Am I allowed to ride on a public footpath???

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merlinsquest

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I dont mean the ones next to the road, but nice country walks round fields etc that are marked 'public footpath' but not bridlepath????

If not what can happen to me..... I have crappy lanes full of stones to ride round but have discovered a lovely ride, just dont want to get prosecuted for going there!!!
 
There are no stiles or gates or anything and the track is a tractors width with good level tracks, its lovely for a change to the lanes.

To be honest when i was little i rode there and got found by the farmer who scared the pants off me!!!! Its still the same farmer too!!! so dont think i will be going to ask.

Not sure if he owns the land or just farms it as he rents land from my yard owner too.
 
I think it is illegal to ride on a public footpath unless you have the permission of the landowner. I guess the BHS could clarify the position.
 
No is the short answer.

Footpaths are for pedestrians only.

Bridleways are for horses and cyclists.
 
But everyone walks their dogs on it and its hugely wide and lovely and wasted on stupid people.... sulk sulk.

What is the worst that can happen to me if caught??? could i just give a false name and address???
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Unfortunately no......however inviting they are and they generally tend to be very inviting, as often nice, level and as wide sometimes as a bridleway. But they are as the name suggests for the general "walking" public.

Who are usually the ones who also invade the bridleways and even on these get priority.

That said I have "walked" my horse and claimed ignorance once or twice as the footpaths through our local woods tend to have less walkers than the bridlepaths !!!!

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Not a good idea - the horsey world is a very small place, and if so inclined they would track you down. Not to mention that you would give the rest of the horse community a bad name - and some people may already have permission from the farmer to ride there, so you may be causing them to lose out. I echo the other suggestions of popping over with a bottle of wine and asking permission to ride on the land.
 
I think i am getting the jist of the fact that the land belongs to someone and that there just so happens to be a footpath running through it, therefore trespass. It takes a while for things to sink in..... there was a pronounced lack of hoofprints and poo, so i dont think that the farmer is any more ameanable than when i was 12!!!!

Silly merlin had a poo though, hope they dont dna it and trace it back to me>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Oh Bu***r!!!

Oh well back to riding on the mod land with no permit then>>>>> shhhhhhhhhh

Either way i am in the wrong :-(

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That seems a bit selfish to me, don't know what others think!

Why not buy a permit for the MOD land then you can be smug - and have somewhere good to ride on; wish we had that option around here!
 
Don't ride on the footpath, you are trespassing and as irritating as it must be it is for walkers (and dogs) only. Echo the above, bite the bullet and go and ask the farmer, what is the worst he could do? You never know he might say yes! It's not a good idea to give horse riding a bad name, but of course we still wonder why there aren't more bridlepaths.
 
TBH I would just ask as they can only say no can't they?
It's no point beating yourself up over it just go and ask them and see what they say. You may get a surprise. Why don't you offer to do some work for them in return to them letting you ride on the path ( if they own the right of way of course).
Litter picking or helping to clear hedges or something like that.
Farmers need all the help they can get, even the grumpy ones lol so just go and ask him lol.
Good luck
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Cazx
 
In response to the permit query...... I refuse to buy a permit as horse riders are the only people required to buy one..... cyclists, dog walkers, ramblers, runners etc are all allowed off scot free!!!! That is what i call not fair.....

Also they have spent the last year ruining the common... they have put in cattle grids every few hundred yards and one horse i have been told nearly severed his leg on the wire that was left on the ground. The horse gates they put in are practically impossible to get through on the horse as they spring shut when you are halfway through.

So that is why i dont get a permit
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In response to the permit query...... I refuse to buy a permit as horse riders are the only people required to buy one..... cyclists, dog walkers, ramblers, runners etc are all allowed off scot free!!!! That is what i call not fair.....

The horse gates they put in are practically impossible to get through on the horse as they spring shut when you are halfway through.

So that is why i dont get a permit
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Perhaps that is because horses do cause more maintenance problems and costs than walkers etc, I don't know.

