to think that horse riders shouldn't be given equal access to woodland paths as walkers etc?

[Yeahreally]

Read this article in the Guardian and it kinda made my blood boil: www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/12/give-horse-riders-equal-access-to-english-woodlands-say-campaigners

IMO the spokesperson for the Trails Trust is completely ignoring the safety issues at play here. I have no issue with horses but they are big animals and can cause injury if spooked. So is it really sensible to allow them on all pathways of whatever size where runners, cyclists and people just walking their kids or dogs might be? How exactly do you give them a suitably wide berth on a narrow path?

Being a bloke, I'd be massively interested in the MN view on whether there is some sort of inequality issue at play (ie. because riders are more likely to be women there are being disproportionately affected by the current restrictions)? The argument that current laws were unfair because "They (riders) don’t want to walk, they don’t want to cycle.They feel safe in the countryside on a horse,” is incredibly weak and massively ignores how this affects other path users.

What is so difficult about sharing? You're far less likely to get knocked over by a horse than say, a cyclist

I don't think either is a particularly high risk. The bigger risk is an out of control dog making someone fall off their bike or horse. The dog doesn't have to bite or be aggressive, just run around and make a horse rear up or someone lose their balance on their bike.

I don't think sharing is difficult. But people have to be reasonable and aware. And they're often neither.

Round here there are lots of field margins that farmers have allowed horses on, and a bridle way. Yet they still insist on riding along the only actual footpath and now it’s as full of ruts and holes as everywhere else. There isn’t one flat path that we can walk along and it’s made the footpath inaccessible for a few elderly walkers from the village. I can never seem to catch the riders in the act though to ask them to keep off the path.

Honestly, I support access to the countryside for horse riders. The countryside is a more natural fit for horses than roads etc. and it's not fair to expect all riders to stick to schooling.

I get FAR more nervous about cyclists on walking paths than pretty much anything else. Bikes generally go faster than horses.

My dog would be delighted because she loves horses and horse shit and deep mud.

I'd rather encounter a horse and their rider than yet another bloody dog tearing through the woodland. They're more of a risk to my child.

I don't think sharing is difficult. But people have to be reasonable and aware. And they're often neither.

It comes down to this, doesn't it?

It's perfectly possible for bikes and horses and dogs and children to all have access to woodland and countryside. Each of us just needs to give the others (and wildlife!) some respect and some space - even if it means stepping off the path or slowing down, giving the other party the time to see us and react accordingly or being more flexible about the exact route we take.