A plea to all riders (and possibly dog walkers)

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Thistle

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If you like to hack and use our rights of way please remember that at this time or year you are very likely to come across a shoot. If you wear Hi Viz then the shoot is likely to see you and try not to startle your horse. It's not just the guns, there are beaters and often 4x4's and quads being driven round the tracks too.

Remenber these people have as much right as you to be there (one of them is often the land owner) as you have.
If like the rider who just passed my house on a dark horse wearing dark clothing then if your horse gets startled and you fall into a ditch then no one will be able to find you either!

Rant over!
 
Must say wherever I've come across the local shoot when i've been hackng they have always been really good and waited till i went by, of course i always thank them and get by asap
 
reddie said:
Must say wherever I've come across the local shoot when i've been hackng they have always been really good and waited till i went by, of course i always thank them and get by asap
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generally shoots don't want to upset horses. That's my point really

They need to be able to see you to know that you are there.
 
Thank you - I have not hacked anywhere that I might come across a shoot before, but actually I imagine there is one around here somewhere. I'm a Londoner and it would not have crossed my mind. :o
 
Thistle said:
If you like to hack and use our rights of way please remember that at this time or year you are very likely to come across a shoot. If you wear Hi Viz then the shoot is likely to see you and try not to startle your horse. It's not just the guns, there are beaters and often 4x4's and quads being driven round the tracks too.

Remenber these people have as much right as you to be there (one of them is often the land owner) as you have.
If like the rider who just passed my house on a dark horse wearing dark clothing then if your horse gets startled and you fall into a ditch then no one will be able to find you either!

Rant over!
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Or as was ours last week- had someone come a good mile from the bridle way into the middle of the 2nd drive- very dangerous!
 
Ahhh Minley had their 1st last weekend, was lovely to see the dogs working.....spangles everywhere!
They seem to well inform the locals of dates etc, so there is no excuse really to just happen upon them!
Totally agree re the hi-vis. Shoot or not it should be worn, particularly if you are intending to be on roads.
 
There is a well used bridlepath locally where there is a regular shoot. A couple of years ago there was a notice on the lines of "There may be shooting during the winter months."
Definitely not helpful. Last year there was a list of shoot dates. A much better idea!
 
ORANGEHORSE said:
There is a well used bridlepath locally where there is a regular shoot. A couple of years ago there was a notice on the lines of "There may be shooting during the winter months."
Definitely not helpful. Last year there was a list of shoot dates. A much better idea!
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That's not the point though, surely, just make sure you have a better chance of being SEEN by wearing NEON!!

I beat for a shoot occasionally (when I'm REALLY skint) and I can't believe how many riders don't wear hi-vis clothing. We can't see you! We can most often hear riders but the wind and hedges/woods throw sound around and people who pay lots of money to shoot miss out and waste time.

A list of dates is a "nice-to-have" but the birtish weather kind of makes that nigh on impossible.

p.s. My horse and I are mostly a brighter shade of reflective pink & green (I know, very clashy) when I'm out hacking and I don't give two monkeys what I look like. I'd like to get home in one peice.
 
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Thistle said:
le have as much right as you to be there (one of them is often the land owner) as you have.
If like the rider who just passed my house on a dark horse wearing dark clothing then if your horse gets startled and you fall into a ditch then no one will be able to find you either!

Rant over!
Click to expand...

Agree! I always wear hi viz and even more so when the shoots are about. I also know of a friend of a friend who was out riding with no hi viz, horse may have been spooked by the local shoot that day, the rider fell off, was knocked out, but then rolled into a ditch full of water face down. Unfortunately she drowned. Had she been wearing hi viz there may have been a chance someone would have seen her :(
 
Thistle said:
generally shoots don't want to upset horses. That's my point really

They need to be able to see you to know that you are there.
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My local shoot are obviously the exception to that then - I am not sure sending beaters into the turnout fields with horses in them and then shooting directly over the horses really comes under 'don't want to upset horses':mad: And yes I am mad about it and while they pay a lot of money to shoot I also pay a lot of money to keep my horse there. We have previously had shoots at this yard for many years with no problems but sadly the new 'consortium' have other ideas, they give all shoots a bad name in my opinion and I have no time for them. :mad:

However back to the point of the thread - surely highviz is an essential at all times of the year!
 
And there's me thinking I had the perfect right to ride along a "Right of Way" minding my own business and not get shot at even if I'm not wearing Hi Viz. A lot of "landowners" get plenty of taxpayers money in grants and subsidies so why do they think we don't have any rights to rides safely on PROW's crossing their land?

Luckily where I live the shoot behaves responsibly and fairly and they have people warning that a rider is coming by (on a bridlepath) and there are generally notices so that you can avoid if at all possible.
 
It's not just the matter of being shot at though, they generally don't shoot over a right of way, it's more the noise of both guns and beaters.

Just remember they have a right to be there too, doing what they want on land that they own, as a ROW user you merely have a right to pass through.

Jo C do you know who owns the shooting rights over the land you use, often when land has been sold shooting rights are retained so it may just be that they are allowed to be there.

