This is the million-dollar question down south in the picturesque tourist town of Killarney in County Kerry, where jarveys and tourist officials are at loggerheads over the use of ‘horse nappies’ to keep the town and parks clean.

For years a horse and trap ride has been synonymous with a visit to beautiful Killarney. A jaunting car trot through the wonderful national park is an unforgettable experience and the jarveys are an attraction in themselves with their story telling and knowledge of the town. (Read our article on Jaunting Car Tours of Killarney)

However, there has always been some controversy over the horse dung left behind by the horses on the streets of Killarney and in the National Park. It’s even been said that the horse dung may have prevented the town from scooping the tidy towns award!

There has been many discussions and meetings between the jarveys and the local town council to install the ‘dung catchers’ or ‘horse nappies’ on the horses but all to no avail. The jarveys have always disputed that the ‘equine sanitary device’ is unsuitable and a danger to the horse and the passengers as the horse may bolt. The jarveys are now coming under increased pressure from the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) to fit the horses with ‘equine sanitary devices’ to keep the National Park clean.

The NPWS has jurisdiction over the 15km of internal roadway in the National Park and have now introduced regulations that an ‘equine sanitary device’ has to be fitted to use these routes and keep the park free of manure.

To read more on this click here

Do you think using ‘horse nappies’ is a step too far or does Killarney really need to ‘clean up’ its image? We would love to hear what you have to say on this…Leave a comment below.