Bridleways - what can I do?

[greyhorse]

I ride on bridleways around me quite a lot, and feel a little guilty that I don't do more to support them. Other countries that I have lived in have nothing near the off-road riding that there is in the UK, and it is incredible how much good bridleways enhance the 'quality of horsey life'. Anyone know how to get involved, or where to volunteer?

[alisonbridge]

The BHS has an Access department that looks after bridleways, and might be happy with offers of help - www.bhs.org. They can put you in touch with your local bridleways officer, and you can also download a guide to setting up a Bridleways Group. Personally, when bridleways near me get overgrown, I either snap branches to clear 'em, or have been know to take secatuers. An alternative is to let your horse eat his way through, thouyh that can make for disobedient hacking if you do it too often!

[horse_girl]

I know what you mean, it's really annoying when you're doing a loop and then you have to turn around and go all the way back because you can't get down the overgrown paths. I once did a loop and about 200 yards from home found that someone had thrown a huge log onto the path in front of me - it was too big for my pony to jump and I couldn't clear it out of the way on my own, so had to completely retrace my path.... I was so annoyed, and so was my poor tired pony! I wish other people who want to jump things out on hacks would make sure there was another way round, we don't all want to be - or ever hope to be! - william fox-pitt or ellen whitaker

[Harriet]

Local councils are supposed to be responsible for bridleways, footpaths etc. We pay our council tax - let's get something for it!

[Kaliska]

Local councils are meant to be in control - I'm totally fed up of going down bridleways to find abandoned or burnt out vehicles. t used to happen a lot when my horse was stabled elsewhere and they often blocked the entire track.

Overgrown paths are annoying as well - and its not just bridleways - I live next to a footpath that leads to my horses field and thats so overgrown that no-one can venture down there!

Instead I have to walk down the road which is narrow and pot-holed and twice the distance!

[angel annie]

i have the same problem , where i live there is one bridle path!! and it is almost unrideable in the summer due to overgrowth but no one seems to want to admit resonsibily, may we should form our own bridle path society!! it really annoys me when we have such limited places to ride our horses , but what can we do ?? i wonder if going to my local mp would be useful??