As to the gates, get in touch with your local Rights of Way officer (at the council) and ask them to have the gates slackened off so that the rider has to shut it themselves rather than it swinging shut on you; that's what we did locally. Until we had told them of the problem they had had no idea how hard the gates were to use from a horse, in fact we always had to get off to get through them at all which is not the point of them! !
 
Hi M. If it's the path I think it is ... keep clear of the farmer... He's just as bad as he always was ! Lets just say that age has not mellowed him and thats why there are no hoof prints....
 
Dont think horses do more damage... mine certainly doesnt.. as stick to the purpose made roads (for the troops as its army training area). The mountain bikes, joggers and dog walkers go throughout the water catchment area and let their dogs swim in the resorvoir (sp) which is strictly forbidden. And the bikers also race through the trees and break the saplings.

Dont know if its true but was told once that its because we are training our horses for profit (sale or competition)!!!

Trouble with the MOD is that they dont really want anyone over there so would not change the gates... oh and forgot to mention that the gates are right next to the cattle grid with just a 2' fence between you and the grid!!! so one false move and your in it!!

Best thing is that the bikers can of course ride straight over the grids, so the permit payers are the only ones that have to struggle with the gates.
 
Wotcha... kicked the hubby off for five mins!!!

Its the one down old park lane, just up from the castle... DR are the initials of the farmer if you remember his name???

Good job he didnt see me as may well have shot me with his gun!!! His lads cut and stack my hay though.... so best not mention the pile of poo we left behind!!!
 
I'm off to tell my husband not to pee in the water catchment anymore
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!!! Only kidding ,but he does mountain bike up there and often comments on how hard it must be to get a horse over there . The MOD don't want anything other than their cows up there anymore .
 
merlinsquest. I doesn't matter whether you agree with the principles of the MOD, the fact is you need a permit to ride there. Are you above the rules? Are you somehow more important than the people who have done the right thing and bought a permit?

The simple fact is there are rules, and we all have to abide by them. If other people choose to disregard the rules it doesn't make it ok for you to do the same.
 
No you're not supposed to use public footpaths but there's nothing to stop you asking the farmer and what's the worst thing he can say. Just buy the bloke a few beers
 
Custards mum.... you have never met this farmer.... he is sooooooo scary!!!

and the watcher.... no i am not above the permit payers... just a bit richer each year and having to look round every corner for the warden!!!
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also have been riding there for 30 years (only stopped twice and had a nice chat with the warden who agreed that its a silly rule) and have still to get a permit!! So £3k saving so far. No its not ideal and i agree its wrong but why make it so difficult for the only people that have to pay???
 
Just a minor point - you were quick enough to report someone doing something illegal on ebay in your other post but you are happy to illegally ride on land that needs a permit without one or try and ride on footpaths without permission! Double standards methinks
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We don't have that problem in France - we go on footpaths & tracks all the time, and will go around the edge of a field if needs be. There is a better tolerance of outside activities here, and people are normally delighted to see someone on a horse.
 
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I believe if you have the permission of the land owner you CAN ride on footpaths.

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Can anyone clarify if this is actually true? I NEVER knew that!! There are loads of footpaths near to me that I always assumed I just wasn't allowed to ride on, point blank. And I'd be able to hack to a school in winter that I usually have to box to because of the main road..

Sorry to hi-jack the thread a teeny bit..
 
According to my YO you are absolutely NOT permitted to ride on footpaths - the land owner can be reported and fined. We used to ride on part of one of her footpaths (we are lucky enough to have a private farm to ride around) and then a dog walker reported the track as being cut up because of horse hooves and she was paid a visit. If you have a footpath on your land you are legally obliged to ensure it is passable by WALKERS at all times, and that it is clear of any obstacles.

HOWEVER, if you can prove that a footpath has been used constantly for more than 10 years by horses then you can apply for a change of use. There is one footpath we ride on which takes us off a series of bad bends going into a village, and as this route has been used for 18+ (we have written proof) then we can continue to use it. However, it is not a track that will be cut up, you can only walk, and we do not abuse it.
 
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