Hi,

I didn't want to hijack the post on public footpaths, so I thought I would start a new one.

Can anyone answer the question as to how wide a public bridleway needs to be?

I'm asking for 2 reasons, my parents have a bridleway that runs through their field at one end, and several horse riders have been using the recently mown field to canter around willy nilly. As we have had a fair bit of rain too, this has actually started to churn the ground up a bit. My parents were wondering if they could put a fence up, basically to separate the bridleway from the rest of the field. (Dad wants to keep the field nice and smooth, not sure what his plans are for it, maybe a giant cricket pitch :-D )

It's years since I had horses, so I can't remember what the laws are regarding this. On the other hand, is there a minimum required width, as a little further along in the neighbouring field , the gap to get off the bridleway onto the road is only about 2' wide (I smacked my knees many a time going through), and I wondered if it should be wider.

Thanks,

Claire

p.s. sorry about the essay - I didn't realise how much I'd written! :)

I always thought they had to be just wide enough to get a horse down. Sorry I cant be more helpful!

I read somewhere, some time ago, that a public footpath should be 6' wide, but of course that's different to a bridleway. I would think a 10' strip would be plenty - probably way over the requirements.

I'm also not sure when the law changed that allowed horses to actually be ridden on bridleways - originally horses had to be led by the bridle (hence the name) not ridden or driven; that meant the were only going at a walking-pace and so didn't damage the route.

Edit: Hooray! Just found this. Apparently it needs to be wide enough to allow two horses to pass: 2 metres across a field and 3 metres along a field edge. :)

Yes, he can fence it off - but not with elecreic fencing I don't think. Its a shame some riders ruin it for everyone else - there are precious little places to go these days that are off road :(

Thanks everyone for the response, I have taken a look at the website link Jeangenie, I'll pass it on to my Dad.

ChloeH, you're right, it is a shame that a few riders ruin it for others, I remember when I rode, there were so few decent bridleways to use, and I lived slap bang in the middle of masses of countryside as well.

I think the way to go with this one will be a sheep wire fence to separate the bridleway, and I'l contact the local rights of way dept about the entrance in the next field. It's the kind of size where a slim pony or light TB type horse can squeeze through, but I have visions of something more sturdy like a cob getting wedged

Claire :)

Heres a forum that should be able to help you well im sure someone on there knows the answer  http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/phpBB2/index.php