Having walked along a bridleway last week that we usually ride along, I was horrified to discover a Welsh Cob stallion and a bunch of mares loose on the track!

I contacted the BHS and local authority to discover that unless the stallion causes a danger, he is legally allowed to be there!
Told that if he injures someone then I was entitled to sue the owner!

On talking to various people I discovered that lots of people had come across stallions on common land on which bridleways run through, and there have been several separate incidents, causing injury, people falling off and one stallion served a mare!

Bit late once someone is injured or even killed!

We need to get this changed....

The Highway code is in the process of being updated, and I recently signed a petition on the Number 10 Downing Street website to try and help stop the new rule that we werent to ride two abreast on any public highway. All those signing the petition had a reply to say this was guidance only would make clear it meant on busy roads, which was to the releief of many! If the practice of stallions being let loose is curently legally acceptable, this would be a good time to consider starting a petition, while there is change in the air?

There is also a website called http://www.bridleways.co.uk/ which is dedicated to helping riders find and maintain theit local bridlepaths, and also can help to lobby for change where it is needed, I am sure they would be very interested to hear your story and could give you some advice on where exactly this rule sits and how it could be changed.

I am currently trying to rally our local highways agency and city council to stop a teenager on a motorbike who has made my nearest bridlepath totally unusable by carving up the tack with his tyres, and frightened some riders and horses badly.

It would seem we have to protect our bridleways, which is a shame, but I hope this above is useful.. If we dont fight for them - who will!