Are horses and carts legally allowed on bridleway?

[hackedoff]

The question's in the title! :D

[hackedoff]

aw c'mon! 30 views and no-one knows? Am involved in a bit of a wrangle over this so need to know!!!!

[Casey76]

Hmm. Not sure. I know that motorised vehicles are not allowed on bridleways, but not sure about wheeled vehicles - though I know of plenty of bikers who use bridleways all the time.

thinking about it, I don't know of any bridleways (mainly in the NE Englisnd) which would be suitable to take a pony and trap on anyway - too narrow, overgrown, full of fly-tpped rubbish etc :confused:

[Casey76]

Ah ha!

Rights: What are my rights on a footpath or bridleway ?

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A public footpath can be used on foot only. A bridleway can be used on foot, or leading or riding a horse. Bridleways can also be used by cyclists, although they must give way to walkers and horse riders. There is no right to drive a horse-drawn vehicle on a bridleway.

Byways (or BOATs – Byways Open to All Traffic) and minor county roads may be used by all classes of vehicle. However, unsurfaced highways may not always be suitable for the average family saloon!

Public footpaths and bridleways are public rights of way which cross land which is usually in private ownership. As such, a landowner may give permission to, for example, drive a vehicle on a footpath. However, anyone exercising such permission must do so with due regard to the other users of the highway. Access without consent is against the law.

from http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/corporate/faqdb.nsf/By+Department/B112C7CF5B5C13F180256B9C0042E0BB

[artemis]

Bidleways & BOAT's are both supposed to be wide enough for a horse & cart, but can easily get overgrown. They must have changed the law if carts are not allowed on bridleways now - they used to be.

[Wally]

Strictly speaking you are not supposed to take carts on bridleways. It has been the case for many years in Worcs. anyway.

One land owner who had a bridle way on his farm tracks was a very kind man and gave me the keys to the gates so I could drive down the tracks......however I had his permission to drive down his private tracks which were also bridleways! ...so not sure legally where we stood there. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[hackedoff]

an interesting one isnt it? My driving instructor always uses the bridleway near his farm with a dirty great 8-seater and two Suffolk Punches!!! I am currently trying to get the local authority to do something about the appauling state of my local bridleway and citing my difficulties as a driver so oops may have slipped up there.
Does seem mad though that bikes are allowed but ikkle ponies and traps not!!!

[Wally]

Nowadays things may well be different, afterall they keep carping on about riders being on the roads in the first place, so you'd think they'd do something to encourage more rider off the road.

Good heavens, do you think for one moment any of us woud venture out on the road if we had 100's of miles of trackways off road open to us??

There has been a recent debacle in Lerwick, councillors have been whinging about horse poo on the road! but the thing is there is a field set out for use of the riding club and you have to ride in the middle of Lerwick to get there, round an island right outside Safeway. ONe councillor asked "what are horses doing in Lerwick anyway" to which it was pointed out that horses have not been banned by act of parliament.......yet!

[artemis]

OMG Wally I hope that you havn't given this Government another anti horse, anti rural idea to legislate about! :rolleyes:

[jinglejoys]

Department of the
Elimination or
Free
Range
Agriculture
:D

[artemis]

Department for the
Extermination of
Farming and
Rural
Activities
:D :D :eek:

[sidesaddlelady1]

The question's in the title! :D

DDefinition from the LARA site -
"Bridleway: A Route legally available for walkers, horse riders, and bicycles. A definitive bridleway may also have vehicular rights."

You need to contact your local bridleway group or local authority (but make sure you are talking to someone who actually knows what they are talking about) to ask about specific bridleways.

[Laetitia]

SSHH if it's wide enough I drive on it. L

[claire hodgson]

just read this thread.

as posted by Casey - can't drive on a bridlepath.

[jinglejoys]

Laetitia-have you been talking to Simon?:D ;)

http://www.saddlechariot.com/

[galadriel]

http://www.saddlechariot.com/

How very intriguing!

[Esther.D]

Technically no you can't, unless it is under the other category (which I have forgotten) which has some vehicular access as mentioned above. In fact yes I have driven up bridleways and footpaths so long as they are nice wide tracks where I am not doing any damage.

[Wally]

I would be very, very wary indeed about driving a saddle chariot on the raod, you cannot carry a passenger and in the event of an incident you may come unstuck bigtime. Esther will maybe agree, the groom is your lifesaver on the road.

[Esther.D]

I would say that the groom is a lifesaver on OR off the road, having had my worst accident off road! However admittedly with the saddle chariot the off-road stuff would be arguably slightly safer than a conventional vehicle as you can step off so easily. Would not drive on the road without a groom, full stop, so yep I agree with Wally.

[Daffy Dilly]

Blimey that doesn't look too safe. But I bet it's fun;)

[saddlechariot]

Have a look at it in action.
http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=083084C09F8904D5
One driver has a couple of hours experience, one has cerebral palsy, one has a minutes experience, they are all having fun. See if you can guess which is which.
Simon
oh and one is towing a groom but doesn't look terribly safe.

http://static.flickr.com/26/66003308_277ff7f0c2_o.jpg

[Wally]

Yup, look amazing fun, but if it came down to a legal battle and lawyers get involved and "expert witnesses" I know you'd be taken to the cleaners!

Cantering on a grass verge next to the highway in the UK is not an option in harness.

These days on the public highway in the UK you need all you're "I"s dotted and all the "T"'s crossed. Driving without a groom on the road would be seen in a very dim light should it come before a court judge.

Also a minor driving on the road without a hard hat is, in Scotland, an offence under law. You have to be 14 to take the reins on the road.

I am also a bit bemused at the new fashion of wearing your riding hat tucked under your arm, Mary Queen of Scots would be proud!