Stubble fields Question!?

[Sophie123]

Morning guys,

Have been hearing a few of you talking about riding in the stubble fields lately, am intrigued, do you ask the land owners if you can use them after being cut for hay or do you have your own to use?

have been riding past loads recently (live in Yorkshire!) and have been dying to just open the gate and have a blast up and down (not that i ever would go in without farmers consent)! horses would absolutley love it.

So any ideas how i can blag a go round them

Sophie

 

[Kayfamily]

I phoned a couple of local farmers to ask for permission. One said no but the other gave me his permission to ride in 2 of his.

Always worth a phone call to ask.

 

[Sophie123]

Do you know how i would go about finding out numbers for farmers? was thinking about knocking on nearest house's door for info! I know its not the best option but it was my only idea!?

Thanks

 

[SuperSketch]

Try speaking to other people in the area that ride as they may know whether its allowed or not. I'd been admiring stubble fields near me for ages when my Mum happened to ask a lady who knew the farmer if he minded people riding on them and she said he was fine with it. Result!

If you don't ask, you don't get.

 

[stencilface]

I would just ask the farmers. I have known lots of ours for years, so actually I haven't asked permission as such, but am planning to this year even though I am sure they won't care. We have some that run open alongside a bridleway, no hedges or gates to separate, and we use the edges of those

 

[guido16]

Stubble fields are not cut for hay, its crop fields that have been cut.

Best thing to do is knock on farm door that is closest to fields you want to ride in, or ask any tractor driver that you see in the area.

 

[Sophie123]

Stubble fields are not cut for hay, its crop fields that have been cut.


ooopps :S

 

[guido16]

LOL, didnt want to sound nasty!

But you will probably have to be quick getting in them, the farmers are ploughing them very quickly just now since its been such a bad summer!

Good luck!

 

[Sophie123]

oh its ok, im not easily offended!

I am going to be knocking on houses and hunting down farmers on our ride tonight! wish me luck!

 

[LivingTheDream92]

also make sure its the right crop! dont ride on Rape fields, the stems are too long and hard and can puncture the sole, as long as the crop is soft like straw then it will be fine

 

[QueenDee_]

I never really ask for permission, I just gallop in, whizz round and gallop out but then again my Uncle does own a lot of the fields around us And I have got told off a couple of times by some other farmers but the innocent face and 'i'm sorry I wont do it again' always wins

No stubble fields for me this year though because both horses on box rest Plus they just cut my favourite field, most appropriately called 'the gallops' because it is massive and you can get a really good blast in it

But yeah, if I were you i'd ask for permission

 

[Sophie123]

I never really ask for permission, I just gallop in, whizz round and gallop out but then again my Uncle does own a lot of the fields around us And I have got told off a couple of times by some other farmers but the innocent face and 'i'm sorry I wont do it again' always wins

No stubble fields for me this year though because both horses on box rest Plus they just cut my favourite field, most appropriately called 'the gallops' because it is massive and you can get a really good blast in it

But yeah, if I were you i'd ask for permission

I have been tempted to do this so many times! It they were out of sight from the yard, I might have given in to temptation by now! :S

We do have some places to 'let go' but some more wouldnt go a miss

 

[LivingTheDream92]

went around a field i wasnt meant to and i swear my boy knew it because he went and pooed right on it! way to leave evidence! XD but yeah as the grounds hard there wont be any hoof prints so no harm done i think, as long as you dont disturb any crops that may be lying in rows still

 

[stencilface]

Have to say, occassionally sneaking a cheeky gallop is spolied by wearing hi-vis

 

[WishfulThinker]

Yup, you have to be mega quick! The one I rodein the other night was half plowed, that was the DAY after they removed the crop.

Up here its not to bad as generally if a field is a Crop and large enough it doesnt have gates so you can go in - when cut. The farmers with the larger fields dont mind as its going to get churned up anyways.

Just have to remember to have a listen first as I have been confronted by a crop sprayer a few times and almost shat myself. Those things scare me . Plus they are spraying stuff that I can imagine isnt best breathed in.

