Safeguard Your Equestrian Access

Candy Clarkson

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As local governments roll out their transport strategies, with keen observance of the cycling and walking investment strategy, it is becoming clear that the safety and access needs of ridden, carriage and cart horses have almost universally been dismissed, without mention. Horses are also 'transport' and so this is is a serious omission. Moreover, there are now plans in place to appropriate existing bridle paths and equestrian rights of way, in favour of cyclists and walkers only, by resurfacing with tarmac and so making them unsafe for most horses. Please help safeguard your equestrian access by following this link: http://chng.it/gnr2JVyZdd and please feel free to copy, amend and send to your local council, local MP and share, share and share again. Thank you. Candy.
 

ycbm

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It's a bit of a stretch to say tarmac is unsafe for horses, most of us ride on it regularly. Several other daft bits in that, too, calling horses on bridleways transport, and using a picture of two heavies ploughing a verge. I'd personally rather they were tarmac than rutted uneven stone or knee deep in mud. But I'm stunned by this suggestion, because I live on the official Cheshire cycle way, which is a road, and they can't even keep that in safe repair for cyclists, never mind tarmac laying bridleways!
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Keith_Beef

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I've ridden down some quite steep inclines on tarmac, and for a beginner it is somewhat disquieting to hear and feel the horse's hooves slipping on the surface. But on the flat or for a short distance, I think it's tolerable.

On the other hand, I also ride a bike, and I don't see why bridleways need to be tarmacked in order to make them accessible to cyclists. That, to me, is nonsense.

And I also agree with ycbm that the choice of photo is a bit crap... it's a space-waster, or at best an appeal to emotion rather than reason. A photo should emphasise or augment the text, not be a simple decoration.
 

Reacher

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Although I agree with some of the above comments I have signed as we have to stand up for our rights . - I assume existing bridlepath will still be open to riders as I don't see how we can lose those rights - but they will become more dangerous if more cyclists go faster on them in limited space.
Local councils are short of money though so probably (or hopefully) tarmacing over bridlepaths will be a low priority while roads are a mess
 

Smitty

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I have signed and contributed, although I no longer ride, but I lived in a house with a tarmacked bridle path next to it and as it was in the middle of a long sloping track the speed which cyclists came down the bridle path was dangerous.

I dislike tarmac all over the place and cannot see why these paths cannot be left in their natural state - cyclists seem to manage to ride over anything these days and I am forever encountering them (and giving way?) on muddy footpaths, footpaths across fields, footpaths in woods so I don't think they have a problem with surfaces.
 

Keith_Beef

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I dislike tarmac all over the place and cannot see why these paths cannot be left in their natural state

Quite right.

At the same time as tarmacking over natural paths, there are calls to stop paving over surfaces, in an attempt to slow down the run-off into rivers when there is heavy rain.

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of "extreme weather events", and increase the risk of flooding. Returning the surface to a natural state allows more rain to soak into the earth.

This might be a useful argument when objecting to paving over bridleways.
 
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