manure at rides et al.

[Marv Walker <Marv@MarvWalker.com>]

> There are different issues in different regions. In FL and most of the SE,
> decomposition of organic material is fairly rapid. Any hay that is left is
> rapidly taken care of by deer. Manure is first picked over by birds and within
> weeks is part of the environment.

I don't think it is a matter of what actually happens to 
the manure that is the concern, I believe it is the PERCEPTION 
of manure that offends the untutored.  All over this country 
manure is viewed as toxic waste by government agencies and 
environmentalists.

They outnumber us by a LONG SHOT and we can resist their efforts 
all day long and it will not change their perceptions or their 
beliefs.  In the end, they ***WILL*** impose all kinds of oppressive 
regulations on us as horse owners and don't think for one moment 
they can't force you to comply.

To delay the inevitable for as long as possible, we as horse owners 
***MUST*** do EVERYTHING in our power to leave as few signs we were 
there as possible.  That means cleaning up our hay, packing out the 
manure (or otherwise rendering it invisible), creating or using 
blowouts or doing other things that cause other environmental users 
to complain.

The utter importance of this issue and our indifference to it 
as horse people came home to me when I saw the mess that was 
left in the streets and in the staging areas when I unthinkingly
organized a parade of horse people in support of our successful 
1996 Olympic Equestrian Venue.  My business partner (bless her 
heart) and I spent an entire day cleaning up trash and loading 
a large dually nearly over-flowing with manure, hay, straw, 
shavings and trailer sweepings.

When I called the culprits I could remember to task for leaving 
such a mess, to a person they all dismissed their thoughtlessness 
with "it's all bio-degradeable."

It's the times when a non-horser sees the stuff before nature 
reuses it that causes the problems.

Marv "Yes, that *IS* a sack of horseshit 
hanging from my saddle." Walker

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