BridlewaysBy Christine Hardaker
I usually start off with how the weather has affected us at the farm. I am constantly checking the weather forecasts to try to predict whether I need to take rugs off or put them back on, and whether to leave the horses out in the fields overnight or bring them in to save churning up the grazing too much. Traditionalists don’t usually have that problem because they tend to stick to a regime of once it gets to a certain date, they are turned out until the autumn or winter. A bit like some households get to a certain date and they turn their central heating off. Me being a chilly morsel cannot do without my heat and I’m too soft to make my horses do without their rugs if the weather turns chilly again or stay out in the pouring rain! Just as an exception to my softness though, I had to leave my horse out when it was pouring with rain as he was the last one to be stabled and he was fretting overnight, he wanted to be with his herd. My reluctance to leave him out overnight was because his leg has still not fully returned to its previous size since he developed cellulitis earlier this year and I was worried it might flare up again if he wasn’t comfortable enough to lie down and rest. I had to concede that he wasn’t getting the rest anyway, as he was stressed pacing up and down in the stable so would be happier out with his herd.The two large planning applications that have been submitted in our area, are Cote Farm and Simpson Green. Objectors are still campaigning against these developments because of the devastating effects this will have on the local infrastructure. I wrote about the actions being taken at Cote Farm last month and these are continuing, but there have also been over three hundred objections to the Simpson Green site.
The traffic is already a nightmare when trying to ride to bridleways further afield in Calverley, Woodlands and Esholt, as you have to negotiate Leeds Road from the Thackley area and Apperley Road is very busy and quite narrow so it would be much worse with an extra three hundred plus houses on Cote Farm and two hundred and seventy houses on the Simpson Green site, especially as the access to the development is onto Apperley Road! Although this is bad news for the area, if the developers do get permission to build, this could potentially be very good news for horse riders. The rights of way department are consulted about planning applications that involve a right of way, and there is one bordering the northern edge - namely Mitchell Lane.This right of way runs between Simpson Green farm and Mitchell Close and carries on downhill towards the canal where a long gone swing bridge took it over the canal onto the towpath. From there back towards Shipley and under the bridge is also part of the bridleway and it carries on down to the river, resumes at the other side of the river in Yorkshire Water land and crosses over to the long driveway through Esholt, called Coronation Avenue. It then takes a left turn past the Home Farm and then turns right up the blocked Gill Lane and continues up towards Emsleys Farm but takes a left turn before that and then crosses the main road to Guiseley, going behind the Woolpack to Henshaw Lane up to Yeadon. This would have been an old drovers track for driving animals to Otley market or there may have been one at Yeadon in the olden days.
Local groups have campaigned for more than twenty years for the whole length to be reopened and also the Bradford Rights of Way team have expressed in their comments to Planning Department that the developers should be required to open it up and pay for a new bridleway swing bridge across the canal as an access route to the countryside for the new development residents. Also they have suggested that a new bridleway be constructed across the new development from Mitchell Lane and exiting the site near the canal bridge on Apperley Road. This will also benefit the whole community as not only a link from Thackley to the canal but also for children to use as a safe route to local schools, and for cyclists to gain access to the canal to commute to work or for leisure. Not only have Rights of Way made this a strong suggestion, but it has also been endorsed by the Highways Department report and also the Transport Planning department report. This is really good news for horse riders as it will mean missing out the heavy traffic on Leeds Road and also Apperley Road, and we are one major step further to opening up the whole length of the old track leading through to Esholt. Of course the other major step is finding a way of getting across the river but there are other options in the pipeline waiting to be explored.Since I wrote last month, my mini mare has been passed on to another family with a smaller younger girl who is moving up from riding a Shetland, whom she has grown out of now. I know the family and they will be keeping her at our yard. She will have a good home with them and the little girl will be able to progress with her riding. The mare is so well behaved she is perfect for a child rider, probably off the lead rein too.
In her place comes a slightly bigger and definitely wider pony! He is an older gelding but I’ve been told has taught lots of children to ride over the years, and as a bonus is just big enough for my daughter to ride too. He is rather portly to say the least so has had to be muzzled all the time when in the field but at least he is able to socialise with the mini mare and move around to burn off more fat whilst being able to graze, albeit only getting a small amount at a time to help slim him down.
The grandkids have already had a few short riding lessons on him and he has behaved perfectly so hopefully they will learn to ride properly and they will be able to come down twice a week in the school holidays to gain more confidence.
The rider action group WHOA met again in the Baildon Golf Club house and we were updated with replies to letters sent out to MP’s who control funding for improving rights of way, and to Natural England. Unfortunately the replies were not very promising because of the recession cuts in general but we will keep pressing for help to get all our long lost tracks registered on the Definitive Map before the deadline, otherwise they will be changed to footpaths and will be lost to riders for ever!
We are always being told we shouldn’t be on the roads so we ought to be getting more funding to enable us to create more bridleways to get us off them.
If you have any horsey news or problems you need help with, contact me on: 07739708727 or
christinehardaker@supanet.com
