Riders should pick up their horse muck

The answer to your question on October 11th, why bother about horse muck shed in the street, was answered by me in May, when I commented on cat and horse deposits. I recalled that when my now 54-year-old son was born, a neighbour’s baby was born blind as a result of its mother’s casual contact with a cat or its droppings during her pregnancy.

There is no legal obligation on horse riders to clean up when their mounts brazenly lift their tails and muck-spread on our roads, so it is left to be compressed into the tarmac surface by successive car tyres, which themselves become contaminated.

It is not a major issue but nevertheless a dangerous one and tantamount to recklessness in this Health and Safety hypersensitive age. Horse muck contains the bacterium clostridium tetani, which produces a toxin which attacks the nervous system and can lead to lockjaw and death. Now in my book that is quite serious and I would recommend you to urge all your readers to make sure their tetanus jabs are up-to-date. The jabs are effective for 10 years.

Horse droppings occur in Bents/Bent Lane, Colne, because we are on a horse riding circuit. This road is narrow so sometimes the deposits are on the pavement. This is almost certainly criminal damage, though as the riders often appear quite young, it will probably be the parents who will get it in the neck when prosecutions start to occur. I will remind you of my earlier simple, sensible and socially responsible solutions.

Riders should dismount and take the coddy away in bespoke saddle bags or fit bespoke coddy catchers to the horse. Rear view mirrors might also help. I have a couple of spares if there are any responsible riders around. The public purse would be unaffected. Tell the horsey fraternity to get on with it Mr Pendle.

Owen Oliver