Essex Bridleways Association Update Autumn 2015

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Essex Bridleways Association

Update Autumn 2015

Inside this issue...

• Dates for your diary • All the latest EBA news • HR and BDO reports Published by Essex Bridleways Association Charity number: 801530

www.essexbridleways.co.uk

FREE

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Contents

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3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8: 9: 10: 12: 14: 16: 18: 20: 22: 23: 24:

ON THE COVER

A note from the Chair EBA - more than just rides EBA News EBA moves with the times Reasons to be cheerful 1-2-3 BHS Essex Access Forum Historic Research - how you can help EBA Rides and Events update Dates for your diary Fun in the sun (and showers!)

Hard slog for good long term gains Highways and verges and public rights to use them Bridleways: making leisure riding a pleasure Ride & Share Scheme EBA membership opens up new horizons EBA representatives’ contact details

Riders enjoying the EBA Berwick Farm Ride in April © Helen Mathias/EyeContact Photography

Helen Mathias Photography • Design • Sub editing Call: 07958 962024

Why EBA needs you

By Katie Jerram, EBA Patron Hacking out is an opportunity to take your horse out of the school and let him get used to a new environment, with all the things that you will encounter. This broadens his outlook and builds confidence, as well as helping him to trust you and create a perfect relationship. Without our bridleways, riding becomes less enjoyable and can potentially be an unsafe environment for horse and rider. It's important to keep our bridleways clear and to create new routes, not only for safety but also for enjoyment and to educate our young horses without the worry of traffic. Many accidents happen on public roads, so for the vast majority of riders who don’t have access to private land, the only alternatives are our byways and bridleways. It is often thanks to organisations like Essex Bridleways Association that these routes remain clear for all riders to use. EBA is run entirely by volunteers and by joining and supporting their work you can help create a lasting legacy for the benefit of us all.

Katie

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A note from

The Chair

By Julia Wilson, EBA Chair

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t’s been another busy year for EBA and I hope lots of you have managed to enjoy our rides; they have certainly proved very popular.

Each year we try to add new destinations, as well as retaining some of the old favourites. Remember, the money raised helps fund work to create new bridleways and discover lost routes in Essex.

A few of us stayed at Whitehall Farm at Holkham, Norfolk, this spring to investigate the possibility of running an EBA holiday there next year. It is a fabulous destination and we hope to add it to our 2016 calendar (EBA members will get priority).

We are currently organising November’s AGM and have

secured Seán Rooney from Blaircourt Equine Veterinary Practice to give us an insightful talk on horse dentistry (see pages 12 and 13 for full AGM details). Please come along and support us as it is a great opportunity to meet EBA Trustees, Area Reps and Researchers, and a chance to raise any Rights of Way issues you may have. There will also be tea and cake!

Alongside all of EBA’s hard RoW work, we run a Ride & Share Scheme. This was originally set up to show our members different routes that they could explore, accompanied by our Ride & Share volunteers. The scheme is proving very useful for riders who are not so confident riding or travelling to new places and finding their way round, and for getting horses used to riding new routes. We have several members who have gone on to attend our rides and have made some good friends along the way. Our hosts offer lots of different riding opportunities, from large forests, open countryside and even the beach.

The scheme is open to all EBA members and our hosts are happy to arrange, where

possible, a ride to suit your needs and abilities; so no excuse not to get out and about. See our website for details.

It is so important that we use the bridleways network we have so we can show “the powers that be” that there is a need to enhance it. However, it is a huge battle requiring a tremendous amount of work and determination. Many of us ride on dangerous roads in order to access bridleways and EBA is trying hard to change this. We completely understand that riders are reluctant to venture out on a hack when they are forced to negotiate heavy traffic, so in 2016 we are launching a publicity campaign to highlight the plight of horse riders on our busy roads and the lack of safe, off-road access. We will be asking you to help with this and there will be more information in the next Spring Update.

Finally, I ask you to support our cause by becoming an EBA member, renewing your membership, entering our fundraising rides or volunteering to help. We need our membership to grow if our voice is to be heard, we need to make changes to increase safer riding and we desperately need your support to do it.

Julia

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EBA more than just rides…

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Whilst our rides may be a lot of fun, EBA runs these events to raise funds for our bridleways campaign work.

The Trustees, Area Representatives, Historic Researcher and Bridleways Development Officers all work hard behind the scenes to ensure the rights of horse owners are taken into consideration. We fight to ensure that councils maintain our bridleways and that they are kept in a good state of repair with unrestricted access.

We are informed of planning applications which affect Public Rights of Way and Diversion Orders, so that any changes will not have a detrimental impact on horse riders. We campaign for new bridleways and encourage multiuser tracks to be incorporated at the

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tre bersh t is the not m r ,i y h W EBA me r a year rse ride ll i o o f h w ey 15 or the st £ d th f A At ju present thing an s on EB t y l idea as ever discoun it really h o who efit from more, s eeps ben es and t that k rid the gif iving. is on g

planning stage and for them to include equestrian access.

We also strive to ensure that ‘lost’ bridleways are reclaimed.

The saying ‘once a highway, always a highway’ drives much of our work in this area. We

actively seek evidence that would enable us to make a claim for an existing route to be upgraded to bridleway status.

This could be based on evidence from old maps, minutes of council meetings and evidence of usage by multiple people over a period of at least 20 years without challenge.

The more members we have the greater the impact that EBA can have. As a member you are supporting us to maintain existing bridleways and to build and develop a stronger network of routes.

Strength in numbers EBA needs your support to fight for safe off-road access for horse owners. Membership costs just £15 a year and is free for under 16s.

