That is purely ignorant to say it doesn't matter how "unsafe" it is. Would you like to be responsible for someones death because you whine about horse poop? Oh well, I suppose it doesn't matter to you, it's not YOUR problem. But for some of us, safety when riding is a large concern.
<sigh>... Please go back and read my entire post.
Let me see if I can put it another way...
It is Thursday night, about 10 PM, and a group of people are in a meeting room with the parks board. The folks in the room are a representative sampling of the people who use the multi-use trail at the local park. There are about a dozen people who walk the trail, 4 people who jog, 3 people who ride bikes on the trail, and 2 people who ride horses.
The meeting has been rather long, as the board gave everyone a chance to clearly state their positions.
Most of the walkers, joggers and bike riders have spent their time before the board complaining about the horse manure that is being left on the trail.
The folks who ride horses have clearly explained that horse manure is different than dog poop. While it is a solid waste, it is so unlikely to cause any health hazards that the EPA does not regulate it. In fact, the horse manure has so many nutrients, that some places use it as fertilizer.
In addition, the folks who ride horses have pointed out that getting on and off a horse without some sort of assistance can cause injury to the horse, and that when a rider is off the horse, cleaning up horse manure, there is a slightly increased likelyhood that the horse will rear, kick, or bolt - any of which might result in injury or death to the horse, the rider, or bystanders.
But most of the walkers, joggers, and bicycle riders have spent their time complaining about the horse poop left on the multi-use trail. One of them even brought in a printout of some horse rider rules of etiquette that says riders should get off the trail if the horse has to relieve itself, or, if that isn't possible, kick the manure off the trail.
As the meeting draws to an end, the president of the parks board stands to address the audience.
He might turn to the 20 or so people representing the folks who walk, jog, and bike and say "we understand your complaint about horse manure on the trails, but it is so inconvenient, unhealthy, unsafe, and unnecessary for horse riders to clean up after their horses that you folks who walk, jog and bike on the trail are just going to have to deal with it. If the horse manure really bothers you, maybe we can find a way for the park district to clean up after the horses."
Or he might look at the two people representing the horse riders and say something like "we understand your position completely and understand why you don't clean up after your horses, but the vast majority of the people who use the multi-use trails do not ride horses. As a result we feel we have no choice but to ban horses from trails used by walkers, joggers, or bicycle riders and restrict riders to 'horse only' trails."
When it comes to making a decision on whether or not horses can continue using a multi-use trail, what do you think will carry the day - a reasoned argument by horse riders, who account for about 4% of the usage of a multi-use trail, or the complaints about horse poop on the paths by the folks representing the other 96% of the multi-use trail users?
I live in a subdivision that used to be "out in the boonies." When I moved in 30 years ago, there was a pig farm about a mile or so to the west of me. I don't know when the pig farm was started, but it was here long before I moved in.
About 5 years after I moved in, other subdivisions sprang up in the area, and about 5 years after that...well, you guessed it - hearings were held to determine whether or not the pig farm should be closed down. I went to the hearings and was among the few who argued the pig farm should be left alone until the current owners died or decided to sell - because the pig farm was here first.
If horse riders continue to leave horse poop on multi-use paths in urban areas, sooner or later there's going to be a parks board meeting where both sides present their stories, and no matter how clearly the horse riders explain that it is unnecessary, unsafe, unhealthy, and inconvenient to clean up the manure, it isn't going to matter - because the board is going to vote to ban horses from multi-use trails.
If folks want to continue riding horses on multi-use trails, I'd suggest they stop talking about why it isn't possible for them to clean up the mess their horses make on those multi-use trails and start trying to figure out ways to get those multi-use paths cleaned.
If a rider isn't going to do anything to clean up a mess his horse makes on a multi-use trail, then maybe the rider should stay on horse-only trails. Otherwise, sooner or later, just as we dog owners are faced by "no dogs allowed" signs and that pig farmer was forced to see a "for sales" sign on his property, you'll be seeing "no horses allowed" signs on what used to be multi-use trails. And those horse riders who were willing to help keep the multi-use trails clean will no longer be able to use the paths... all because some of their fellow horse riders didn't recognize that horse poop on multi-use paths was a problem for many of the other folks who shared the multi-use trails.
Have a GREAT day!
Rob