To have confronted these horse riders and report to council

[Hottesttrikeintown]

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?

I'm a horse rider. YWNBU. Those horse riders who seem to believe they have a God given right to ride wherever they please, regardless of permission, are a huge pain, not just for those they inconvenience, but those of us who ride and do abide by the rules. We all know at least one. The ones who take every open gateway as an invitation for a gallop, regardless of whether the farmer has given permission, the ones who ride up footpaths, the ones who give the rest of us a bad name, basically. They're a menace and I wish more people would report them. They're a huge part of the reason why a lot of people are hostile to all horse riders, which often translates into not slowing down for them in cars, not stopping mowers when a horse is obviously spooked etc., thereby putting the rest of us into potential danger.

OP's bit of disputed high demand access land?

Seems like a long standing issue in local politics.

YANBU. I would confront and report each and every time.

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!

Glad it's to just me!

DH keeps telling me I spoil that compost heap . I say if you aren't prepared to give it a treat every now and then, you shouldn't have one.

ANd I agree with toast - there are some horse riders who are a menace - they gallop in our local nature park around winding paths through trees where they can't see what is around the next bend - I've more than one almost had a dog trampled and been knocked over myself. There are people in wheelchairs, mothers with small children - all of these are very vulnerable, but these girls(it's invariably girls) just don't give a damn.

I will say that most of the riders are lovely - they keep their horses to a sensible pace and to one side of the path, and I keep my dogs to the other, and we thank one another, but one day there will be a serious incident - I just hope I'm not involved in it.

I supposed horsey people are like any other groups - some are just entitled arseholes.

*not just me

@HikeForward
Are you positive there’s no bridle path and she’d just strayed off it?
Ruddy great sign that says No Horses regardless of anything else

Could she and her daughter have been lost or following a trail hunt? (Many hunts go off the trail as the horses follow hounds and can be unstoppable).
If your horse is unstoppable then you are not in proper control of it and should be nowhere near a public place or a road with it. You are being a danger to others and to yourself.

If the riders are riding somewhere they shouldn't be it needs to be reported and is becoming a nuisance. Especially as it impacts your Dad. Get in touch with a local council. And I agree with contacting the disability team as its preventing a disabled person getting out and about which is against the law.

To respond to a couple of points I don’t drive but would like to think I’d respond well to horses on the road if I did. I walk a lot and if I see horses in the distance I immediately recall my dog and put him on the lead on the inside (he comes straight back to me when he sees them approach now and he’s on lead on bridleways and fields with any animals anyway).

I have no issue with horse mess on country roads or bridleways (though similarly to pp had to train my dog not to eat it!)

I had no idea it was an ongoing issue as I don’t live here so not embroiled in local politics. I just care about my dad!

Finally they can get to the beach without going up and down the green and I don’t think anyone would have an issue if they just cut through it (albeit it’s still not allowed)

@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)

Of course disability scooters are different. The whole point of them is to give people with disabilities as much access as possible, so they are allowed anywhere that people are allowed on foot.

There are still plenty of places that are inaccessible for them, but the principle remains.

Can't believe people can really see it from her side tbh. No one chooses to be disabled. I love riding but I wouldn't do it at the expense of other people that are disabled not being able to get around. Bonkers!

@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.

So otherwise they'd just leave it till it is so deep you can't use the paddock. Delightful.

YANBU, OP. I can’t believe people are squabbling about it, tbh.

So otherwise they'd just leave it till it is so deep you can't use the paddock. Delightful.

It rots down very quickly. There’s a field I walk past every day with three horses in it. No shit collection ever happens and it’s got the lushest grass for miles.

YANBU at all.

@Alsohuman

So otherwise they'd just leave it till it is so deep you can't use the paddock. Delightful.

It rots down very quickly. There’s a field I walk past every day with three horses in it. No shit collection ever happens and it’s got the lushest grass for miles.

It will also have horse shit in it.

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.
How ridiculous! She could walk to the beach or cycle instead.

It will also have horse shit in it.

And your point is?

You are right and I'm a horse rider. She shouldn't be taking a horse over somewhere where it says no horses. She will be fine on the road for a short time, especially with her on the ground and her child on the pony. People here do it all the time.

I’m a lifelong rider/owner of horses and YANBU at all OP
These absolute twats are what give riders a bad name for being stuck up, when really the vast majority are a great laugh.