How to join: 1. Online Log on to www.essexbridleways.co.uk and on the ‘join us’ page you can find links to join online, renew your subscription or download a membership form. Joining online helps us by cutting down on administration and saving EBA money.

2. By post Ask our membership secretary to send you a membership form, download one from our website or pick one up at one of our rides. Contact: ebamemsec@yahoo.co.uk or write to Alison Craigmile, EBA Membership Secretary, 40 The Chase, Romford, Essex RM1 4BE. Save our resources: Choosing to renew your membership automatically via PayPal or by standing order cuts administration and reduces EBA print and postage costs.

Members’ benefits: • Up to £5 off EBA rides entry fees.

• Priority entry to some EBA events, including EBA holidays.

• EBA Update magazine delivered to your door twice a year.

• Email notifications of news and events.

• Access to EBA’s Ride & Share Scheme.

• Help with bridleways issues and claims.

• 30% discount on your first BHS membership.

• Up to 10% on new insurance policies from South Essex Insurance Brokers.

• 10% discount from John Griffin Trailer Training.

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EBA News

Aviva Community Fund We are delighted to report that EBA has been awarded almost £1000 from the Aviva Community Fund. The money will go towards creating new literature and posters to help us campaign for safe, off-road riding in Essex.

The Aviva Community Fund offers “support and funding to inspirational local projects” in a range of prize categories.

EBA was one of over 200 projects from across the country to be awarded up to £1000. EBA’s success relied on online voting and we would like to thank all of those that took time to get involved and ensure that ours was one of the winning entries. We would also like to thank the Aviva Community Fund for giving us this extremely useful and timely

boost to our forthcoming publicity campaign.

Our literature will be available in the coming months so keep any eye on our website and social media pages for further updates.

Details of the fund can be found at www.aviva.co.uk/communityfund

A big thank you to the Aviva Community Fund

Thank you Kim

EBA is extremely sorry to lose the services of Kim Waterhouse, who stands down after doing such sterling work for us over the past two years.

One of two EBA Bridleways Development Officers, Kim covered the northern part of Essex, including Braintree, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Tendring and Uttlesford. She has been our eyes and ears on the ground, scanning planning applications, negotiating with councillors and planners and, crucially, making the horse rider’s presence felt when it comes to the creation of off-road access. It has been a long, hard road and we would like to thank Kim for her unwavering determination, often in the face of considerable opposition from the all-powerful developers and cash-strapped authorities.

EBA’s Historic Researcher and Bridleways Development Officers are funded by money raised from its extensive programme of leisure rides.

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RIP Michael Clarke It is with much sadness that we have to report that Michael Clarke, a long- standing member and volunteer of EBA, passed away earlier this year.

Michael was a popular and familiar face at many EBA rides. His help and support was much valued and he is greatly missed. EBA extends its sincere condolences to his friends and family.

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EBA moves with the times

In this fast moving world it is essential that EBA provides information in a modern, userfriendly format and we are constantly trying to increase the ways in which we get our message across, which means that we are embracing the digital age:

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Socially speaking If you are a fan of social media, join the many like-minded folk

that already follow us. You can keep in touch with all the latest news and updates via the Essex Bridleways Facebook page and on Twitter, @EssexBridleways EBA YouTube Channel We are delighted to announce that we now have three EBA videos: an advert highlighting EBA’s work and two informative videos which feature Historic Researcher Chris Tout, and EBA Bridleways Development Officer Sue Dobson. Head over to our YouTube channel to have a look and find out more about how EBA funds are helping in the fight for safe off-road access for equestrians. Search for Essex Bridleways Association on YouTube - you might even see yourself featured in our advert.

Thanks to Oli Cutmore of OC Media Solutions for kindly creating the videos free of charge.

Help needed:

EBA Update online You can now read the EBA Update on the digital publishing platform, ‘issuu’. Just go to issuu.com and search for Essex Bridleways. This means you can always find the latest news, as well as reading past issues – so, if you didn’t manage to pick up a copy of the 2015 Spring Update, you can still read through our extremely useful and interesting articles.

EBA website Our website is constantly being updated with news and useful information relevant to Essex riders. This includes details of our fundraising rides, ideas for places to hack out, information on equestrian access and, of course, most importantly: HOW TO JOIN EBA. Take a look at www.essexbridleways.co.uk

Chelmsford and Rochford/Southend Areas

EBA is currently looking for volunteers to fill two vacancies for area representatives.

In the Chelmsford area, our current rep, Louise Fuller, is standing down in order to concentrate on her duties as EBA Treasurer. We also have a vacancy for a rep to cover Rochford/Southend.

What’s involved?

There are a few basic points but after that you can more or less build the role to suit your own time constraints.

Duties can include: • Acting as the central point of contact for riders in the area with bridleway problems.

• Viewing proposals from Essex County Council to create, divert or extinguish bridleways and byways and commenting on them as appropriate; site visits may occasionally be useful in order to appreciate the implications of the proposals.

• Checking planning applications which may affect bridleways or which have potential for bridleways to be created.

• Helping to identify new routes and gather evidence for contested routes.

• Attending any local meetings which may affect Rights of Way. • Providing feedback to the EBA committee about matters in the area.

• Attending the AGM to meet local members.

• Making contact with new EBA members in the area and welcoming them to the Association.

• Encouraging EBA members to help with local rides and bridleway clearance etc.

This list may look daunting at first but the job does not have to be onerous and you could even share the role with a friend. EBA will fully support you and provide training to ensure you are capable and confident in the role. You would be welcomed at our monthly committee meetings and will meet lots of like-minded people. You even get issued with an EBA-branded polo shirt and fleece.

Please don’t be shy about putting yourself forward. Just contact EBA’s Chair, Julia Wilson, if you are even vaguely interested and she will provide more information about what’s involved. She is waiting to hear from you (see back page for contact details).

