Dear Editor:
What if everybody owned a pet horse instead of a dog.
I am writing in disgust regarding the amount of horse excretion on our trails in North Vancouver, but in particular the Lower Seymour Demonstration Forest area.
I have three large dogs that I walk on all the different trails in the area. You cannot go five minutes into the trails without running across a huge pile of horse crap. It is disgusting and downright gross. We are not talking small little piles here and there, we are talking huge amounts of horse crap throughout your entire walk. You literally have to walk over it, around it, kick it out of the way . . . and I am tired of it.
When did it become OK for horse owners not to pick up their horse crap? The trails are for everybody and everybody that uses them should be respectful of the other users.
Some dogs eat the horse excretion, and if the horse has not been dewormed, then what?
Dog owners are required by law to pick up their dogs' poop, and I know that most do, which is a far cry from horse owners, who never ever clean up after their horse. If you are going to chose to ride your horses in the city, then you should be made to follow the same rules as dog owners and pick it up.
I have stopped some horse owners and asked why they do you not pick up their horses' poop? They say, "We don't feel we have to."
You may not have to, but you damn well should. What part of "it comes out of your horse's ass" don't you get? This is the city, not the country, so if you want to own a horse and ride it on the open trails, the least you could do is get off your horse's behind and pick up what drops out of it.
Thanks for your consideration. Deirdre MacNicol North Vancouver
