Anyone asked farmers permission to ride on their land?

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Ahrena

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I'm trying to pluck up the courage to ask the local farmer (I see him all the day out hacking driving about on his quad and he looks friendly enough) if I can use one of his fields for canter work for the event season, as have left the event yard I used to work on, and although there are enough places for a canter, nothing long enough or suitable for proper interval work.

Has anyone done this with success? There are tonnes of perfect fields lying around me with big verges..I know they get some sort of income (I think??) for leaving some land "unused" or something like that..so thought I could offer a bit of money?

How much do you think I should offer and do you think they might let me lol! I would only want to use it once a week with 1 horse maximum and am happy to not do it when its very wet to save the ground and horse's legs..

Alternatively I've heard of people using their schools, I have a 40 x 60 so its big enough but I've always done it on a hill and use the hill to my advantage.

Any thoughts?
 
If you dont ask, you will never know! Just pluck up the courage and do it!
I asked my local farmer if we could ride from our house through his fields to get to the quiet lane, he didnt mind at all, his answer was that tractors would do more damage and we could ride where we like.
(I've been with him now 7 years, couldnt let a lovely farmer like him escape!)
 
As a farmers wife I have to say if they are ELS/Conservation strips your chances aren't good. Ours are worth thousands of pounds over five years and if you break the rules you have to give the whole lot back. Even I can't ride on them unless it is stone dry in summer, annoying that!
Still he might have somewhere not in the scheme, regularly used access tracks can't be in it so it is worth asking. Also there may still be some stubble about as it has been too wet to plough. It is too wet to canter on aswell, around here.
Just checked all that with OH, the farmer, and he said 'Well done for asking first!'
 
If it's not in the stewerdship scheme they may well say yes. My neighbour farmer even let us put a gate in from our land to his so I don't have to go round on the road at all!
If it's in the scheme (as said above) it's not worth the £000s they receive in grants so they'll probably say no.
If you ask nicely nothing to loose
 
Thanks :) I'll be brave and if he looks like he may say no I'll jump in and offer to pay.

I wouldn't dare to not ask haha! When I hack I see where people have gone into fields ect and its sooo obvious with hoofprints ect, its just so rude...its not like we're short of places to canter either, just no where suitable for the kind of work I need to do ideally.

I see him drive on his quad on some of the verges quite often, does that suggest they might not be part of the conservative thingy?

eta; had no idea they received that much money for it tbf, so thats fair enough
 
Make it clear that you don't mean now, as the ground is far too wet. It is true what they say out hunting, that damage to the fields before Christmas doesn't matter too much, but after Christmas it does.

If he agrees be careful where you gallop and always walk beforehand. Don't go too close to the edge of the field in case there are rabbit holes.

There are some field margins you can go on, and some field margins you can't. Always, always ask first - there is nothing worse than knowing some pest of a rider has been galloping round your fields without permission. On the other hand, lots of farmers are quite OK about it and don't mind.
 
Thanks :) I defo don't mean now, I don't need to do it yet, and tbf if its so wet it'll trash the ground I'd rather I'm not galloping on it for my horses legs too so I can just use my school then.
 
We have a couple of friends who ride on our tracks and OH always takes them for a tour and gives them a map so everyone knows where is OK and where not. We don't charge but we usually get given lots of wine at Christmas!
 
I did, two years ago. Huge arable fields with wide grass headlands, neatly trimmed. Farmer was fine about it " just don't hurt yourself, falling off!" Am very careful to walk when ground wet, so no poaching, ever. Give a good bottle of whisky at Christmas, and bottles of wine at Easter.
 
As a landowner myself, I'd be hedgy about anyone asking to ride in our fields; not that I'd want to be a killjoy, BUT its the whole thorney problem of insurance unfortunately, i.e. if someone fell off and injured themselves or horse whilst they were on our land with permission they could conceivably sue the pants off us, so if the farmer does refuse, don't feel too hardly done by as there could be all sorts of reasons for it.
 
I've asked 2 local farmers to ride on their land.
The first one couldn't have been more helpful. He actually said it would be helpful to him if I kept an eye on stuff & reported anything untoward. Because of this I've been able to keep riding all winter despite not having an arena, I ride with a head torch in the dark in the mornings (no need for any roadwork)
The second farmer....well it was actually his partner, who is also horsey....well that wasn't quite as fruitful. A flat no :(
 
The farmer along the lane,our kind neighbour, said yes when I asked if I could ride in one of his fields, really large,hilly and inviting. Just great for happy hacking.The local grumpy farmer, who is also my OH, hates anything equine and says hooves trash the fields for ever, even in good weather, so I don't ask him any more!!

OP you have nothing to lose by plucking up courage and asking.You have taken lots of thought on board regarding ground conditions etc so if it was up to me I would let you.It may be worth saying too that it will be just you on your own (I presume this is correct?) and not a gang which is more likely to get out of hand and damage the ground.Go for it.
 
Nothing to lose by asking. A couple of local farmers let us use their fields so we make sure to buy them a really good bottle of whiskey occasionally and treat the fields better than we would our own. If it's too wet we won't even walk on them and we are very careful to never let them get poached. If he says no, he says no, and you're in the same position anyway :)
 
limestonelil said:
The farmer along the lane,our kind neighbour, said yes when I asked if I could ride in one of his fields, really large,hilly and inviting. Just great for happy hacking.The local grumpy farmer, who is also my OH, hates anything equine and says hooves trash the fields for ever, even in good weather, so I don't ask him any more!!
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LOL! My OH is the same, horses are unproductive parasites!
 
Perhaps take a few cans of beer with you when you ask. Even if he says no, a few cans might make him a bit friendlier in future?
 
Haven't asked personally as yard has asked in past and have arrangement that we can. There are some fields that we cannot use but on the whole have fairly good access. Have one fantastic canter track along the side of a corn field. It is up hill to start off with (or down hill if coming the other way) and the top is just like being on a gallop.
 
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