Riding on private property

[Penny Less]

Would be interested to hear your opinions on riders who trespass. A friend is having an arguement at the mo about riding on private fields. She was challenged and was very put out as "she wasn't doing any harm". Now to my view this is giving riders a bad name as I personally dont go where not allowed, as I would be most peeved if someone wanted to tramp through my garden which I feel is tantamount to the same thing. I know that off road riding is in short supply but I feel quite strongly. what do you think?

 

[*hic*]

Riding on private property is absolutely fine - provided of course you have the landowner's permission!

 

[lauraandjack]

This sort of thing drives me mad.

How would she feel if someone came and randomly had a picnic in her garden? They're "not doing any harm."

Riders like this give all of us a bad name. It's hard enough finding safe places to hack without encouraging landowners to lock gates etc due to selfish people like this.

There's a bridleway near me that has been blocked by the farmer, because he simply got fed up of riders from the local yard galloping all over his hay fields. I know that is illegal but I can see his point.

I currently ride in a few places that are not free public access. But I do so with the landowners permission, make sure I leave all gates as I find them and try not to disturb the livestock. And if the landowner asks me not to go there, I don't!

Also - we should never forget that the countryside is a food producing factory, and should be treated as such. There is often a good reason why farmers don't want people running willy nilly over their land.

 

[Fii]

We have moved our horses and currently have the field layed up for hay.
Although there are footpaths through the field, there are no bridle ways.
I would be fuming if i found anyone riding in it, my words to them would not be printable.

 

[Enfys]

Without permission it is trespass, I have two guard dogs who do not like trespassers...at all.

I would also have you up for criminal damage as to access my land (other than via the drive past the house) you would have to cut through 9 gauge stock wire.

Actually, if someone asked if they could use the gallops, or the exercise track I wouldn't mind and would probably allow access. It is all down to having the manners to ask.

 

[katherine1975]

I only ride where allowed such as roads and bridleways, there are enough people out there who dislike horsey people!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

There is an issue with riding on other people's property and it concerns insurance; if the rider were to fall off and/or injure themselves, the owner of the land might in a court of law be held liable for injuries, damages etc.

I have insurance with the NFU which covers me in case anyone trespasses on my land and injures themselves in so doing, simply because we live in this ridiculously bizarre litigatious society unfortunately.

I know a lot of riders like to have a canter around stubble fields, very tempting I agree, but this is the situation you are putting the farmer in, which is why a lot of landowners are irate when they find horseriders have been in their fields.

It is a courtesy issue to just ask if it is OK surely; I had someone riding in my field which infuriated me as I think I know who it was coz there aren't many hooves around here that size! All they had to do was ask, and I would have had to decline, for the reasons stated above.

 

[Donkeymad]

I think it is very wrong. Legally, trespass is only 'punishable' if damage is done. However, how would this person know what the farmer was doing with that land, maybe that is a crop growing?
Or maybe I could give my dog a run in her garden, he won't be doing any damage.

 

[YorksG]

I have to agree that it drives me nuts if there are people in our fields. We don't get riders, but we do get dog walkers, even though we ensured when we got this place that there were no paths through it. We had an incident this week where my mare ran into the wall (well skided) as evidenced by the hoof marks and the drystone wall bowing. We think that one of the local dog walkers had allowed their dog in the field, with a vynil ball, which it had burst (we found the remain of the ball) We have had a very difficult week with my mare and the old lady was rather stiff the day after the incident. So I am sure the dog walker thought they were doing no harm, but they have!

 

[RunToEarth]

Last year we caught someone galloping up one of our stubble fields. In the spirit of "not being a meany" my family have on many occasions given permission for the odd gallop when people have come to ask- the common argument is that stubble fields are fair game as will usually be ploughed up in the coming weeks, however:
This person had not asked, and we were doing a series of drain works and there were a number of trenches which would only be seen at the last minute. Luckily the woman was stopped (and *******ed) before any harm could have been caused, but had anything happened, landowners have a liability, whether the injured party are tresspassing or there with permission, which is exactly why landowners are so careful about these things, these days.
Put in the landowner's point of view, the fields provide them with a living, and they work very hard to maintain that- why should someone who has no legal right threaten that work?
It always angers me that I am so bloody careful to not put a hoof out of line when the fields are wet, and then you see some idiot hooning around the fields they have no right nor permission to be in.
My OH gets extremely antsy about people WALKING where they shouldn't, goodness knows what he would say if he saw anyone riding there- I get very clear instructions every time I get on board just where I am allowed, both at home and at OHs!

