Which Bathroom to Use?

6/3/2016

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about gender neutral restrooms. I have to laugh at the idea since all for one and one for all bathrooms have been around since time began. Trees and the side of a dirt road aren't marked Ladies and Gents. I don't think there's a horse show girl out there who hasn't used a Porta Potty. Those things are pretty gender neutral.

Which one is for girls?

When I was still competing in the endurance world, formal restrooms for riders were non-existent. Our only choice was to find a rock or bush big enough to shield a squatting butt. Often times, your horse's legs were the best cover you could find. And if all else failed, you found a low spot and turned to face oncoming riders so that at least your bare backside was not the first thing they saw as they rounded the corner.

Horse girls are thankful if there's simply a door, any door. Even the trailer door is better than nothing. I know I am not the only one who has found peeing in a horse trailer my best form of cover. Show stalls can also do in a pinch, especially if there's a big equine butt to block some of the view.

While bushes, rocks, and porta potties all provide great coverage, they're hard to find at my barn. There is a bathroom (or three) in my barn owner's house, but that requires the removal of boots. I find that a gender neutral stall serves my purposes just as well. And when I don't have to shake shavings out of my underwear or fight off a nosy pony who wants to know what's going on down there, those five minutes I save by not unzipping my boots are well worth it!

So be honest: how many stalls have you peed in?

jenj

6/3/2016 06:28:43 am

All of them. And my trailer too, lol!

Bakersfield Dressage link

6/3/2016 07:00:32 am

When you gotta go, you gotta go! :0)

Austen link

6/3/2016 06:58:40 am

Bahahaha! I'm with JenJ, I've basically peed in all the stalls! And my trailer. And behind the barn. And in the woods.

I'm also guilty of tying my dogs to the front of a porta potty while I'm inside. They're better than an "occupied" sign. Ha!

6/3/2016 07:01:27 am

I can't say I've ever tied my dogs to a porta potty, but I would! LOL

6/3/2016 01:40:27 pm

Just make sure they can't pull it over! ;)

Jamie

6/3/2016 07:28:16 am

COUNTLESS stalls.. & trailers.. & behind rocks, trees. When you gotta go, you gotta go! :)

6/3/2016 07:32:21 am

Amen! :0)

Tracy link

6/3/2016 07:34:34 am

Hah -- I just said the same thing to a friend recently. Half the time, I'm peeing in the stall and grateful that the barn staff doesn't catch me in an awkward position, hah!!

6/6/2016 10:56:45 am

We just yell at each other - "stand back - having a quick pee!" LOL

Olivia link

6/3/2016 08:09:02 am

Countless. Seriously, I wouldn't even count. One story comes to mind though: In college I played Polo and went to a game at Saratoga. At the time they were in this dinky little barn. We got there after 4 hours on the road needing to pee and they were like, pick a stall. I was shocked they didn't have a real bathroom. I don't mind peeing in a stall, but why if you need to poop? Do the stall cleaners just clean that up too? Thankfully, we just had to pee, so we were fine.

6/6/2016 10:57:46 am

Bwahahaha! I guess you still do what you need to do. Funny story. :0)

AareneX link

6/3/2016 08:38:53 am

Ha! Absolutely true.

I've not only taught my dogs to wait patiently outside the porta-potty, I teach horses to do the same (with the reins or lead rope held by the person inside.)

6/6/2016 10:58:53 am

I've always been a bit too leery to do that with any of my horses. Mine would be really good 9 out of 10 times, but by the tenth time, I'd get yanked off the pot! :0)

Lucy

6/6/2016 01:47:18 pm

I saw that happen many years ago. Of course the thing fell on the door side, trapping the unfortunate man inside as his horse made a frantic retreat to his stall with the potty in tow. He was wearing a nylon bridle that held fast. No serious injuries, but the man could never get the poor horse to approach a porta potty again.

Calm, Forward, Straight link

6/3/2016 09:09:52 am

:D
I've yet to find a horse(woman) who hasn't routinely used a stall, trailer etc when other facilities aren't available.

