On a scale of one to ten...

[Wally]

I wouldn't ride or drive my horse on a footpath by the side of the road, or on a public foot path. As Old Woman says, there are a lot of folk who are terrified by horses and although a horse poo to us is a joy to behold a lot of folk find them disgusting It just adds bad feeling towards the riding community.

You cannot use a foot path if you are leading your horse either I am afraid.

The tourist board approached me to take tourist in a horse and cart up and down the main street....which is a pedestrian area, no cars allowed after 11am. So therefore I am not allowed to take a horse drawn vehicle on to the street either, yet they were prepared to endorse it......

 

[old_woman]

I understood that you can use a footpath if you are LEADING your horse - please feel free to correct me if I am wrong

Please consider yourself corrected.

if you lived in Switzerland you could - or so I am told by Swiss friends - indeed use footpaths as long as it is dry weather, you dismount and give way to real walkers, but in England and Wales you can't, as a horse is not considered a natural accompaniment to a pedestrian.

Neither is a bicycle, and strictly speaking a cyclist should CARRY his bike, not even push it, if using a public footpath.