Do you ride on an ornamental verge?

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GREYSMEADOW

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I (and many others) received this from Sussex Horsewatch today....

Dear All

I have again been asked by Sussex Police to remind horse riders that it is a criminal offence to ride a horse on a public footpath, pavement or ornamental grass verge. Whilst Sussex Police are sympathetic with horse riders using footpaths and grass verges they get many complaints from members of the public that their shoes and pram wheels get covered in horse manure. This was brought to light again at a local meeting last evening between the Police, Parish Council and residents of Ninfield near Battle.

Please if your horse drops a pile on a footpath at least move it out of the way, otherwise the police could well exercise their right and prosecute.

It was rather interesting looking at the part of the Highway Code that relates to horses, when was the last time you looked- if ever! So I have attached a copy of it for your information.



The Highway Code

Rules about animals (47-58)
Horse-drawn vehicles
47 Horse-drawn vehicles used on the highway should be operated and maintained in accordance with standards set out in the Department for Transport’s Code of Practice for Horse-Drawn Vehicles. This Code lays down the requirements for a road driving assessment and includes a comprehensive list of safety checks to ensure that a carriage and its fittings are safe and in good working order. The standards set out in the Road Driving Assessment may be required to be met by a Local Authority if an operator wishes to obtain a local authority licence to operate a passenger-carrying service (see 'Other information').
• Other information
48 Safety equipment and clothing. All horse-drawn vehicles should have two red rear reflectors. It is safer not to drive at night but if you do, a light showing white to the front and red to the rear MUST be fitted.
[Law RVLR 1989 reg 4]
Horse riders
49 Safety equipment. Children under the age of 14 MUST wear a helmet which complies with the Regulations. It MUST be fastened securely. Other riders should also follow these requirements. These requirements do not apply to a child who is a follower of the Sikh religion while wearing a turban.
[Laws H(PHYR) Act 1990, sect 1 & H(PHYR) Regulations 1992, reg 3]
50 Other clothing. You should wear
• boots or shoes with hard soles and heels
• light-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight
• reflective clothing if you have to ride at night or in poor visibility

51 At night. It is safer not to ride on the road at night or in poor visibility, but if you do, make sure you wear reflective clothing and your horse has reflective bands above the fetlock joints. A light which shows white to the front and red to the rear should be fitted, with a band, to the rider’s right arm and/or leg/riding boot. If you are leading a horse at night, carry a light in your right hand, showing white to the front and red to the rear, and wear reflective clothing on both you and your horse. It is strongly recommended that a fluorescent/reflective tail guard is also worn by your horse.
Riding
52 Before you take a horse on to a road, you should
• ensure all tack fits well and is in good condition
• make sure you can control the horse
Always ride with other, less nervous horses if you think that your horse will be nervous of traffic. Never ride a horse without both a saddle and bridle.
53 Before riding off or turning, look behind you to make sure it is safe, then give a clear arm signal.
When riding on the road you should
• keep to the left
• keep both hands on the reins unless you are signalling
• keep both feet in the stirrups
• not carry another person
• not carry anything which might affect your balance or get tangled up with the reins
• keep a horse you are leading to your left
• move in the direction of the traffic flow in a one-way street
• never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends
54 You MUST NOT take a horse onto a footpath or pavement, and you should not take a horse onto a cycle track. Use a bridleway where possible. Equestrian crossings may be provided for horse riders to cross the road and you should use these where available (see Rule 27). You should dismount at level crossings where a ‘horse rider dismount’ sign is displayed.
[Laws HA 1835 sect 72, R(S)A 1984, sect 129(5)]
• Rules for pedestrians (1-35)
55 Avoid roundabouts wherever possible. If you use them you should
• keep to the left and watch out for vehicles crossing your path to leave or join the roundabout
• signal right when riding across exits to show you are not leaving
• signal left just before you leave the roundabout



So how do we know when an ornamental verge is owned by the Highways?

I don’t know of any law against riding on 'ornamental verges' or indeed how that term is defined. Some residents block off access to verges by placing bollards etc in the way to stop horse riders riding the strip.

