Angry farmer

I had a similar experience whilst walking my dogs a while back. I had parked my car on a large tarmac/road area. I made sure I parked considerately, not obstructing anyones access etc. There was no sign to say it was a private road and there is about 4 different bridleways/footpaths off this road (all signposted). I was just putting my dogs back in my car when a farmer stopped and asked whether I was there for dogs or horses (there is a 'to die for' livery yard at the end of the drive where I frequently visit my friend who stables there). I explained I had just walked my dogs and he went off on one saying it was a private road. I said I was very sorry and that I wouldn't do it again. I tried to explain that I didn't know it was a private road (access is straight off a large A road) but couldn't get a word in edgeways. I appreciate its his land, but I was parked on tarmac (not causing any damage or blocking any access) and walking on signposted tracks.
I found his attitude rude, wouldn't of minded if I had been told before but it was a genuine mistake.
 
lazybee said:
The population of France is actually bigger than the UK....

The attitude of big land owners contributes to the divisions. It's hardly a surprise people don't understand what farming's all about. Who is Joe and Joanna public anyway? are setting yourself as some sort of an elite? By the way, you'd be hard pressed to find examples or crop damage, that one's a red herring. Lots of people like the BASC and the CLA throw it up but in reality it's a myth. I agree there are some ignorant people who don't care, but balance that with the silent majority the likes of you and me (not anymore) who suffer through lack of access; and end up a road statistic.
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lazybee, I think I love you. Horse riders need more rights to designated off road riding, like around field edges, or sooner or later as the roads become more dangerous, hacking will become a thing of the past. In this individual case the farmer is in the right, but looking at the bigger picture, we need to do more to get more legal rights to off road access for horses. It does seem that in England horse riders get a raw deal compared to other countries, which is a bit backwards considering our hunting traditions.
 
As someone that spends a lot of my spare time sorting out rights of way issues in North Hertfordshire the problem I face is the lack of horse riders that are prepared to spend any money or time at all in supporting the work done to improve existing bridleways and byways and creating new ones.

What I would ask for is for anyone that wishes to do something positive about this issue is to become a Gold member of the British Horse Society. This at least would increase membership of the BHS and put the BHS at a strategic advantage when talking to government and local authorities.

What I should explain to you is that in 1949 when the governmebnt asked that each parish declared the public rights of ways and status of them that at the time there where a lot of landowners and farmers on the Parish Councils which resulted in a number of Rights of Ways not being declared at all and many that where bridleways and byways being declared as public footpaths. Local riders did nothing about this because they wished to remain on friendly terms with their local farmers and landowners.

We are now in situation where only 22% of the public rights of ways in Great Britain can be legally used by horse riders.

Please do not feel too sorry for land owners/farmers (I am a landowner myself) but they receive what is called 'Single Area Payment' for each hectre of land that they own from the European public purse. This is no small sum of money which is coming out of our taxes.

As regards the ploughing up of a bridleway that runs accross the middle of a field this should be re-instated within 10 days and if not please contact the access department of your County Council. A bridleway that runs along the edge of a field may not be ploughed up at all. A byway may not be ploughed up.

All gates should be easy to open and close from horseback and if nota re deemed an obstruction. Again report all non-compliant gates to the access department of your local county council.
 
Wow ! This is making me dizzy with two threads on the go!
As I stated on the other one ,we made the choice to buy our horses not the farmer , so why should he now have to cater for our hobby. Also if he allows riders on his field margins he can be fined and lose his single farm payment.
 
Thank goodness Im in Scotland with the attitudes of some.

Had a run in with a thoroughly rude little farmer last year who tried to run my horse of the track by driving his 4x4 straight at us at speed, screeching his head off and screaming at me that I was disturbing everything! He was put well in his place by the boys in blue.
 
tiffpiff said:
Thanks again everyone
I will let you know how it went.. im deffo NOT going to try and get access without permission .i am not a rude person ..i just have an old horse that i like to enjoy the countryside on ..we dont move faster than a trot bless him
I will try the bottle of drink and a letter of apology...see where it goes from there.. I know my comments have annoyed some of you and some of you feel im letting
the horse world down..but it was a genuine mistake i had no idea there was no bridleways in the area..
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Good luck, hopefully if you can show you are willing to be responsible then he may relent, he possibly has had bad experience before. We have a lovely Farmer who allows us to use two of his gateways to get from one right of way to another allowing us to ride completely off road and in circuits. As long as we close the gates and show respect it is fine. Have been using his land as a pass through for 7 years now.
 
Echo Irishdan, I'm glad I'm in scotland too where we have the Countryside Access Code and can therefore ride on land and have the right to do so, obviously with due care etc. Also our council has put in menages for use and no prior booking required :)
 
lazybee said:
If everyone had this attitude we'd all be knackered :eek:
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I assume we're all free to trek the horses down, camp in your garden and use your facilities lazybee? I'll apologise for the damage that you'll be left with now....

