RunToEarth
Well-Known Member
This morning a pretty sizable portion of our dairy herd escaped into fields and, a small few, onto a main road.
This follows a gate marked "PLEASE SHUT THE GATE. FARM ANIMALS." which was left open, we believe by a woman who was seen hacking through it this morning. The gate secures an area which the herd walk through every morning after they have been milked. The fields were very wet, 250 cows running through a wet field will damage both cows and land, probably having a knock on effect to the milk yield.
Farms are like any other industry, a working environment with inputs and outputs, wages to pay and livelihoods in the balance, please do not assume because we have a beautiful bit of the countryside it is any different.
I see both sides, as a rider, and a farmer, but ultimately I believe it isn't fair. These people don't allow you to ride across their land, you have a right to, but abusing that right by not respecting the land, by leaving gates open and causing incidents such as the one we were greeted with this morning are frankly not on.
There are a lot of farmers who are willing (and some who already have) taken things into their own hands, pulled signs up and padlocked gates. For a lot of people bridle ways are the only ways to get horses off of the road, it would be a terrible shame for everyone else if a small few spoilt that.
If it was shut when you opened it, shut it, and check that it IS shut properly.
As a result of this morning one of our cows is suffering trauma in her hind leg. Although the vet does think she will make a recovery, there is a chance she won't.
This follows a gate marked "PLEASE SHUT THE GATE. FARM ANIMALS." which was left open, we believe by a woman who was seen hacking through it this morning. The gate secures an area which the herd walk through every morning after they have been milked. The fields were very wet, 250 cows running through a wet field will damage both cows and land, probably having a knock on effect to the milk yield.
Farms are like any other industry, a working environment with inputs and outputs, wages to pay and livelihoods in the balance, please do not assume because we have a beautiful bit of the countryside it is any different.
I see both sides, as a rider, and a farmer, but ultimately I believe it isn't fair. These people don't allow you to ride across their land, you have a right to, but abusing that right by not respecting the land, by leaving gates open and causing incidents such as the one we were greeted with this morning are frankly not on.
There are a lot of farmers who are willing (and some who already have) taken things into their own hands, pulled signs up and padlocked gates. For a lot of people bridle ways are the only ways to get horses off of the road, it would be a terrible shame for everyone else if a small few spoilt that.
If it was shut when you opened it, shut it, and check that it IS shut properly.
As a result of this morning one of our cows is suffering trauma in her hind leg. Although the vet does think she will make a recovery, there is a chance she won't.