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l u f 1-2-3 r e e ch

Reasons to be

By Sarah Hodgson, EBA Uttlesford Area Representative

Improvements to byways and bridleways sometimes take such a long time that area reps can occasionally start to lose heart. But just when hope was fading fast, like buses, these three in the Rodings all arrived together.

Byway 21 Aythorpe Roding This byway was in a terrible state for many years and we were beginning to despair of it ever being rideable. EBA’s patron Katie Jerram’s parents live at the west end of the byway and, instead of a lovely route to exercise all the Queen’s horses (well some of them), there was a deeply rutted, permanently flooded track which was a magnet for the tiny minority of irresponsible off-roaders who were drawn to the year-round mud and mayhem and whose activities alarmed local residents and contributed to the further degradation of the byway.

And then Byway 21 reached the top of Essex County Council’s to do list and what a miraculous transformation! The byway is now surfaced with road planings, it stays dry all year, the mud larks are nowhere to be seen and it is a joy for all in the area to ride.

Byway 13 High Roothing Meanwhile, back at ECC

Highways HQ at the end of 2014, Councillor Rodney Bass, the Cabinet Member for Highways, was experimenting with seasonal closure of selected byways to help preserve them and to allow the Council’s contractors to carry out maintenance work. Signs appeared at the end of Byway 13 stating that it would be closed to motorised traffic from November to April and, shortly before it reopened, contractors were spotted improving the drainage and laying a surface on what had been a very muddy and rutted track.

This byway runs in a loop around the back of Attridges Stables and connecting with Rands Road. With a livery yard at each end it is a handy way for riders to avoid a section of Rands Road, which can be busy with farm vehicles, lorries and Lycra-clad cyclists.

Byway 55 High Roothing This byway connects with Byway 13 and Bridleway 60 to the south and east and runs gently uphill to the north to join Byway 14, which connects to the north end of Rands Road.

Riders and walkers avoided using it in the winter when it was very rutted, with deep puddles and standing water. Along with Byway 13 it now has a new surface and the result of all this good work is that we now have a network of offroad routes in this area.

They are a pleasure to use whatever the weather and there are now some very cheerful riders in the Rodings.

For all these improvements we have the Highways Authority, Essex County Council to thank. We are especially grateful to Rob Lee, the Public Rights of Way Inspector for this area and to Robin Wallbank, the Public Rights of Way Engineer for West and South Essex. Rob is our first port of call when we have a problem. He is unfailingly helpful and always tries to give us a positive response.

Robin knows all there is to know about Public Rights of Way and is strongly committed to preserving and maintaining a good network for Essex residents and visitors. Our thanks go out to both of them and to the commercial team in the Highways Department who got the job done.

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BHS Essex Access Forum

L to R Sue Dobson, Beth Chamberlin, Phil Wadey, Jenny Crossley, Jan Arthur and Marlene Curtis

8 EBA’s Committee, Reps and Researchers turned out in force to support BHS Essex at their Access Forum which took place on 28th May at Writtle College.

BHS Essex had organised an impressive line-up of speakers including ECC Definitive Map Analyst Laurence Page; Dr. Phil Wadey, a revered expert on reclaiming lost rights of way and co-author of Rights of Way – Restoring the Record; and EBA’s Vice Chair and Basildon rep, Jan Arthur who spoke on the provision of bridleways in the county.

This was a free event and it was a great shame that it wasn’t better supported by the equestrian community as a whole, since those involved are working so hard to campaign for safe off-road

riding for all of Essex horse owners. With new roads and development fast encroaching on our shrinking countryside, riders will certainly need to join forces and take a more proactive role if off-road access for horses is to be considered a worthy cause by planners and developers.

BHS Access Forum - Phil Wadey talks to interested horse owners

Online Petition Nicola Greenwood from Surrey has set up a petition calling on the UK Government to increase the number of multiuser off-road routes available to horse riders to 30% across the UK by 2030.

From EBA’s own experience, we know that both walkers and cyclists are commonly considered in new Rights of Way creations, whereas horse riders are rarely given a passing thought, despite a real need to get horses off the roads in our increasingly urbanised society. Essex in particular is undergoing enormous development and unless we support campaigns such as this now the future looks increasingly bleak for those of us who enjoy exploring the countryside on horseback.

As we go to print the petition already has over 6,000 signatures so please help swell the numbers to help make Government realise that horse owners are a force to be reckoned with.

To find the petition log on to www.change.org and search Nicola Greenwood.

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Historic Research – how you can help

By Chris Tout, EBA Historic Researcher s I write this, summer is already slipping by very quickly so I hope that you have all made the most of the off road-riding in your areas. If only we had off-road riding, I hear some of you saying! Well now is the time to try and rectify that.

Are the routes you presently ride recorded on the Definitive Map (maintained by Essex County Council) as bridleways, byways or restricted byways?

Does a route appear on the latest Ordnance Survey (OS) Explorer map for your area – if so, how is it recorded? But why, you might ask, if I am presently riding a route does it matter?

At the risk of repeating ourselves, 2026 is not far away, yet it’s still surprising how many riders are not aware of the cutoff date for claiming historical routes, or do not think that it affects them – perhaps for a lucky few it doesn’t.

In the EBA Spring Update we told you how to check for potential routes by comparing old and present day OS maps.

If you haven’t felt able to do this, have you time to look at the present OS Explorer map for your area and identify

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potential routes for research?

After all, as the people who ride in an area you are best placed to identify: • Routes presently ridden that are not recorded as a bridleways, byways or restricted byways.

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• A bridleway that suddenly stops or turns into a footpath.

