Equestrian access to the countryside:

the case for more equestrian off-road routes

Today’s problems and some solutions

© J C Bridger 2nd April 2010 (janice.bridger@btopenworld.com) Photo courtesy of www.RADFoto.co.uk

Who rides out (hacks)?

Maggie:• 61 year old grandmother

• Likes exploring on horseback

• Looks after her horse after work

Lyndsey:• 35 year old professional

competition rider

• Hacks to get her horse fit & give variety

Amateur & professional ridersAll ages

75 % of horse riders are female; 31% are under 16 (BETA National Equestrian Survey 2005-6)

The Smiths• With their 3 daughters

relaxing on a Saturday

morning.

• Sophie prefers a bike at

present

.

The benefits of riding out (hacking)

View from horseback of the Kennet Valley from the Wayfarers Walk / Way, Hampshire

April 2009

The benefits of riding out (hacking)

• Quiet, relaxing outdoor exercise for all ages: benefits mind and body

• Challenge of riding in the outdoors and exploring our countryside

• Improves appreciation of our countryside with little disturbance to wild life

• The horse as a ‘vehicle’ for those with minor disabilities, eg. arthritis

• Required by competition horses to achieve fitness from riding club to Olympic level

• Supports the £4 billion equestrian industry: farm diversification to livery yards, vets, farriers, feed & tack shops, horse boxes etc

• Organized rides:• many organized, showing demand for countryside access• on private estates / rights of way• fee paid & horse transport usually required• Competitive / non- competitive• irregular

• Hunting / Drag hunting: • by a substantial subscription only• faster - not for the faint-hearted!

How do equestrians access the countryside today ?

• Using roads, the public rights of way network, common land: • free irrespective of income

(65% of equestrians are from socio-economic groups C.D & E BETA 2005-6 survey)

• Permissive access:• short paths or over estates / farm land• free or by permit

Photo courtesy of Eric G Jones

Roads & the public rights of way (PROW) network • Equestrians have the right to use roads, byways, restricted byways,

bridleways, some common land & some beaches

• Nationally they have access to only 22% of the PROW networkThe complete rights of way

network of Oxfordshire

The horse riding & cycling rights of way network: 33% in Oxon

Red =

settlements

PROBLEMS • The equestrian PROW network is fragmented• Equestrians usually have to use roads to reach off-road routes to form a riding

network

Riding on today’s roads

Tarmac is hard on horse’s joints & can be slippery but MOTOR TRAFFIC is the serious problem

PROBLEM:mixing of slow-moving horses with fast-moving traffic on today’s roads,

including minor roads, is hazardous

This problem is not specific to horse riders but to cyclists & walkers too

Horses are trained to accept vehicles of all shapes & sizes but is this wise .............?

Rider trying to get to the next bridleway

Horse!

Riding on today’s roads

PROBLEMS: • Roads are uninviting to ride• Leads to fear of hacking out • Some horse riders never hack out now

Many ‘A’ and ‘B’ roads are not used by horse riders because of vehicle speed, volume & size.

Horse riders tend to use minor roads but even minor roads have become hazardous to ride:

• 60mph speed limit• Drivers in a hurry • Narrow / high banks • Blind corners• More traffic from diversification /

increased building

Equestrian road accidents

• Dept for Transport 1/2006: 46% of serious road casualties & more than half of road deaths

occurred on rural roads - those roads horse riders tend to use.

• What many horse riders fear is summed up in Eleanor & Terrapin’s story ( see separate BHS video clip).

Some campaigns by horse riders

1. ‘Kill your speed, not my horse’ © 2007 www.freewebs.com/kyspd

In memory of Holly

2. ‘Horses don’t dent – they die’

3. May 08 Telford: Horse riders start petition for safer off-road routes

4. Dec 08 Western Daily Press:“ Drivers need to be warned they may encounter horses in the lane. A friend of mine was knocked off her horse three weeks ago ……….. Gypsy and I could easily have been killed.”

