As well as rights of way; horse riders also have a statutory right under the Law of Property Act 1925 sec. 193, and the CROW Act 2000 s 15 to take “air and exercise” anywhere on registered commons that are situated within Urban or Metropolitan Districts. You can find the location of “section 15 land” on Defra’s Magic webpage (tick the Access box on the left).

This is a right to “pass and re-pass” in all directions irrespective of the recorded rights of way, but not to school a horse repeatedly in circles.  In practice this access is often limited by terrain such as boggy or rocky areas, so horse riders need to take care and use common sense.

In our area we are fortunate to have two urban commons; Baildon and Ilkley Moors. Both of these moors are owned by Bradford Council and managed their Countryside Service with the help of dedicated volunteers, the “Friends of Baildon Moor” and the “Friends of Ilkley Moor”.

Everyone involved in managing the moors works very hard to preserve them as free wild places that everyone can enjoy. So please:

• Whenever possible use only the most sustainable paths when the ground is wet.
• Stick to tracks and paths between March and July to avoid disturbing ground nesting birds.
• Remember that horses can seem intimidating to people on foot, so be considerate to other people, even if they are not always nice to you!

Finally, if you would like to contribute to or learn more about the upkeep of our beautiful moorlands and the paths that cross them, here are the links to the Friends of Baildon Moor http://baildonmoor.org/wordpress/ and the Friends of Ilkley Moor http://www.ilkleymoor.org/ websites.