• A missing link that could help create a circular route or network.

You don’t have to complete any research, just send me the details. I can’t guarantee what the research will reveal and, since starting this work I have found, and been told of, a multitude of reasons why a route does not exist as a bridleway, but there have also been successes: bridleways and restricted byways now being recorded on the Definitive Map because someone took the time and trouble to contact us.

So get in touch if you would like more details or have a route for research and help us to secure more off-road riding for the future.

ChrissieRose@talktalk.net

Recent successful decisions include the Bridleway at Sears Lane, Chappel and a Restricted Byway at Pattocks Lane, Chappel.

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EBA rides and events

By Lesley Gillman, EBA Rides Organiser nother year has gone by in the blink of an eye and I am already looking ahead to 2016.

One of the things I love about organising the EBA rides is showing people new places where they can go back again and hack on their own. The new ride we did this year at Weald Park is a good example.

Parking is a bit limited in the winter months and you do have to pay for it but you can at least return there in the dryer weather, park up and go out for a hack in relative safety.

We are actually quite lucky that there are several places like this that you can visit. Sometimes you have to buy a licence and/or pay for parking but it is really worth it to be able to

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© Helen Mathias / EyeContact Photography

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© Helen Mathias / EyeContact Photography

hack somewhere different.

Places that come to mind are Langdon Hills, Hatfield Forest, Thorndon Park, Weald Park, Epping Forest, Berwick Farm, Danbury Common, Great Notley Park and Middlewick Farm, while further afield King’s Forest, Rendlesham Forest, Holkham Beach and Ashridge Forest all allow riding. Add to this all EBA’s Ride & Share locations and you will never get bored. Details of these can be found on the ‘Where to ride’ and ‘Ride and Share’ pages of the EBA website.

If you know of any other places that we can add to the list please get in touch - I would also like to let people know of gallops, toll rides and places where you can take your horse on holiday so that we can spread the word.

Some of our regular riders may have noticed that Julian (the

chap with the cowboy hat who helped with the car parking etc.) is no longer at our rides.

Unfortunately for us he decided to move out of the area to make a new life for himself. We miss him a lot but hear on the grapevine that he is looking to help a bridleway group near his new home, so all is not lost.

It will soon be time to start planning the EBA 2016 programme of events. My early thoughts are that we will not do the Thetford holidays next year but run an EBA ride at King’s Forest (part of Thetford Forest) in the summer so that people can come for the day and bring a picnic. The EBA holiday for 2016 has already been booked at Whitehall Farm, near Holkham Beach in Norfolk for the 15th & 16th July. I haven’t worked out all the details yet but this holiday is new to EBA so only members will be eligible

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s update to book. We will have 29 places available but B&B & Glamping accommodation is limited so the rest will have to camp or stay in horseboxes. I will start to take bookings later in the year but if you want to go on the waiting list please email me stating what type of accommodation you require.

Planning what rides we will do in 2016 will take us a bit longer to work out. There are so many things to consider when planning what rides can be run, where and when. We will put the details on the

© Helen Mathias / EyeContact Photography

Hi-viz with a difference

© Helen Mathias / EyeContact Photography

website as soon as we have them and they will be in the centre spread of EBA’s Spring Update as usual.

Until then, happy hacking. lesleygggillman@hotmail.com

Our rides organiser, Lesley Gillman, captured Liz Jones and her horse, Jay, on camera sporting this innovative piece of hi-viz gear. Liz explained: “It's called a Parsons Rump and can be bought direct from the lady who makes them, or I bought mine on ebay which was slightly cheaper.

I had to customise mine a bit as my boy is short in the back and my saddle sits back, but it works brilliantly, especially in the warm weather when a sheet will be too hot.” www.parsonsrump.co.uk.

Natalie Duncan and Tontoe weigh-in at the Little Easton Ride. Thanks to Allen & Page for providing the service and advising our riders about their horses’ condition.

Middlewick Farm is a British Horse Society approved Livery Yard offering excellent hacking and facilities and catering for novice owners to competitive riders. We specialise in convalescence and retirement livery and also welcome broodmares and youngstock. www.middlewicklivery.co.uk Generous hosts of EBA’s Middlewick Ride

Liz Jones and Jay show off some unusual hi-viz

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY...

• Thursday 12th November

Essex Bridleways Association AGM.

Our AGM is the ideal opportunity to meet EBA Committee members, Area Reps and Researchers and to find out more about our work, as well as giving you the chance to discuss any Rights of Way issues you might have. We will speed through the formalities before enjoying a fascinating talk on Equine Dentistry by Seán Rooney from Blaircourt Veterinary Practice. Free refreshments and a fundraising raffle with our usual range of high quality prizes will be on offer. Full details on opposite page.

Raffle prizes kindly donated by...

• Saturday 5th December 12

EBA Epping Forest Ride

Essex Police Active Citizen on Horseback

(EBA members only) Bury Road, Chingford Plains, Chingford, Essex E4 7QH.

In September, representatives from EBA attended the launch of the Active Citizen on Horseback Scheme at Essex Police Headquarters in Chelmsford.

Epping Forest is a wonderful place to ride in This new initiative seeks to recruit riders winter as the surfaced tracks are excellent at from rural communities who can provide a this time of year. It’s also a great opportunity visible presence whilst out and about on to get out the tinsel and put on fancy dress. their horses. These volunteers will be asked As usual, EBA rosettes will be given to all to keep an eye out for problems and report those riding and there will be mince pies and any suspicious activity to Essex Police by mulled wine to warm you calling 101. up and get you in the The new scheme will initially look at Step time festive spirit. back Braintree, Colchester, Chelmsford, a i n n d ge The t ins Maldon, Tendring and Uttlesford host Essex R pired e s will a numb cords O districts, with a view to expanding to be o ffice er o f fre f int in C ou other areas in the county if successful. grea r county erest to e open helmsfo ev t an ’s rd work opportu history. yone fa ents wh Anyone wishing to get involved ich scina Thes carrie nity to a us t e should be an experienced rider aged eful d out b find ou events ed by abou insight y the E t more are a 18 or over.

