Do YOU shut gates?

[Smurphy]

[ QUOTE ]
landowners are not obliged to replace gates for your convenience- may you be reminded you are already riding over someone else's land.
Solid wooden gates cost £900, metal ones £600, do you think every farmer is fortunate enough to be able to pay for such a cost? Our farm has 72 gates in total, over three quaters of them are padlocked to stop them being opened. [/quote

Landowners are oblidged to provide acess if they are unfortunate to have a right of way through their land, If it was blocked off, they would be breaking the law. Im not asking land owners to buy new gates, just keep them in good repair.

I work on a large estate with bridleways running through them, we dont have expenses gates, some are years old, but they are well looked after.

 

[Scheherezade]

This doesn't make any sense?

First you say:

[ QUOTE ]
I have to go through 2 gates on my local bridleway, one is impossible to close from horse back as its so low and stiff, I leave it open to make a point to the owner!!

[/ QUOTE ]

But then you say:

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If you cant get on and off your horse you shouldnt hack along a route that has gates

[/ QUOTE ]

So why not just get off? Whatwould you do if you rode along and the OWNER had padlocked it and had PERMISSION from the council to do so, because people kept leaving it open?

So the "lawn" didn't have animals in it - what if there was a gate at the other side of the field where the farmer let the animals in - and you had gone and left the other gate open?!

How disgusting. I bet you like to think of yourself as an "animal lover" too.

 

[Ranyhyn]

She's making a point, BM........apparently.........

 

[Scheherezade]

[ QUOTE ]
Landowners are oblidged to provide acess if they are unfortunate to have a right of way through their land, If it was blocked off, they would be breaking the law. Im not asking land owners to buy new gates, just keep them in good repair.

[/ QUOTE ]

WRONG.

If a gate is continally being left open then the landowner can get permission to block it off. Trust works both ways.

Leaving a gate owner is not only disrespectful and rude but downright dangerous to both animals and the public.

What do you think the farmer will do when he comes along and sees the gate open? Do you think he will think "oh those poor people must be really hard done by to risk animal and people lives, I had better spend a thousand pounds to save them from the indignity of dismounting"?!

No - he will think "well i fyou won't honour the mutual trust agreement then I wont". And close the path.

 

[RunToEarth]

Pretty sure if you left one of our gates open it would just get padlocked up, and then you would have to go and speak to someone... Just because it is low on the floor doesn't mean it is impossible to open, by definition if it can beopened it is functional, even if, god forbid, you have to off of the horse.

 

[Tormenta]

Absolutely always!!! I have permission from a small farmer here to ride through pathways between his fields which help link us to a superb hacking route, in fact he spied us one day, gave us a shout and told us we could use the throughway as long as we shut the gates behind us which is common courtesy and sense anyway.

I once had to walk home in hand with a horse because the silly thing was on her toes and not willing to do as she was told, I would rather that than leave ANYONE's gate open.

Downright bad manners and dangerous. Hope your cow gets better along with the rest of the herd.

 

[Smurphy]

whats being an animal lover got to with it!!

As i have said its a lawn, 3/4 acre at the most!!! no animals around!!!

Makes me laugh when you get the 'what if replys'.

Yes I am more than capable of getting off, but in this case why should I?

What if my horse get loose while Im getting back on, Im not risking that when I dont have to!!!

As said prevoiusly, if animals or I was certain the field was empty then I woul have to get off

 

[Ranyhyn]

Agreed Rosie - he could repair the gate and then put the latch on the bottom if he liked!

 

[Spudlet]

Qr
Of COURSE you should shut the gate!

I spent ages teaching (well ok, trying to teach

) a pony I used to ride in London to open and shut gates from his back because I knew he'd be going to a hacking home one day - it's a skill all horses and riders should learn. It's not like it's hard to practice, start on the way in and out of the arena and work up to tricky gates out hacking. Until you can do it, get off the horse.

The only 'point' leaving a gate open makes is the point that you are an inconsiderate twit who gives people using rights of way a bad name

 

[Ranyhyn]

[ QUOTE ]


Makes me laugh when you get the 'what if replys'.



What if my horse get loose why Im getting back on, Im not risking that when I dont have to!!!



[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't that a what if...???

ah well I'm officially discounting your replies on the basis you're clearly conkers!

 

[Scheherezade]

It may come as a shockingly eye-opener to how the countryside works, but animals have LEGS. Therefore, farmers can move them from field to field.

Fields do not have to have just the one gate. There may be another you don't know about. What if the farmer moved the animals in from the other gate - and you had left the other gate open?

What has being an animal lover got to do with it? Gosh, so maybe you aren't. Some people feel sad at the prospect of baby animals getting seperated from their mothers and dying or being fatally injured, animals escaping onto roads and getting injured.

So what there were no animals in? You have broken the farmers trust. If I were a farmer and I couldn't trust the users of a path to shut the gate when there weren't animals in it - how could I trust these unknown strangers to do it when my livelihood was?

