Canter work - where to do it?

[astigal]

Although I keep the horses in a pretty rural area, the local farmers do not allow people to ride around their fields. The bridleways are all quite short and windy, and we do a lot of roadwork. I really struggle to find places to gallop my two event horses, and I was wondering whether anyone else has this problem and if so how they cope?
At the moment, I have two (not ideal) options:

1. Do more canter work in the school. Obviously I can’t get up to xc speed, but I can canter non-stop for 3 minutes. I don’t think this alone would be enough to event off.

2. Go to the local downs (Kingsclere, Newbury) and gallop alongside the racehorse gallops. This is okay, except the path is quite narrow (one of my boys is very spooky!) and there are often dog walkers who I have to walk past. When there is a walker on the path, you can guarantee they will take a while to get to the other end so every time you pass you have to walk which again is not ideal. Also, you have to park in a very isolated place, and I worry about leaving the lorry/a horse there!

Does anyone else have this problem? How do you cope? Trying to canter 2 horses every 5 days is getting me down!

 

[spotty_pony]

Could you not box them up to an area with some longer bridle ways?

I am lucky that I have good bridle ways around me and lots of hills.

 

[TheEquineOak]

Are there no open fields near you at all?

We only get to have really good gallops after the harvest on the stubble fields - either that or a 15 mile round trip to the nearest decent fast bridleway!

Otherwise a agree with SJS - box them up and take them to the beach

 

[astigal]

SJS The longest bridleway is on the downs (I think), with amazing views and therefore amazing numbers of dog walkers! I don't really know what the etiquette is, so always walk sheepishly past them with my stopwatch bleeping away....

TheEquineOak the fields are fenced, I used to sneak into one nearby but the farmer came to the yard not best pleased and the word shotgun was mentioned a few times! I thought about putting letters on the gates of some other fields, but I wasn't sure if the farmers would see them or would be willing. The gates are generally padlocked and I think quite a few shoot the deer in there. Do you think it would be worth writing letters?