Bridleways
By Christine Hardaker
The weather has been up and down since the last Trumpit. We had a heat wave so the horses were able to go out naked! It’s lovely to get their rugs off after a long winter and let them have a good roll to dislodge their dead winter coat and then give them a good groom to get out as much hair as you can. It must feel great for them to be free and unrestricted, to feel the sunshine and breeze on their backs. But then it was back to the rain and the cold wind, and rugs back on. At least we are on the up and heading for the summer.
Whilst talking about the proposed new developments at Cote Farm, and also the problem with the dangerous bikers causing a nuisance around the area, the subject of the horse stile on High Busy Lane bridleway came up. Unfortunately a barrier had to be put up to try to deter the bikers. The Rights of Way department contacted me to ask my opinion as the British Horse Society representative for Bradford. I know the BHS policy is to have as few barriers as possible along a bridleway, but if it is really necessary because of unauthorised motorised use, then a horse stile is the preferred option. Someone said though that some bikes were able to get through and so I informed the Rights of Way department and they said they would do their best to come up with a solution that allows legitimate users through but to block the bikers, apparently it is a delicate balance between the two.
Some riders had reported that the bikers had been trying to scare the horses by revving up their motors when they pass, they wouldn’t feel so clever if someone ended up in hospital because of them! Only this week there has been a news report of a lady in a critical condition in hospital because some young boys thought it was funny to throw stones at her horse. Unfortunately, the horse bolted, she was thrown off and badly injured. Kids you might think they wouldn’t understand the consequences of their actions but adults should be well aware of what could and does happen when they are just “having a lark”.
One of the spin offs of the Birkhill Battle is that the LibDems, along with Friends of Buck Woods and council departments, were looking into some more tracks in and around Buck Woods. The rights of way department sent me a map with some proposed routes after they had walked them together (I wasn’t invited to walk with them mind you!), to ask my opinion but left it that it would cost money to create these new tracks, so they were going off to try to find some. Don’t hold your breath again.
One of the proposed routes entered the woods opposite Birk hill and continued down to where the open air school was and turns left there and emerges at the end of Thackley Road where the permissive bridleway begins, therefore (they said) creating an off road route between Thackley and Ainsbury Avenue. I had asked at the time why the barrier opposite Birk Hill Livery couldn’t just be lifted so we could resume riding down that track to join the bridleway lower down the woods, but I didn’t get a response at the time. So I asked the question again, why couldn’t the barrier be lifted, this wouldn’t cost a penny and would still give us the off road track. I received another noncommittal reply not mentioning my proposal so I had to write again, why could it not be opened?
I seem to remember some years ago before the Friends of Buck Woods was formed there was a letter in this Trumpit complaining that kids were pulling trees down and using them as jumps! Now anyone walking in the woods today and in those times would always come across fallen or felled saplings where the council had done some thinning out, but I doubted very much that anyone had pulled any trees down. As for jumping their ponies over them, well this is something I enjoyed doing when I was a girl, pretending we were at Badminton cross country. It was harmless fun and provided many hours of happy memories for me and my horsey friends. I remember writing back to say it was a harmless pastime for kids, better than them hanging around on street corners or worse still riding motor bikes through the woods. Also, I became involved with rights of way and bridleways groups when I used to find fallen trees and barriers constructed of saplings placed across the tracks we used. One day as I was riding on a fairly densely wooded track, one had been placed just at rider head height which I didn’t see until it nearly hit me in the face and as I managed to duck under it, it fell onto my horses back and startled him! This had been one of many such obstacles I had come across in the woods and rang the council to make a complaint that someone was going to get hurt if they didn’t investigate who was building these barriers. I am told that the barrier building is still happening to this day so obviously it has nothing to do with horse riders, so there shouldn’t be any reason to not allow riders to use the tracks again. I realise this may not be popular with a few people but I always found that the vast majority of people I met out on rides were happy and genuinely pleased to see a horse, and those that ride out now tell me it is still the same today. The most risk whilst out riding these days is from drivers who seem to be more impatient having to wait behind us when we are forced to use the roads to get to safer tracks. I will be pursuing this more this month.
The grandchildren are getting more confident and loving riding the new pony. He has turned out a brilliant pony for them, seeming to know they are nervous and so being very patient when being asked to go round and round in boring circles whilst they bobble about on his back. I’ve always tried to get them interested whilst they are young but the boys have lost interest as they got older and I didn’t see so much of them but at the moment I have four of the girls and one four year old boy very keen to have regular weekly lessons after school! It’s going to be a busy summer for me and the pony! As usual if you have any horsey comments call or e-mail me.christinehardaker@supanet.com
or mobile 07739708727
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