Riding through a hay field - would you?

Dolcé

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I caught some idiot riding through our YO's hayfield this afternoon! There she was, happily galloping across it, I could tell by how sheepish she was and how quickly she pulled up when she saw me that she knew she shouldn't be there!! She tried to claim she had been told the field was free for anyone to use and that she didn't know it was a hay field (wtf - mown long grass that had been fluffed!!) I told her off and her YO will be getting a call from ours, they don't seem to realise that we all know each other and have done for years. I found it quite scary that a horse owner wouldn't know what hay looks like before it gets to a bale, bet she would soon complain when she found a pile of horse muck in her bale of hay!
 

Baggybreeches

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Aargh! You would be surprised how many folks do think its alright, and also have no comprehension of what's in the field and how it relates to feed or bedding for their horses. One of our farmers was forced to take back 50 bales of straw last year 'because they weren't golden and shiney'!!! Err yeah thats because it pee'd down all over the wheat and barley, we had combines getting stuck in the fields trying to get it mowed and baled.
 

joosie

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You would be surprised how many riders have a lack of respect when it comes to riding on other people's land! Personally I wouldn't ride across ANY field that I didn't have prior permission to be in...
 

Firewell

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No, the farmer is a very scary man!! Apart from the obvious fact it's wrong, the long grass is also FULL of horseflies.
 

Fii

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NO, absolutly not!!
There are plenty of bridle ways to ride on. No way i would go on privet property without landowners consent.
 

Jesstickle

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Of course not!! How outrageously rude of her. Or retarded. Either way, it isn't great is it?

I wouldn't ride on any field I didn't have permission for. My mother brought me up better than that!
 

Megibo

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yes!
of course, i would seek the farmer's permission first.

at old livery we had access to about three hay fields and they were fab and blasts through the long grass were brilliant (except when your horse tries to eat as she zooms through!) but those fields were owned by YO's brother and therefore we were allowed to do it.
would not do it if i didn't know the owner or had not asked first
 

Chestnuttymare

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What a cheek. I would never dream of riding through a hay field, or any other kind of field for that matter. Just plain rude really! I have permission from farmer friend to ride through any of his fields (provided there is no livestock), would only ever go round the edges and ride according to the conditions. Common sense and respect really.
 

Dolcé

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Everytime I hack I go through hay fields.

We stick to the verge and have permission / are our fields anyway.

That's a bit different though to riding through someone else's newly mown field (and without permission). The field is private anyway and has always been, it has been a hay field for many years and is fenced apart from two points of access from the track. It also has a gate with a padlock on the other side, the side with public access, she had ridden past this and alongside all the fencing to get to the access from the private track. Sticking to the edges of the field wouldn't have been so bad but she was ploughing straight through the cut with no regard to any damage she may have been doing.
 

YorksG

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Unfortunately far too many people have no understanding of the fact that fields are OWNED by people. The idiots who allow their dogs in our field always make me want to follow them home and park my mare in their gardens! Why people think that they should ride through fields that aren't theirs is beyond me. We have a local track, with fields along one side, which all lead into each other, there has been a rash of local riders galloping through these fields, rather than using the track (which is stoney)!
 
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