Salisbury Plain - anyone near there ?

[zandp]

I'm looking at a yard tonight close to Salisbury Plain and I guess I'm asking how do you know you're not going to get blown up ? How much of it is actually open to riders and not closed because it's military only ? Is it as good as it would appear for riding ?

I'd be Westbury end but guess the rules / access would apply wherever.

 

[china]

no idea on riding but we drove up there for a BE event at larkhill which is on the salsbury plains on military land and it was lursh!!

 

[Hullabaloo]

I used to hack on Salisury Plain - on the other side of Devizes from you though.

We had very limited access when the red flags are up and over the past few years I have found they are up more often as the army are using it more frequently (as you would expect with them fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan). We didn't have many routes which didn't involve going on the plain which meant I couldn't hack as much as I wanted to.

If hacking is your priority I would check out what hacking is available apart from the plain and also what army activity is like locally in terms of frequency and nearness to your yard.

Personally I didn't particularly like the hacking - probably because its very open and my horse has dodgy brakes. One big advantage is that there are very few gates to worry about.

 

[zandp]

Brilliant thank you, that was my fear, I was at a yard nearer Salisbury a while ago and there was constant pounding from the tanks / exercises.

Will definitely quiz the YO.

 

[beer101]

I used to hack on Salisury Plain - on the other side of Devizes from you though.
Personally I didn't particularly like the hacking - probably because its very open and my horse has dodgy brakes. One big advantage is that there are very few gates to worry about.

Yes it is open, but the riding is great ... but for safety reasons I wouldn't ride on the plain alone, always take at least one other rider and a mobile phone .People have been known to get lost, and heaven forbid you were to be thrown.

 

[loopyloop]

We ran a week long cadet camp on Salisbury Plain.

We took them out on exercise for 2night/3days and encountered two horse riders hacking past the building's we'd made home.

Which is all well and good but this was also the same area that we'd simulated an enemy attack that morning. Granted we were only using blank rounds but it still doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened if these riders were coming through earlier in the day!

 

[katemiddleton]

My mare used to be (was a while ago!) at Great Cheveril, along a bit from Westbury at the bottom of the plain - just a really short hack up the hill and you were there. The riding was amazing - could go for miles in all sorts of directions! But there are a lot of restricted areas at various points - so best quiz them fully (and if you can speak to some people already with their horses at livery there all good too!). A friend had endurance horses, and spent hours going miles over the plain - she loved it as didn't get bored as so many places to go.

Rather amusing one morning when trotting merrily up this hill, then realising I was somewhat spoiling the illusion as a load of army men were crawling over the brow of the hill training!!

 

[zandp]

Went to look at yard and it was ok, bit disappointed about the approx 3/4 hour roadwork needed to get to any of the bridleways or up to the Plain, sharer only hacks and she won't be happy either. Most of the yard hack apparently (plus would mean the school wouldn't be used much) but they're all happy with a quick pootle around the lanes and back and save off road for weekends normally. It did seem a really friendly place.

Going to see another one on the edge of Longleat Forest tonight

 

[Andalusianlover]

I used to be on a farm on the edge of the plain in Warminster, close to the tanks roads. Trust me you will know where your allowed to go as there are signs everywhere and range wardens regularly patrol round and give you a rollocking if you are in the wrong place. Firing doesnt happen close to occupied buildings (homes, farms etc) so as long as you dont head too deep onto the plain and just go round the outskirts you'll be ok. Keep an eye out for red flags flying, that tells you that there will be firing that day. What yard were you looking at in Westbury?????

 

[Andalusianlover]

Went to look at yard and it was ok, bit disappointed about the approx 3/4 hour roadwork needed to get to any of the bridleways or up to the Plain, sharer only hacks and she won't be happy either. Most of the yard hack apparently (plus would mean the school wouldn't be used much) but they're all happy with a quick pootle around the lanes and back and save off road for weekends normally. It did seem a really friendly place.

Going to see another one on the edge of Longleat Forest tonight

PM me, I live in Warminster, can give you the lowdown on local yards.

 

[zandp]

I've pm'd you thanks