Other problems to hacking out these days

• Severance of bridleway networks by trunk / major roads / new rail routes

• Poorly maintained surfaces

• Height barriers on car parks

• Difficult gates

These problems are solvable with thought & consideration for equestrians

Vision

• A network of inter-connecting routes (greenways) where riding on roads is minimized

• Community circuits in all parishes linking into longer routes In West Berks, safe links to the Three Downs Link, Ridgeway, Wayfarers Way

• Priority given to areas with a high horse population / livery yards - hence supporting the local economy

• Routes for horse-riders (bridleways) automatically include cyclists, walkers & the disabled and can include carriage drivers if restricted byway status

Bridleways / Restricted byways are Best Value

Possible Solutions

Re-connecting the fragmented network

Problem Solutions

Roads are hazardous toride

1. Reclaim (some) minor roads for recreational use by horse riders, cyclists & walkers

2. Provide ‘behind the hedge/fence’ tracks to connect equestrian PROW

3. Upgrade footpaths where suitable/look for historic evidence of higher rights

4. Encourage new bridleway dedications, pay compensation to landowners (The Trails Trust)

5. Priority to DMMO’s that enhance the equestrian network

6. All cycle tracks to be open to horse riders

7. Make verges, where they exist, possible to ride on

8. Create areas of open access areas for equestrians (as for walkers)

HOW? 1. Reclaim (some) minor roads for recreational use

Implement Dept for Transport guidelines:

‘SETTING LOCAL SPEED LIMITS’

Page 26, paragraph 108:

On lower tier C and unclassified roads:

“40 mph on roads with a predominantly local, access or recreational function or where the road forms part of a recommended route for vulnerable road users”

HOW? 1. Reclaim (some) minor roads for recreational use

• Encourage reminders that horse riders / cyclists may be on the

road

OUTCOME: • reduces fear of riding on roads amongst equestrians (& cyclists & walkers)

• Encourage implementation of ‘Quiet

lanes’

RRRural Byway

Take Care

Rural demonstration Project, Norfolk County CouncilWest Berkshire Council

2. Provide ‘behind the hedge / fence’ tracks

Bridleway achieved through planning gain alongside a road which was road becoming increasingly busy from development in the area

OUTCOME: • traffic physically separated from equestrians (& cyclists & walkers)• traffic need not be inconvenienced• everyone is safer

3. Upgrade footpaths where suitable / look for historic evidence

• A landowner may dedicate to bridleway status:

sympathetic landowners do

• Historic evidence can indicate that ways recorded as footpaths on the definitive map are likely to be bridleways or

restricted byways

• Other tracks on the ground may not be recorded but have historic evidence of public rights

Are these really only a footpaths or are they old roads?

Northumberland Underwood Lane PitneySomerset DMMO submitted Nov 2008

4. Encourage new bridleway dedications (eg. The Trails Trust method*)

The Trails Trust has opened 80 new routes since 1988 thanks to help from many farmers & landowners though goodwill or by paying compensation

* Formerly Mendip Cross Trails Trust (MCTT)

New Pen Hill bridleway, Mendips

OUTCOMES:• the PROW network is expanded to meet today’s needs• landowners can be compensated for new public access

Possible Solutions to other problems:

Problem Solutions

Poorly maintained surfaces

• Allocate more funding to rights of way from other budgets eg. sports pitches.

• Use pre-emptive measures BEFORE expensive damage occurs

Height barriers on car parks

• Allocate space for horse boxes before height barriers

Difficult gates • Consult with horse riders

NB. A good rights of way network provides sustainable utility & recreational travel &

benefits a wide range of people – dog walkers, joggers, the elderly, school

children, equestrians, cyclists etc

To sum up‘Equestrian access to the countryside: problems and solutions’

• Historically, the bridleway / byway network was designed for horses!

• Motorized transport is a major factor in destroying equestrian access to the

countryside• There are solutions

• These solutions benefit all non-motorized users meeting current political objectives of :

• access to the countryside for exercise, health, well being• economic development• sustainable tourism• sustainable travel