UKC

Anyone get sick of this? Especially in winter when it stays around for weeks, is wet and gets on your bike.

How hard can it be to get off the horse, and kick the muck to the side of the path. A horse-y friend of mine claimed that it isn't always safe to get off the horse mid-ride, and may not be able to remount. Then surely, if that's the case the animal shouldn't be out of the yard if it is not safe.

Rant over.

In reply to Voltemands: It could be worse. I used to walk home from work along a section of pavement between two bridleways frequently used by riders. It was unlit except for the stream of headlights on the road it ran alongside of. It was hard enough trying to work out where your feet were going in winter when you couldn't see the ground below you and so the first sign of any equine remenance was normally when you went ankle deep in it!

In reply to Voltemands:

I know..why cant they just scoop it into bags and hang it off branches like dog owners..it's not rocket surgery...

In reply to Voltemands:

Can't say it really bothers me that much.... it's mainly fermented grass anyway, and much better than dog sh@t

In reply to balmybaldwin:

It is a little better than dog poop, yes. Still no justification as to why i should get it in the face and on my bike though.

In reply to Voltemands: i sometimes collect horse poo for my garden- otherwise i steer around it. dog muck is another issue.
do you even have a bell?

In reply to malk: A bike bell won't shift horse manure, stupid boy.

In reply to malk: Im guessing you mean smell? If so, yes I do and I really don't care that it does not smell as nasty. That is no justifiation as to why i should expectt it being sprayed onto me, or my bike/clothing.

In reply to Voltemands: how do you notify horse riders of your presence if not for your smell?

In reply to Voltemands:

Can't say it bothers me at all. If I'm on an off road section then it's par for the course as are puddles and mud. Mind you, I am a city dweller and the road side cycle paths of Manchester rarely attract horse muck, more glass and syringes.

In reply to Voltemands:

Slow down and get yourself a decent set of mudguards then you silly boy

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

+1

I cycle from the country to the city and back again each day. I much prefer the effects of a nice bit of muck that of the glass and syringes.

In reply to Voltemands:


"In reply to malk: Im guessing you mean smell? If so, yes I do and I really don't care that it does not smell as nasty. That is no justifiation as to why i should expectt it being sprayed onto me, or my bike/clothing."


Hahahaha,

In reply to Voltemands: The muck is okay, its when the horse rider looks down at you and think you are the muck on their shoe. Don't think horse riders like to share paths with us bikers.

In reply to freemondo:

The muck is okay, its when the horse rider looks down at you and think you are the muck on their shoe.

youtube.com/watch?v=ylgKpHxZ30o&

In reply to Voltemands:
I'm a cyclist and a horse rider. I can see both points of view. When I'm riding, I get bloody annoyed by cyclists screaming past me on downhill sections and spooking out my horse.

When I'm on my bike a get a bit annoyed if they are horses side by side on small byways.

In most cases, we generally respect each others space. As for the muck issue, I tend to just go around it - its not that hard, and its better than being splatted with dog sh*t which is deeply unpleasant. And its not just horses that take a dump on byways, other animals do to... at least with a horse, you can spot what your about to go through

As for jumping off your horse to kick the muck out of the way - its not that simple when your on an animal that is over 16 hands high as its not that easy to get back on...

What I find offensive, if great big gobbets of spit all over the place, but that's another argument

In reply to Voltemands:

Oh and another thing, when did these pathways become "cycle" ways?

In reply to Voltemands: You may be unaware that Horse ownership or "H" is an addiction that like all hard drugs has an unfortunate number of effects on the afflicted. They smell of piss and S**t, Have a dishevelled grubby appearance with dirty fingernails, Spend all their money on the habit and often neglect their children in the morning and evening , are utterly unable to relate to the non "H" user ...

In reply to freemondo:

Never ever ever had this in my experience. And I don't always ride in Manchester, I do a lot in the Peak District and out in the Pennines so I come across a lot of horse riders. Not quite sure whether you are placing a negative interpretation on someone who is inevitably hovering a few feet above you by the very nature of the beast they are riding!

In reply to 'Hilda': That confused me. I took it to refer to cycle paths in a more urban environment as opposed to the more rural rights of way. I'm picturing green tarmac which was why it confused me that there was so much horse activity. Like mountain bikers, horses I think tend to prefer a bit of honest to goodness mud!

