Bridleway Issue

r0450111

r0450111

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Hi all,

Just wanted to get some thoughts on our nearest bridleway issue. For years we've all be happily cantering down there (obviously taking great care when having to pass others) and the riding school attached to the yard takes competant riders down there to canter as well.

All was fine up to 3 days ago, suddenly a sign has gone up saying no cantering allowed. Which seems abit odd? Thing is the sign is just a laminated a4 sized piece of paper. It does have our local council logo on though.

Now i totally get that not everyone hacks responsibly and some twit cantering past you is really scary when you're walking, but surely they cant just ban everyone from cantering? It is a bridlepath but i'm unsure if its restricted or not. I'm guessing it isnt restricted as i've seen loads of bikes down there.

I'll be ringing the council tomorrow to see what they have to say about it, but would love some advice/thoughts on what the issue could be and how we can resolve it to everyone's satisfaction.

I should add, that the last few weeks alot of riders have been getting huge amounts of verbal abuse when riding (sensibly!) past people.
 
I can't imagine there is any legal way to restrict the speed at which you use a bridleway, you either have access or you don't. (But I stand to be corrected as always!). I guess your biggest risk is that if other riders are daft and endanger other users (dog walkers etc) then the council could change the access from bridleway to footpath.
It's a shame if a few idiots ruin it for everyone else, but sadly it wouldn't be the first time!
 
I used to ride down a bridle way that had a path for walkers and cyclists, and a path for horse riders. The walkers, often with dogs, refused to walk on their side of the bridleway, choosing to get in the way of horse riders, making even a trot difficult. A sign went up there 'no cantering' in one or two places, but then it was common knowledge that cantering along there was frowned upon by the council.
Sections of the path are gritted, clearly for people on foot, where obviously the council has 'forgotten' what this path is there for..
What annoyed me, is that some walkers cleared showed a distinct dislike to sharing the bridleway with riders, even when they know they're on the wrong side. They forget 'a bridleway' is designed for horseriders, and that they are able to share the privilege, maybe clearer guidelines are needed?
 
Never heard of that and it could be that someone has scanned the local council logo onto an A4 sheet of paper?

It should be signed with a contact number if its the real McCoy!

Perhaps ring and just ask has the council put sign up on bridle way XYZ about horses using it.

I wouldnt mention the cantering on the phone call as if they didnt do it then you can just remove it. But I have never heard of such a sign

Perhaps galloping is allowed if that is not clearly stated.

I think it works bothways I have met some stuck up irresponsible riders on foot and on horse. ie riders that are inconsiderate to pedestrians and riders that have caused bl..dy accident to other riders by being irresponsible etc.

good luck let us know what they say. It may be Highways that cover your ROWs now.
 
I would speak to BHS Access Officer.

This makes me furious. Years ago when I was charged to ride on Forestry Commission Land in Scotland, we were forbidden to canter, but cyclists who rode for free could do 40mph on the downhill paths.
 
I'm a BHS Access officer and I'm not aware of any speed restrictions on bridleways, but of course all users should be curteous and respect others.
It might be better to find out why the sign has been put up and by whom and ask them why. If there are idiots cantering past pedestrians, they are the ones that want speaking to, they are doing a disservice to responsible riders and giving us a bad name. Rights of Way officers can only do this but it would be worth checking that it is a brideway. I get a lot of people telling me a bridleway has been blocked or closed but in fact it is just a regularly used path that riders use. Is there a signpost at each end?
 
indie999 said:
Perhaps galloping is allowed if that is not clearly stated.

.
Click to expand...

:D Sorry this made me giggle :p

I guess its been somebody possiby not being as polite as they should have been, and a complaint has been made about it. Instead of identifiying the individual concerend they have introduced a blanket ban.

Its a bridleway for goodness sake, one should expect horses on it! I would definately query it also, although beware that the person on the other end of the line will probably have no clue as to what you are talking about ( if the local council here is anything to go by) so possiby try an email instead, and ask it to be forwarded to the person in charge of bridleways :)
 
I definately need to go down myself and have a good look. Will take my camera down as well so i can get a photo as evidence if needed. Its frustrating but i do totally get where pedestrians are coming from. Its a nature reserve as well and there are alot of families walking down there, so its completely not on that people (potentially) are bombing past on horseback.

I'm 99.9% certain its a bridlepath, everyone rides on it, it has horse stiles to get into it and its referred to as a bridlepath on the parish council website as well.

Thanks for the advice guys, never had any issues in the whole time people from my yard have been riding down there.
 
Definitely get onto it.While riders should of course be courteous about where they canter on bridleways since they are shared with other users, that extends to not doing it just before a corner where theres a blind bend etc, not to not doing it at all, and in addition it is a courtesy matter not a thing that walkers can moan about and get rules put up.

Otherwise it is the thin end of the wedge. Bridleways are rights of way first and foremost for horses and they have priority over other users on them. Once walkers start getting notices put up restricting riders use you can bet your bottom dollar the track will end up as a footpath.

It is also quite common to 'use' council logos on completely unofficial notices put up by walking groups who dont want to get their trainers dirty. I would remove the notices and contact the council rights of way officer, showing them the notice but also reminding them that bridleway rights are enshrined in law and these attempts at restricting rights have no legal basis.

Unless there have been serious (ie injury) incidents on record caused by horseriders behaviour then whoever is putting up the notices should be given a very firm warning to back off, coupled with a talking to to whichever if there are any riders who ARE riding in an extreme antisocial manner.
 