As an (embarrassed) North Carolina resident, I want to thank you for putting this issue in perspective. Most of us down here don't condone or agree with the actions our legislature and governor have taken regarding HB2. There are underlying agendas having nothing to do with restroom usage at the root of this debacle - please believe me on that.

6/6/2016 11:01:53 am

Living in California, the whackiest state of them all, you learn to just roll your eyes at what the politicians come up with. I certainly don't hold the people of your state responsible for this mess. I wish people would just calm the heck down. There won't be any more molestation cases than there were before. :0)

Karen

6/3/2016 09:39:51 am

Peed in many stalls! And the back of the trailer. I mean sometimes those places are more clean than some of the bathrooms at show facilities anyway!

6/6/2016 01:12:04 pm

That's the truth! :0)

Tina R.

6/3/2016 11:23:28 am

I think the funniest looks I ever got was when I had to pull over on a Bay Area freeway to use the horse trailer. The Bay Area is not real trailer friendly and finding a gas station big enough for truck and trailer, plus easy on and off, is nearly impossible. So I pulled over, my friend held the door, and answered natures call. Traffic was stop and go at the time and when I exited the trailer the looks of shock to pure horror were priceless!!!

6/6/2016 01:12:55 pm

Bwahahaha! - Very funny story, Tina!

6/3/2016 04:14:29 pm

Anywhere is good if I gotta go!

However, I did encounter a truck-stop restroom that was just too filthy, so I went out to our trailer to pee. My hubby, thinking I was still inside, pulled forward to let the car behind our rig get to the pump, and the trailer door swung open and I found myself looking directly into the other driver's eyes as I was squatting. Oops!

6/6/2016 01:15:01 pm

That is my concern about peeing in the trailer at the gas station. I always climb in to check on my horse and pee while I am in there. But since there isn't a way to latch the door while I am in there, I always worry about someone opening the door to see what's going on in there. I am never the passenger so at least i don't have to worry about my own husband giving the world a peep show. LOL!

April

6/3/2016 07:15:15 pm

My old endurance horse would stretch out and pee next to me whenever I had to stop and go. Always the gentleman, he never splashed me!

6/6/2016 01:15:49 pm

My last mare would do the same, but she wasn't always very careful! :0)

Teresa link

6/4/2016 04:34:17 am

I have my horses at home but often it's more convenient to just pee in the stall. Carmen finds this very interesting and has to come in and check it out.

I used to board at a small private barn and the man was so quiet you could never hear him coming. I used to call out to see if he was around before I peed. Not that he was creeping about or anything- he was just one of those people who could walk about and make no noise.

6/6/2016 01:17:48 pm

That's pretty funny, Teresa. I had the same problem where I used to board. I peed behind the building, but I always took a good look around before squatting. I don't mind if my current barn owner (a woman) catches me, but I would have been mortified if Dario had seen me. ;0)

Kay link

6/4/2016 10:16:40 am

New to your blog, and this made me laugh so hard! I always go behind the water trough and hide, or find a cup and run in my tack room.
Back when I boarded, someone used to bring little signs that said "restroom in use" and hang it on the stalls when they had to go. It worked like a charm, everyone made sure not to look, LOL

6/6/2016 01:18:48 pm

That's the BEST idea!!! I would buy one of those in a heart beat. Welcome by the way. :0)

Micaylah link

6/13/2016 08:43:57 am

I have been blessed to have ample porta potties! I don't think I've ever peed in a stall or trailer. I'm almost a little sad

4/8/2018 07:37:49 am

Find one quick. You'll love it! LOL

Gwen M

4/8/2018 04:18:49 am

I have peed in stalls and the trailer multiple times at events. Ill squat just inside the door and pee out onto the ground so im not making more of a mess in the trailer. A quick wipe and i just leave the tp under the trailer, with 3 of us using this (facility) it could get pretty nasty if we just let it go inside the trailer every time.

4/8/2018 07:39:02 am

When my best friend travels with me, we each pick a "spot." That way we're not splashing someone else's pee on our feet. LOL

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