The Amish don’t typically clean up after their horses on roadways. Most of the time, it’s Mother Nature that does the cleaning. In parking areas, they do use a shovel to pick up the manure.
It’s not safe for the Amish to stop and clean up after their horses on the roads. Cleaning up in parking areas is easier as horses are tied to hitching posts.
Since the Amish mostly travel on rural country roads, whatever the birds don’t pick through or tires don’t run over is usually washed away by the next rain. It’s all organic, and people generally don’t mind.
Horse manure is a very different waste from meat-eaters. It looks like chopped-up hay or grass because that’s mostly what it is. If horses eat grains, you’ll find them undigested in the manure.
Birds pick through it for these grains. Horse manure is a great fertilizer, especially once it’s composted, retaining valuable nutrients. This is good for farming without needing chemical fertilizers.
In many areas where the Amish reside, numerous stores have hitching rails, and local Walmart stores even provide a horse barn for the Amish.
The smell and sight of horse manure are common and can be a problem for the local community.
Why Won’t the Amish Use Manure Bags?
Unlike the large draft horses seen in cities wearing manure bags, Amish buggy horses are not used to them. They can even get spooked by manure bags. Horses generally get spooked by pretty much anything.
That’s one of the reasons the Amish don’t use manure bags.
Many people living in Amish areas have complained to local officials about the Amish not cleaning up after their horses. They said the Amish should clean up after their horses, just like dog owners do with their pets.
Most times, these complaints didn’t change anything, and no laws were enforced.
The good news is that the Amish often collaborate with their neighbors and local authorities to address any issues related to how they manage horse manure.
It’s a community effort, and open communication is key.