Loose horses in field with a bridlepath

Bertolie

Bertolie

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 August 2011
Messages
1,600
Location
Gloucestershire
Visit site
My two horses along with two others are currently turned out in a 14 acre field that has a bridlepath crossing it. Due to the size of the field it is not practical to fence off the bridlepath and the land owner has stated that it is not to be fenced or sectioned off in any way. I have just read a post on a fb paged about the stupidity of the owners that have turned their horses out on a bridlepath (me lol!) Am I correct in thinking that we are not breaking any laws by turning them out in that field? We have put warning signs up at both ends of the bridlepath warning of loose horses but other than that I dont know what we can do? Also, who would be liable if a horse (either one of ours or one using the bridlepath) or rider was injured?

If the land owner hears that people are moaning he will probably ask us to remove the horses, which means my two are going to spend an awful lot of time in the stables as my paddocks are underwater and muddy.

Any help appreciated.
 
I kept my horses in a field with a bridle path and had no problems. I found that most horse folk were accepting and took it in their stride. It was also a big field so my horses kept themselves to themselves. I was always worried that I couldn't secure it though and eventually the hunt let them out by mistake and two panicked and ran for miles across a main road too. I moved them 2 days after
 
If I am honest I wouldn't risk either my horses being kicked by other people's horses, catching nasty diseases off other people's horses, or escaping because other people havent shut the gate properly. I wouldn't entertain mine being in a field with a bridleway, it would be irrelevant whose fault the incident was to me. I have the option of a fantastic 20 acre field to graze mine on but won't beause it has a footpath through it.
Can you only use the field when no one is likely to use it or when you are on hand to supervise/rescue horses?
 
There are many fields that have a bridleway running brought them.

I have a friend that has 3 footpaths running through her fields and at one time she had 2stallions. There are signs up telling people.
 
It seemed the perfect solution at the time of accepting the offer :rolleyes:

Last winter my horses only had my winter 'grazing' - three quarters of an acre of orchard which resembled a ploughed field after one week. This was for two horses and I was getting through a big bale of hay a week as there was no grass whatsoever.

This winter my YO offered me the use of the this field. It is quite a walk from the yard so the idea being that they would be turned out 24/7 (being checked at least twice a day) and only brought up to the yard at the weekend when we would ride.

Other people have used the bridlepath, my daughter-in-law being one of them, and have said that our horses didn't take any notice of the others.

There is no real worries with them escaping as all they could do is get into one of the other fields.

Not sure not to do now.
 
There are no laws against it. While I think your signs are very sensible, would they be used against you if something got kicked?

We fence off out footpaths, but have one field where the path goes across the field and can't be fenced off. We do an intermittant fence along the path. so its not totally open, and people can get to the other side if need be.. The horses can pass through easily too.

_______ _________________ ___________________

_______ _________________ ____________________


If you used elec fence posts and tape it could easily be moved..
 
If there was no dangers of them escaping, then I would leave them there to be honest.

You have doen the right thing with the signs. But if you are still concerned, could you not write up some letters and post them to nearby yards? just letting them know, that if they choose this route, your Horses are loose, but not a problem.
 
I have a walkway which goes through my 18 acres of grazing and it amazes me there are riders out there who will hack right through it regardless! :mad: I was advised not to put signs up as it can be seen to admitting responsibility in court.

Luckily I am working with my local community council and they have agreed to fence off the walkway and direct it away from my driveway as there has been so many issues with walkers, I even had one hit my 12hh pony on the head with his walking stick because she came over to say hello, just her, the other horses wernt interested. Ive had tonnes of abuse hurled at me on countless occasions either because of the horses in the field or the state of the walkway which isnt my responsibility or fault. (Its been so wet the last cpl of years that the walkway is pretty much a small stream and muddy quagmire).

Its up to the landowner what he wants to use his fields for, and if thats to keep horses in then so be it. It then becomes the rider or walkers responsibility to ensure they are safe. I am not saying I would never hack through a field with horses in it but I would consider all the risks and factors involved first. If it was a field of say 5 ponies and I was on my safe 22yr not fussed about anything mare then yea, I would probably hack through. But if it was a field of young large horses and I was on a green horse still in training I would take a different route. I find most people lack common sense these days.
 
You are probably going to get lots of different answers and I suppose it depends upon the horses in question and the amount the bridleway is used.
I have one field with a footpath through it, it is virtually never used, we allow walkers to detour up a nice track instead. The big field with a footpath is regularly used by people with dogs, who are often off the lead. The farmer doesn't even put cattle in there for fear of them being chased/harassed.
Such a shame you can't divert the path around the field and fence it off to the horses.
Mine would be THERE immediately and wanting to chase/play with strange horses in their field. I dread to think, though as people say they must get used to it.
 
Those gaps looked a lot bigger when I typed them! They're about gateway width in real life..

There are allsorts of things on footpaths around here. Just about everyone has footpaths going through their fields. If certain bridleways have cows on I often avoid them (especially the young bullocks that run over for a look. I would do the same with horses, but we are spoilt for choice here of offroad riding.. We have a bit of hassle with people jumping their dogs round our XC fences (the baby ones). They seem to think its a free dog agility field. We've also had people ripping wood off the fences to put over muddy puddles - as we now have sheep in the field it has meant they've got out on the road a few times. We repair it and they pull it off again. I feel like putting a "Please stay in the town or go home for your wellies if you can't cope with a bit of mud!!" sign on the gate!!
 
on the flip side, there are horses in a field with a bridlepath near us, and you do have to be very brave to go through - unhandled mares and youngsters, not dangerous at all, but very keen to say hello ! I know a few who won't use the path because of this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top