Essex Horse Riders Appeal for Off-Road Access
Essex Bridleways Association will be presenting a petition to Essex County Council at County Hall, Chelmsford at 10.30am on Wednesday 8th June 2016. The petition is in relation to Essex horse riders appealing for better off-road access.
The petition forms part of the charity’s current ‘Better Bridleways’ campaign which aims to raise awareness of the needs of horse riders in the county.
EBA Chair, Julia Wilson, explained: “EBA is appealing for greater consideration to be given to horse riders when it comes to creating safe, off-road access. Council and Government policy focuses heavily on walking and cycling and yet horse riding is frequently overlooked. Pedestrians and cyclists can use Bridleways but horses are rarely given access to Multiuser routes.
“There is a common misconception amongst other road users that horse owners have miles of Bridleways to ride on but this is not the case and in most parts of Essex we are very poorly catered for. As a consequence of this, and massive development in the county, we are forced to share the roads with increasingly fast and heavy traffic.
“Horse riding is a wonderful activity for enhancing both mental and physical wellbeing. In an age where adults and children are being encouraged to become more active it seems ridiculous that those of us that are already keen to spend our spare time outside, participating in an active lifestyle are, in effect, being penalised.”
Members of Essex Bridleways Association will be assembling outside County Hall at 10am ready to present the petition at 10.30 on 8th June and would welcome supporters of their cause.
Visit www.essexbridleways.co.uk or the Essex Bridleways Association Facebook page for further information.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.