 

[Sophie123]

Have to say, occassionally sneaking a cheeky gallop is spolied by wearing hi-vis

haha, so very true

 

[Sophie123]

Im getting really excited about mine and horsey's ride this evening now!

 

[SuperSketch]

LOL, ditto at being guilty of attempting a sneaky gallop on stubble fields and pony decides he needs a poo! We are rebels.

 

[horsecrazy25]

I would never go in a field without permission as i would hate it if someone did it in a field which belonged to me!! Also im just a big chicken ;p

All the fields i ride in, i have had permission I use yellow pages or by friends to contact owners of fields, touch wood everyone said yes so far. xx

 

[Hippona]

Have to say, occassionally sneaking a cheeky gallop is spolied by wearing hi-vis

Yep...or riding a white horse

When I was on livery on a working farm, the landowner used to encourage us to 'give em a bloody good gallop' bless him. I still ride on his fields even though I'm no longer a livery- and he still doesn't mind

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

Be careful, otherwise all you'll end up with twisted fetlocks and pulled tendons, or worse! Galloping across a stubble field is not like galloping across a grassy meadow.

The stubble fields near us are actually not suitable to gallop across. They are very uneven and rutted where the tractor wheels have been working them, and the ground in Bedfordshire is clay, meaning these fields are either as hard as concrete or a sticky as glue.

 

[Hippona]

Be careful, otherwise all you'll end up with twisted fetlocks and pulled tendons, or worse! Galloping across a stubble field is not like galloping across a grassy meadow.

The stubble fields near us are actually not suitable to gallop across. They are very uneven and rutted where the tractor wheels have been working them, and the ground in Bedfordshire is clay, meaning these fields are either as hard as concrete or a sticky as glue.

Get youself on a Yorkshire cornfield.....never had an injury in almost 30 years of riding on them

 

[teagreen]

Please always ask. You wouldn't like it if someone played in your back garden without asking, it's only polite to ask first. Most farmers will be very pleased that you bothered to ask and will let you, but you never know why you might not be able to, so it's always best (and safest) to ask first

 

[Laafet]

We have masses of stubble but the flippin gamekeepers are really anti horse so we are not allowed, as we might scare the partridges. Thing is we are all country people and as we ride along the road right next to the fields (with no hedge between, this is in Suffolk) so hence see little difference in being 1metre over. It is a peeve of mine really, we all need to support the countryside and we need to look out for each other, grumpy gamekeepers are not any good for the shooting fraternity. Especially since when my horse lived on a shooting estate we were allowed to ride anywhere as long as we didn't go out on shoot days.

 

[stencilface]

Get youself on a Yorkshire cornfield.....never had an injury in almost 30 years of riding on them

Me either!

 

[niagaraduval]

I have loads and loads round where I live and have never asked for permission ? I would never ride on crops though ever. I have never seen anyone around them either as they are behind all the bushes up a hill but I think you should ask before using them, I don't use them regularly but if ever I saw the farmer or anyone I would ask just to make sure and hey if he rants I would say it wasn't me and stop.

 

[soloequestrian]

I'm obviously very dull - I always ask. I also always walk (well, okay, trot or slow canter) along them first, before galloping. I did once almost come a cropper when a field that still looked like pristine stubble had been subsoiled so had really deep lines across it. Luckily we weren't going very fast and stopped in time.....

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

You should always ask. There could be grass seedlings undersown in the grain crop and Mr Farmer isnt going to be too pleased with you troddling it into the ground. Also if you are injured on his land, he's likely to be sued (everyone says they wouldnt but they mostly do when it gets to it, this is the biggest reason for them having to say no, which isnt their fault). And lastly, he may be getting income from payments for the species rich verges of the field, and can lose them if he allows horses on.

I know its tempting not to ask cos youre worried they might say no, and other people dont ask and just do it, but please do ask. If you were the farmer, you would expect that courtesy at least.

 

[Laafet]

I have found that farmers are less inclined to say yes now than they were 10 years ago, sad really.

 

[Coffee_Bean]

I put a post up similar to this last year. The general consesus was that its cheeky to ride there without asking for permission. So we went and asked the farmer and he told us of two we were allowed to ride round. Haven't asked this year as I don't have a horse!