RO t exp to an a b out an lorin y g Rig one wh d may o the For further information contact o is www f hts o f .esse f Wa thinkin er a Sgt Cathy Calder at y in xrec rea. g their ordo even fficeblo g.co ts/ .uk/

cathy.calder@essex.pnn.police.uk

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Essex Bridleways Association

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Thursday 12th November 2015 Keene Hall, Galleywood, Nr Chelmsford, Essex CM2 8PT Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start Agenda: Arrive, get yourself a free cuppa, buy a raffle ticket, have a chat, grab a seat

7.30pm Apologies for absence Approval of 2014 minutes Matters Arising Chair’s Report Treasurer’s Report & Appointment of independent examiner of a/cs for 2016 Appointment of Trustees (nomination forms available from lisa@lifetimefinancial.biz or via the news page at www.essexbridleways.co.uk) Other matters at the discretion of the Chair Note: Only members aged 18 and over may vote at the AGM

8.00pm Short break

8.10pm: Something to get your teeth into Seán Rooney of Blaircourt Equine Clinic will be discussing all things dentigerous at the EBA AGM. He will talk about the routine dental examination and what to look out for, along with weird and wacky findings discovered in the course of his work. Everything, from dentigerous cysts to wolf teeth and jaw fractures to dental extractions will be discussed, along with advice on what to feed equines with little or no teeth. We hope as many people as possible are able to attend what promises to be an interesting, entertaining and informative talk.

9.00pm Raffle winning numbers announced and a chance to meet your Area Reps, mingle and chat to the Committee and meet other EBA members

9.45pm Close

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ollowing the success of EBA’s first TREC event in 2014, we decided to include it in our 2015 calendar and were rewarded with a good turnout at Berwick Farm on 4th/5th July.

We were lucky on the Saturday for the level 2 POR,

(and showers!)

By Jan Arthur, EBA Vice Chair

with a very warm and sunny day. The competition started smartly, thanks to Charlotte Perry’s efficient management of the map room. Everyone negotiated the route without getting lost and some good scores were made setting up a hot competition for the following day. Saturday

finished in fine style with a great fish and chip supper for those who came to the course walk or were staying overnight.

The Sunday started wet and windy, so the Level 1 competitors had an interesting PTV/COP experience negotiating a

© Helen Mathias / EyeContact Photography

Fun

in the sun

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variety of obstacles spread through the woods, but no one gave up. Luckily the rain cleared for the afternoon so the L1 POR and Level 2 PTV/COP were in the dry.

The event was well supported with 56 entries. It was good to see all the EBA entrants, along with other riders from all over the South East.

One of the things which particularly contributed to the success of the two days was the magnificent help of the volunteers, many of them EBA members, who all rallied round. There were 42 volunteers in all, almost as many as competitors.

Some examples of their efforts include: Lindsay, who came despite being 7 months pregnant, just making the checkpoint in time after getting held up in traffic on the way. Emma, who came all the way from Worcester on the day with her little son Elliot and stayed until the end and helped pack up. One steward got lost and had real hassles with the police on the way (not her fault) but still turned up. Many stood out in the hot sun on Saturday or got really wet on Sunday morning in the rain, but soldiered on. The tack checker was worth a mention: a flamboyant Stephanie Newcomb, raising our spirits with orange nail

© Helen Mathias / EyeContact Photography

varnish, orange lipstick, orange jacket and orange top and, of course, orange handbag plus matching purse. These are just a few of the ‘above and beyond’ tales in the life of volunteers.

What would we do without you?

Finally, thanks go to Mrs Jane Pearl, for opening up Berwick Farm for us; a fantastic site and we hope we will be back in the near future. Thanks also to Mr Padfield at Tawney Hall Farm who generously allowed us to use his fields, and to Mr Kerr at Ongar Park Farm who moved a herd of cows and calves off his bridleway field for us. Their help and support was really appreciated.

The money raised was split between Essex Bridleways Association, and Jill Perry, who is giving a donation to East Anglia TREC Group who also gave their support.

A donation was also given to Essex Air Ambulance.

Blaircourt Equine Veterinary Clinic A wide range of equestrian veterinary services including: mobile X-ray and ultrasound, shockwave therapy, export papers and AI. Purpose built clinic offering full surgical facilities and 24 hour emergency service.

The Barns, Crows Lane, Woodham Ferrers, CM3 8RR Tel. 01245 429025 www.blaircourt.com

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HARD SLOG FOR GOOD

LONG TERM GAINS

By Sue Dobson, EBA Bridleways Development Officer

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have been working on behalf of EBA as Bridleways Development Officer for nearly two years now and my work has been very varied, from Local Plan responses to looking at restoration schemes for old sand quarries within the southern half of Essex.

The work is definitely long-term since many of these issues are at the planning stage and will not come to fruition for several years, especially in the case of quarry restorations. As such, it sometimes seems that we are getting nowhere. We do have our successes though and in this article I will try and give you a flavour of what I have been up to.

