Horse gallops round outside of fields

[Will 1594]

. Any one got horse gallops round field sides. , couple bridlewsys and tracks could be linked up to make a x country course . Or do you avoid the them like cv or plague . Re insurance and a method of collecting the gate fee

 

[Two Tone]

Been there, done that, wore the T shirt out after it fell to bits!

I'm a Horsey person.
But: BEWARE of Horsey people!

Many will try to avoid paying, then blame you for everything wrong with their horse!

It was the constant work interruptions and phone calls that pee'd me off the most.

CS AB8 agreements are so much easier!

 

[Grassman]

If you can actually get money off people with horses for this then good luck. 90% will not pay for something like this. 10% might. I know some have set up a cross country type course for people to practice on. Quite a few fields round here have the fossils of unused horse jumps left in the fields to rot.
Possibly you would have success if there are enough horsey people around with a shortage of safe roads.

 

[suffolksmallholder]

In the past I blended the forestry work with creating routes that were off the busy lanes and safe for horses. This is still going on from 2011 and has BHS approval. Not sure of the numbers now but it is successful in that horse riders have safe, well maintained routes that actually link up to the BR system and keeps them off the roads where you can hear the lunatic several minutes before they come round the bend on the wrong side, barely in charge of their vehicle. Police it well and it works. Be slack and they'll take the proverbial.

The picture is from a route in amongst a fine spruce stand. I did this myself over a year, pruning each tree by hand to clear every spike. This also made each tree more valuable in the long term...
SS

 

[deleted user 837354]

It can be done but if you have a cross country route buy a 6m batwing topper as it will need to be kept cut. It may be worth seeding short non-tetraploid long term grass mixtures in them if you want an easier life.

Done nicely they look really smart and they certainly breathed life into the farm I worked on that had them.

 

[nick...]

Bloody riders do what they want round here without permission and deny it despite shite everywhere too.they are a pain in the arse and best avoided
Nick...

 

[YorkshireSmallholder]

Horse people have a habit of complaining and been quick to put in a claim. Couldn’t pay me to have them on my land.

I can imagine it would be an easy earner if in a good area. Just make sure you get money up front and have good insurance.

 

[dudders]

I avoid horsey types, full stop. Years of experience from having run a riding school and a livery yard. There's just something about them - slow to pay, quick to complain and with an arrogance only matched by car drivers. There are easier ways of earning some extra dosh than getting involved with horses. You'd be looking at some big outlay too, and maintenance.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I sold a ram to someone years ago, who used to have a cross country course and DIY livery yard. They told me, they stopped doing both (although financially viable) because of the aggravation from dealing with the horse owners. They said each horse owner, individually were lovely people, but together they became nightmares and life to too short!

 

[dudders]

My experience absolutely. Even individually lovely while they were telling how they couldn't pay just now...

 

[deleted user 837354]

Been there, done that, wore the T shirt out after it fell to bits!

I'm a Horsey person.
But: BEWARE of Horsey people!

Many will try to avoid paying, then blame you for everything wrong with their horse!

It was the constant work interruptions and phone calls that pee'd me off the most.

CS AB8 agreements are so much easier!

What interruptions at work?

The farm I worked at the money was by direct debit and you had to pay a month up front as deposit.

 

[flowerpot]

I'm a horse person too, and I'm sorry to agree with many of the less positive posts!
People do pay for linking routes between bridlepaths and lanes and avoiding horrible roads. Some do it on an informal basis and bung the farmer some cash once a year, otherwise there is the TROT scheme, which has been discussed before.

Under the old Higher Level Environmental Stewardship this was a rather lucrative option (although massively, massively mostly a waste of public money and could have been so much better), a route I used was much missed since it closed. It was hoped that this might be something in the new Agriculture Bill, to pay farmers for access but I havent'heard if it is going to be included.

Stay away from gallops, cross country courses unless you are a dedicated horse business as there is a large capital input. Racehorse gallops have someone looking after them all the time. Cross country courses have to be built by a course designer for safety and liability issues and not really for a farmer wanting a bit of extra income. They are around, one close to me, but it is a full time job attracting customers and maintenance.