Gentle reminder now it's harvest time

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RunToEarth

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If you would like to go have a play in the stubble fields please please go find the owner and ask them for permission. We've had lots of lovely people over the last few weeks, but equally the people who shove through a gap in the hedge, actually caught one lady yesterday who had squeezed through the hedge and was riding up the wheat, before it had been harvested!!

Manners cost nothing and it is important to maintain good relations with your local farmers.

Happy stubble hunting. :)
 
Completely agree! Once it's stubble most farmers really don't mind at all so it's always polite to ask!
I've always kept mine on working farms so used to having a lot of fields at my disposal! Great fun!
 
Maybe I'm a bit OTT, but I would never dream of riding in a field (stubble or not) without permission. This happened at my yard on the hayfield, so bloomin rude.
 
Shysmum said:
Maybe I'm a bit OTT, but I would never dream of riding in a field (stubble or not) without permission. This happened at my yard on the hayfield, so bloomin rude.
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Us either! The daughter has been desperate to find somewhere for a little canter as its only roads around us. she went to see the local farmer to ask about going around the edge if his fields. While he appreciated her asking first he did refuse. She wouldn't dream of just going in, stubble or no stubble!
 
We are lucky my friend who i ride with... her boyfriend owns most of the fields near us :D lots of cantering space but equally he has people ride across the ones he drills with Rhape seeds having not asked which annoys him !
 
The other reason you must ask is that there may well be an undersown crop of grass and mr or mrs farmer may well not be very happy at the wee shoots of that crop (hard to see at first glance) being trampled.
 
Agree. There is nothing more aggravating to a farmer than seeing horses gallop and trespass over their land. There may well be a crop drilled on that land or pheasants nesting etc. please check with the land owner, don't think it's there for your taking.
 
Completely agree. Its a useful reminder to horse riders to ask permission and not be offended if refused. There may be a reason why horses churning up the land causes damage.
 
Whilst we are talking about harvest, it is also worth thinking about trying to keep out of the way of the farmers whilst they are hauling corn. They have a tiny window of time and are governed by the weather conditions. If at all possible ride as early as you can. The farmers will be grateful you are not in their way and riders will not be confronted by large machines on the lanes.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Whilst we are talking about harvest, it is also worth thinking about trying to keep out of the way of the farmers whilst they are hauling corn. They have a tiny window of time and are governed by the weather conditions. If at all possible ride as early as you can. The farmers will be grateful you are not in their way and riders will not be confronted by large machines on the lanes.
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This Really Good Important Advice It can be So Frustratating for Both Parties
 
AdorableAlice said:
Whilst we are talking about harvest, it is also worth thinking about trying to keep out of the way of the farmers whilst they are hauling corn. They have a tiny window of time and are governed by the weather conditions. If at all possible ride as early as you can. The farmers will be grateful you are not in their way and riders will not be confronted by large machines on the lanes.
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Good suggestion, I am always home by 10am this time of year. Also RunToEarth's point about the stubble, we direct drill our rape and you can't tell (well, people who know can but...)so never assume you can have a jolly.
 
We are so lucky in Scotland - we can roam free so long as nothing is damaged, gates are closed behind us etc. I would never ride through a field before it had been cut though, that's plain bad manners!
 
*sprinkles* said:
We are so lucky in Scotland - we can roam free so long as nothing is damaged, gates are closed behind us etc. I would never ride through a field before it had been cut though, that's plain bad manners!
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You can damage direct drilled rape etc. which you may not see if you don't know what you're looking at. You can cost a farmer a lot of money this time next year by just assuming it is cut and ok to gallop over!
 
Honestly, living with a stressed out farmer trying to get his combining done - please don't stress him out further!!! 😁😁😳
 
I agree with this although I got a bit of a telling of by our local farmer today.

Having been told by a fellow livery that she'd been given permission to ride around the field boundary (and I trust her word) I went round today and the farmer came and gave me a bit of a going over for being there but then did admit that perhaps his brother had been the one who advised my friend that it was ok to ride in the fields.

Luckily, there are plenty of other fields nearby that we can ride in (common land or farmers let us).
 
toffeeyummy said:
Honestly, living with a stressed out farmer trying to get his combining done - please don't stress him out further!!! 😁😁😳
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Haha! Yes me too! Tbh I find harvest quite relaxing- dinner can be done absolutely any old time as its bunged in the microwave at midnight, I get home when I feel like it, eat chocolate guilt free- and at the end I get a present for handling it all so well ;) apparently previous girlfriends tended to get annoyed mid harvest?! ;) bliss!

