Leave only Hoof-prints?

Nope.

Thats what I worry about. If enough non-horse people complain, I worry that multi-use trails will start getting closed to us.

haha, me too, thats hilarious

That right there is a VERY real possibility and has actually happened in some places.

There is a program out there called "Leave no Trace"

http://www.bchcolorado.org/leaveNoTrace.PDF

Speaks mainly to not leaving trash, hurting the habitat, etc.

Horse manure starts to break down as soon as it leaves the body. After all - it is recycled hay and water! Kicking it off paved areas or the shoulder of your local road is a very nice thing though!

I agree just kick it off the trail. I don't even want to think about having to curb my horse and carry poop scoops and bags like dog owners do. Could you imagine the size of the bag?! I'd have to take another horse along just to pack out the manure


From the above "leave no trace" link:

"Manure piles should be kicked apart and scattered, and any pawed ground should
be filled in."

If I stopped and kicked it off to the side I wouldn't be getting back on unless a friendly pedestrian happened by to get me a leg back up. I try to back her up way off the side of the road.

We have equestrian trails around the lake near my house...they are open to bikers and walkers but they are labeled for the horses...we have a totally different set of trails for bikers and for walkers around the lake...so if they choose to walk or bike our horse trails they shall suffer the mannuer lol no complaints :)

But if your not that lucky and you have to share trails...if you can get back on yours horse I would atleast kick the maure off the path... I totally understand not being able to get back on though... the lady I ride with rides a 16.1 hand TWH...she is short like me and shes older so she cant reach the sturrips without something to stand on...

I have always said that horse poo is the least offensive of all the poos out there. Now if I was on a multipurpose trail and I was on my mare who is 14.1 then I might get of to kick it off to the side but if I was one anything 16 and up I would just let it lie. The trails I ride are on my own property and my neighbors so I don't worry about it. They leave 4 wheeler tracks on my property and I don't complain. I leave a bit of horse poo on theirs and they don't complain. It just kinda evens out.

This is the same reason that I don't. Both of my horses are over 16 hands, and my mare still doesn't understand standing still to get mounted very well, so somebody else would have to get off to hold her while I got back on. Thankfully the trails that I go on are not frequented by non-horse riding people much either.