What about when daffodils have been planted - if riders saw more permanent plantings affecting their riding this should be taken up with the Council rather than wait until an established planting caused a problem.

What about where householders mow the highway verges and plant outside their properties. What to do? One is within ones rights to ride over them but it does not do equestrian relations with the wider community any favours. Do we have to go down the line to prove the usual 20 years use for such a strip along the edge of the path where the landowner has obstructed it with a table etc for selling eggs and honey!

There are many bridleways etc whereby you have to mount onto the pavement to access the bridleway.


Comments welcome.... Thanks.
 
I must admit I'm guilty of riding on pavements, in a rural area where there's never any pedestrians using them.
But out of courtesy I wouldn't ride on a verge that someone has taken the trouble to keep mown or planted on, especially outside a house. I presume that is what is meant by 'ornamental verge'.
 
Normally the strip outside someones property, if tended and mown regularly, will have turned into the kind of grassy lawn that it isnt possible to ride on in anything other than very dry weather without leaving hoofmarks with a shod horse. So, unless is is unavoidable (eg in order to access a right of way horses are entitled to use) I wouldnt do so. If only because we do have to be a bit 'holier than holy' to keep general public onside.

If I left a dropping on one, I would definitely clear it up by getting off, unless it was unsafe to do so in which case I would return later.

What does annoy me is when councils put up signs saying no horseriding on a verge which is between a separated pavement and road, but then do nothing about the thousands of cars parked on same said verge and which have completely trashed it. In that scenario I would feel quite free to ignore the sign since the horse damage would be negligible in comparison!

Edited to add I would only ride on pavements where they were the only way of avoiding a temporary danger/obstable eg when we met a WWII tank out hacking!!! or if necessary to access a legal horse route and there was no other option. Often they are too narrow to really be safe, and also on the pavement drivers think you are out the way so drive as fast as poss and in the event of an accident you are starting from an 'in the wrong' position.

NB in some parks you are only allowed to use the tarmacd paths - which is interesting when you meet a triple buggy! They would prefer you to break the rules then!

Daffodils etc only have a season of a few weeks and I would avoid the verge if safe to do so or unless the planting was clearly solely designed to frustrate riders eg equidistant plants singly all over a large strip rather than the normal aim of naturalistic clumps.
 
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No I think that its only curtesy not to ride on a verge that someone has mown and maintained. Having said that, my guilty pleasure would be to school on the pristine bowls club pitch in Appleby!
 
I never ride on the path or ornamental verges.
We do, however have permission to ride one one stretch of path, because it took away part of the grass we were allowed to ride on.
We do look after it and if our horse poos on the path, it's close enough to go along with a shovel.
 
No, absolutely not. And nor do I stomp on people's flowerbeds when I'm walking around the village. Bridleways and highways are the correct places for horses, and I have no right at all to damage grass or gardens that aren't part of these.
 
There's a guy in the village who goes mad at me for riding on the grass verge outside the boundary of his garden! It's a long hill on a busy road so I feel safer on the grass on that stretch.

He even walked down to my yard one day to tell me not to walk on HIS grass verge!! He mows the whole stretch of grass I walk on but clearly said to me "you can ride on everyone elses verge just keep off the bit outside me garden"?!!! He CHOOSES to also mow the verge of our field up to our gate and could I also keep off that where possible because the hoof marks blunt his mower!! Erm correct me if I'm wrong but it's my bloody verge and if I want to to ride on it to MY field gateway I will!! If he chooses to mow it then more fool him!!
 
I've always been told (by council and highway officials no less though I admit, they could be wrong) that the boundary of any property is always at least three yards from the kerbside (unless the fence is right up against the road of course) and usually less as in the outside of the fence which bounds the property. If people choose to mow it to tidy it up that's up to them but they can't claim it as their own. FWIW, I do avoid going on them, it's only polite but they don't have a right to it.
 
This is quite interesting because at our bridleways meetings, which are attended by puckka BHS bridleways officers, they say that the verge is part of the highway and that horses have every right to ride on it. I would personally not ride on the verge if I could see someone had lovingly maintained it - unless it was safer to ride on the grass.

I don't ride on the pavement unless it's a safety issue. There is one small stretch of road that I use, that has a blind corner and I sometimes step onto the pavement to avoid traffic.

