Should horses be allowed on the road?

[LLB]

Id rather hit a empty burgerking box than a 4" pile horse turd...

How many 4" piles of horse dung have you hit ?

 

[rich p]

I regard horses and their riders on roads as cyclists' allies against the car and always exchange pleasantries with them (the riders generally!). We did get cut up by a horse box the other day which was anoying.

 

[davidtq]

How many 4" piles of horse dung have you hit ?

Well that depends on how you measure them I have to confess to not regularly carrying a measuring tape with me to measure them, but I would say the majority of "large" piles I see have at least one dimension over 4" you tend to get a "main lump" and lots of smaller bits. of course by time the cars have squished them a bit you get nice 2 feet long somewhat slimmer line piles...

 

[LLB]

Well that depends on how you measure them I have to confess to not regularly carrying a measuring tape with me to measure them, but I would say the majority of "large" piles I see have at least one dimension over 4" you tend to get a "main lump" and lots of smaller bits. of course by time the cars have squished them a bit you get nice 2 feet long somewhat slimmer line piles...

So what you are really saying is that your eyesight is good enough, but there are plenty of drivers out there who can't spot a pile of dung on an otherwise empty road ?

 

[davidtq]

So what you are really saying is that your eyesight is good enough, but there are plenty of drivers out there who can't spot a pile of dung on an otherwise empty road ?

Along the worst of the roads cars avoiding such piles would be completely unsafe, 60mph limit busy route between two towns, narrow lanes a detour to avoid a pile could easily result in a lost wing mirror. Drivers are definetely best off Not trying to pick a route through it and just accept that their cars are going to get covered in crap to support someone elses passtime. That same person whos demanding extra courtesy on the road

Smokers throwing their "butts" out of their windows, chavs dropping their takeaway wrappers and horse riders dropping ther crap on the streets. Littering isnt pleasant in any of its forms even if it is biodegradeable.

I havent voted that horses should be banned because I dont think they should be, I do think basic safety tests should be mandatory before a horse goes on the road, and I do think a poop collector should be as well. Just good citizenship to not leave crap all over the roads, even if it is a type thats been around for a long time.

 

[LLB]

How do you suggest a rider collect and carry horse droppings from a busy carriageway ?

 

[davidtq]

How do you suggest a rider collect and carry horse droppings from a busy carriageway ?

I believe I already covered that one with the "diaper" Which have been used for a long time as well.

http://www.bunbag.com/

£35 doesnt seem a lot to pay for the sake of not being a litter lout compared to the cost of keeping a horse...

 

[LLB]

One for dogs also just in case the owners forget to scoop ?

 

[LLB]

Caution: To avert a rodeo, accustom your horse to the bag properly!

 

[jashburnham]

Of course they should be aloud on the roads. I cycle a lot around the surrey lanes and see plenty of horses. IME their riders are always courteous and friendly, in fact probably the most polite of all road users. However I'd add one caveat to this - they should only be allowed on the road in the care of an experienced rider. Whilst down in Sussex over xmas I heard about a horse putting its hooves through a car windscreen at the local hunt gathering in Battle. By all accounts the rider was very inexperienced and had lost control of the horse sometime before the accident. No-one injured but imagine if that had been a cyclist and not a car.

They make damn good eating though. Off to Switzerland in March and am looking forward to a tucking into a nice horse steak!

 

[Arch]

I believe I already covered that one with the "diaper" Which have been used for a long time as well.

http://www.bunbag.com/

£35 doesnt seem a lot to pay for the sake of not being a litter lout compared to the cost of keeping a horse...

Well, testimonial or not, I find it hard to belive that that thing would work effectively on a moving saddle horse. It might catch some, but I doubt it would catch all. I've seen similar carriage versions, and they seem to work better (attached to the carriage, not the back of the horse, like a scoop), although to me they are also unneccessary, given the low volume of horse carriage traffic in even a city like York, where we have tourist cabs.

If you don't like the thought of a bit of horse poo, and don't have the wit to avoid it, I suggest not riding in the countryside, really I don't understand (or ok, don't agree with) your stance. It isn't litter, any more than roadkill is litter, or for that matter the poo of wild animals. What next, deer to wear nappies? Wild animals to make sure they die neatly under hedges out of the way? Leaves to fall in autumn into special bins?

 

[Arch]

They make damn good eating though. Off to Switzerland in March and am looking forward to a tucking into a nice horse steak!

Ooh, never (knowingly) had horse, would like to try it...

 

[4F]

One for dogs also just in case the owners forget to scoop ?

But surely the point here is that dog owners can already be prosecuted for not cleaning up the mess, why should horse riders be any different ?

 

[Arch]

But surely the point here is that dog owners can already be prosecuted for not cleaning up the mess, why should horse riders be any different ?

Because dog poo is a far greater threat to human health than horse poo. Also, the problem of dog poo is much greater (more dogs in urdan areas, especially parks where children run about and fall over) than horse poo on a road, which is generally clearly visible and avoidable and in a place where few children ought to be playing.

 

[4F]

I agree that dog poo is unacceptable and totally agree that owners should be fined if they do not clear it up but I still think horse riders should have more of a duty to clear up as well.