blow away whereas dog poop will not. That is why horses are allowed to poop on trail without having to be picked up. I have no problem walking through or riding my bike through horse Sh!t, but I steer clear of dog Sh!t. Let's just say, horse Sh!t is organic while dog Sh!t is not

 

That's a load of horseshit and you know it!

 

Cows eat basically the same thing as horses, do they not? Their piles are horrifying to ride through!

 

I'm not gonna lie to you, but yes, yes it is a load of horse Sh!t

 

Cows have a completely different digestive system and have 4 stomachs compared to a horses 1 stomach. Road apples versus cow patties.

 

Corgis crack me up.

 

Corgi butts drive me nuts

 

that video made me laugh for a good 3 minutes... oh my that was funny...

 

I always get the crappy jobs at work. They say I am the guy with the largest shovel following the parade of elephants. It is so true

 

I want to agree with this and do think that politics are involved, but I also suspect that it's rooted in old, outdated laws (or intentional exclusion from them). Horses were a common mode of transportation before automobiles and it would have, at least 90+ years ago, been unpopular to make everyone that had one follow it around with a shovel and bucket. Nowadays it would be akin to requiring that every new automobile have a catalytic converter.

Even as a kid I thought it was strange that bikes were banned from so many places while horses and cattle were not. From my time in the back country(from the hiker's perspective), I have seen the damage that livestock do and have a hard time believing that bikes could match it. It led to me to conclude that the rules were not based on environmental conservation as it said on the tin, but rather who complained and/or lobbied the loudest.

A fun way to take that further would have been to offer a real treat on the third try. Make the dog doubt that it wasn't getting treats on the first two. Is it possible to gaslight a dog? I bet so.