I have this amazing idea...

[Pigeon]

For how bridleway gates should be designed.

- Firstly the material. Metal, obviously - it must be both sharp and unwieldy, and require the fire services in an incident rather than a bloke with a hand saw.
- It should be super narrow, because we don't want large or fat horses on the bridleways!
- It will have lots of bits sticking out, ideal for catching tack and unsuspecting knees.
- It's vital that it snaps shut super quickly, because who doesn't love manoeuvring narrow spaces at speed?
- And the shutting should be accompanied by an ungodly clang, because horses really adore sudden loud noises immediately behind them.

Do you think they will buy it and install thousands throughout the country? Or does my idea have some flaws?

Seriously though. Who on earth thought these were a good design? Half a foot wider and wood, with a chain loop rather than an autolatch. I've just heard of so many accidents. SO many. I honestly would personally donate a lump of money if it went some way toward getting some of these replaced with wooden gates. I get that wood deteriorates and will need replacing more often, but the initial outlay would be cheaper, surely?

 

[milliepops]

Turns out there's quite a lot of guidance on this :lol: most of which seems thoroughly reasonable.
Perhaps if you're having problems with some specific gates it might be worth contacting your local access bod at the BHS?

http://www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/BHS/Files/PDF Documents/Access leaflets/Advice on Gates.ashx

Good post though We don't really have any gated bridleways around us, though I do have to open gates that shut themselves to hack & my horses are now immune to clanging noises

 

[lazyfoxx]

think you forgot a few things, they should always be placed right on the edge of a blind bend, and have overhanging hedgerows with prickly branches, the latch keeper should be just big enough to hold your stirrup as you go through, cows in the feilds on either side are most welcome too, one that swings a short way than springs back before your half way through is most popular on the commons, ones just low enough to make you lean almost off your horse to reach them are just as good as the ones set at an angle with no manovering space for your horse is also a favourite of berkshire area.

i think if there was a safety log of injuries caused by certain types of gate things would be done but can only imagine the arguing over who is responsible for the gates on certain areas.
p.s i would be up on the injury list having nearly dislocated my knee when it got left behind on one of these gates !

 

[Gloi]

Don't forget that they need to be installed in a shoddy manner so that after a few weeks usage they start to jam or the handle will no longer lift the latch. A handy addition is an overhanging holly tree or something poisonous just to make you more aware of the horse's snacking problem as you fiddle with the gate.

 

[Meredith]

A bridleway local to us had 2 gates. This was to negotiate a huge double hedge. Trouble was the distance between the gates was too short and narrow to fit a horse in so couldn't be used when alone.

 

[ester]

I have to say I don't understand why the latches have to be at stirrup height, not higher (so long as other users could reach still I suppose).

I understand why some have self closing springs but don't like them!

 

[Palindrome]

yes, wouldn't count that as an accident as no one injured but caught my stirrup leather in of one of these gates, at which point horse decided to launch forward because she doesn't like narrow gaps... am now slightly nervous whenever we have to go through one of them and would seriously contemplate getting off.

 

[Orangehorse]

My horse managed to drop the ring of his snaffle over a gate latch recently - one of those rider friendly tall fastenings! Luckily I noticed and manged to unhook him before he realised. Scarey moment.

These metal "mouse trap" gates were seen as a good solution by County Council and thousands have been installed, but I have heard of many accidents too.

Once members of the local bridleway group took a party of Council Officers out on a ride, to teach them what riding on a bridlepath and trying to negotiate barbed wire fenced narrow tracks and difficult to open and shut gates (one at each end of a narrow bridge anyone?) was like. It was much appreciated by the officers and they learned at lot! Sadly most of them have had to leave their jobs now, due to budget cuts.

 

[Foxy O]

What about the wooden things that the horses have to step over, they are "improving" the bridleways around us, this means they have to come up to the horses knees (a 14.3hh) and be so narrow that you catch your knee on the fence on either side of it

 

[benz]

I have complained to county council about our local gates and sent a video as they are dangerous. We have already had one rider injured when gate slammed on horse, horse shot forward rider fell, another who has banged leg on gate as horse rushing through (as horses now scared), another who got off to open gate thinking safer horse spooked and bogged off, a child who's pony turned around and bogged off home after having gate slam in its face. This is just from the one family! You have a couple of seconds to get through gate before it shuts, council say 'they work exactly as they should'. We are now looking to pay to get hydraulic hinges with full 27 seconds to let you through as council are not interested in the safety of horse riders. This is mendip council I am talking about and I will be making a formal complaint, much good it will likely do

Is there a way we can all make our voices heard as it seems it's a much bigger problem than I originally thought (I thought we were just being idiots unable to
do gates!)

 

[wkiwi]

I think all these points are valid, but have to point out how lucky we are in the UK to have bridleways at all, as many countries don't and in some areas it is a choice of the roads or the horses own field.
I would happily pay towards a better gate that i used regularly but (for financial reasons) would probably put up a notice for other riders to contact me and try to get a group involved as others have mentioned.

 

[PaddyMonty]

OP - You are looking at this all wrong.
The points you make are so negatively last century.
In the 21st century you should be view the points as an opportunity for improvement of both the horse and the riders abilities.
Isn't it wonderful that the council so kindly gives us these opportunities for free.

