SoCal city at odds with state bill requiring owners to clean up their horse’s droppings

By Rob McMillan

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    NORCO, California (KABC) — For a community known as “Horsetown, USA” it’s no surprise that life in Norco literally revolves around horses.

There are horse trails along almost every street, and almost every business has western and horse-related themes as part of their outdoor decor.

And almost every horse owner in the city is against a piece of legislation that would allow cities and counties to require horse owners to clean up horse poop left behind by their animals.

“You know most people have animals, so what’s another pile?” said Bonnie Slager, president of the Norco Horseman’s Association.

“It isn’t that we don’t pick up manure, but when we’re out on the trail it isn’t all that convenient to pick it up, plus manure just disintegrates and goes away in a while,” Slager said.

Other horse owners said not only is it impractical to require horse owners to clean up after their animals – most of the time riders don’t even know when their horse is dropping road apples – but it’s legislation they think is unnecessary.

“It’s not like it stinks or anything,” said Norco resident Sarah Villa. “It literally just goes away.”

If approved, Assembly Bill 233 would “authorize a local agency to require the rider of, or person otherwise responsible for, a horse to collect and dispose of any horse excrement deposited by that horse on a street or sidewalk.”

Norco Mayor Robin Grundmeyer said her city has no plans to implement laws to require horse owners to clean up after their animals. But still, the city has drafted a letter in opposition to the bill.

“We were actually kind of shocked that something like this would need to be legislated,” Grundmeyer said.

And even though horse owners like Slager probably have no concerns about any changes to local laws in Norco, she does worry about what might happen if she were to travel to other cities or perhaps county-controlled areas should local governments enact laws to force horse owners to clean up after their animals.

“If I would trailer my horse to another city where they only have sidewalks, it would be a concern,” Slager said.

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