 

[Mike007]

My experience of this has been that by and large ,the horsey folk have always behaved pretty well. Ok it did anoy me when the bridlepath seemed to double in width at a puddle,(and into my corn field).It didnt particularly concern me when the odd "flat eight" on the commonland got turned into a practice fence for the shetland grand national.I was a kid once too. The people who have consistently managed to bring me to the point of violence have been the "Ramblers association". What a bunch of W++++++ who couldnt read a map to save their lives.I have had 50 of these Ar++++++ turn up and try to flatten a path through a cornfield,"because it was a right of way". No it wasnt, the path was moved by a court order and the leading Ar+++++,s map was 15 years out of date!It was only because two of my farmhands turned up and explained where the ramblers maps and walking sticks would become lodged,that these gentlemen decided to go the correct route.Give me horseriders anytime.

 

[Chestnuttymare]

I think your friend is a cheeky wee mare!! there are no laws of trespass in scotland, however, i wouldn't dream of riding in someones fields without their permission. I have a friend who is a farmer who has fields around where we ride. I called him last year and asked very nicely if he would mind if we rode round the edges of his stubble fields. He was quite happy about it as he knows we wouldn't abuse the privilege.

 

[HollyB66]

need to type 10 characters to delete post

 

[nagsmouth]

i am lucky in the way that where i am at the moment i have a good relationship with the farmer and i have lived in the countryside long enough to know what are crops,stubble and set aside.

It is i fear in most cases plain ignorance as well as just a severe lack of respect for property!

I was riding on my normal route one day and caught and adult on a horse and two children on ponies riding across the farm land.

i challenged then in the nicest possible way to find out they hadnt got a clue whos land they were on they got on there high horse with me lol but i followed them back to their home address and told the farmer who in turn wrote a formal letter to their home address - think it did the trick!

 

[Dry Rot]

I think your friend is a cheeky wee mare!! there are no laws of trespass in scotland, however, i wouldn't dream of riding in someones fields without their permission. I have a friend who is a farmer who has fields around where we ride. I called him last year and asked very nicely if he would mind if we rode round the edges of his stubble fields. He was quite happy about it as he knows we wouldn't abuse the privilege.

Cause damage and you could be sued! Free access in Scotland but only if exercised responsibly! And it is always polite to ask. A quick Google will give all the information you will need.

 

[cbmcts]

My late great YO had on going problems with dog walkers trespassing on fields which had cows and calves - one particular "gentleman" used to say it was HIS land whenever challenged and his name was Bates (always known by us as Master B not Mister ) and was generally rude and arrogant. So we followed him home discretely ....

I still laugh when I think of the day that she loaded all 7 of her dogs in her filthy and I do mean filthy truck and pulled up outside his very nice house and opened the car door and proceeded to have a lovely game of ball and fetch on his front lawn. Cue him storming out shouting the odds about his property being private etc etc, but she stood her ground, making the point that no harm was being done, had to walk her dogs somewhere - you get the drift

No problems from him after that!

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

Riding on private property is wrong, unless you have the landowners permission. End of!

 

[BellaAndEnci]

i would like to hear your opinions on something.
some school kids have been trespassing into our field secretly to ride my horse bareback with just a rope around his neck.
what would happen if my horse hurts one of the kids ?
someone saw them riding my horse and then she told me about it.
would he be put down or marked as a dangerous animal?

 

[splashgirl45]

we had similar but luckily my friends husband saw them and followed them home, had a conversation with the parents and told them what could happen if they fell off etc and we never had a problem again....you need to find out who the kids are and maybe report them to the police or the school if you cant get hold of the parents, we all know how dangerous horses can be even if you are their owners

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

ooohhh.... this is an old thread!! VERY old, as I've previously posted on it - and said that I had farm insurance with the NFU! By god, I must have been richer in those days then I am now, they've priced themselves out of my reach since my contribution on here ........... LOL

Dunno why it has re-surfaced now??

Tho' the problem of people riding on farmer's fields without asking permission, and the issue of insurance if something goes wrong, is still valid.

 

[Clodagh]

i would like to hear your opinions on something.
some school kids have been trespassing into our field secretly to ride my horse bareback with just a rope around his neck.
what would happen if my horse hurts one of the kids ?
someone saw them riding my horse and then she told me about it.
would he be put down or marked as a dangerous animal?

I would put notices up around the field saying that it is dangerous to ride the horse.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I think I would lie in wait for the little sods to catch them in the act then go and see there parents.