HAVING read the recent letters about horse fouling on roads, I felt I had to write my opinion.

It seems to me a bit extreme to worry about horses fouling the roads. One correspondent thought that riders should stop and pick up dung, which made me laugh.

To expect the roads to be as clean as the inside of a home is ridiculous. I think some people are far too hung up about cleanliness.

I am a culprit of this sometimes. I like to have clean floors in my home but I also have a dog. Yet the cleaning is worth all the love you get in return – just as you clean up after your children.

Those people who think that having a dog in the home is in some way unhygienic, need to know that a baby brought up in a home with a dog has a better immune system.

You have to be subjected to certain things in life for the body to live with friendly or unfriendly bacteria. Obviously dog mess should always be picked up.

Regarding horses, I love to drive on the roads and see them.

As a child I used to enjoy it when my dad drove slowly past a horse. My husband and I used to go horse riding but some people never get the chance. So to see them on the roads is lovely.

I wish there were more, they slow people down in cars, which is a good thing. As for their manure, it does not go on the pavements and it is biodegradable.

People could even volunteer to clean it up – though be careful not to get run over in the process.

Kim Webb

Queens Close

Eynsham