In reply to 'Hilda': Perhaps the OP meant cycle paths (as written in the title to the thread) rather than byways or bridleways?

In reply to Hephaestus: Most 'cycle paths' are also open to other users, including horse riders, pedestrians and wheelchair users, who should be given priority:

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/change-your-travel/get-cycling/cycling-code-cond...

In reply to Howard J:

Wrong.

In reply to Voltemands: Its pretty hard to get on and off! My horse is 17'3 so I've not got a chance to get back on without a block.....or a gate to climb up (which I have done plenty of times)!
As a horse rider and cyclist there is as usual the odd intolerant idiot on both sides of the equation.....simple courtesy goes a long way! It is quite difficult when aggressive mountain bikers come by at high speed s a horse isn't the most predictable of beasts and are geneticly loaded to spook and bolt.....but likewise I've seen people on horses not considering that cyclists or walkers etc may not be too confident with their horses coming close..

In reply to abr1966:

I would suggest that cleaning up after your animal falls into that category.

In reply to Voltemands: we have to take your word for it that this is a designated 'bikes' only Cycle path, that forbids any other users/use?

If so, you clearly have a point.

If not............

In reply to muppetfilter:

I find horse riders round my way to be the least courteous users of shared paths. If someone out for a run in shorts stepped out of my way into nettles I would thank them, not give them a look suggesting they're muck on my boots.

On the plus side at least the trail bike riding yoof scum on the bridlesways and cyclesways get to annoy someone else more than me...

In reply to DaveHK: my main point was that if you are riding a tall horse you cannot just get off and back on......

In reply to Voltemands: Get real, you fo have to share the planet with other people and animal you know. Wear glasses, clothes and bikes can be washed. Stop being so precious.

Only one thing to remember, also useful for cow pats and flying insects,

Keep your mouth closed!

In reply to abr1966:

I think you'll find your horse is not 17'3 " or almost 3 times the height of the average man.

In reply to Beat me to it!:
Horses are measured in hands, not feet you ignoramus. Even I know that much.
Measured in feet, the horse is 5'11. (That bit I had to look up on wikipedia.)

In reply to Beat me to it!:

17 hands not 17 foot, although perhaps he shouldn't be riding a horse he cannot get on or off.

In reply to Voltemands:


"Horse muck on cycle paths"?

Well, you know. Dry your tears and get on with it, eh?

In reply to muppetfilter:

Just arrived tonight at my sisters farm who have several heavy horses,sheep, and a donkey.
(If you get in the way of these horses on a bike you will know all about it!)

I agree it is an addiction, dishevelled, yes, grubby, yes, spend all spre money on carts, and shows, yes , but can't say I notice any horsey smell at all.

In reply to Voltemands: Bridleways and Cycle paths are entirely different things.
Bridleways being for use by walkers, and horse riders. Bicycles have been 'allowed' to use bridleways under the Countryside Act 1968 but are in fact the lowest class of user. They have to give way to walkers and horse riders and the surface does not have to be made to their requirement either (they take it as it is). They cannot even claim a bridleway according to usage.

Thats just the legal spiel on bridleways - being a Rights of Way Officer, a mountain biker and occasional horse rider, I have to take the above as it is, but i see your point about 'fouling' the highway. You wouldn't accept this from any other user of highways so should something be done or is it just a generally accepted thing that horses are badass and so they can do what the hell they want... who's gonna mess with them??!

In reply to The New NickB:

Well im 6ft tall and i cant get on without a block....i mount
the horse like virtually everyone else i know....

In reply to Bloodfire:

I think it's more that animals are sort of allowed to shit where they like. Sheep and cows poo on public footpaths all the time. Geese never stop. Dogs used to until about 1988 as far as I recall.

There are then exceptions made to this. We've generally turned against dog poo (fine by me) and at one time horses weren't allowed to poo on overcrowded city streets (they had little bags at the back that caught it).

Dog poo in parks is clearly a nuisance. Horse poo on paths may be a nuisance for some high speed cyclists, but I don't honestly think anyone else is that fussed, so they can carry on doing what they've done for millions of years and shit as they go so far as I am concerned.

Human poo in the hills is now frowned upon, sadly, although my ability to hack through frozen turf with a trowel was legendary. Have to carry the blood stuff out in a tube now, apparently

In reply to Hephaestus:

yes.

