Footpath issues

Julia0803 said:
Wish the blooming walkers round here would pay attention to the above!!

We have two footpaths running through our field. The field is square. One path goes from top right corner to top left corner, with kissing gates (and wouldn’t be too onerous to fence off) but the other goes from midway across the bottom in a slightly diagonal line to the top left corner, joining the other path.

We have dog walkers letting their dogs offlead all over the field and crap everywhere. We regularly find dog toys presumably lost in the long grass. My pony took his muzzle off in the autumn and I couldn’t find it in the dark. I couldn’t find it the next day (field is about 11 acres and grass was still pretty long, hence the muzzle) but the day after that I went hunting again… found it completely destroyed, chewed to bits, including the field safe headcollar. I was furious as it was a flexible fillies one so £££!

They have also made their own path, now completely worn in, with no grass growing so it looks like a path, from the gate at the bottom, around the edge, up the right hand side of the field, to join up to that gate- absolutely not a path. Signs telling them not too/no public right of way don’t make any difference. And when you catch them and politely but firmly point this out, they shrug, or claim they didn’t know! (It’s amazing how the majority of adults seem to be illiterate in our well to do village!)

We have had loose dogs that owners couldn’t catch end up on the yard on multiple occasions. Almost always the same… ‘he doesn’t chase horses so I thought it was ok..’…. ‘I looked around and no horses were in the field so I thought he could run around and play fetch..’.

I sound like a proper stereotypical grumpy old farmer!! ‘Get off my land!!!’ (Except of course it’s not my land really, I’m only a livery!)
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I know it's not so easy as a livery but I would ask the YO if I could fence my horses off the footpath with electric fencing;)

ETA, I would shut any dogs which ended up in the yard, into a secure place out of sight and ring the dog warden.
 
Julia0803 said:
Wish the blooming walkers round here would pay attention to the above!!

We have two footpaths running through our field. The field is square. One path goes from top right corner to top left corner, with kissing gates (and wouldn’t be too onerous to fence off) but the other goes from midway across the bottom in a slightly diagonal line to the top left corner, joining the other path.

We have dog walkers letting their dogs offlead all over the field and crap everywhere. We regularly find dog toys presumably lost in the long grass. My pony took his muzzle off in the autumn and I couldn’t find it in the dark. I couldn’t find it the next day (field is about 11 acres and grass was still pretty long, hence the muzzle) but the day after that I went hunting again… found it completely destroyed, chewed to bits, including the field safe headcollar. I was furious as it was a flexible fillies one so £££!

They have also made their own path, now completely worn in, with no grass growing so it looks like a path, from the gate at the bottom, around the edge, up the right hand side of the field, to join up to that gate- absolutely not a path. Signs telling them not too/no public right of way don’t make any difference. And when you catch them and politely but firmly point this out, they shrug, or claim they didn’t know! (It’s amazing how the majority of adults seem to be illiterate in our well to do village!)

We have had loose dogs that owners couldn’t catch end up on the yard on multiple occasions. Almost always the same… ‘he doesn’t chase horses so I thought it was ok..’…. ‘I looked around and no horses were in the field so I thought he could run around and play fetch..’.

I sound like a proper stereotypical grumpy old farmer!! ‘Get off my land!!!’ (Except of course it’s not my land really, I’m only a livery!)
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Oh same here. Dog walkers here seem to think a footpath through a field means it's their personal field. Throwing sticks and toys near the horses and setting them all off. And don't get me started on the one that let her dog p%ss all over my haynets
 
Mrs C said:
Oh same here. Dog walkers here seem to think a footpath through a field means it's their personal field. Throwing sticks and toys near the horses and setting them all off. And don't get me started on the one that let her dog p%ss all over my haynets
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Saw a post on a local village page recently, with someone getting very upset because the local farmer was threatening to shoot her dog. She was letting it loose in a field with a footpath through it and allowing it to cross the hedge and run around in his field next door. Surprised and disappointed at the amount of support she was getting.
 
A now deceased farmer I knew kept a bundle of sheep's wool in his pocket so if he saw a dog in the sheep he would shoot it and make sure it had some wool in its mouth. It was on the outskirts of a big town, so loose dogs were a menace, so much so that when he moved further out he never had sheep again.

This was 50 odd years ago, so I daresay that people would make more fuss now.
 