 

[eggs]

Don't forget that they must also be installed in the middle of a dog leg in a barbwire fenced narrow path so that it is impossible to actually get to the gate whilst mounted without shredding your horse's sides - at least that is what one local landowner did where I used to keep my horse.

 

[muckypony]

What about the wooden things that the horses have to step over, they are "improving" the bridleways around us, this means they have to come up to the horses knees (a 14.3hh) and be so narrow that you catch your knee on the fence on either side of it

We have these near us, I much prefer them to a horrible gate but they are so narrow!! A friend of mine once clouted her knee as she went through and we thought it was broken! They are fine for sensible horses but I wouldn't like to take anything young and sharp through one!

 

[Slightlyconfused]

yes, wouldn't count that as an accident as no one injured but caught my stirrup leather in of one of these gates, at which point horse decided to launch forward because she doesn't like narrow gaps... am now slightly nervous whenever we have to go through one of them and would seriously contemplate getting off.

I get off and do the spring gates as they scare me silly. On the bigger horses I just avoid the rides that have them.

 

[Spreebok]

Currently nursing a mashed up knee after pony shot forward through one of these gates and slammed my knee into the lovely knee height metal latch holder!

Not the first time I've been caught with these, one time my stirrup caught, was pulled off the saddle and the lovely clang behind us sent to pony jogging up a very rocky path with me clinging on with one stirrup, already unbalanced from the pulling of the stirrup.

I certainly find them better than having to get off to undo a gate as said pony is an idiot to mount, but I question the huge, bulky metal holder....

edit: Reading the BHS Guidance on it is interesting, there's a few gates around here on bridlepaths which are hard to open due to there being a big, thick hedge blocking the use of the 'heel to hinges' method, as there's nowhere for the horses head to go! To be honest there's no need for gates in that particular location, a gap would be better...

 

[Sukistokes2]

I have been caught in one of these gates, my horse is usually bomb proof but the narrow width and the fast moving self shutting gate were all a bit much for him. His response was to hurtle through the gate as fast as he could, head up eyes shut! In the process my knee was smacked against the pole at the side. I thought I'd broken my knee to be honest, I really did, I rode home with a totally numb leg. My friends asked if it hurt and I told them no because I was unable to feel my leg. Getting off was interesting, as was the drive home in he box. As it came around my leg hurt a lot, but luckily it was just bad bruising,

 

[Beausmate]

A narrow track with the gate (self-closing, of course) at the end, opening into a large open field.

Who the hell thought opening towards the TRACK was a good idea?!!?

 

[C1airey]

I can add to this - horse bridges! Near us, there are some lovely trails which are criss-crossed with streams. They all have horse-friendly bridges (wooden, wide, reinforced, not slippery) over them. Then someone had the great idea to paint them all yellow. Suddenly, they're a lot less horse-friendly.

I've had my stirrup leather caught on a gate latch and also the snaffle ring. Both equally terrifying. Thankfully in both cases I managed to stop the gate springing back at us just in time or we'd have been toast.

 

[Fools Motto]

My mare doesn't really like the narrowness of them. She isn't a big horse by any means, which makes me grateful she is the size she is. Nearly a knee whacked at speed many a time.
The gates we have that I have found near us (not been there long) are all wooden, with a plastic loop. Bonus for me I guess!

About the original post - don't forget those gates that are cleverly designed right next to a cattle grid. Tests 'ones wobble' while you faff with gate catches at speed, hanging onto the side of your horse, praying for your knees, while ducking to avoid the holly, keeping the reins away from the sticky up bit and kicking to get the speed needed before it gets your horses bum.

 

[trefnantblackknight]

think you forgot a few things, they should always be placed right on the edge of a blind bend, and have overhanging hedgerows with prickly branches, the latch keeper should be just big enough to hold your stirrup as you go through, cows in the feilds on either side are most welcome too, one that swings a short way than springs back before your half way through is most popular on the commons, ones just low enough to make you lean almost off your horse to reach them are just as good as the ones set at an angle with no manovering space for your horse is also a favourite of berkshire area.

i think if there was a safety log of injuries caused by certain types of gate things would be done but can only imagine the arguing over who is responsible for the gates on certain areas.
p.s i would be up on the injury list having nearly dislocated my knee when it got left behind on one of these gates !

Yes low ones are particularly good, really get your leg and back muscles stretching, they're also good for practicing the art of levitation - where your horse has already gone through the gate to eat grass the other side leaving you in mid air where your horse was a second ago!

 

[trefnantblackknight]

Also lets not forget the badly secured electric wire hanging above your head! clicking away at the nettles either side of you - those must be my favorite!

 

[trefnantblackknight]

I can add to this - horse bridges! Near us, there are some lovely trails which are criss-crossed with streams. They all have horse-friendly bridges (wooden, wide, reinforced, not slippery) over them. Then someone had the great idea to paint them all yellow. Suddenly, they're a lot less horse-friendly.

I've had my stirrup leather caught on a gate latch and also the snaffle ring. Both equally terrifying. Thankfully in both cases I managed to stop the gate springing back at us just in time or we'd have been toast.

Our only one of these was perfect, well it was untill the farmer put slippy sheet metal across the slats !!