The first thing to do is check the status of the route with the definitive map officer of your local County Council.
The County Council is unable to restrict the pace at which you ride at on a public right of way of Bridleway or Restricted By Way status. . However riders need to ensure that they ride safely and slow down to a walk when passing other users such as walkers and cyclists. It is also important that riders have third party public liability cover to no less than £10,000,000 (Ten million pounds). If you are a Gold member of the bHS you get this automatically. It may be possible for the local authority to bring in a bylaw to restrict the riding of horses to a walk if for instance it was a riding track rather than a bridleway.
It would be almost impossible to have the bridleway downgraded to a lower status i.e. a public footpath.
If you require any assistance then I would suggest you contact your local BHS bridleway officer who will be pleaed to assist you. If you want their contact details then E-mail me on peter.natt@btinternet.com.
 
ok so after an hour of goggling, i have figured out that the logo on the sign is wrong! Its the local council logo NOT the county council (who is actually responsible for rights of way). So its looking pretty likely that the sign is just someone who is trying to stop riders cantering down the bridleway. The bridleway is almost 10000000% a bridleway and not a restricted byway. The county council has online maps and that shows it as a bridleway. I'll confirm that hopefully in the morning.

I'm a woman on a mission, and it will get sorted out!!
 
I had a similar issue recently on a right of way that joined Chopwell Wood with the Derwent walk (both bridle ways). The route had been used since the year dot as the only alternative is a very busy road with artics on it. The Council erected a no horses sign and upon investigation it was because a number of complaints had been received by walkers of almost being run over by horse riders cantering along it. The route had previously been a byway as it was the back lane to a row of terraced houses demolished in the 60's. Now I can entirely see the walkers point, and under the regs horse riders should give way to walkers, so why these riders did not slow down to pass people, I have no idea. We are well on the way to having the route redesignated, as the evidence for use is overwhelming, but my point is, this will be the result of discourteous riding by people who think it's acceptable to make other users leap out of their way!
 
If you find out the signs are fake stick something on them to say they are fake

If you remove them people may still think they shouldnt canter there

I hope they are fake and you can continue to canter there
 
orionstar said:
houses demolished in the 60's. Now I can entirely see the walkers point, and under the regs horse riders should give way to walkers, so why these riders did not slow down to pass people, I have no idea.
Click to expand...

To be exact, the only 'precedence rule' in law for bridleways is that cyclists (who can use them but have no rights for requiring suitable surfaces etc) must give way to horses and pedestrians. There is no legal requirement for horses to give way to those on foot on bridleways.

Common sense and courtesy would dictate that they do, balanced with this is the fact that it is a much less common bridleway rather than the much more common footpath which should in itself suggest that on such routes walkers should be very aware that horses will be using the route, probably frequently given how few of them there are available, and perhaps faster than they will be walking.

Of course if a horse mows down a walker then they will be completely liable, and its good to have good relations so it makes sense to slow to a walk past walkers and not to go faster than a steady trot around corners.
 
This doesn't surprise me unfortunately. Where I ride, there are so many footpaths ... and 0 bridleways. There is one kind private landowner who has made a short ride through some woods with separate paths for walkers. No surprise, you end up having to dodge people and out of control dogs and kids on that one horse path. I don't mind sharing - but I don't see any walkers clamouring to share their paths; quite the opposite is usually the case. All are not equal when it comes to talk about maintaining and improving access to the rights of way in this country.

I've come to realise that part of the problem is that not enough horse riders actually like (or feel confident enough) going out in the beautiful countryside for a hack and so there are not enough people to campaign for new paths or raise awareness. **to add- that is not a criticism of people who don't want to/like hacking, we all have our different priorities with horses and riding** I often have car drivers say to me how they hate coming across horse riders on the roads and they are completely clueless that this is often the only option open to us.
 
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I sympathise greatly-there is a well used bridle way near us and parallel to it (but on the other side of a stream) is a footpath(the two routes run alongside the stream but about 30ft apart). There are always loads and loads and loads of walkers,dogwalkers&cyclists on the bridle path and a good 85% of them are visibly irritated by the sight of a horse(especially the dog walkers,who arsily and reluctantly get hold of their (usually out of sight) dogs). (And I have 2dogs,so not a dog hater!) It drives me and my horse riding mates MAD!!! Why can't they just use the adjacent path! The 2 routes go to and from the exact same place and are the same length and surface and everything! But they look at you like dirt for being there& often make audible 'huffing&puffing' disgruntled noises as we pass (and I always thank anyone who steps to the side,holds their dog etc) but if you don't want to meet a horse,get off the bl**dy bridle path! There are as many walkers/dog walkers/joggers & cyclists on the bridle path side as there are on the footpath side. And we have very,very few bridle paths round here as it is.:(
 
Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know how things were getting on with this! Its taken a couple of weeks to get to talk to the correct people, but the upshot is

  • sign is def from local council,
  • sign is more of a 'guideline'
  • cantering still allowed
  • any and all verbal abuse from anyone is to be reported to the council
  • council agrees sign wording could be 'misleading'

So hopefully the council will be rewording the sign, and all abuse will be reported and so the council will be getting a more balanced view of whats actually going on down there. We're spreading the word round the local yards so we're all going to be on a mission!
 
When I first read this I thought it might have something to do with the amount of rain we have had and that perhaps your bridleway is getting really churned up? I live in the middle of two bridleways and one of them is in a terrible state at the moment, but still riders gallop along it, slipping and sliding.
I hope you get it sorted out, so that everyone can enjoy the bridleway.
 
Sounds like typical council short-sightedness.
They would have been better off putting a sign that said 'Please ride with consideration for other path users.'
 
Happytohack - the bridleway isnt churned up at all, its still in fab nick. Its got a compacted soil type surface so it doesnt get muddy at all plus its got alot of trees overhanging it. Its the most fabulous bridleway, now matter the weather, its almost always ok to canter on. We're very lucky which is why i'm fighting so hard to keep it so we can canter on it!

Its simply because they have had a few complaints about people riding out of control, which i totally understand.
 
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