football Pitches and public bridleways

[The Voice]

We have a professional football club that wants to build a number of football pitches next to a public bridleway (about 20ft away) where we live, and we have expressed a mjor concern with regards to health and safety (Rider horse and other public users) as there are hedges and trees along the route where the balls will hit the hedges, along with the shouting, whistle blowing, sudden movements etc which will excite, spook or upset the horse which may cause a horse to bolt onto county roads.

Has anybody else had experience of having football pitches so close to a public bridleway? Would you use a bridleway with pitches so close?

your, experiences or opinions would be greatly appreciated

many Thanks

 

[Madam_max]

Not the same thing really, but I ride past a large recreation ground quite often (by choice) on the road. They are always having matches and they also have a skate board park right next to the road also. So when they go up the ramp over the hedge line it's a bit scary

To be honest my horse has just got used to it.

 

[dressage_diva]

I haven't had experience of football pitches, but there are outdoor hockey pitches next to a path I use (not an official bridleway, as it's on private land - part of a big equestrian/university complex). My horse doesn't have a problem walking past it, but admitedly I've only gone past when they're practising rather than ever playing. Then the players are not right against the path but they often hit their balls hard against the metal fence (designed to keep us riders and pedestrians/cars safe!) which is very noisy and there's usually lots of whistles/shouting. My boy always has a good look, but because he can see them clearly he is generally fine and walks past calmly (apart from the odd snort).

I know that's a bit different to your situation though, but thought I'd add it incase you don't get many replies!

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

Not a bridleway but my connie grew up in a field adjacent to the village football/cricket/stoolball pitch and with the primary school playground on another side. Every autumn the village held their fireworks display/bonfire on the football pitch, and the local farmer allowed a hot air balloon company to take off every evening in the summer from the field on the remaining side.

He quickly got used to the noise and bustle and actually enjoyed having something to watch.

We share our bridleways around here with mountain bikes and walkers, especially on the Downs and it all works well.

If it is a professional club I'd be more worried about the high performance cars being driven fast on the roads getting to and from training.

 

[YorksG]

We ride on a concrete 'path' on the boundary of a golf course, no where near as loud, but the noises are more random. The first few times my mare was a bit spooked by the noises from behind the bushes (paericularly the day some people used a ball cleaning machine just on the other side of the hedge

) I would be more concerned about balls coming over the hedge/fence if there are matches going on, than the noise, so would want to be sure that there was netting or some such to a high enough level.

 

[Orangehorse]

Get onto the County Council Rights of Way office and insist that there is some proper fencing put up so balls can't be kicked onto the bridlepath.
Get in on the planning stage when the applicants are more likely to co-operate. Get your BHS county rep involved too.

 

[Cuffey]

We certainly have a village football pitch on the edge of ROW (with bridlegates)
Most of the time fairly quiet but if a match is on spectators stand on ROW (either that or they stand in a barley field) so tend to chicken out and turn back--on the grounds that if a goal was scored just I was going past crowd, sudden noise could cause him to spook and flatten someone.
Golf is an irritation with ''swooshing'' out of sight behind bushes but very close to road --- fav hacking route, they must be able to hear clip clop but dont wait for you to pass.

 

[emma69]

We used to hack past a rugby club, and the horses weren't that fussed when the matches were on - I never had the ball come very near us, it was just people and noise more than anything. Just ensure the plans include a high fence - maybe one that isn't see through to stop visual distraction as well?