Many readers will have noticed the huge housing development in the Chelmsford area of Beaulieu Park. This is expected to incorporate around 3,600 homes over the next few years. Both

Louise Fuller, EBA’s Chelmsford Rep, and I have been involved in meetings with the developers, their architects and the planning officers within Chelmsford City Council relating to their ‘Movement Strategy’, which essentially means the transport infrastructure and footpaths, cycleways and bridleways. There will be a network of bridleways,

both running through the site from north to south, together with a new route around the perimeter of New Hall School and thereon to join with other bridleways to the east of the site in Boreham. The developer and planning officers have been appreciative of our involvement, giving a horse rider’s perspective to plans which, after all, are usually drawn up by architectural professionals who have no idea of some of the issues that we as horse riders face. For example, a gate was proposed at one point but now this has been replaced by a horse-friendly chicane. We will continue to be involved in this significant development as it progresses.

Another proposal is the new Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters in Stock Road, West Hanningfield. The area has always been an eyesore with car breakers and waste sites but this proposal will clear the plot for significant development. One of the issues which I have pursued

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(with some tenacity I would add) is the original proposal for an offroad cycleway to be constructed from the site along the B1007 Stock Road from Bakers Lane to the A12 roundabouts. Anyone who knows this road will know how fast, busy and dangerous it is – being quite narrow and winding – which means that any horse rider/cyclist who uses it will inevitably slow up the traffic.

With my intervention, I have heard back from ECC that this will now be a bridleway – albeit with a tarmac surface in this case – but our stance has been that local riders would far prefer a safe tarmac pathway than none at all. I did try to get the surface changed but you can’t win ‘em all. This will create a link between the bridleway network of Stock/Ramsden Heath with Galleywood Common and Margaretting and beyond.

At the time of writing, I have been advised of a proposal to redevelop the old prison site at Bullwood Hall, Hockley, for residential use. I have been in discussions with the planning officer at Rochford relating to this and have also been in touch with the agents for the developers, who are receptive to the idea of

including bridleways, especially with the proximity of the site to Hockley Woods, which has permissive routes. I hope to meet with the agents once they have returned from annual leave.

I have also been keeping a watchful eye on other developments within my patch and responding where appropriate, seeking the inclusion of bridleways in those schemes wherever possible. Many planning officers and developers appear not to be against bridleways – just that the overall planning

edicts from Government emphasise cycling and cycleways and, as such, equestrians are the forgotten minority. It would be good to raise the profile of equestrians and their needs which, after all, are very similar to cyclists but this needs to be on a national level and we are hoping to have discussions with the BHS to see what they can do.

If any local riders have any issues they would like me to look at, especially where a bridleway could be created as a result of new development, please email me with the details. I can’t wave a magic wand unfortunately but I will always work on the basis of ‘if you don’t ask you don’t get’ so it does no harm to try.

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Highways and verges and public rights to use them

By Mick Brash, EBA Historic Records Officer

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he subject of the extent of a highway often arises, especially as a result of the current fashion for extending the front gardens of houses over and beyond their actual ownership and also the attempts to beautify frontages and prevent or deter highway users from straying on to their neatly mown highway verges. Unfortunately this trend has a highly detrimental effect upon vulnerable road users and, when taken to extremes, actually is both dangerous to those users and in fact thoroughly unlawful.

A highway cannot be acquired through squatting (adverse possession). To put this into perspective one must look far back into history and to understand that highway rights have been one of the most cherished traditions and customary rights of the British populace. A casual glance at the lists of records in any County Record Office will immediately show court records of petitions and orders relating to the rights of the travelling public and the responsibilities that require those highways to be maintained such

that they did not impede those rights of passage. One of the best examples is that when King James I, in 1616, wished to have built the Queen’s House at Greenwich (and which was eventually completed some 40 plus years later, after the restoration to the throne of Charles II) even he had to avoid the interruption of the public’s rights over the Woolwich to Greenwich road that ran between it and the Royal Park and was obliged to build a bridge thereover (still standing). One then must consider just how the countryside was, when the only means of travel was by horse or cart or foot. Roads were quagmires in some counties during the winter and vast herds of animals were led along or grazed the herbage from them.

Responsibility for their repair lay with the parishes through which they led and were administered by the incumbent of the church, sometimes through appointed surveyors, but often the actual workforce were the village inhabitants, being required to give certain periods of service in their repair. Where roads led through streams, fords were

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required, and to manage the uphill struggle with a laden cart, their drivers would often deviate slightly further from the original course each time they passed, in order to get better purchase for their horse teams. So gradually the course of the highway moved, surreptitiously, often hundreds of yards over a few centuries, and a brief look at maps will show this if you know what you are looking for. And so to verges! Well actually they are a relatively new fangled development. Originally roads were unsurfaced over their entire width and the carrier, the traveller, the grazing beasts, all wended their way along, selecting their course according to the confines of the adjoining land and finding the best conditions underfoot, also perhaps taking what we might now describe as the “racing line� down a meandering track. Let us now move forward rapidly, taking into account the incredible advances in mechanisation over the 19th and early 20th centuries, and we come to a time when responsibility for road maintenance is transferred initially to highways boards, then to county councils and the improvements by various surfacing becomes essential. It is merely by fluke in many cases just which roads were surfaced, and to what standard, and by whom. This was dictated by the whims of the highway surveyors, the pressure of well connected landowners, the pace of housing development, the ease of access to suitable materials, industrial necessity etc. Whereas one highway between villages might be well surfaced, another, which took a more winding and inconvenient route, might just remain un-surfaced. The surfacing took the easiest and most convenient course within the old highway’s boundaries,

instead of a track many tens of yards wide, a surfaced highway just a single vehicle width often became the norm. What became of the rest of the route depended much on chance! If the surfaced track wended from side to side short lengths remained (of little use to riders or walkers), but if it remained to one side a useful section might occur. What we now term the verge is actually still highway. That it was not surfaced is just a quirk of history.

