I’m a horse owner and my…

I’m a horse owner and my daughter and I are respectful trail riders that enjoy riding in the parks and regional forests of York and Durham Regions. We take our responsibilities seriously to ensure everyone can enjoy the trail systems equally from equestrians to dog owners and pedestrians. As all horses and riders are not created equal, just as there are also dog owners and people with children that can’t always control their pets and children 100%, we have tolerance for everyone that uses the trails, as long as there is mutual respect and understanding for one another.

Many times I have ridden the trails to find an off leash dog on a trail where leashes are mandatory, or a child running loose and not listening while approaching horses in an unsafe manner, that has put myself and fellow riders in danger because the poorly trained and disobedient dogs try to attack our horses on trail, and then their owners are angry if a horse steps on or kicks their pet as if it’s our fault that their off leash dog attacked us in the first place. I can’t help that their dogs should have been on a leash, nor can I always get away from an aggressive attacking dog or help if my horse defends herself from being attacked and bitten. It would never have happened if the dog owner was responsible and following the on leash rules with their dog.

Just as there are all different dogs and levels of obedience, but disobedient dogs are not banned or discriminated against and are welcome, so long as they are on a leash, horses should not be discriminated against either. By forcing equestrians to be equipped with manure bags, the park is discriminating against many horses that will not tolerate such a contraption strapped to them. The bags prevent horses from swatting biting insects with their tails because the bags are tied to their tails. Some horses are more sensitive to biting insects and need to be able to swat the bugs off or they could become unmanageable because they can’t tolerate insects biting them. Other horses are upset by additional straps on their rear end and can not safely be ridden with a manure bag without freaking out. Most of my friends and myself will dismount and push any manure off the trails as a courtesy to others that may not appreciate manure. As dogs are meat eaters and horses are vegetarian, their poop is very different. Horse poop breaks down within 2-6 weeks and turns into fertilizer, it disintegrates. It doesn’t stick to footwear or pose as much risk to humans because it doesn’t contain the same unhealthy bacteria that dog poop does. Therefore it’s not as harmful as dog poop. I’m also a dog owner and would never leave my dog poop lying on a trail, or in the forest , and always remove it.

Also forcing equestrians to purchase a manure bag which can cost upwards of $200 is somewhat unreasonable.

I know there are all walks of life from irresponsible dog owners, to irresponsible horse owners who spoil it for the rest. We don’t discriminate against the bad dog owners, but they sure do discriminate against the bad horse owners which is unfair to equestrians as a whole.

Perhaps more education is needed to understand the differences and dangers with animal faeces, and less discrimination against equestrians by enforcing a mandatory manure bag. I hope you will reconsider this rule as unfair and highly discriminatory and change it to request equestrians push their poop off the trails so that everyone can enjoy the trails equally without discrimination.