Pitching In: Why We Forking Love Our Parks

[00:00:00] Lindsay: Oh hey, it's me, your smart horse that let itself out of the stall and then trashed the barn, Lindsay Labella, and I am here to pitch an idea. There's no mucking around it because I forking love our parks. I'm talking about parking lot manure. Why? Because you're listening to Rochester Trail Riders, 

[00:00:25] This post comes up probably once a month and it came up again this week and it's all about picking up your manure. At the trailer head, like where you're parking your trailer, there's manure everywhere, the horse is back out, manure gets kicked out. So, I'm here to discuss why it's actually important to pick up your manure, and that's above and beyond the fact that It's unsightly, right?

[00:00:50] And it makes other people upset. Here is the science and the reasoning and the political views on why you actually should do this. And why it's going to benefit the horse riding community as a whole. And number one is going to be ecological impact. Two, health implications. And lastly, political ramifications.

[00:01:16] So those are the big three reasons on why we're going to have to do that and we're going to dive right on in here and we're going to start with the ecological impact. How many of you know what leave no trace principles are? Like, Has anybody gone out hiking or backpacking and they understand there is, um, certifications you get into it.

[00:01:38] There are links on the Rochester Trail Riders page on understanding the Leave No Trace principles for horseback riding as well as hiking. They are separate because not only do you have to take care of yourself and your presence on a trail, but what you should do for your horse and how to make sure that you are riding your horse responsibly to, you.

[00:01:59] Offer the least ecological impact on the land. Trailer sites are high density versus trails, which are low density. If you're out on the trail and your horse craps, It's okay. We're not going to make you get off. We're never going to make you clean it up. No matter what anybody says in their protests going, Oh my God, your horse just pooped on the trail.

[00:02:21] The reason why we are concerned with the trailer areas is it's a high density area. These high density areas of manure releases nitrogen and Into the soils It is going to make sure that the weeds take hold versus grass and native plants. These nutrients can actually do runoff, causing harmful algae blooms in the ponds themselves.

[00:02:46] How many of us would love to go swimming with our horse, but we get out there and there is an algae bloom in the pond, or the pond is covered with duckweed. And we are contributing that, I know, in a minuscule way that you're thinking. The farmer's fields are worse, but why add to the problem? So the whole point is we're trying to be practical about keeping the soil integrity around these areas.

[00:03:10] Extensive manure is going to start killing the grass. And guess what happens when there's no grass? It turns into mud, right? How many of us have been there and it's really, the grass is really starting to not keep up. We've had a ton of rain. Matter of fact, it is pouring outside my window right now, speaking of rain.

[00:03:29] I'm not sure if you can hear it through the podcast, but it's pouring. Pouring rain, no grass, equals mud. Mud equals stuck trailers because now your tires are spinning, now we're creating bigger problems. Mud also means that your horse is backing out, digging it up even further. Keeping the manure off of there actually helps reduce this problem, believe it or not.

[00:03:52] So that's number one, ecological impact. Let's just make sure that our experience and our time at these beautiful nature areas that we are allowed to ride our horses in stay that way, beautiful nature area, but you know what? That's not all. So we're impacting our environment, but the biggest concern about heavy manure buildup in, common areas has huge health implementation, implement.

[00:04:21] I can't say it today. Implementation, I give up. Anyways, so here's the science behind all this poop, right? If we leave the manure unintended, what happens? Same thing like at our farms. It builds up. We have parasite problems. We have eggs. We have larvae. We have flies, roundworms, tapeworms, strongyles, asterisks, there are so many things that live in there.

[00:04:52] These flies, which then go feed on the poop and then go fly in your horse's face. Can give your horse eye infections. They can give you infections. Ew, not cool. These pathogens are causing diseases. They can actually help transport strangles, influenza, herpes virus, nasty things. Because these things are, are out there.

[00:05:20] Just like you would muck out your barn at home and keep your area as free of manure as you can to reduce these risks at your farm. Don't bring that problem to a communal trailer site.

[00:05:35] For the health and safety of our horses and ourselves, just clean it up and it will help reduce all of that impact. And it will help keep the fly population down at the park. Which would be delightful for not only humans, but all animals. In horses. But for all the other patrons that visit the park too, they don't need this problem.

