Riders and carriage drivers are frustrated as they are unable to access woodland routes, after a hollow promise to “make riding accessible to more riders across the nation’s forests”.

reported that equestrians had lost access to off-road parking at Abbot’s Wood and Friston Forest in East Sussex (news, 7 August). The move happened in May, when Forestry England scrapped the requirement for equestrians to have paid permits to ride in most woodlands, including those managed by third parties such as TROT (Toll Rides Off-Road Trust).

This followed a survey by Forestry England, supported by the British Horse Society (BHS), in 2023 as part of Forestry England’s review of its permit systems to “ensure protocols are fit for purpose”. In 2022, when early conversations were taking place between

See Full Page