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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have confronted these horse riders and report to council

94 replies

Hottesttrikeintown · 17/04/2021 08:36

My dad lives in a seafront house. There’s a row of housing, a road, a grass walkway (the green) and then the beach. He is mobility impaired and uses a scooter or wheelchair

The green has a big sign saying (amongst other things) no horseriding. That’s been the case since he’s been there (about 7 years) and presumably before.

There are always people riding across the green to get to the beach. Not just to cut through but right the way along (about a mile)

I’m pretty live and let live and not generally one to report petty violations however anyone who lives near a riding spot will know that it churns up the ground and makes it muddy. This has meant that the green is often pretty much impassable for my dad on his scooter (and presumably others). There’s also a lot of horse shit.

Yesterday a woman was riding on it with her daughter and literally went directly past the sign saying no riding. I don’t like confrontation but care about my dad’s enjoyment of his home so said (politely) that the green is no horseriding and she may not be aware of the impact on disabled residents etc.

She screamed at me that she’d been riding here for 20 years so has a right too and it didn’t affect the ground (to be fair it didn’t today as it’s been so dry but it’s a cumulative effect of loads of riders). I said I’d report her to the council as we’re sick of it and she responded saying if I reported her I’d be putting her daughter’s life at risk as she’d have to ride on the road to get to the beach.

I just left it as I was annoyingly getting tearful (as I said I have a real thing about hating confrontation - it makes me cry for some reason) but I did report to council.

Wibu?

OP posts:
justanotherneighinparadise · 17/04/2021 10:06

I have no skin in this game but I’m interested as to what impact horses have on the green as to warrant a no access sign? Is it just the horse poo (which back in the day would have been extremely desirable for gardeners) or is it t the chopping up of the ground or potential for danger of pedestrians? I’m intrigued.

Haberdasheryhen · 17/04/2021 10:09

As a horse owner and rider, you were right and she was wrong. She should not have shouted at you or ridden where it is restricted. The rights of your disabled df definitely come first in this situation.

Having said all of that, riding routes are getting increasingly rare and it's scary on the roads with a horse. No one rides on roads unless they absolutely have to. This is definitely a situation where the council, the riders and the residents should come together and sort out a solution that meets everyone's needs. Could you perhaps start proceedings of op?

Alsohuman · 17/04/2021 10:09

@fuzzyduck1

Horse owners have to pick up there poo from their stables and their paddocks but the6 are quite happy to let their horses poo all over public areas. That’s my pet hate. Report them
What public areas? Country lanes? The occupants of a newly built housing estate here started creating about horse shit and demanding it was picked up. The entire community pointed out that they live in the country now and they need to take the bad with the good. Some people won’t be happy until the whole planet is sanitised.
Haberdasheryhen · 17/04/2021 10:09

off not of

m00rfarm · 17/04/2021 10:10

I usually am on the side of the horse riders but in this instance it is not acceptable that they are using a piece of land where they are specifically excluded. Horse riding, and riding on a beach, is a privilege not a right. And if her daughter is not capable of riding another route then really she should not be allowed to ride on the beach as she is clearly not in sufficient control of her pony. It would be useful perhaps to put a tarmac path (or similar) across the green to ensure that wheelchair and mobility scooter users can always get across, irrespective of the weather. Please take this further.

Alsohuman · 17/04/2021 10:11

Oh and the only reason horseshit is picked up in paddocks is to relocate it to be used as fertiliser. They even sell it round here.

Horehound · 17/04/2021 10:13

The woman is stupid. She doesn't have to get her daughter to ride on the road to beach, they don't have to take the horse to the beach at all!

AnnaBegins · 17/04/2021 10:13

There's a similar green near us (though nowhere near a beach) which is also no horses allowed - we simply don't ride on it, instead we use the roads as per the highway code.

There is no excuse for poor behaviour from horse riders but sadly it is commonplace and gives the rest of us a bad name.

Apologies OP, you were polite and she was being defensive.

SoupDragon · 17/04/2021 10:14

Horses = vegetarian = poo harmless.

This is completely irrelevant as the horses should not have been on the green in the first place. Harmless or not, there shouldn't be piles of horse shit left on a green space they had no business being on in the first place.

Haberdasheryhen · 17/04/2021 10:14

@Alsohuman

Oh and the only reason horseshit is picked up in paddocks is to relocate it to be used as fertiliser. They even sell it round here.
Generally, fields are poo-picked to avoid the spread of worm eggs.
Jaxhog · 17/04/2021 10:19

You did right to report it. If horse riders object to being banned from riding there, they should talk to the council, not ignore the rules.

Panticus · 17/04/2021 10:26

@justanotherneighinparadise

I have no skin in this game but I’m interested as to what impact horses have on the green as to warrant a no access sign? Is it just the horse poo (which back in the day would have been extremely desirable for gardeners) or is it t the chopping up of the ground or potential for danger of pedestrians? I’m intrigued.
In my experience, horse poo is generally only desirable once it has decomposted. It can spread weeds and is also obviously unpleasant for pedestrians who might step in it.

Horses are also VERY hard on the ground, particularly if they are shod. They compact the earth and will also tear it up if soft.

