British Eventing
Horseytalk.net is now on Twitter
World Horse Welfare
Sussex Horse Rescue Trust
Equine Grass Sickness
THE IRISH HORSE WELFARE TRUST
The Brooke

RIDER RIGHTS

click here to read more

Says Naomi Smith

Says Naomi SmithIt is all too possible to round a corner on horseback and come upon a group of cattle with no prior warning -this WILL result in a horse being badly spooked at best, bolting at worst -it is only a matter of time ........... read more

Meon Valley Trail

Meon Valley Trail

"MOST IMPORTANT UPDATE: We can confirm that without doubt that the works carried out to the Meon Valley railway line did in fact require planning permission

Consequently all the work that has been carried out by SDNP who are also a planning authority, have been found to be unlawful. "

Says Martin Von Montie

Says Martin Von Montie MOST IMPORTANT UPDATE: We can confirm with the attached Barristers report that without doubt that the works carried out to the Meon Valley railway line did in fact require planning permission. Consequently all the work that has been carried out by SDNP who are also a planning authority, have been found to be unlawful.

We would like to thank all of those who donated the money to confirm this result; it now gives us several other legal avenues to pursue including a judicial review. The council have taken a copy of this report away for "consideration" after a meeting we had with them. In the meeting today attended by myself, Richard Stone as well as representatives from HCC and SDNP we also discussed numerous issues at length, and have agreed to get back to them by Monday on what we believe the worst effected parts of the lines are along with what we believe can be done to address them for all user groups after receiving user input on here.

The main problem is the reluctance to put anything over the hard surface that has been laid, and the fact that they only have 19k left in the budget to do anything with. The council have made it quite clear at this time that they are not prepared to accept our split surface proposal on the basis of cost and maintenance.

However as representatives for this group as a whole, if that is what users believe would be appropriate we will inform them that this will be the only acceptable outcome. But if you have other suggestions we would welcome hearing them.

We also discussed the councils suggestion for a few sections to be further widened and used to get "off trail". There were nine areas originally suggested by the council but after investigation they have ruled out all but a couple of very small areas due to terrain or drains etc.

I have a copy of their documents and will post them for input as soon as we can get a scan but it is extremely unlikely there can be a solution found here because the hard surface widening has already used up most of the available room. It was recognised that there was a clear lack of consultation prior to this project starting, and I believe it was generally accepted that they understood all of this could have been avoided if a sensible consultation was carried out.

It was however agreed that they would now let all parishes along the line know about the work properly so you will be able to have some input. Although doing this at this point is probably not going to achieve a great deal I would recommend that you get involved and make your thoughts known.

Currently it is still a Bridleway, but they are planning on turning it into a restricted byway.

We did point out that our research has lead us to believe they need to advertise the proposed change so that so people can object. And our understanding is that it must be at least 3m wide so it could probably be one of the main reasons why a split surface is not acceptable to them at this point. However we are not sure if it would be granted anyway on the basis the works were not legal to start with?

Please take the time to read the attached document, and comment here on the worst affected areas of the bridleway or PM me your comments.

Thanks again for your support, and we would like to thank everyone who has helped us get this far, especially those who have helped with countless hours of research.

Download Counsel_s Advice Document

Says Maureen ComberSays Maureen Comber

Hampshire County Council in trouble now. I hope the BHS are beginning to think an apology to me might be appropriate sometime soon.

Says Liz NelsonSays Liz Nelson

Well done all. A triumph for the people! Perhaps they can use a chunk of the £65,000 ear marked for signage to help put things right? Perhaps a couple of HCC and SDNP 7 salarie s would help. Surely there should be some resignations?

Says Sean BroomSays Sean Broom

Toooooo Bloody true.

Says Jo HobbsSays Jo Hobbs

Investigation into misappropriation of public money and spending. Shocking. That money could have been better spent else where.

Says Barbara WoodSays Barbara Wood

The point now is to stop moaning about what they should have done and be united and positive in what we want done. Lack off funds is irrelevant - it would not be acceptable for an individual at fault. A top surface needs to be put on the scalpings it is as simple as that. From Brockbridge to Warnford is awful. Cannot now get to the SOuth Downs Way. So no carping we need sensible suggestions as to what needs to be done. We are not the experts, but presumably they must have some!

Read more comments

Says Linda Wright

Says Linda WrightWe moved to a Shropshire location a year ago having surveyed the local OS map and noted the significant number of bridleways around the property. Sadly the map appears a total fiction. Scarce any of the bridleways are usable ........... read more

Read more here