Legality of horses on Scottish cyclepaths?

[Flinders]

A local part of the NCN 7 route that's much used by walkers, runners and cyclists has recently seen an increase in horse traffic, and the waste they leave behind.

Can horse riders legally use these cycle paths in Scotland? Obviously where the route uses public roads there's not a problem (legally) but the very things that make designated separate routes attractive to cyclists also attracts horse riders.

On the subject of waste being left behind, do horse riders get fined for horseshit? Dog owners get fined for not cleaning up after their dog, but dogs dont leave behind as big a mess, nor does dog mess typically pose a risk to 2 wheeled traffic on a busy road (motorcycles could slip on horseshit).

Riders don't get fined because:
Horseshit is not dangerous to humans like dog and cat filth
Horses are on roads by right, motor vehicles only under licence.
Horseshit is easy to avoid - far easier than the cattle crap we get on rural roads that can go right across the carriageway.

Also, I for one would rather clean horse crap off my tyres than dog or cat filth. Wouldn't you?

Motorcyclists and drivers don't have to take their emissions home, after all, and that kills a lot of people every year.

Having said all that, I don't think horses should be allowed on cycle paths unless they are tarmac. Horses wrecked a path close to here within months because the riders selfishly went faster than a walk on it when it was very wet. (I'd rather the council hadn't wasted money putting one of those crap clay surfaces down, they never last long and are dirty and messy for day 1.)

[Blag]

I think the dog pooh could make you blind is like a Swan could break your arm. Not likely to happen. I've never heard of either actually happening

[LollyKat]

I have a friend who's sight was damaged by dog pooh when he was a child - he was off school for a year and although he didn't go blind his eyes have been permanently weakened.

[Flinders]

I think the dog pooh could make you blind is like a Swan could break your arm. Not likely to happen. I've never heard of either actually happening

Doesn't happen often, but does happen all the same.
linky to NHS site
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Toxocarias ... ction.aspx
You can get other nasty stuff as well, especially from cats.

If cattle come into contact with infected excrement, it can cause abortions, this also applies if it gets into silage. So allowing your dog to leave its mess in farmers' fields is also not acceptable, even if you can't see any cattle there, though many people appear to think they have a right to do this and 'it's no problem' - inconsiderate ignorance which costs farmers money and is also a welfare issue.

I did find one site which suggested there were about 120 notified cases a year in the UK, most not serious, but they didn't quote their sources. Another site suggests that 'in the U.K., Toxocariasis causes partial blindness in around 50 children per year, while in America, Ocular Toxocariasis was discovered in 68 cases within one year, and an estimated 70% resulted in blindness.' Again, no source quoted, nor did it say whether the visual effects were permanent in all cases. I can't find any evidence that would support either, but the second statement seems so much out of line with the NHS advice, that I suspect it's not correct.
But it is certainly the case that some people, mostly kids, seem to get sight damage up to and including in some cases blindness, from it, you can find the newspaper reports if you look.
The NHS site points out that most cases won't get notified because the symptoms (flu-like, fits, etc.) get confused with other illnesses.

[Blag]

What I said was just to support the original post. Someone making a valid point and then being shot down by a post of zero relevance to the original poster comments. Not particularly helpful, I don't particularly want any animal waste on my cycle routes whether it makes you blind or not

[mattsccm]

Might i suggest that horse residue was a feature of our roads way before any motorised or pedal vehicle. to my mind that gives it significant rights over anything that comes along later, including silly laws. Doggy dumps as well I suppose. After all, you can always just ride around the heap.

[pwa]

Might i suggest that horse residue was a feature of our roads way before any motorised or pedal vehicle. to my mind that gives it significant rights over anything that comes along later, including silly laws. Doggy dumps as well I suppose. After all, you can always just ride around the heap.

It's difficult to explain my views on muck because they are largely due to my upbringing. But basically, muck from horses, cattle and sheep is to be expected in the countryside and if you really don't like it you might be better off staying in a town. Dog muck is much nastier, in smell and the way that the tiniest residue can stink for ages, as well as real health concerns. I'll happily ride straight though a horse dump but I won't go anywhere near dog muck if I can avoid it.

A second point is that, for me, horses and their riders are our natural allies, or should be. Non-motorised, quiet traffic, moving quietly and peacefully through the countryside. I know we conflict with them a bit now and again, but I think we should focus on what we have in common and help each other out. And we should tolerate small inconveniences like a bit of horse muck.

[MikeF]

Might i suggest that horse residue was a feature of our roads way before any motorised or pedal vehicle. to my mind that gives it significant rights over anything that comes along later, including silly laws. Doggy dumps as well I suppose. After all, you can always just ride around the heap.

It's difficult to explain my views on muck because they are largely due to my upbringing. But basically, muck from horses, cattle and sheep is to be expected in the countryside and if you really don't like it you might be better off staying in a town. Dog muck is much nastier, in smell and the way that the tiniest residue can stink for ages, as well as real health concerns. I'll happily ride straight though a horse dump but I won't go anywhere near dog muck if I can avoid it.

A second point is that, for me, horses and their riders are our natural allies, or should be. Non-motorised, quiet traffic, moving quietly and peacefully through the countryside. I know we conflict with them a bit now and again, but I think we should focus on what we have in common and help each other out. And we should tolerate small inconveniences like a bit of horse muck.

+1
Horse muck is mainly partly digested grass and fibrous.

[Blag]

I was really hoping someone was going to have a story about a killer Swan..