Access Week

Access Week 2010 is 21-31 May

Help us – and have fun too!

The British Horse Society’s Access Week gives staff, volunteers and affiliated bridleways groups the opportunity to raise the profile of the work they carry out to defend, extend and promote the equestrian off-road network. Launched in 1999 and held annually in May, Access Week brings a UK-wide focus to our work, and that of our volunteers.

We need your help to make Access Week bigger and better than ever before!

Organise a ride for access

Raise funds for The British Horse Society’s Access Fighting Fund by organising a ride with your friends and equestrian community. The fund was started in 2007, after a judge allowed BMW’s application to stop up a right of way which had existed for 2,000 years, without any requirement for an alternative equestrian route. In this case, fighting for the rights of riders cost the BHS around £30,000 in costs.

Riders can apply to the BHS Access Department for a Ride For Access pack. Each pack includes 10 invitations so that you can invite 10 (or more) friends out for a hack or drive, with a suggestion that each rider makes a donation of £10 to the Fighting Fund. Please encourage everyone to take part and organise a ride. Hopefully, this will provide a significant boost to the Access Fighting Fund.

Don’t take your bridleways for granted. Help us to save our equestrian rights of way – and have some fun too!

Make some noise!

The British Horse Society runs campaigns and lobbies government to fight for the rights of riders and carriage drivers. Check out our current campaigns to see how you can get involved.

If you’d like to help us celebrate Access Week by organising an event, joining our nationwide team of volunteers, creating or affiliating your bridleway group, or helping out in any other way you can think of, please get in touch with us.

Say thank you

During the inaugural Access Week, BHS staff and volunteers presented local authorities with Riders’ Charter Awards, which are now presented every year to those individuals, organisations and authorities that use good practice when addressing the needs of riders specified in the charter. If you’d like to make a nomination for an award, the criteria and forms are available from the BHS Access Department.

If you’re organising an event, or making a nomination for an award, we need all your information by 1 April, so that we can achieve the best coverage for your event that we can.

Contact Hannah Brown on 01926 707813, or email h.brown@bhs.org.uk to see how you can get involved in helping to improve equestrian access in your area.

Why YOU should do something for Access Week

Rights of Way are integral to all aspects of equestrianism

Surveys carried out throughout 2008 clearly show that off-road riding is important to, and regularly used by, equestrians of all background and disciplines. Whether you simply like to have fun by hacking with friends, exploring the countryside, or are exercising your next elite showjumper or eventer, every horse, rider and carriage driver has the right to access safe off-road routes.

Every day the BHS Rights of Way team, supported by its network of almost 200 Bridleway Officers and 139 Affiliated Bridleway Groups work hard for the rights of every horse and rider to have access to safe, enjoyable, off-road routes.

We strive to give equestrians a voice in government proposals and parliamentary decisions by lobbying on key issues, such as the current Coastal Access Campaign.

Access Week aims to increase the awareness of this work, and also to publicise the need to raise funds and support our work, which is crucial to the equine industry.

It’s fun

How better to spend your Bank Holiday weekend than with other like-minded people. How about a picnic ride, a quiz evening, or a horse and rider games competition?

Why explore off road?

Here are some reasons we were given by the public this year as to why they enjoy the rights of way network:

• “My horse loves it; it decreases boredom and increases his fitness and discipline”
  
  
• “I enjoy the peace and tranquillity”
  
  
• “It’s a fun and safe environment for both me and my horse, away from busy roads”
  
  
• “My friends and our horses enjoy exploring new places, it’s very exciting, and the horses enjoy the change of scenery”

Don’t know where to go?

Contact our GIS Officer for free on 01926 707812 or email your postcode to emagin@bhs.org.uk and find out where you can ride today.

Interested in helping us?

We need you.

There are many ways to help – by organising a fundraising event this year, or if you would like to get more hands-on in your area with Rights of Way, contact the BHS Access Department for more information on becoming an Access volunteer or joining your local Affiliated Bridleway Group.

Do something to make a lasting difference to equestrians in your area. Help us get people in your area motivated to take up the fight for increased access this Access Week.

Contact Hannah Brown on 01926 707813, or email h.brown@bhs.org.uk to see how you can get involved today.