You need to check with your landowner what the situation is and if the shooting rights are owned by whoever organises the shoot you may need to keep your horses in on those days. I used to be on a yard like that.

I'm lucky in that the little bit of land we own retains it's shooting rights so the beaters don't come into my fields. It's quite amusing though as the shoot is on all 4 sides around us and on shoot days we have hundreds of pheasants here! My horses are used it it and just stay out watching the proceedings, we get quads and 4x4's along the tracks that surround the house but it's all amicable.
 
They might not be shooting at you but they may be shooting near you & they are not usually a problem if they know you are there BUT if you insist on going about in clothing that disappears into the hedge they can't help you. The same applies all year round to dog walkers, tractor drivers, green laners, drivers, microlight pilots, balloonists etc depending on the terrain you are on.
 
Thistle said:
Jo C do you know who owns the shooting rights over the land you use, often when land has been sold shooting rights are retained so it may just be that they are allowed to be there.

You need to check with your landowner what the situation is and if the shooting rights are owned by whoever organises the shoot you may need to keep your horses in on those days. I used to be on a yard like that.
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I am not sure who owns the shooting rights I have no objection to keeping my horse in on those days but do object to being told they are not shooting there on that day but then finding beaters in the field and when asked to stop shooting so we could get our horses in and out of the way, being told we are the problem and then just carrying on shooting around us, defies belief!
I also strongly object when shot lands on the roof of the stables during a so called organised shoot.
Sorry Thistle that turned into a bit of a rant and is not directed personally at you - you just touched a subject near my heart at the moment.
 
Totally agree with this post. I have just done exactly that. I ride along several tracks which are quite overgrown with bushes/reeds etc and there are often shoots down there. Today went out covered in high-vis as I really don't want me or my horse getting shot!
 
Only problem with being seen, is if one of them goes a bit nutty and decides he wants to kill everyone in his path, not being seen is then then the best policy, oh and don't tell me it couldn't happen, some people should never be in possession of a firearm, in fact I don't think human beings in total should have them, we cant be trusted, we have this "need" to kill things, me included.
 
Could I say to the shoots though, if 3 people hi-vized up to the eye balls stop and wait for your drive to finish it would be good if a) you don't shoot directly at them so that they have to move back because the pellets are landing on them and b) thank them for taking 10 - 15 minutes out of their day to ensure that you enjoy yours.

I have no problem with shooting but it works all ways.
 
Mm, I wear High Viz every time I go out, summer and winter.

Someone with a gun should make sure that they know what they are shooting at and whether the area behind the shot is clear, before they pull the trigger.

If you have an unco-operative shoot then complain to BASC, British Association for Shooting and Conservation. The shoot might not be members, although most are. But in these circumstances someone may have a "quiet word." BASC are very keen to keep the good name of shooting and they produce all sort of information leaflets about co-operation with other people in the countryside.

I am not at all against shooting, let everyone in the country enjoy it in their own way and make allowances for all other users.
 
Well organised shoots can be an inconvenience but their venues are usually well known and even if the dates change from year to year there's plenty of activity to warn riders - my biggest gripe is those automatic gas ignition bird bangers that can be almost anyway and go off without warning. As far as I know the folk who put these terrible contraptions out are under no liabilty to tell anyone about them and so don't.
 
Thistle said:
If you like to hack and use our rights of way please remember that at this time or year you are very likely to come across a shoot. If you wear Hi Viz then the shoot is likely to see you and try not to startle your horse. It's not just the guns, there are beaters and often 4x4's and quads being driven round the tracks too.

Remenber these people have as much right as you to be there (one of them is often the land owner) as you have.
If like the rider who just passed my house on a dark horse wearing dark clothing then if your horse gets startled and you fall into a ditch then no one will be able to find you either!

Rant over!
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this! We ALL have a right to use the countryside and must respect each other as you never know when you may need help - and hurrah to the local shoot for getting rid of pheasants - god I loathe those stupid birds, leaping up making that silly bluddy noise!!
 
Actually I agree with Pedantic - and my experiences even with the so called highly trained soldier only serves to underline the fact that if you give one a weapon he'll want to shoot the chandeliers.
 
Thistle said:
if your horse gets startled and you fall into a ditch then no one will be able to find you either!
Click to expand...

This is SUCH an important point. My OH is an Air Ambulance Paramedic and last week spent 15mins circling an area trying to find a fallen rider who was perfectly camoflagued against the mud she'd fallen in.

And Hi-viz on your horse (which has no doubt legged it) will make it easier to be found as well and means the pilot can avoid getting the helicopter too close to it :)
 
The Code of Good Shooting Practice is available from The Secretary, Code of Good Shooting Practice, Marford Mill, Rossett, Wrexham LL12 0HL Tel: 01244 573 019 Fax: 01244 573 013,

The code of practice goes in to great detail as regards horses and horse riders.

If anyone has a problem with shooters or a shooting party then simply contact the firearms officer at your local police station as they will be only to pleased to assist you with any problems you have with local shooters. They treat complaints very seriously.
 
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