The bridleways officer also said it was illegal for people to place objects on the verges, or to rope them off.
 
I once left some huge hoof marks on someone nicely kept grass verge.. the cob i was riding decided to freak out - cantered sidewards towards the grass and carried on bouncing mock rearing etc.. and would not get off the grass. i never confessed as i know these people are the sort that really complain if someone even stepped on the grass.
 
Maesfen said:
I've always been told (by council and highway officials no less though I admit, they could be wrong) that the boundary of any property is always at least three yards from the kerbside (unless the fence is right up against the road of course) and usually less as in the outside of the fence which bounds the property. If people choose to mow it to tidy it up that's up to them but they can't claim it as their own. FWIW, I do avoid going on them, it's only polite but they don't have a right to it.
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^^ this after a battle with locals about my OH's extra wide tractor churning up the edges of their posh verges we were all told the first meter of the verge belongs to the highway or council, which means there is to be no obstruction ie stones,stabs anything that would get int the way. So its tough luck lol. They still try to stab off their 'bit' but Oh's tractor is a meter wider than the road so he knocks them down and pushes the stones into the soil as he has no choice or he wont fit along the road lol. i only ride on a mown verge if i have to let cars and tractors past, we dont have passing places locally so its the only safe way to pass. As for pavements we dont have any so i dont worry about it :)
 
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No I do not unless in the case of an emergency, it is not part of the highway/road and if its is well maintained it just shows a complete lack of manners and consideration. I had to once mount the verge on my horse as we managed meet a low loader with a static caravan on the back and road was only just wide enough for wagon and not me! I choose the best spot i could and horse stood still so as to cause as little damage as possible. I would never do it rountinely and this was a bit exceptional.
 
No nor would I ride on a footpath either unless it was because I really had to get off the road if we were in any danger.

It really annoys me when I see teens in our village riding ponies on the paths willy nilly which might I add are totally out of the way of busy traffic, near old peoples sheltered housing, when there is a nice wide quiet lane to ride on with as much room as you want, letting them poo all over the paths giving the rest of us horse riders a bad name, that's just pure lack of respect, as their old enough to know better.

Although I must admit it does annoy me slightly when people claim grass verges as their own, don't get me wrong it nice that people take pride in villages and keep things nice outside their property, but when a lane is narrow enough and in the past the verges have been used to as a passing place or for farm traffic to squeeze through, they start putting large ornamental stones and bedding plants around the edge so you can't drive on it (only if you had to) when in fact it's not even theirs, then they put gates on their drives which open out onto the verges, before you know it, it's THEIR verge! :mad:

*and breath*


see you got me on my soap box now :D
 
I wouldnt ride on an ornamental verge on purpose but sometimes our mare leaps on to them and i do feel guilty if we leave horrible hoof prints but in regards to pavements if i need to let alote of traffic by i get up onto them and let every by in intrest of safety.
 
The only time I would go onto an ornamental verge woud be if it was a matter of life and death. I don't ride on the pavement either, though there are many that do in our area - and DO leave piles of dropping on them. Not very pleasant for pedestrians (many of whom diligently pick up dog poo as they walk their dogs).
 
Our road rules are much the same here - where an area is specifically designated for a pedestrian or where it says no horses then I don't ride on them.

I get very annoyed with the home owners that put up electric fencing tape across their verges to prevent horses from being ridden over them.

The grass verge is NOT the property of the home owner - it is part of the public highway and as a result you are entitled to ride on the grass verge, especially if it is to ensure your safety.

Here where I live it is illegal to put up temporary fencing on the grass verge except where the grass is being used to graze stock and if used then the stock must be attended at all times.

I do ride on the grass verge wherever possible for safety and comfort for the horse, many NZ roads are very sloped to remove rain water fast - can rain incredibly heavy at times.
 
I organise an endurance ride which goes up a narrow lane where the verges are pristine. There is practially no traffic as it ends in a grass bridleway but this year riders clearly rode down the verges. The lady who looks after them emailed me to say she had lifted all the deepest impressions and put sand underneath to repair the damage. She is 80+yrs old - I feel guilty about it every time I think about it!!