I'd also say that they can be quite dangerous to the public - even the quietest horse can take fright at someone coming up behind them unexpectedly etc and kick out. Lots of people (understandably) have no horse sense, and can inadvertently put themselves in dangerous situations vis a vis the horse.

I've owned horses all my life and that's my opinion - I'm sure others may disagree.

peak2021 · 17/04/2021 10:27

There should be a proper bridle path, not horse riders or anyone else taking the law into their own hands. So yes you should report to the council, and saying how about a bridle path.

The ideal would be for motorists to treat horses and riders with respect, but as we have a culture where having a driving licence is seen as a right not a privilege that will not change soon.

Lineofconcepcion · 17/04/2021 10:48

@FlamingoQueen

I didn’t think horse poo was harmless. Am sure if the horse is given a certain type of worming treatment and a dog ate their poo (gross I know - you haven’t met my dog!!) then it could seriously harm the dog.
I think you have a dog problem.

Huge swathes of paddocks, bridleways and footpaths are being lost in England due to building works. Even where bridleways are retained they are urbanised and you end up dodging kids and cyclists.

It really isn't a big deal for a horse to cut over a green. And with due respect to the author, if the ground is that wet they leave divots, a mobility scooter is going to have issues using it.

Having said that, it's very cheeky riding where there is clear instruction not to. I suspect the rider was trying to avoid the road, it's very unpleasant sometimes.

ChristmasTreeInJune · 17/04/2021 10:50

YANBU. From your diagram, it looks like they could have cut across along the side to get to the beach. Instead, they used the green as a riding ground. I think if she only cared about the access to the beach, she’d have been more mindful of other users of the green.

I’ve seen this type of response before and found it pretty shocking. Surely disabled people do not have a choice whether or not to use their mobility aid, and others should be mindful of that.

Maggiesfarm · 17/04/2021 10:52

Bigger signs are needed, tell the council. I don't know if they will do anything though.

Aussieadopter · 17/04/2021 10:55

Hammer a few stakes in the ground with something shiny and twisty tied on it that catches in the wind. Most riders might not come through for the risk of their horses spooking.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 17/04/2021 10:59

@ThisIsSylviaDaisyPouncer

I think a lot of posters are missing the point here. Riders choose to ride. People in mobility scooters do not choose to use mobility scooters, they have to use them to leave the house. Of course scooters should have priority. YANBU OP and I’m sorry this rider upset you when you were just looking out for your dad.
This.
Twirl96 · 17/04/2021 11:03

As a rider myself I wouldn’t be riding where I wasn’t allowed. However. It’s possible I may have ridden in places I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to go! Take it with a pinch of salt and next time just report them instead of confronting them as 9 times out of 10 it will result in arguing!

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 17/04/2021 11:05

I do think you are in the right, but I hope you always behave 100% perfectly when you pass horses on the road, OP.

It is getting increasingly scary to ride on the roads, and this is not about competence of the rider/training of the horse, but about drivers who will treat horses with absolutely no care, drive dangerously and often break the highway code. It is only a small minority, but it only takes one to cause a really serious accident.

I do get that droppings are an issue (and riders should not really be on pavements anyway) but it is not really practical/possible to stop during a ride and bag up droppings and remove them. A lot of people will go back and remove it at a later time if their horse has pooed somewhere really inconvenient.

Obviously choosing to ride is a choice, but the equestrian industry is really important for a lot of rural economies. A lot of people wouldn't ride/keep horses if they had nowhere safe to hack out, and that would have a knock on impact on others losing their income.

FWIW, her response was really rude, and she obviously knew she was in the wrong. Personally, I wouldn't report, but I can understand why you might.

Personally, if rode in the local area, I might try to campaign for one permitted route across the grass for horses.

TustedFormula · 17/04/2021 11:05

I don't know if the rules for disability scooters are different, but generally if there's no horse riding there's also no wheels (bikes etc)

SoupDragon · 17/04/2021 11:05

It really isn't a big deal for a horse to cut over a green

Rubbish. Horse riding is prohibited on the green, it's quite simple. It doesn't matter if the road is "unpleasant" as you call it - that is the horse riders' problem to sort out, it doesn't give them the right to ride where it is prohibited. If they want somewhere to ride they need to campaign for it, not ruin spaces where they shouldn't be.

Regardless, they rent just cutting over it, they are riding all the way along it. There are always people riding across the green to get to the beach. Not just to cut through but right the way along (about a mile)

Multiple horses churn up the mud, leaving the ground in a terrible state. It is completely different to an occasional mobility scooter going across.

SoupDragon · 17/04/2021 11:06

@TustedFormula

I don't know if the rules for disability scooters are different, but generally if there's no horse riding there's also no wheels (bikes etc)
You can't really ban disability aids as it would be discriminatory. Guide/assistance dogs are allowed where ordinary dogs are not for example.
LakieLady · 17/04/2021 11:08

@NVision

Horseriders are very selfish. Why isn't there an expectation of them to take a bin bag and a shovel instead of leaving massive piles of poo on the road to get spattered up peoples cars?
We have horses coming down our road on a daily basis.

I'm delighted when they leave a massive pile of poo - I'm straight out there with bucket and trowel and add it to the compost bin, where it rots down beautifully. I have very productive compost!

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