Rosie- I hope you do padlock your gates. And smurphy - you are ruining beautiful hacking for those of us who aren't too lazy to simply get off the horse.

 

[Smurphy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


Makes me laugh when you get the 'what if replys'.



What if my horse get loose why Im getting back on, Im not risking that when I dont have to!!!



[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't that a what if...???

ah well I'm officially discounting your replies on the basis you're clearly conkers!

[/ QUOTE ]


haha!! perhaps I am! but that could happen!!! I was referring to the 'what if there were animals you couldnt see' comment, Well the isnt!!! fact

 

[Scheherezade]

[ QUOTE ]
What if my horse get loose while Im getting back on, Im not risking that when I dont have to!!!


[/ QUOTE ]

Weren't you the one who said you shouldn't hack out if you couldn't safely mount and dismount whilst out hacking?

 

[Tinkerbee]

[ QUOTE ]
whats being an animal lover got to with it!!

As i have said its a lawn, 3/4 acre at the most!!! no animals around!!!

Makes me laugh when you get the 'what if replys'.

Yes I am more than capable of getting off, but in this case why should I?

What if my horse get loose while Im getting back on, Im not risking that when I dont have to!!!

As said prevoiusly, if animals or I was certain the field was empty then I woul have to get off

[/ QUOTE ]

What makes you so special that you can't get off your horse?
Ok, bugger the animal welfare argument. Regardless it is extremely ignorant and rude of you to be so disrespectful as to leave the gate open behind you. And to "make a point" to the landowner? How pathetic. I'm glad it's not MY land you're frolicing over as I would have something to say about your lack of sense.

Also, LOL at your "what if" scenario. You're taking the piss?! Such irony.

 

[Smurphy]

the land isnt owned by a farmer!!! Its a lawn - didnt realise wildlife used gates!!!

 

[Ranyhyn]

But what if they have land somewhere else and move their herd of expensive bovine buggers into that field, expecting the gate to be closed as it should be?

The point really is Smurphy, you should just go and see them and ask about repairing the gate - ffs they are only HUMAN, would it irk you so much to treat them with a little friendliness rather than making a point??

 

[Spudlet]

You are clearly an inconsiderate idiot. Please shut the gate on your way out.

 

[Scheherezade]

I have to say, I can now understand why people padlock gates and block access.

It is so sad that such enjoyment for so many is spoiled so such a small ignorant minority. Who to be frank shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a horse if that is their level of IQ.

 

[Ranyhyn]

Ok what if little Mary's pet labrador tries to run away? The gate should be closed Smurphy, its as simple as that to me, I think you are being very petulant over this. Wouldn't you be glad if someone closed ANY gate if it meant it contained your horse after you fell off etc..? Better a closed gate than an open one..

 

[Tinkerbee]

[ QUOTE ]
the land isnt owned by a farmer!!! Its a lawn - didnt realise wildlife used gates!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not a farmer and we still have animals on our land. We also have dogs who know that if the gate is shut they aren't allowed out, even if technically they can get under the gate.

What if its to keep kids in?

 

[RunToEarth]

We have already closed three bridle ways because of gates being left open.
The farmer opposite pulled the signs up, closed the route and turned people around who did hack that way- he has been doing if for so long that in a decision this summer the local council removed his paths from public rights of way maps.
The thing is, you leave farmers with a margin of doubt, they will simply padlock the gates, then everyone loses.
It's pretty simple to remidy, open it, shut it.
If you can't be bothered to get off of the horse out hacking, I suggest you take up something less active, knitting perhaps.

 

[Ranyhyn]

[ QUOTE ]


What if its to keep kids in?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, think about Little Mary! As she toddles off into the distance..

 

[stencilface]

QR

Have to say on the some bridleways that I ride on I don't shut the gates as a priority for lifestock as there is none there (track next to a SSSI). But I shut the gates in case another horse rider has the misfortune to fall off and let go. Who knows, me shutting that gate might stop a horse getting onto the road.

Tomorrow that could be your horse running away by itself - how would you feel if some plonkr had left the gate open and your horse smashes into the side of a car?

 

[Scheherezade]

I'm sorry I just have to say LOL

 

[Tinkerbee]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


What if its to keep kids in?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, think about Little Mary! As she toddles off into the distance..

[/ QUOTE ]

Poor Mary.

Even if I did lol

 

[Ranyhyn]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sorry I just have to say LOL

[/ QUOTE ]

Dont you dare laugh at Mary!

 

[Ranyhyn]

The pair of you!

 

[alsxx]

Hmm well where my parents live there are gates on bridleways which serve no purpose other than to gate each end of the bridleway track, leading on to a road both ends. I dread to think what would happen if someone were to fall off their horse, it bolt and get on to the road because someone couldn't be bothered to shut the gate.

 

[RunToEarth]

she'll be quite contrary once she has been hit by that car on the road!

 

[Sarah1]

I almost had a very nasty accident closing a gate, when my horse started behaving like a twonk as he didn't want to stand still, so would have loved to have left it but I DID close it regardless.
I should have dismounted but I was trying to teach him a lesson - ha!