Those of you who know me know that my Christian name in Greek means "lover of horses", even though I am Welsh.
So, I am not against horses per se.
I live in Surrey and every day (slight hyperbole not intended) I have to contend with people on horses when driving. My complaint is that they "offload" their smelly deposits at random and I find it to be quite incongruous that the Police et al can had out fines to dog owners whose animals conduct themselves in the same manner unless they pick the mess up, while horse owners/riders are exempt. Ironically, in Kingston upon Thames (the borough council who lave to hate me), I witnessed (while "busking" some years ago outside Bentalls) two Metropolitan Police horses relieving themselves.
My point is twofold:
1. Health and safety in terms of public places.
2. Health and safety in terms of the resultant hazard on a public highway.
In terms of the latter, perhaps the next time I change my tyres, I should contact
Dunglop.I even witnessed two riders on their horses today on the footpath!
Ah, the passage of time and changing attitudes !!
In my youth, our local coal merchant delivered coal from a wagon pulled by two horses and the local ice cream seller had a very smart little wagon pulled by a small horse.
Any 'deposits' did not stay on the road for long, they were quickly spirited away and used on people's gardens.
Any 'deposits' did not stay on the road for long, they were quickly spirited away and used on people's gardens.
Yes, lots of people say it's very good on your rhubarb. I've always preferred custard myself.
Smother your taters with it and you'll have some cracking ones. Really taste great.
IMO horse dung doesn't really have any odour in single pile form (maybe i'm immune?), and if there are lots of cars driving through it, it tends to clear really quickly, especially if it rains.
From a health and safety (infection risk) point of view, I understand horses diet and digestive tract mean that their manure really doesn't normally contain the really harmful stuff, compared to omnivores/carnivores like dogs, cats, foxes, etc who's droppings can contain extremely harmful organisms, hence the use of horse manure on your garden and veg. See here:
https://www.bhs.org.uk/media/nt3ju4tt/dung-0824.pdfIt is however my opinion that if you're in a public precinct where there is a lot of public footfall they should be wearing manure bags...
Have a look at the Town Police Clauses (Miscellaneous provisions) Act 1862. That attempted to make streets a bit cleaner. That law hasn't been rescinded yet as it still governs taxi laws.
Look at things this way for a moment. We are daily exposed to advertising for this that and other, where the product being "natural" or made using "natural" ingredients somehow means it is more beneficial than it's competitors.
So what could be more "natural" than a gently steaming pile of horse turd? It is 100 percent natural.
It's natural, so it's good for you
Innit?
Wasn't it the case (allegedly) that London was becoming awash (if that's the right word) with horse doings in the early 20th Century, as the city became more populous and busier? It was only the rise of the internal combustion engine that prevented a real crisis.
Look at things this way for a moment. We are daily exposed to advertising for this that and other, where the product being "natural" or made using "natural" ingredients somehow means it is more beneficial than it's competitors.
So what could be more "natural" than a gently steaming pile of horse turd? It is 100 percent natural.
It's natural, so it's good for you
Innit?
All I know is: cats clear up theirs!
My complaint is that they "offload" their smelly deposits at random and I find it to be quite incongruous that the Police et al can had out fines to dog owners whose animals conduct themselves in the same manner unless they pick the mess up, while horse owners/riders are exempt.
As a dog owner (who cleans up after his dog every time, even in the countryside where the use of the plastic bag is almost certainly more detrimental than leaving the turd where it is), I totally agree with you.
Having said that I would prefer traffic wardens to be dispatched to our parks and dog-turd-problem-areas to fine those leaving their dog's crap everywhere rather than coining it in from hapless motorists parked innocuously on double yellows in areas that are causing no problem to anybody.
All I know is: cats clear up theirs!
No they )$*%(;## don't.
They make a few desultory kicks with their rear legs which does not bury it, and even if they make contact, all it does is flick it somewhere else.
I find it to be quite incongruous that the Police et al can had out fines to dog owners whose animals conduct themselves in the same manner unless they pick the mess up, while horse owners/riders are exempt.
It's just another example of two-tier treatment of animals and their owners.
Think what cat owners get away with, and whether dog owners could do the same.
Imagine somebody owning a dog, and allowing it to roam free, jumping fences into people's gardens, defecating at will there, killing wildlife - do you think they'd get away with it?
Cats though, well all that is just fine.
The difference is that dogs can be trained to behave and follow commands, and cats...well, you'd have more luck ordering gravity to switch off.
Cats Eyes road reflectors may be the answer.
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