On a scale of one to ten...

X

x-Marmite-x

.
Sep 14, 2007
4,550
0
0
How naughty is it to ride on a footpath :eek::p? (don't worry i haven't myself, was just wondering about it yesterday!) Round my way the paths (through fields owned by council and rented to farmers i believe) are designated footpaths but just about everyone who uses them cycles on them too ;) - i have cycled along them all my life and no one has ever questioned it - and if i go out walking then i'm just as likely to meet a cyclist as i am a walker. But due to a lack of yards about you never see horses out and about - either on the footpaths or on the few bridleways we have. So how illegal is it to ride on them? I never think twice about cycling on them :eek: - i know i should and i can't really use the 'everyone else does it!' excuse - but just wondering how frowned upon it is, as i can imagine there would be certain people round my way who would have a fit if they saw a rider on the paths, but no one that i've ever known/heard of has ever had any issue with the bikes being used. Any thoughts - does anyone ride on footpaths?


(ETA: 4000th post :eek:! I need to get out more :p:D!)
 
I've cycled on footpaths for years but most of them weren't really wide enough for a horse even if i did have a horse to ride - plus its illegal anyway so I just wouldn't consider doing it.
 
I wasn't going to :D (don't have a horse to take out even if i wanted to :p!) - just wondered - so why is it 'OK' to cycle on them but not to ride :confused: - or am i just asking too vague a question there :p?
 
it is pretty naughty. We ride down one footpath . We found a new bridleway out hacking (sign and everything) so nipped down it. had a pretty good blast down the side of a field. when we go off the other end the sing said footpath :confused:

Turns out they changed it to a footpath but didn't change both signs. They still havn't changed the sign so we still ride down it (but only from that end) never seen a walker but should we come across one we would always give way to them and not just go haring past
 
I've ridden on a footpath once!

While we were out hacking there was a car crash and someone unfortunatley died. They closed the road. The only option (other than to wait numerous hours for the road to be opened) was to ride down a footpath, so thats what we did. Only problem was we had to jump the stile at each end :eek: luckily they were tiny :D
 
I must admit I have riden and still do ride on foot paths when roads are very busy and there are no people walking on them simply because the drivers down by me have no clue! I know you shouldn't and 95% of the time I don't but there are no speed limits on alot of the roads I HAVE to go down to hack and it is an urban area we keep our horses and most of our drivers don't understand. In fact I have been over taken at high a speed by a driving instructor!
 
My old horse was kept on a foot path and I used to ride on it all the time so did loads of others, nobody minded actually they seemed to enjoy watching and stopping for a chat :D
 
Footpaths can run through fields, learningcurve, so the public has right of way and can walk through. :)

Okay, on one to ten, how naughty across a golf course? >=)

Muha, no, but they look so pristine, I just want to go crazy with a machete. But then I'm a crazy person ;)
 
We ride on one "proper" footpath - it is the quickest way into the village (literally 4 horses length over a bridge) else we have to go onto the main road...which I'm not prepared to do. However the foot path is so short I don't really count it.

Then we have one footpath on the farm they are kept on so we get to ride on that :D
 
Was looking this upu not so long ago actually to ses exactly where we stand, as to get to our only bridleway round here we have to ride down a public footpath :confused: now...i ask you ha ha...

It is not technically illegal it is more a case of a civil torte than a criminal offence...

It is considered a wrong against the landowner ie tresspass however and can move to a criminal offence if

A) we damage the land the footpath runs down ..then it is criminal damage
or
B) we obstruct the right of way of walkers or others entitled to use the path as we are then causing a public nuisance (sp?)
so a section 5 i think
???? been hunting for the link where I found this , something to do with public rights of way anyway :)
 
Hmm, i have ridden like, twice, on a footpath which the land owner said we could use for riding, so i think thats okay?
However, given i have a footpath running through my fields, id be really annoyed if people started riding through them, I do lead my ponies in hand on footpaths though, the shetlands only on the enclosed ones, and they arent much bigger than dogs so i dont think they count, and the bigger ones on big footpaths.
 
If you have permission from the landowner, that's a different matter - but you should give way to walkers and not rough up the surface for them.

However, even if the Shettie is a mini and smaller than a large dog, you are still not legally entitled to take it on a public path which holds the status of footpath, without the landowner's specific permission, and neither are you legally allowed to lead any horse along it, no matter how wide or how carefully you go. The only 'natural accompaniments' of a pedestrian using a public footpath have been defined as a dog, a perambulator and a wheelchair. Even cyclists are not really allowed to push their bikes - they should apparently, to be totally within the law, carry them and not let them touch the ground.

The thing is, is that if we are seen randomly using footpaths without permission, why should we then have any right to complain when motorbikes and 4WDs use bridleways?

Of course this is English and Welsh law- the laws elsewhere vary.
 
I never do unless needed, ie because of cars/bikes!
Although at my old yard i could hack home and had to ride up the path through two cuts to get to my house, although i know everyone there anyway and they didnt mind and the kids would stop and stroke him etc. Either that or hit a busy road and with some drivers these days id rather not!
 
I ride on a footpath when:

The horses are slipping whilst walking down the bridge,

Im riding round a corner and I feel worried that I'm going to be hit.

But I agree with the golf course xD
Just go crazy on a 5 tonne horse xD
 
On the farm we livery at we have permission from the farmer to use the field alongside the footpath (which means on the headland which IS the footpath in reality........... and he has left us another headland to get out onto the road near the neighbouring liveries indoor school........ which isn't a footpath, but links to them as a short cut home. Bless him.

As for the golf course. When my youngest took her last tumble her horse disappeared top speed across the golf course - including a green .......... they were very lovely, but it was on the understanding that the horse and rider had parted company. The road home went right through the middle - the horse took the 'crow flies' approach............... They were nice, but I wouldn't want to push it - golfers can be pretty precious.
 
Befff* said:
I ride on a footpath when:

The horses are slipping whilst walking down the bridge,

Im riding round a corner and I feel worried that I'm going to be hit.

But I agree with the golf course xD
Just go crazy on a 5 tonne horse xD
Click to expand...

A 5 tonne horse? Eep, what're you feeding?! :eek: :p

(I think the OP meant a footpath, not a pavement for pedestrians ;))
 
In the woods local to us there r loads of great bridleways and u can ride round them for hours as they all link without using the footpaths. However where some people did use the footpaths and churned them up they now have kissing gates at each end on ALL the footpaths to stop riders!

Must add i did ride along one a few times but not often
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back