Another little thing to add, those inviting grass strips could be part of wildlife schemes or be sewn with expensive wild flowers. I don't know exactly as I've not got a farming background personally but I'm learning and I know that's why a lot of farmers have to refuse riders access to what looks like wasted areas of field.
 
Well said. I have permission to ride on ours but was asked to keep off it if there's lots of folk around as people tend to see someone on it and presume it's a free for all :mad3: I obviously honour that and am mightily p-ed off when I see other people riding on it and I know they don't have permission.
 
poiuytrewq said:
Haha! Yes me too! Tbh I find harvest quite relaxing- dinner can be done absolutely any old time as its bunged in the microwave at midnight, I get home when I feel like it, eat chocolate guilt free- and at the end I get a present for handling it all so well ;) apparently previous girlfriends tended to get annoyed mid harvest?! ;) bliss!

Another little thing to add, those inviting grass strips could be part of wildlife schemes or be sewn with expensive wild flowers. I don't know exactly as I've not got a farming background personally but I'm learning and I know that's why a lot of farmers have to refuse riders access to what looks like wasted areas of field.
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A present???? Eh??!!
 
I'm so glad we've got permission from the farmers to ride on the fields once they're cut. Although the best gallop field has got maize on it this year instead of corn. :( But the second best is corn and the third best has been cut already! Although a footpath runs up the side along the track so you often get people walking their dogs along there and have to stop hooning. ;)

We do get to a certain time of year when we're asked to keep off the stubble as they're doing things with it but for a few weeks or so we have galloping space.

Access to fields and tracks around the farm is fantastic as I can go for a hack for an our or so without touching a road.
 
Sprinkles- they still direct drill in Scotland!

We had a nasty case against us a few years ago when a lady trespassed numerous times and was asked specifically not to ride up one particular field. She cantered up it, horse dropped front feet in a trench and had to be PTS, it was horrific but completely her fault.

Stubble is the perfect time to trench out and fix broken field drains, very dangerous for horses.

As I say, mostly lovely lovely people around here who are so polite and friendly.

Harvest is going very well here and my farmer chappie is a very happy one, so I may well be out of the running for a present this year if things carry on so well!
 
*sprinkles* said:
We are so lucky in Scotland - we can roam free so long as nothing is damaged, gates are closed behind us etc. I would never ride through a field before it had been cut though, that's plain bad manners!
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So how does that work then, we padlock all our field gates to stop people leaving them open or trying to steal horses, i wouldnt feel safe if they werent locked!!
 
I must admit that in the days of my youth my friends and I used to consider stubble fields a free-for-all. :redface3: Everyone rode on them and no-one pointed out that this was in any way unacceptable, except one farmer, once. He told my friend and I off, to our amazement. In fact it was so unusual that we just thought he was grumpy, rather than that he was in the right! So we kept off his land but continued to ride on all the others. :rolleyes3:

Sorry, all those farmers whose fields I cantered on between 1970 and 1976. :redface3: I wouldn't do it now, honestly.
 
I have a warmblood whose brains would be blown to smithers if it ok her for a gallop on stubble. we sedately canter on lanes with hedges both sides or ones side very carefully so i dont actually get excited at harvest time.

Field margins are often in ELS or HLS schemes so grass strips and nectar mixes, Wild bird mixes etc will all have money docked form them by the RPA if you ride on them so best policy is to keep off land that is not yours full stop unless you ask and know exactly where you can ride.
 
In Scotland there are technically no trespassing laws so in theory you can go where you please. It is polite to ask and takes nothing to do so. The worst they can say is no.

The other thing to beware of with stubble fields are injuries. I have seen a fair few tendons and ligaments done due to the ground being too hard/soft for horses, horses that haven't had the cobditioning work doing legs, abcesses and bruised soles due to standing on stones, tripping in unseen rabbit holes and tying up.

Please be careful - walk your planned route to make sure there are no hazards, make sure your horse is up to the work and please please warm up and cool down properly.
 
BWa said:
Harvest has started?! The combine has done 20 acres and gone back in the shed. Wheat and rape won't be ready til next weekend. OH is pacing a lot!
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the wheat is being cut around me and the rape headlands have been done too.

have met a few tractors with and without trailers on the roads this week, the odd JCB too, first time little mare has seen them on the roadand no problem. It is just the fastracks i want to avoid
 
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