Shame on Scott Sherwood

* Scott Sherwood is a local resident, in my hometown of Park City, Utah. This is his letter to the editor, complaining about horse poop along a hiking trail. Below, is my response to my idiot neighbor, Scott Sherwood. Now, I'm not calling him an idiot to be mean. Or, because he's stupid. (Though both are warranted.) I'm calling him an idiot because he is uninformed and still feels he has the right to stomp his little feet all over the local paper.
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Did you know? 
Those stunning Utah wildflowers you enjoy so much on the hiking trails flourish because of the non-problematic manure from horses, deer, elk, moose and other VEGETARIANS. Because horse manure is FERTILIZER.



As horse owners, we realize that horse manure is basically used grass and water. We understand that horses eat a very low energy food source and their digestive system does much less processing of their food than the digestive system of a carnivore.

We know that horse manure dries quickly, is easy to clean off your shoe, and actually smells good.

Consequently, we don’t see horse manure in the same light as dog poo—that highly processed, concentrated, sticky, stinky stuff you can’t get off your shoe.

Unfortunately, non-horsy people don’t make that distinction; it’s all the same to them. And, that's really too bad. Because horse manure is FERTILIZER.

Horse manure has a positive impact on trails. 

Foot traffic and bike traffic have a negative impact on trails.


I live on Old Ranch Road. I don't live on Old Hiker Road. Or, Old Mountain Bike Road. Many of the trails that you enjoy these days, were cleared by horse people such as myself. I bike these trails. And, quite often, I enjoy them on my own two feet. I also put up with a ridiculous amount of rude, uneducated behavior from hikers and bikers whenever I'm riding my beloved horse.

Shame on you, Scott Sherwood, for not understanding the beneficial difference between horse poo and dog poo. And, for believing that your right to use these trails is any more important than mine.

9 comments:

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

If mine is, indeed, a 'feeble argument' then you would have identified yourself with a name vs. anonymous. AND you seem to have glossed over the fact that he is requesting horse owners go ride their horses elsewhere. May I then, request that mountain bikers get off the trails that I enjoy? Because it's all about me?

Unknown said...

Hey,my name is guy and I must say that anonymous sounds like Scott Sherwood.I also have horses and people who are in the know realize how fast Horse Manure dries out and crumbles into bits of grass and nothing more no foul smell, no fuss no muss. If people would just learn tolerance and respect for others and nature it would be a much better planet.

Unknown said...

Hey as a horse owner and a nature lover it seems pretty ridiculous to criticize horses and their riders for a perfectly natural bodily function.Horse manure being mostly bits of grass and some moisture quickly decomposes to a fine mulch. So lighten up be more tolerant of one another and enjoy our planet.

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thank you, Guy;

I appreciate your comments. I'm getting a little worried about the behavior of the newcomers to Park City. This lovely area should always be a 'multi-use corridor.' If you have thoughts on how we can raise awareness of this, by all means, let me know.

Mntngirl said...

There is no comparison of horse manure to dog crap. Horses eat plants which easily go back into the earth. It does not contain germs like dog crap and loses it's smell very quickly. I am not presently a horse owner but would rather meet a horse on a trail than a bike anyday. Horses have the brains to not run over a human if they can help it. Humans could learn a few things from horses.

Jean in Wyoming said...

I am not sure what can be done to help people understand this issue. One trail area had to finally designate horse trails & people trails.. which didn't work either, because the walking / biking people thought they had the right to spill over to the horse trails & complained when they ran into a horse. I think we could all exist together if we could really listen to each other, and have some empathy for each other. How to do this? I do not know..

Jean in Wyoming said...

I am not sure what can be done to help people understand this issue. One trail area had to finally designate horse trails & people trails.. which didn't work either, because the walking / biking people thought they had the right to spill over to the horse trails & complained when they ran into a horse. I think we could all exist together if we could really listen to each other, and have some empathy for each other. How to do this? I do not know..

Misty said...

I absolutely love this post and the rest of your blog is pretty fantastic also. I found your site because I live at 7000 feet in Colorado Springs, CO and am constantly looking up ways to grow a vegetable garden in these crazy conditions. I found this post because the tab on your nav bar was compelling and I am now commenting because I want to encourage fearless championship of your cause! I am impressed and love your voice and will be coming back to see what kinds of great information you have for me! I don't have any ideas for furthering the education of your fellow trial riders/hikers, particularly Scott Sherwood & Co., but I will be thinking on it now and will share any that may come to me. Thanks again for an unpretentious, entertaining gardening blog.

Misty said...

In our community the forest service/police/?? but someone...had a hiking etiquette/safety class for dogs...it focused on leashes and when you must use them/when it is optional, picking up the pooh, when to keep your dog to yourself, who has the right of way, etc...something like this might help? Give someone the opportunity to share the benefits of the manure as opposed to the offensiveness of the poop. Problem is the people/pets with manners come to this kind of thing more often than those it is intended to educate. Do they have rules in your public spaces about right of way? Horses always trump everything here...horses, then bikes then pedestrians...just curious!