Stubble fields Question!?

teagreen said:
But if you haven't asked, how do you know that the field has not been seeded (we've just done one stubble field with rape,for example) or that there is not a hidden rough patch in the middle that you wouldn't notice until you were 10m away at a flat out gallop?
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Rightly or wrongly the Land Reform Act allows walkers, cyclists, riders etc access to land that has been sown provided they stay to the margins - see Chapter 2, section 7 (10) (b).

Also, I would never gallop in any field, stubble or otherwise, that I hadn't walked around and checked for safety first.
 
A lot of stubble fields our way are min tilled or direct drilled with next yrs crop so unless you knew this then yuo may well be riding on a sowed crop. ALWAYS ask before going on any land whether grass margins (NO NO anyway as farmers loos subsidies for this), unmarked tracks or fields. for all those who just ride on A) it gives us riders a bad name and upsets it for the rest of us and B) it is RUDE and you would not like farmer driving over your garden. IT is no different.
 
scribble said:
A lot of stubble fields our way are min tilled or direct drilled with next yrs crop so unless you knew this then yuo may well be riding on a sowed crop. ALWAYS ask before going on any land whether grass margins (NO NO anyway as farmers loos subsidies for this), unmarked tracks or fields. for all those who just ride on A) it gives us riders a bad name and upsets it for the rest of us and B) it is RUDE and you would not like farmer driving over your garden. IT is no different.
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Erm, the farmer driving over your garden argument doesn't hold water in Scotland - if you read the act, everyone's curtilage is respected.

Under Scots law, access is presumed and you do not require permission. The landowner is breaking the law if they prevent reasonable access. If you obey the law, whether land owner or user, then there should be no problems.

You may not like it, but the law is on the stubble bashers side - yeehah:D
 
teagreen said:
But if you haven't asked, how do you know that the field has not been seeded (we've just done one stubble field with rape,for example) or that there is not a hidden rough patch in the middle that you wouldn't notice until you were 10m away at a flat out gallop?
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as i said on page 2 rape is not good stubble to hack on, even with permission, unless you want to risk a punctured sole, the stalks are too stiff to be safe on the hoof and frog
 
Arabelle said:
Erm, the farmer driving over your garden argument doesn't hold water in Scotland - if you read the act, everyone's curtilage is respected.

Under Scots law, access is presumed and you do not require permission. The landowner is breaking the law if they prevent reasonable access. If you obey the law, whether land owner or user, then there should be no problems.

You may not like it, but the law is on the stubble bashers side - yeehah:D
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I see, so because it is the law, you dont care if you do damage to a farmers field? As long as your curtilage is ok, screw the field.

Yup, as I said, it is obvious you have never owned crop fields.
You give a bad name to horse riders... The act of being polite and asking for permission is clearly beyond you.
 
LivingTheDream92 said:
as i said on page 2 rape is not good stubble to hack on, even with permission, unless you want to risk a punctured sole, the stalks are too stiff to be safe on the hoof and frog
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She wasnt talking about rape stubble, she was talking about newly sown rape seed ON stubble.

Agree with you ref rape stubble. horrid stuff to walk on.
 
guido16 said:
I see, so because it is the law, you dont care if you do damage to a farmers field? As long as your curtilage is ok, screw the field.

Yup, as I said, it is obvious you have never owned crop fields.
You give a bad name to horse riders... The act of being polite and asking for permission is clearly beyond you.
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if you read the law it says as long as the ground is left undamaged, so no, as long as there is no damage she is not giving a bad name to other riders as long as she leaves it in the state she found it. sounds fair to me though obviously for those who dont like the law in reference to their own land it must be a shame they can do nothing about it, i can appreciate they need an option for their wn land, if they have no option its a bit unfair as they should have rights to their own land, but if they follow the law themselves then that can use it against those who use their land in a damaging way
 
Actually, YES she does give riders a bad name.

Whats wrong with being polite and asking?
How on earth do you know if the field is newly sown?

Seriously, how do you know?
 
as far as asking goes it is a shame that she doesnt, but as it is the law she isnt actually doing anything wrong, thats what i think she was saying.

of course i agree it is best to ask and the fields i ride on that are stubble, i dont ask but i am at livery on the farmers land so not tresspassing on anyone elses land, if the farmer has a field he doesnt want ridden on he will tell us.

as for how do you know, we dont unless we ask, that is the bad part, and why i agree you must ask, there was a tree across a hacking pass and we had to cut a foot into the newly sewn crop, and yes the crop hasnt grown in that patch so i understand the damage caused
 
yep, but unfortunately if the law says otherwise there is no grounding unless there is damage caused.

the law should state this unless there is reason for the farmer to need no access and so there would need to be contact with the land owner before use, if there is a reasonable need for the land to be closed then thats fair game for your own land i think! i'm suprised theres a law saying you have no right of way on your own property! but i can see how it benefits the hacker. though i definately agree a 5 min extra hack or walk to the farmers house to find out wouldnt go amiss :)
 
Wouldn't dream of entering a field, let alone walk, trot, canter or do any other such activity on or round it without express and recent permission. (I'm in England). You need to check for hazards and shut gates so if you do come off, it doesn't escalate from an unsheduled dismount to a loose-horse-on-the-road catastrophe.