But the problem is that the greed of a nation of property owners makes their apparent lack of an interested owner attractive as a potential acquisition. So, on go the little white stones (contrary to Highways Act 1980 section 149, possibly also 149 and 143) or the signs (section 132) or the plants and trees (section 137a and 154) and the nice chain or rope (section 162) even barbed wire (section 164) and so the list goes on but the most important is the provisions of S 130 that prevent encroachment. So, the problem is not that there are insufficient laws to make sure the highway, and the part that we now call verges, are forever kept available to use because obviously there are more than sufficient (well debated in Parliament) legal means available. The problem lies with making the Highway Authority (the County Council) actually do something about it. The best way probably is to lobby the parish council to identify the problem, have them resolve to make a representation under section 130 to the Highway Authority and they are then under an obligation (duty) to resolve the issue. So, next time you are out riding, do take into account the actual original width of the highway and just how much safer you might be if it was available to you, and see what you can do to regain that safety.

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towns and cities. Horse lovers are not confined to idyllic countryside parks; some live in the middle of an urban sprawl, and it is our urban riders especially who need our support to ensure that rights of way are developed and maintained for their safety and enjoyment. It is interesting to note that from over 4.3 million riders in the UK, roughly 70% keep horses and ride for purely leisure riding; i.e. to hack out on bridleways and byways. The majority of riders are women and children, and their numbers are continually increasing, so our sport should be considered a growth activity. Shame therefore that there is no clear intent apparent by our government to encourage this healthy sport by providing more safe riding routes. It seems despite the growth of leisure riding, that hacking out is increasing at a snail’s pace in comparison to the numbers of new riders. With a disjointed network of bridleways and the increased

By Mary Balch, EBA Press Secretary speed and volume of road traffic, it is hardly surprising that some people, especially the youngsters, are not able to he BHS were officers in regional bridleway get out and enjoy a good ride. delighted recently to groups such as Essex We should not forget our sign up their 250th Bridleways Association, who Access and Bridleways can do so much valuable work trusty steeds either, who also enjoy a change of scenery; Officer working in England in their home environment, they always perk up and take and Wales. where they are familiar with At this crucial time in our the bridleways and byways, as in the sights and sounds on a new ride. horsey world, it is really well as many of their local Within the EBA, I often important to have all these horsey community. wonder why the majority of dedicated people working to Why are these bridleways improve our off-road access officers so important to us all? the work is carried out by such a relatively few dedicated for equestrians. Naturally, The answer is that our small people, while so many others these numbers are swelled by island is getting busier; more feel it is impossible to give the local presence of area houses, roads, people, bigger

BRIDLEWAYS:

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making leisure riding a pleasure

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even a few hours of their time. However, when we look at the profile of the ‘average horse rider’ we see that it is a female in her late thirties/early forties, with a full time job, as well as a family and horse to care for. Maybe then we can understand why, especially amongst the horsey community, it is so hard to find willing volunteers; they have very little spare time! I have to assume that we have been endowed with superhumans in the form of our past and present chairpeople, and Lesley Gillman, who is constantly working to create new rides for the enjoyment of our members. Please never underestimate the value of a few hours of volunteered work; even if you just give some time once during the year, to help clear a bridleway

perhaps, or marshal at a ride, it amounts to a huge contribution when others offer a similar service.

And finally this month, just to remind you that we do have some fun within EBA, in addition to all the hard work, fundraising etc., lots of lucky people are able to enjoy our rides all around the county,

lately the Braughing ride over on the Hertfordshire border where, despite the bad weather, only 15 of the 76 entries did not turn up to get wet, and lately, the Little Easton pub ride apparently had 91 happy riders (no idea if that was before or after the visit to the pub!).

Howletts Hall Equestrian Full and assisted DIY livery. Qualified professional staff, friendly relaxed atmosphere.

Excellent off-road hacking, jumping paddock and floodlit manège. Private tack rooms. Full range of services including backing, schooling and fitness work.

Howletts Hall, Chelmsford Road, Blackmore, Ingatestone CM4 0QA Tel: 01277 823840 or 07768 124184 Kind supporters of EBA rides.

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Harold’s Park Riding Centre and Stables

&Share

Ride 22

Our unique Ride & Share scheme is exclusive to EBA members and is designed to encourage riders to get out and enjoy our bridleways and explore the countryside.

The scheme has been in existence for a few years now and we have a good list of kind Ride & Share hosts eager to share their local hacking. The idea is for EBA members to offer a place where you can park your horsebox or trailer while they take you on a guided ride around their local area. This is a great way for people to get to know each other and to discover some new places to ride. We have lots of different rides available now and, who

Captured on camera

knows, if the favour is returned we could develop an even wider network of guides and rides. We also have volunteers who are willing to meet up with EBA members in some of the large parks and forests in Essex. They will help you find your way around so that you may be more confident to venture out alone in the future, or you may find yourself a regular riding companion. If you are interested in trying this innovative way of venturing into unknown territory then head over to the EBA website for further information – but don’t forget, you will need to be an EBA member to participate.

© Helen Mathias / EyeContact Photography

Firewood logs now in stock Get ready for winter with our seasoned logs which are available to buy in bulk or by the bag.

Prices: £120 for 1.2 cubic metres or £5.00 a bag.

Happy to deliver.

Stabling and DIY Livery Full range of equestrian facilities including hacking and indoor and outdoor arenas.

Locally grown Christmas trees Telephone: 01992 893948 for details or visit www.haroldspark.co.uk Harold’s Park Farm, Bumbles Green, Nazeing, Essex EN9 2SF

Kind supporters of EBA rides.

Do you have a great photograph of yourself and your horse that we could use on our website, social media or in the Update?