Velcrobum said:
www.bbc.co.uk

Devon country estate to charge dog walkers £60 a year

Bridwell Park, near Uffculme in Devon, announced the move amid a "rise in living and operating costs".
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
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Interesting one. The socialist in me urges him to think that if HE is struggling (assuming here he's one of the richest men in the country even if it is 'old money' and not direct income) how does he think others are feeling?

The realist in me understands that it is private land and really for the amount of land he must own £60 is relatively cheap.
 
ponynutz said:
Interesting one. The socialist in me urges him to think that if HE is struggling (assuming here he's one of the richest men in the country even if it is 'old money' and not direct income) how does he think others are feeling?

The realist in me understands that it is private land and really for the amount of land he must own £60 is relatively cheap.
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Tbf it's no different to the National Trust making all their car parks payable for. You may find there's more to it as well, like perhaps the estate's sick of dog walkers leaving bags of poo around or something.
 
Julia0803 said:
Wish the blooming walkers round here would pay attention to the above!!

We have two footpaths running through our field. The field is square. One path goes from top right corner to top left corner, with kissing gates (and wouldn’t be too onerous to fence off) but the other goes from midway across the bottom in a slightly diagonal line to the top left corner, joining the other path.

We have dog walkers letting their dogs offlead all over the field and crap everywhere. We regularly find dog toys presumably lost in the long grass. My pony took his muzzle off in the autumn and I couldn’t find it in the dark. I couldn’t find it the next day (field is about 11 acres and grass was still pretty long, hence the muzzle) but the day after that I went hunting again… found it completely destroyed, chewed to bits, including the field safe headcollar. I was furious as it was a flexible fillies one so £££!

They have also made their own path, now completely worn in, with no grass growing so it looks like a path, from the gate at the bottom, around the edge, up the right hand side of the field, to join up to that gate- absolutely not a path. Signs telling them not too/no public right of way don’t make any difference. And when you catch them and politely but firmly point this out, they shrug, or claim they didn’t know! (It’s amazing how the majority of adults seem to be illiterate in our well to do village!)

We have had loose dogs that owners couldn’t catch end up on the yard on multiple occasions. Almost always the same… ‘he doesn’t chase horses so I thought it was ok..’…. ‘I looked around and no horses were in the field so I thought he could run around and play fetch..’.

I sound like a proper stereotypical grumpy old farmer!! ‘Get off my land!!!’ (Except of course it’s not my land really, I’m only a livery!)
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Fraid I would be harsh and fence it off, even if it made my field split up. To me it would be worth it not to have the hassle of dog poo, inconsiderate walkers, trash left and walking all over it.

Seen it done with the field beside us before it was bought and very nicely fenced the footpath in which went up the middle of it. Before the walkers would go right round the 25 acre fields where ever they want.
 
You could have a word with the Parish Council and say that sadly if it keeps happening you will have to fence the path in.
They are surprising effective at networking and managing the culprit, assuming they are local!!
 
Unfortunately as a livery I don’t really get a say. We have one in the field who’s not the most respectful of electric fencing, and I’m guessing it would cost the owners a huge sum because of the size of the field and the shape of the two different paths to properly fence it off. It’s a hugely popular path unfortunately, with people going through pretty much constantly, so not just one culprit.

The yard has many many plus points and I’m happy there, just if it comes up in a conversation such as this I can’t help but have a moan!
 
TheMule said:
I have a very busy footpath running through my field. I fenced it in- got loads of complaints but it was done legally and it keeps everyone safe.
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Did you fence it on the exact line it follows or around the edge? We have one across the corner of one of our fields but want to try and get it diverted around the edge. It’s currently fenced on the route it’s meant to take but means there is a corner of the field we cannot use. Want to take the fence down and put it around the edge but know people will moan and probably ignore it anyway!
 
spotty_pony said:
Did you fence it on the exact line it follows or around the edge? We have one across the corner of one of our fields but want to try and get it diverted around the edge. It’s currently fenced on the route it’s meant to take but means there is a corner of the field we cannot use. Want to take the fence down and put it around the edge but know people will moan and probably ignore it anyway!
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You would need to apply to the council to have it diverted
Or you could put the fence where you want people to go and see what happens, but be prepared for the public complaining and you could get told to reinstate the original path by the council
 
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