Courtesy and common sense. IMO.
 
An apart from undersown crops, there is every chance that there may be shooters in the field just now. (who have payed the farmer!)

Stubble fields = pigeon shooters
 
I wouldn't ever ride through a farmers field without permission. However I have good hacking so I don't really need to worry, one hack which has about five fields with gates left open so we can have a good blast through. :p. Which reminds me, I must hack there soon :P. My opinion is, if you manage without hacking through stubble fields the rest of the year, why do you need to hack through them (without permission) when they are there? :)
 
We have permission to ride through the stubble fields surounding the yard, and I wouldn't ride anywhere that I 1) didn't have permission to and 2) hadn't checked thoroughly first.

But in response to Kandm's point, when the stubble fields are open they quadruple our hacking. So...yes, we manage for the rest of the year, but for good hacking that we don't have to box to or risk riding on a national speed limit road to reach, we wait til the stubble fields are open.

You are lucky to have such good hacking that you don't worry about misisng a bit more, but not everyone is in this situation.
 
Laafet said:
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.
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The best way to get a gamekeeper to say yes? Brandish a bottle of whiskey at him when you go to ask!!! works a treat!!!

if you stay a safe distance away from the hedges and edge of forestry the game will be fine anyway!!
 
CadfaelSportHorse said:
The best way to get a gamekeeper to say yes? Brandish a bottle of whiskey at him when you go to ask!!! works a treat!!!

if you stay a safe distance away from the hedges and edge of forestry the game will be fine anyway!!
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The problem for gamekeepers etc at the moment is all the young game is being put out and eating off the stubble as well as the feeders!

Dont suppose thundering hooves are going to help much!

As for a bottle of whiskey, a crate of beer works well also, just a bit tricky to carry if your riding!! :-)
 
well i'm in Scotland, and if there's a gate open, and a field is empty and good condition I will walk, trot and possibly canter steadily around the edge without permission (obv. all depending on the ground conditions)

but i would never dream of just bombing around without speaking to the farmer first, it's the bombing around which most of them object to!
 
guido16 said:
The problem for gamekeepers etc at the moment is all the young game is being put out and eating off the stubble as well as the feeders!

Dont suppose thundering hooves are going to help much!

As for a bottle of whiskey, a crate of beer works well also, just a bit tricky to carry if your riding!! :-)
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agreed, but if that was the case i ould ask where they had released them, promise to stay away from that area, and just be steady around the rest.

better a steady trot or canter around a field than not at all

also helps i used to beat a lot for the local shoot, and know a fair few of said gamekeepers i suppose!!
 
You probably know folks I do. My OH has a shooting business and I forever have to hear about inconsiderate horse riders!! :-(

I suppose I just realise whilst they are trying to make a living out of it, riders just want a jolly canter etc

As you say, if people just ASK, there shouldnt be a problem. Plus with shooters out on the stubble,hiding in bushes, its for the riders safety!!
 
guido16 said:
You probably know folks I do. My OH has a shooting business and I forever have to hear about inconsiderate horse riders!! :-(

I suppose I just realise whilst they are trying to make a living out of it, riders just want a jolly canter etc

As you say, if people just ASK, there shouldnt be a problem. Plus with shooters out on the stubble,hiding in bushes, its for the riders safety!!
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ooh!!! i was talking about back home in north wales,

I don't suppose your OH knows of any shoots around aberdeen who would appreciate a beater this season? i don't have a dog yet, but i will do soonish, and am good with cover and a stick!!
 
We are allowed to ride the stubble fields, that are owned by the YO. I wouldn't ride on anyone elses land without permission. In my younger days i probably would have, but im too old for all that now. If im in doubt i keep out. I always ride where the tractors been (never across the ruts, because im scared of my boy tripping), Never ride in rape or maize fields and i always have a walk round first to check for holes etc.
 
As far as I see it the stubble fields are part of a persons income therefore regardless of what the law says it would only be right to ask first as it is possible damage can be done. To go galloping around in fields without asking shows that individual as being ignorant and selfish with no regard for the landowners right to make a living. I am not a landowner or farmer so I do not know what damage I could be doing by galloping around a field therefore I don't do it.

I love the fact in Scotland we can pretty much go anywhere and do whatever we like but this has to be within reason and done responsibly, laws can be changed after all and it would be a shame to lose this right due to the stupidity of others. Just look at Loch Lomond, I think they are banning or going to try banning wild camping from certain areas due to the mess campers are leaving behind, what if something similar happens for horse riders due to the inconsiderate few?

And I totally agree with the safety aspect, these fields aren't maintained with horse welfare in mind after all so check out the field first.
 
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