Horse riders were told they needed to clean up after themselves. Photo / Getty Images
Horse riders were told they needed to clean up after themselves. Photo / Getty Images
An ill wind is wafting across the edges of Auckland's Super City as a battle over horse manure pits town against country.
Residents in northwest Auckland have engaged in fierce debate online after one resident took to a popular Facebook page to raise the contentious issue of piles of poo on the footpath.
"Horse poo alert!" the man wrote, labelling himself a "concerned walker".
"Midway through our early morning walk this morning we came across in the dark a heap of horse poo on Taupaki Road.
"Whoever rode their horse or horses over the weekend along the footpath area could they please go back and pick up their mess!
"PS we are not anti-horse people, in fact have horses ourselves but know to clean up behind you in public places!"
Taupaki and the neighbouring townships of Kumeu and Huapai have seen extensive growth in recent years, as suburbia begins to encroach on the formerly rural region.
That shift was reflected in the war of words online, as residents battled over whether the mess was simply part of living in the area.
Taupaki Rd, where the offending heap was spotted. Photo / Google
"If horse riders can't get off the horses and clean up their animal's poo then they shouldn't be riding along the footpath. Find a better spot for riding," wrote one irate local.
The same local argued that manure on the footpath could present a real problem for wheelchair users,
"Actually they can't always get back on without a mounting block," another woman responded.
"Dog s*** is disgusting and smells bad but horse s** you can easily avoid, few and far between and is just mulched grass so I can't understand why people are so anti-horses.
"You live in the country so you can enjoy horses and that lifestyle. You don't move from the city and expect a rural area to be a subdivision in the city?"
"Wow… it's rural.. isn't it normal. It literally washes away first rain," argued another resident.
"Wrong part of Auckland," came the thunderous response.
"Super City, not rural. I mean, we have a Burger King. Pick it up."
Another resident blamed urbanisation for the equestrians riding on the pavement in the first place.
"It's a rural vs urban thing and the rural is getting pushed out by people with urban sensibilities," he wrote.
"That's largely why horses are having to ride off the road, because it's becoming dangerous. Sad thing but urban is going to win due to increased population."
A horse rider agreed, writing: "Sometimes though as a rider for your own safety you're forced to momentarily get off the road to safety if someone is driving at speed or big trucks are coming past you and your horse takes fright.
"The horse is usually shitting because it's scared," she added.
Many argued that the manure was good for the gardeners and locals should be happy to have a free source of high-quality fertiliser.
When one woman argued that the manure was "literally grass clippings" she was met with a quick response from another local.
"...and some people are vegetarians but we don't want them s****ing on the footpath do we!" the irate resident wrote.
But despite many locals believing that horse manure was just part of living in the area, Auckland Council bylaws make very clear that the mess is the responsibility of the individual rider.
The bylaw states that in a public place the owner of a horse must:
(a) remove or safely dispose of any horse manure that is deposited
(b) show due consideration for other public place users at all times
The practice of riding on the footpath is also explicitly banned under the Land Transport Rule 2004, which states that a rider of an animal must not ride along a footpath, or on any lawn, garden, or other cultivation adjacent to or forming part of a road.