We are building up our photo library and we also want to get to know our members so would welcome your images. We need high resolution pictures (around 500-800kb) for print but smaller pictures can work online. Just make sure it is your own photograph - if you have purchased a copy from a photographer we would need their written permission to use it.

Post your pictures on the Essex Bridleways Facebook page, or email them to our website administrator, Hilary Clifford: hilary.clifford@outlook.com

EBA Update final 17/09/2015 09:57 Page 23

EBA membership opens up new horizons

by Hilary Clifford, EBA Web Administrator

Venturing out - Hilary Clifford riding Paddy with Janet Hughes-Hallett on Blade

W

hen I joined EBA it was with the intention of meeting new people, exploring the countryside and for us to get out more. Paddy, my 15-year-old Warmblood, was not a confident hacker and could be very nappy. In reality we had got to the point where hacking on our own wasn't much fun.

Although riding with friends was always nice to do, the roads near our stables have got increasingly busy in the four years I have lived in the area and so I decided we needed to

get out and away and hack in new safe places. The organised rides with EBA are great and we love to join them whenever we can. However, we have also used our membership to join Liz and her lovely mare Cara, for Ride & Share in Epping Forest, where we eventually coaxed Paddy into the water, and with Lesley with Paddy's new best friend Dalgo, for Ride & Share around Hatfield Forest - a fabulous ride which ended up lasting over four hours!

Riding around with the EBA and getting to know the routes

has increased my confidence and in turn my horse feels more relaxed and now we enjoy boxing up and getting out and about. Some great rides include Berwick Farm at Stanford Rivers, Ongar, with ample parking and facilities and available for just £5. There is an optional route on the EBA website which is lovely, across fields and around woods with some very quiet road work, in total around 12 miles of riding.

Another one to consider is Middlewick Farm at Southminster, it is open from April to October and also has plenty of space for parking with facilities too. This ride offers 12 miles of lovely open fields and grassy tracks.

This summer Paddy and I have taken a couple of friends and their horses to Hatfield Forest.

It's a great ride, just £10 for the day plus a refundable deposit of £10, and it offers beautiful open spaces around the forest to explore. There are also areas to dismount and have lunch or coffee and it really is the ideal first foray into independent hacking. Hopefully this year we will also get to Thetford’s Kings Forest to meet up with a couple of my old school friends for another lovely day out.

In essence we have achieved what we set out to do and joining EBA has offered us both so many new experiences. The rides are all detailed on EBA’s events pages, with tips and information to help you to do it yourself. So go on, box up, get out there and have some fun!

Check out the EBA website for more inspiration: www.essexbridleways.co.uk

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Essex Bridleways Association Contacts List Chair

Julia Wilson

07795 818856

juliawilson012@hotmail.co.uk

Vice Chair

Jan Arthur

01277 650985

j.arthur0985@btinternet.com

Treasurer

Louise Fuller

01245 421614

louiserfuller@hotmail.com

Secretary

Lisa Guy

07792 166591

lisa@lifetimefinancial.biz

Membership Secretary

Alison Craigmile

07956 318502

ebamemsec@yahoo.co.uk

Rides Organiser

Lesley Gillman

07768 103910

lesleygggillman@hotmail.com

Rides Entry Secretary

Denise Dillon

07545 213056

denisedillon77@btinternet.com

Rides Marshal Coordinator

Sandra Deeran

07958 909319

sdeeran@gmail.com

Ride and Share

Julia Wilson

07795 818856

juliawilson012@hotmail.co.uk

Historic Records Officer

Mick Brash

01621 740966

mickbrash@tiscali.co.uk

Historic Research

Christine Tout

07946 789757

chrissierose@talktalk.net

Publicity/ EBA Update Editor Carol Allison

07803 135275

carol@millfieldfarm.com

Website Administrator

Hilary Clifford

01279 792447

hilary.clifford@outlook.com

Trustee

Nicole Bayley

07852 228445

nicole19eba@gmail.com

P3 Representative

Brenda Hatch

01277 899541

brendahatch-eba@outlook.com

Press Secretary

Mary Balch

07759 601271

Facebook/Twitter

Petra Studholme 07784 024106

maryblodge5210@uwclub.net petrastudholme@gmail.com

EBA Area Representatives Basildon

Jan Arthur

Braintree

Michelle Woodall 07809 439383 Mandy French 01371 850215

07813 905022

j.arthur0985@btinternet.com michelle.woodall@btinternet.com amandajfrench1@gmail.com

Brentwood & Havering

Linda Hobbs

01708 229055

clivehobbs53@hotmail.co.uk

Castle Point

Nicole Bayley

07852 228445

nicole19eba@gmail.com

Chelmsford

Vacant

Colchester

Cheryl Damen Emma Rouse

07876 552662 07779 926117

colchester.essexbridleways association@outlook.com

Epping Forest

Heather Brady 01992 578072 Liz Hollingsworth 07855 329059

heatherbrady@hotmail.co.uk liz@2mad.net

Harlow

Tina Markham

07967 682972

tilegate.barn@btinternet.com

Maldon

Caroline Cowell

07941 471508

capbailey@hotmail.com

Rochford & Southend

Vacant

Tendring

Pat Cooper

01255 880296

pat.cooper@live.co.uk

Thurrock

Jenny Mann

07909 787881

jennifermann@btinternet.com

Uttlesford

Sarah Hodgson Sarah Moss

07871 169406 07966 994367

hodgsonsmh@btinternet.com sarahmoss77@hotmail.co.uk

Essex Bridleways Assocation, PO Box 12014, Chelmsford CM1 9UD www.essexbridleways.co.uk

Essex Bridleways Association

Twitter @EssexBridleways