Next year a special rule will apply and riders using the verges when clearly told not to will be disqualified!!
 
I will ride on the pavement when i deem it to be the safest course of action in a given situation...eg when a bus is trying to pass my 'nervous of buses' horse, i would rather mount the pavement than risk my horse panicking and colliding with the bus.

However it is only in certain situations.

But i will add that there is a local bridlepath that you can only access by riding some considerable way down a pavement, after using a pedestrian crossing outside a supermarket! It's crazy!
 
the only time i have ridden on a path is when i was hacking my horse to his new yard 10 miles away and i was walking this stretch or road it was a blind corner and 50mph speed limit and people go down there a lot faster then that a it was going down a steep hill so i didnt want to jarr his legs so i walked on the path for 50 yards for safety- i didnt want to be rear ended :o

and riding on a verge that was attached to a yard- again on a blind corner and i could hear a car coming at a fair speed and its a single lane road i didnt want to be hit he must have been doing 65mph and was completely oblivious to me being there

i have only done it for safety not because im trying to be a pain in the arse or anything :o
 
Nope I dont ride on ornamental verges. Its called respect I am afraid.

Unless it is very necessary I also will not ride on pavements. First of all its safer to ride on the road. If a car is overtaking you they give you a lot more room when you are on the road. It gives you room both sides if you have a pavement next to you and a long schooling whip with a bit of hiz-viz tape on the end at the traffic side.
 
I wouldn't dream of riding on an ornamental verge or pavement unless myself or the horse were in serious danger. I would very rarely ride on a non-ornamental verge as they're often full of cans/bottles hidden in the grass and you can't see the holes.

Interesting points about the verges not belonging to the property owner. We leave verges around our lane for passing places etc, but the land is on our deeds (its a tiny lane and farmland) as far as I know.
 
I never ride on ornamental verges that have been carefully mown & planted, it's just disrespectful! Scruffy ones in the middle of nowhere at the side of the lane, yes, but ones that 'belong' to someone or are in front of someones house, I don't go on.
Pavementwise - we don't actually have pavements where we are (rural!) but at the last yard, I would only step my horse up onto the pavement if something 'scary' came at him, as he's really not confident in big traffic - for example, a tractor coming along the road or the local bus. I wouldn't do it if there were pedestrians on the path, but they were always empty and I'd prefer to stand him up on a path than get flattened by a lorry. I would only stand him there though, not walk him along it.
 
I try not to, but in the past my mare has 'spooked' onto them and I get her back off again as soon as possible. The worst one was when she spooked by a church and lept sideways onto the churchyard (it was up a steep bank too) and I can remember trying to get her off again quickly without putting hoofmarks on any of the graves!
 
As others have said I would never deliberately ride on a verge or pavement but I have occassionally had a horse spook onto them, usually because a motorist is being inconsiderate and on the odd occassion when a horse eating carrier bag has appeared on a windy day. People who complain about riders leaving hoofprints should think about why that rider ended up on the pavement or verge in the first place.
 
Add my no to I don't ride on ornamental verges and daffoldils! It would be wrong and I cannot imagine what the riders are thinking. It is just disrespectful. I have been known to pop on the pavement to give a bus or lorry room to squeeze past me and a parked car. If the grass verge is in the countryside away from houses or habitation and not kept mown then I would use it, but usually find my horse prefers the road and soon veers off it :). As honey08 says you do have to think about what sort of rubbish is under the grass. I knew a girl who rode her horse through a deep ford (on a bridlepath) and lurking in the deep must have been a tin sheet, as it tore said horses tendons to shreds :( poor lass the horse never did recover fully.
 
SplashofSoy said:
No I do not unless in the case of an emergency, it is not part of the highway/road and if its is well maintained it just shows a complete lack of manners and consideration......l.
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Well actually it usually IS part of the highway. Just because someone mows it doesn't make it belong to them. In fact the council highways officers will get very stroppy if someone goes as far as putting anything on a mown verge eg stones to stop cars going over it.

On the other hand why upset someone just for the sake of it so I do try to keep off mown verges but will ride over them to avoid cars even if I do leave footprints.
 
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