In reply to 'Hilda':

I honestly try my hardest to do this, but sometimes it covers the way, one side to another. And when you factor in winter, with the rain, the sh*t just gets wet a smears across the path. eurghk.

In reply to abr1966:

I fully appreciate this, but imagine if someone was caught allowing their dog to foul but not collecting it, I doubt they'd be allowed too say for example - "I'm unable to bend over due to back problems so cannot bag it", I imagine they'd still be fined an it suggested they leave the walking to someone capable of bagging the poop.

In reply to jhsp:

i don't see what speed has to do with it, if you roll over the stuff it is going to be sprayed up by the tyre.

In reply to Bob kate bob: Yes we all have to share. But if I left sharp, or unpleasant objects from say path-side cycle repairs, or anything else to do with my activity, then I'd consider that disrespectful of other users.

In reply to abr1966:

I've never needed a block to mount anyone I know. Actually I don't know many people that would let me mount them with (or without) a block.

In reply to Voltemands:

The key difference here though is that dog crap carries stuff pretty harmful to human health whereas horse dung doesn't. That's why there're bye-laws and/or legislation to mandate that it gets collected by the owner.

In reply to zebidee:

So why did cart horses have to have collection bags attached the horses rear ends in times gone by?

In reply to zebidee: I wouln't bet on that. Still wash your hands pretty thoroughly if you're exposed to it and don't fancy watching breakfast coming back later and there are some bylaws around horse excrement, especially overseas

In reply to toad: don't bet- provide the evidence..

In reply to balmybaldwin: it's a valuable fertilizer..

In reply to balmybaldwin:
In times gone by there were a lot of horses being used for everything so the shit would've made a huge pile.

Are horse riders allowed to ride on cycle paths?

In reply to Voltemands: The only places it's bothered me are sections of the pennine bridleway which go through tunnels. Horse poo out on the main track just dries to grass and blows away or gets washed away by rain but it's accumulating in the tunnels, never getting washed away, and last time I went through one it properly stunk. Also going from bright sunshine to a tunnel means you can't see it to avoid it.

The section I'm thinking of is well used by horses because there is a riding school a mile back down the track and I wonder how full of poop that tunnel has to get before they'll feel perhaps it would be nice of them to clean it out.

In reply to malk:
horses are a lower risk than other grazing animals but it isn't true to say they provide no risk - both salmonella and e-coli have been found in manure. You need to wade through a lot of gardening references if you just use a bog standard google search, btw - I used Science Direct

If you think that cycling over horse muck is bad, try roller skiing!

My local cycle path would be perfect for rollers if it weren't for the horse muck every 10m

In reply to toad: Of course horses have no intestinal parasites that rely on ingestion as part of their life cycles ..... My mistake .... There are .

In reply to Voltemands: If you want to ride somewhere sanitised, maybe you should try the velodrome?

In reply to deepsoup:

You're out of order deep soup. The post I was replying to had the that height as feet and inches and not in hands. If it had been stated in hands I wouldn't have replied. You, here, are the ignoramus.

In reply to Voltemands:

I cycled into one on an extremely foggy & frosty morning. Like cycling into a cannonball.

In reply to AlisonSmiles: Ha ha ! I've climbed and ridden horses for many years, enjoy both pastimes immensely, and don't look down on anyone ( I hope ). For me, if I had to get off 4 or 5 times a ride in order to kick poo somewhere that is hopefully off the road, and then walk for half a mile or so in order to find somewhere where its possible for me to mount my spirited horse, that would pretty much ruin the enjoyment of a nice day out and probably cause me to give up doing something I love. Live and let live, I say

In reply to gillp: Can't you take a small pair of stepladders with you? It seems very odd to travel by a "vehicle" you can't get back onto.

In reply to gillp:

Well you would, your not the one with shit in your face.

In reply to Voltemands: Not as annoying as the bikers who storm past me from behind whilst I am running with my dogs screaming at me to get out of the f*$>%g way they really bug me.

In reply to The New NickB: No, but apparantly I have an addiction that like all hard drugs has an unfortunate number of effects on the afflicted. I smell of piss and S**t, Have a dishevelled grubby appearance with dirty fingernails, Spend all their money on the habit and often neglect my children in the morning and evening , and am utterly unable to relate to the non "H" user ...