[00:05:56] All right, now comes the fun political ramifications. While we all think we have a right, especially in Menden Ponds Park, for some reason I hear it over and over again in the equestrian community. Well, men in Ponds Park is a riding park and we have a right to be there. I wish I had a ER button. Huge note.

[00:06:23] You don't have a right, you have a privilege to ride there, and privileges can come with restrictions, and privileges can be revoked. The DEC has already proven that they are willing to close trails to horseback riders. On a state level. Why would we want to give Monroe County Parks that same ammunition?

[00:06:51] DEC said horses were impacting the trails. They're ruining the ecology of it. They are trashing trailer sites. Believe it or not, a lot of these trails that get closed, and the reason why you're starting to see smaller and smaller parking areas available to equestrians, is because we trash the trailer site.

[00:07:11] We just destroy it. We leave tons of crap around. We don't take care of what we're doing. We make a mess. We're like, whatever. And we're losing the privileges of some of these parks and trails. I don't want Monroe County to have that ammunition. They have the ability to take it away. And I don't want to give them the excuse to do so because of the poor actions of a few people.

[00:07:37] I I truly believe the majority of our equestrian population wants to do right. We are going to be good stewards of the land. We want to participate in preserving the park and the environments that they're within. So what can we do about it? I would like to do a call of action and I want to start with Menden Ponds first.

[00:08:03] I'm guessing, but I could be wrong, a lot of folks don't take their manure home with them. Because they don't bring a manure fork, or they forgot it. A lot of us are not show people. Like, we don't go to horse shows, our trailers aren't packed for overnight stays, or even day long stays. You know, many don't travel with a muck bucket and a fork in their trailer or in their truck.

[00:08:32] And I have a feeling that because they're day use folks, they just might not understand why it's important to pick up. and have the ability to do so. So, I'm proposing, and I am personally willing to sponsor this because I have to work with the Monroe County Parks Department to get this initiative started.

[00:08:55] I'm going to supply a muck fork for the big parking area at Menden Ponds Park. I'm going to work with the Parks Department, find a spot where we are allowed to actually place it and have it in there. I will mark it saying, Sponsored by Rochester Trail Riders and Uh, maybe a little sign or a little something up and saying, Please reduce parasite transfers, diseases, ecological impact, and fly population.

[00:09:25] Clean up at your trailer site. Because, I don't I don't want to, I don't want to lose the beautiful hundreds and thousands of miles of trails that we have available in New York state, which is unheard of. Anywhere else I look, everything is restricted outside of Pennsylvania, which I'm pretty sure you can do anything you want PA, but you have to do it with ATVs.

[00:09:51] So we have these beautiful trails and I want, if this works and if there is an interest in this, I want to expand it. Slowly to all the, uh, Monroe County parks that horses are available at, at the parking areas. And if this gets any steam and momentum, I would really enjoy being able to put it at all the trailer parking areas for all the various trails that we have available.

[00:10:20] Now I know what you're saying. Shared four can also cause problems. It is a lot less likely to have something horrible because you took two seconds out to throw, pitch poop back in your trailer.

[00:10:33] For how many times I see people out there grazing their horses on the rugby field with the runoff of all that manure? Trust me, it's a lot less dangerous to do a quick pick and put it back in your trailer. You're gonna have to clean your trailer out at home anyways.

[00:10:52] Just put the poop back in it. So that's my call to action. If you're interested in helping and you know somebody or are willing to donate a fork Hit me up, rochestertrailriders at gmail. com, Facebook, you know where we live on Facebook, you know where to message me. Um, If you don't want to give money or you don't want to give me a pitchfork, we have a swag section on the Rochester Trail Riders page where you can, you know, get your RTR stickers, you can get an RTR patch, and there's other, you know, t shirts and stuff.

[00:11:27] Everything that I collect goes right back into our local parks for trail maintenance or to the production value of the website itself. And to keep the information on that site up to date. So every little bit helps. And I appreciate anybody who is willing to give a little bit, either in money or in volunteering. 

[00:11:48] The next time that we have a trail clearing event.

[00:11:51] All right. I'm just asking that you guys be good equestrian stewards once the provide a positive impact to those that might not be horse lovers. And to make sure that we are seen in a good light. I'm only to other patrons of the park. But to the park staff themselves. 

[00:12:14] All right, guys, let's go to wrap it up for today as always. Respect the trail wear a helmet and has one. At your trailer site. Happy trails.