“I really feel that my body craves to be in the mountains or by the ocean or in the countryside.” Miranda Kerr.

I love hacking out. I am convinced that if I was able to hack out regularly, my mind would be calmer, my body would be healthier, and life would be more in perspective. I like to hack out alone, to listen to the countryside, to watch the world that I am passing by.

That doesn’t work so well if there’s the roar of an engine, and now (before 9th April) is a great chance to have your say. Part of the government’s landscapes review asks about off-roading on unsealed / unsurfaced countryside tracks.

As reported in this article by Everything Horse UK, Chair of Peak Horsepower Charlotte Gilbert says: “We and other organisations have been pressing for a long time for a review of the legislation governing the use of unsealed countryside tracks by 4x4s and motorbikes where such use causes damage and prevents access to other classes of legitimate user. We are very pleased indeed that the government has at last decided to ask the public whether there should be new legislation on off-roading. We urge all equestrians to take part in the consultation and to answer questions 14 to 17 in the online questionnaire.”

You can have your say here.

The government response to the landscapes review (National Parks and AONBs) begins, “The last two years have demonstrated the benefit that people get from having access to nature-rich landscapes. Our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) have been a vital resource for so many of us, but it remains the case that they can be hard to reach. As we embark on our mission to level-up every part of the country, I want us to ask what more we can do to bring nature and people closer together.

I am enormously grateful to Julian Glover and the panel for their report, which comprehensively reviewed our National Parks and AONBs. We have an opportunity to create a new chapter for our protected landscapes, and this response will set out how we plan to do so. The work that we are taking forward is going to contribute to our commitment to protect 30% of our land by 2030 and boost biodiversity, as well as designating more areas of the country for their natural beauty.”

© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio 2021

Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity, and compassion