In reply to gillp:

Not to mention driving a vehicle that you can't get onto without assistance that you're not in control of.

In reply to abr1966:

Sorry, a bit late to the party, but:

Hurr hurr hurrrr....

In reply to Voltemands: Mudguards.

In reply to gillp:

You need to enjoy the view while riding and climbing more - horses and crags both provide quite good vantage points.

Quite amazing I'm still alive & never killed or injured anybody. By far the worse s**t experiences I've had involve cows, farmers and fields. I have even cycled and unicycled along cycle paths before now and came away unscathed...

In reply to Beat me to it!:

No it didn't, it said the horse was 17'3. No mention of feet.


Possibly, but they're not mutually exclusive. I'm dumb, and you're dumber. Welcome to t'internet.

In reply to deepsoup:

No it didn't, it said the horse was 17'3. No mention of feet.

' is the symbol for feet (" = Inches).

In reply to MJ:

It's an apostrophe, which can be used as a symbol for feet among many other things. It's a little bit ambiguous, but it's generally obvious that it means feet from the context. (ie: If you're talking about a measurement of some kind. Pretty much any kind of measurement, other than the height of a horse.)

In reply to deepsoup: 17....3....in hands....however it's correctly put! It means it's a big bugger and i can't get on it easily!

In reply to Voltemands:

To express in hands you'd say 17.3 h , in abr's post and context it was quite clearly using feet an inches notation.

In reply to Beat me to it!: pedant! When would you ever ser a 17 foot horse!

In reply to Beat me to it!:

No, if you look at the post and context he was quite clearly referring to hands, unless he's got really big horses in his neck of the woods.

In reply to abr1966:

In Equus or war horse

In reply to Beat me to it!:

Quite clearly - *if* you assume the owner of a horse is unaware that horses are measured in hands rather than feet, and was sincerely claiming to have a horse that stands as tall as the average giraffe*.

If, on the other hand, you were not a complete numpty it would be glaringly bloody obvious from the context that abr meant hands, and had simply inadvertently used an apostrophe instead of a decimal point.

Ha ha. This irrelevant wrangling really is UCK at it's very best isn't it? :oP~

* - Anyone fancy an argument about what the average height of a giraffe is? Of course we all know their height is traditionally measured in fathoms, so there's no fun to be had there.

In reply to abr1966:

Parked outside your castle, when you've been pretending not to be in but you're fairly certain the Greek Jehovah's Witnesses who were banging on your door have gone now.

In reply to deepsoup: thats me screwed then as i live in an ex council house!

In reply to Voltemands: In view of the ongoing UKC controversy over horse measurement, I propose a new measure of horse size, which better expresses both height as well as overall build -so, for example, we could differentiate between a carthorse and a racehorse, which will have very different bowel capacities, and therefore pose different hazards for the cyclist. This unit is the Chum, or the amount of horse that can be sqeezed, after processing into a standard size tin of dog food. Therefore a shetland pony would be approximately 18 Hectochums, whilst a Clydesdale stallion could be as much as a Megachum. The average punters pony would be around the 25 Kilochum mark, colloquially referred to as a "winalot"

In reply to toad: that's all reasonable but you need to include a variable for dietary input! Mine are in the field every day just now so their bowel ptoduct is especially unpleasant for the average mountain biker!

In reply to Voltemands: I really don't know where to start...

In reply to deepsoup: 6, fathoms that is, or in decimal 2 hogs heads and a peck, that's just the average though some are much taller.

In reply to krikoman:

Serious questios for horse riders - are you always actually aware when a horse is curling one out?

Dogs adopt the 'shaking kangaroo' pose when they lay a cable, but when I've seen horses take a poo, they seem to just lift the tail slightly and drop it. If you're sitting on top facing forward, would you notice? Even if you had to collect it, you might simply not be aware it's taken a dump

Not familiar with horses, may be a dumb question.

In reply to ThunderCat: You are quite right about that

In reply to ThunderCat:
Not always aware no and also bear in mind that a horse can shit whilst standing, walking, cantering, galloping and jumping........never seen one curl one whilst lying down tho :-/

In reply to aultguish:


Must be great to be a horse.

In reply to Voltemands:

http://www.bunbag.com/

In reply to cezza:
Awesome. Does it also come with bin liners you can lift out and hang from the nearest tree? That'll show the dog owners who's boss.