Antw23uk
Well-Known Member
Hi all
As some of you know I moved my two horses to a paddock owned by the company I work for which is outside the perimeter of our business park (but we own the land they are on) for their winter holidays. All has been going great and ponies seem happy.
I shall try and describe the layout but basically the field is at the end of a cul de sac. There is a gate going onto the land where I park, its a strip of land between two fields where garages used to be (hard standing is very handy) My field is on the left as you go in and there is a field on the right rented by a local farmer for his sheep. Where I park there is that strip of land running between the two fields, some of it is grassland and a patch of old mostly covered over hard standing.
There is a public footpath through this middle strip ( we are talking 100 yards long and about 20 yards wide? and at the end you go right over a stile into the farmers field and the public footpath runs through his field to the top where it brings you out by what is effectively the driveway entrance to our business park (Actually I might just try and do you a map as im explaining it terribly)
Since the ponies have gone through most of the grass in my paddock I have taken to leaving the gate open and locking the first gate and letting them graze on this middle patch. All perfectly allowed and I leave the gate to there paddock open and use the padlock on the outter gate.
So this morning there is a notice on the outer gate saying 'PLEASE DO NOT PADLOCK THIS GATE, IT IS A PUBLIC FOOTPATH AND REGULARLY USED BY DOG WALKERS'. I know its a public foot path there is a stile on that fence a yard or so next to the gate I have locked .. Ok in fairness its a naff stile and I wouldnt risk using it BUT thats not really my problem (dont shoot me, just thinking out loud) so my plan is to put a nice printed polite notice on the gate saying something along the lines of 'Public footpath access still open, please use stile provided. Please keep dogs on leads around the horses and livestock. Any issues please call ...' and then my mobile or perhaps my work number as im based in the security gatehouse to the business park.
I've no issue speaking to anyone with concerns, I am not trying to keep them out of the land or off the footpath but for obvious security I do need to lock that gate whilst my ponies graze this strip of land which I am absolutely entitled to use.
Any thoughts? I know how these things can spiral, I am very aware my horses arent watched over 24/7 and there are some morons out there who would be vindictive ect. Im just trying to gauge the best way to go about this and what to write on this note which will include a map outlining the footpath.
If you got this far you are awesome, thank you
As some of you know I moved my two horses to a paddock owned by the company I work for which is outside the perimeter of our business park (but we own the land they are on) for their winter holidays. All has been going great and ponies seem happy.
I shall try and describe the layout but basically the field is at the end of a cul de sac. There is a gate going onto the land where I park, its a strip of land between two fields where garages used to be (hard standing is very handy) My field is on the left as you go in and there is a field on the right rented by a local farmer for his sheep. Where I park there is that strip of land running between the two fields, some of it is grassland and a patch of old mostly covered over hard standing.
There is a public footpath through this middle strip ( we are talking 100 yards long and about 20 yards wide? and at the end you go right over a stile into the farmers field and the public footpath runs through his field to the top where it brings you out by what is effectively the driveway entrance to our business park (Actually I might just try and do you a map as im explaining it terribly)
Since the ponies have gone through most of the grass in my paddock I have taken to leaving the gate open and locking the first gate and letting them graze on this middle patch. All perfectly allowed and I leave the gate to there paddock open and use the padlock on the outter gate.
So this morning there is a notice on the outer gate saying 'PLEASE DO NOT PADLOCK THIS GATE, IT IS A PUBLIC FOOTPATH AND REGULARLY USED BY DOG WALKERS'. I know its a public foot path there is a stile on that fence a yard or so next to the gate I have locked .. Ok in fairness its a naff stile and I wouldnt risk using it BUT thats not really my problem (dont shoot me, just thinking out loud) so my plan is to put a nice printed polite notice on the gate saying something along the lines of 'Public footpath access still open, please use stile provided. Please keep dogs on leads around the horses and livestock. Any issues please call ...' and then my mobile or perhaps my work number as im based in the security gatehouse to the business park.
I've no issue speaking to anyone with concerns, I am not trying to keep them out of the land or off the footpath but for obvious security I do need to lock that gate whilst my ponies graze this strip of land which I am absolutely entitled to use.
Any thoughts? I know how these things can spiral, I am very aware my horses arent watched over 24/7 and there are some morons out there who would be vindictive ect. Im just trying to gauge the best way to go about this and what to write on this note which will include a map outlining the footpath.
If you got this far you are awesome, thank you