Nothing will engender ill will toward equestrians faster than horse poop in a parking lot. If it’s a shared lot with non-equestrians, they won’t appreciate driving or walking through manure. And the staff who manage the site won’t appreciate having to clean it up later.
We all know poop happens. Sometimes your horse will knock some out of the trailer getting in or out. Sometimes he’ll go to the bathroom while tied. But the poop stops with you! You should never leave manure in the parking lot. And you certainly should not muck out your trailer into the parking lot. Sounds crazy, but it happens all over.
The rules are not the same everywhere you go. Some land managers prefer that you pack out all manure. Some will let you put it in the dumpster. Some have designated manure areas. Others will allow you to just spread it out. Look for signs with instructions on what to do, and when it doubt, pack it out.
It helps to keep your trailer stocked with some items to make manure management a little easier. Some things I keep in my horse trailer at all times include:
Manure Fork
Collapsible Wheelbarrow
Garbage Can
A manure fork in the trailer is the bare minimum for trailer riders. How else are you going to pick up poop? A collapsible wheelbarrow is a great extra purchase to make moving manure to a dump space a little easier. The collapsible ones are so easy to tuck into the back of the tack room and take up hardly any space. You might also consider storing a garbage can for packing out manure.
When equestrians use managed trails, especially ones that are shared with other recreational users, we are ambassadors for all equestrians – good and bad. So make sure to lessen your impact and increase public perception. It only takes a few extra minutes to take care of your horse poop!
