Horse Trail Chicks

Have you ever seen posts on social media or talked to people who bemoan that horses are allowed on some multi-use trails?

Welcome to this series where we are going to take a look at common complaints about trail riding and horses on trails and dispel some myths. We’ll keep doing this series until we run out of topics (yes, it will be a long series!), so let us know if you think of one you want us to cover. The idea is that you can share these articles with people who make these assertions to help them understand the reality of trail riding and its impacts.

Let’s talk about probably the most often mentioned and complained about one – POOP!

How often have you heard things like “why don’t they pick up their horse’s poop?”, “how come I have to pick up after my dog, but they don’t have to pick up after their horse?”, “eww! Poop! Horses shouldn’t be allowed on trails if they are going to poop on them!”, “horse poop spreads invasive species!” and the like? We’ve heard these things often enough that it stinks!

Let’s get into the reasons behind why riders often don’t pick up poop. First, let’s just talk about the logistics of picking up poop.

1. Mounting and Dismounting. It’s not easy to get off your horse and move poop off the trail. This can be especially true for people with tall horses or riders who are older or have mobility issues.
2. Pooping on the go. A rider might not even know their horse has pooped, especially if they are moving at speed.
3. Safety Risks. Dismounting in a group of horses can be dangerous for the rider on the ground and could upset the other horses, potentially putting those riders in a difficult and dangerous position as well. Some trails are also very narrow and steep, and riders cannot see exactly where they are stepping down off of their horse. Monica was just telling me the other day about a time when she hopped off her horse Tupelo and almost twisted her ankle on a rock that she couldn’t see from her mounted position.
4. Logistics. There is no reasonable way to bag up a horse poop and carry it with you. If you don’t believe us, check out this hilarious (and very dramatized) explanation of why this is not easy! *warning – there are a few swear words *
5. Spreading the Problem. Kicking poop off the trail sounds easy enough, but this will often leave an even larger smear of poop across the trail rather than a contained pile that is easily avoided and very visible.

My friend Mindy and I loved trail riding together on our 17 hand horses in English jumping saddles. On the occasion where we did have to dismount, you can imagine all of the scrambling we had to do to get back on (not to mention how far we had to walk to find an appropriate stump or rock to use as a mounting block!).

Now let’s talk about why horse poop is not a risk to the environment or public health and why picking up dog poop is more important.

1. Not Disease Carriers. Horses are herbivores and eat primarily grass, hay, and grain. They do not eat meat. Their digestive system does not contain high levels of harmful bacteria, parasites, or viruses. Examples are E. coli, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia (National Park Service, n.d.). Dogs, by contrast, can spread disease to humans and other animals (Erb, 2019). Sunlight will quickly kill any remaining dangerous bacteria in horse manure (National Park Service, n.d.). This is not the case with dog poop.
2. Dogs Outnumber Horses Significantly. The number of dogs on trails vastly outweighs the number of horses on trails and dogs generally need to be walked daily while most trail riders will trail ride a few times a week in the warmer months at most. The number of horses on the trails has rapidly diminished in the last 100 years while other trail users have increased exponentially (Erb, 2019). There are an estimated 83 million pet dogs in the United States according to Leave No Trace as of 2020 (The Forest Preserve District of Will County, 2020). Meanwhile, there are only an estimated 7.2 million horses in the country (University of Minnesota Extension, n.d.). The majority of dog owners walk their dogs while horses that regularly trail riding are much less common.
3. Horse Manure Breaks Down Easily. Horse manure is essentially water, grass, and hay formed into balls by enzymes in the horse’s gut. After it is deposited, it breaks down quickly (Erb, 2019). Horse manure consists of 70-80% water, which soaks into the ground and dries rapidly (The Forest Preserve District of Will County, 2020). Birds often help in this process by picking through the poop for edible bits and spreading out the manure, so it breaks down even faster. Dog poop will not break down like this as dogs eat significant amounts of meat in their diets. Yes, it may be annoying to step over or bike around, but chances are the next time you are on that trail, the horse manure won’t even be noticeable.
4. No Adverse Impact to Surface or Groundwater. There is no evidence that horse manure contributes to deterioration or pollution of surface waters like rivers, streams, and wetland or groundwater (Quinn, n.d.).
5. No Evidence of Invasive Species Spread. Many people incorrectly assume that horse poop spreads invasive species by passing seeds through their digestive tract and depositing them in their manure. As far back as 1934 we have known that most seeds are not viable after passing through the horse’s digestive system (Quinn, n.d.). Modern research has resulted in the same conclusions that it is extremely unlikely that invasive plant species will be spread by horse manure (Grald, n.d.; Quinn, n.d.).

With all that being said, if you can safely pick up your horse’s poop, kick it off the trail, or step off the trail as your horse is pooping, we encourage you to do so! We definitely always encourage everyone to pick up poop in any parking areas and around trailers every time. It is so important that we all share these amazing trails or we risk losing access for equestrians in many places.

Happy trails!

Kerrie

References:

Erb, L. 2019. Horse Manure on the Trails: Should we do something? Equine Land Conservation Service. https://elcr.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Horse-Manure-on-the-Trails-by-Lyndall-Erb2-2019-002.pdf

Forest Preserve District of Will County, 2020. Dog poop vs. wildlife poop: Not all animal excrement is equal. https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/the-buzz/dog-poop-vs-wildlife-poop-not-all-animal-excreme/

Grald, C. n.d. Getting Real About Horses and Trails, Green Mountain Horse Association. https://gmhainc.org/getting-real-horses-trails/

National Park Service, n.d. Equine Manure Management and Environmental Impacts. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/manure-management.htm#:~:text=Not%20only%20does%20clearing%20manure,spread%20any%20disease%20to%20people.

Quinn, A. n.d. Environmental Aspects of Horses on Trails. American Trails. https://www.americantrails.org/resources/environmental-aspects-of-horses-on-trails

University of Minnesota Extension, n.d. Economic impact of the horse industry.  https://extension.umn.edu/horse-ownership/economic-impact-horse-industry