Equestrians baffled as scheme for woodland riding makes things worse

Equestrians are at a loss as a scheme designed to improve access to off-road riding and carriage driving has had the opposite effect in some woodlands.

Forestry England announced this spring that riders would be able to access 49 more woodlands in England without permits from May, in what was hailed a “great step for equestrians” (news, 20 March). It partnered with the British Horse Society (BHS) to achieve this, and the move replaced historic arrangements, including those managed by third parties such as TROT (Toll Rides Off-Road Trust).

But long-term users of two such sites, Friston Forest and Abbot’s Wood in East Sussex, contacted H&H to highlight that access to the secure horsebox parking areas was withdrawn when the change happened. The riders said TROT told them in advance they would lose their access, and they have repeatedly contacted Forestry England to ask for a solution.

Mary Hindle, who was a TROT member, told H&H she has boxed her carriage-driving Shetlands to the woods for years. Although she is within hacking distance of Abbot’s Wood, after “several near misses on the very busy road”, she has vowed never to do that again.

“The only options we now have are to park on the side of the road, unload and put our ponies on the road, or retire our older mare and rehome our younger pony,” she said, adding that she would happily pay for parking.

“The frustration of seeing our safe, off-road parking standing empty and unused is immense. This is a heartbreaking situation for us and I know many equestrians are deeply upset at the situation.”

Hannah Sutch, also a former TROT member, has been riding in Friston Forest and Abbot’s Wood for 16 years; both are within a 20-minute drive of her yard.

She has tried parking on the edge of the road but said it is not safe.

“If it’s free, but you can’t get there – you can’t park there – how is it available to everyone? It is only available to those on the doorstep,” she told H&H, adding that she would also be “more than happy” to pay for parking.

A spokesperson for Forestry England’s Kent & Weald ops team told H&H continued use of areas previously used for horsebox parking “no longer meets our health and safety requirements for riders, our operational teams or other forest visitors”.

The spokesperson said when it made the move to provide free access, it separately reviewed the safety and suitability of horsebox parking arrangements.

“At Friston Forest and Abbot’s Wood, horsebox access was previously enabled via an informal addition to a third-party agreement that allowed members to unlock forest barriers and drive on internal forest roads for deboxing and parking – the parking areas being small patches of gravel shared with forest operations,” said the spokesperson.

“These routes are not open to the general public, due to the operational risks associated with shared use, particularly where forestry vehicles are active.”

The spokesperson added that these are part of an “active working woodland with ongoing timber harvesting operations – around 2,000 tonnes annually”, with frequent use of heavy machinery, and are “not designed or suitable for general public use”.

He added there was also no mechanism to control when people access the sites and they had reports of barrier codes being compromised.

“Unfortunately, alternative solutions, including the use of existing visitor car parks or nearby land, have also been found unsuitable due to high visitor volumes, space limitations, and current financial constraints that prevent us from developing and maintaining dedicated equestrian facilities,” he said.

“We appreciate that this change has been disappointing for some riders, and we want to reassure the equestrian community that we remain committed to supporting safe access for horse riders wherever possible across the nation’s forests.”

BHS director of access Mark Weston told H&H the charity understands “just how incredibly frustrating this is for all those who have been using these facilities”.

“We continue to work with Forestry England to try to make sure that all equestrians can continue to get to, and safely use, these woodland sites,” he said. “This communication and collaborative work will carry on until we can hopefully find a solution that works for equestrians and Forestry England alike.”

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