It's mad to think you have a god given right.... all most farmers need is a friendly smile and a little respect. And if they are still unhappy with it that you accept that it is their land. If it's so important to have all these public access areas why do more horsey people not club together and buy out sections of land to leave as open riding??? (Probably because if they did they'd want to use it privately and not let every tom, dick and harry tear it up ;) )

Pan
 
Can I ask how people go about finding out who fields belong to? Where I ride there is a lovely great big open space which you could access from either side (no fences or gates), there aren't any signs that say no horses etc but I don't think it's a bridleway so haven't been across it. But I have no idea how to find out who the local landowner is, apart from knocking door to door does anyone have any ideas? (sorry for highjacking!)
:)
 
twiggly said:
But I have no idea how to find out who the local landowner is, apart from knocking door to door does anyone have any ideas? (sorry for highjacking!)
:)
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Exactly what I do...:D

Eye up a dwelling that looks like it might be farm related and head on over to see if they know who owns the land at x or y... The farming community, or those on the edges of the land will normally know who owns what or which odd bits might be forestry or council owned... I found my livery yard this way when I was looking for somewhere to walk the dog... :)
 
tiffpiff said:
my field is in kingsthorpe northampton .. any suggestions gratefully received.:confused:
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Slightly off topic but I live in Northampton too :)
There's plenty of hacking around the Chapel Brampton area (which is where I ride) and there's bridle ways through lots of farms and the golf course with lots of nice riding :) Not sure which side of Kingsthorpe your on though...
 
amymay said:
Why? JRP has every right to expect her land not to be trespassed..... As does every other farmer. They don't exist to service our hobbies.
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Exactly. They have a very hard time and they are struggling so much financially that many of them have to rely on subsidies paid for by the taxpayer. :)
 
Using that as a basis for trespass then i'm ok to walk all over the property of people who recieve child benefits, tax credits, state pension, dla. No thanks, i'll just stick to places I have either a legal right or permission to be.
 
lmao

I own mine. I paid a lot for it. And if anyone wants to try riding on mine, they'll be sorry - my velociraptor colt would see them off pretty quickly :D
 
Too true, you don't really own land :(
We used to have much more, before someone decided they wanted a heap of it! And have it they did :mad: which is why the concept of forcing someone to do something makes me sick to my stomach!
 
littlelegs said:
I read it as meaning they have permission in hunting season, but they write & ask them not to when the seasons over, whereas if they never gave them permission they wouldn't ever benefit. At least i'm guessing it means that.
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Littlelegs you are correct - we close the headlands etc at the end of hunting to enable the maintenance of the land and to prevent any rights of access being established over time.
 
I remember some years ago when there was the big debate about "the right to roam" and someone was interviewing a government minister (who was all for it) on the TV. They said to him "how would you feel if someone wanted to walk through your garden?" All he could say was "but no one would want to walk through my garden" in a tone of voice that implied that anyone who did would get a boot up the backside sharpish!!
 
I was confronted by a birdwatcher recently as I was not on a bridleway but thought I was. The thing is the bridleway appears to start in the middle of the countryside with no inroads?! I have found another offshoot but it seems that I would have to go round about 3 miles of road to get to it :-( It didn't help that the horse decided to take off up the hill towards him (d'oh!)

Now the evenings are lighter I can use the longer routes but that way was a good hour circuit. Not saying I want to trespass and I always aim to go only on bridleways - I have looked all over the internet and wish there was googlemaps for bridleways or if they were marked up on there! Can't find anything useful (Cambridgeshire if anyone can shed any light) and am a bit confused by OS map :-(
 
I believe someone mentioned earlier in the thread that free maps showing bridleways can be found online, I think they mentioned search with Bing.
 
It would be nice if some of the payments that farmers got from the taxpayer contributed to stretches of headland for riding on, rather than just for birds and wildlife (who don't contribute to the tax!!)

But I know that we as a group are right at the bottom of the pile.
 
Joeyjojo said:
Not much to add other than you can get ordinance survey maps online for free with bing maps - I always use it to check out the local bridle paths.

Good luck with the chat - hope it goes well :)
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Thanks Annie44 and Joeyjojo I have been looking all over for something like that! The bit I want to ride across is a bit of grass track about 1/4 mile round which joins the bridleway, I think it is a footpath so I might attempt asking the farmer who owns it too. Just got to find out who! The lady who owns the horse I ride has said the farmers don't mind us walking around the edges, but I guess it would be better to ask for myself :-)

Good luck with your chat too OP!
 
Sooo glad I live in scotland! Not that its actually that much better as up where I am the land owners with estates like to make sure that all gates on paths are securely locked! Then unlock them when the access mannie comes, then lock them up again!

Where I grew up, we were lucky in that there was a 400acre set aside field and numerous fields that were not fenced/gated that we were allowed in. But I knew that if it had a gate that was shut....you dont go in. If its got animals, you dont go in, if its got crops, you dont go in. So mainly we just used the set aside and then the stubble fields before they got plowed.

We have an old railway line as well, but it max speed trot, and you MUST walk at all crossing/junctions on to it.

The country roads used to be quiet but they arent now, :( There is a small army of folk with dirt bikes that tear about them and up by the set aside and quarry - one girl has already been thrown off her horse from them intentionally scaring it :(.

I do wonder why I want Emma to get into horses, as by the time she is my age, there will be no where left to ride and we will be paying a tax to use the roads as walkers/riders no doubt!
 
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