Commercial Permit Tabards – 31st January 2012

TROT, together with the Forestry Commission, are currently in the process of changing the means of identification for our commercial permit holders, i.e., riding schools, trekking centres, etc.

Commercial permit holders will in future be provided with escort tabards rather than hatbands. The tabards will be used on escorted rides and will help to improve identification for these organisations together with ensuring all insurance and public liability requirements are covered.

If you have any questions on this new system please don’t hesitate to contact Donna in the TROT office on 01622 735599.

Ragley (WA4) - Activity dates ** includes February paintballing dates **

The route will be affected by other activities on certain days through the winter 2011-2012, for full details, click HERE or contact the local agents Paul Benson 07919 520210, email pbenson323@sky.com or Jan Kenyon on 07713 228646.

The Denge – KE10 and FC17 – 20th January 2012

One of our members was recently involved in a near miss with a number of motorcyclists who were riding recklessly in the Forest. This incident was reported to the police and they attended the scene but unfortunately were unable to locate the motorcyclists.

Please be aware of this incident when riding and it is important to continue to report any such incidents to both the police and the TROT office. The police number for non emergencies is 101 or 999 if it is an emergency. Please make a note of the incident number and let the TROT office know by e-mailing us on info@tollrides.org.uk.

If you are able to get registration numbers of the bikes or any transporters this will help the police. However only do this if it is safe to do so and do nothing that could endanger either yourself or your horse.

Local Agent Vacancy - Hartlebury WR04

We are looking to appoint Local Agents for the above route, ( The role is unpaid but does include free membership and expenses ) It would involve liasing with existing and potential new members and landowners, policing and assisting with minor maintenance and issues on the route. Anyone interested should contact the office on 01622 735599, or email info@tollrides.org.uk where we can supply some further information.

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Wick WR04 - new gate requiring CODE to open

A gate lock has been introduced on the track leading to the river, requiring a CODE. For details of this CODE, please contact the local agent Wendy Martin on 01386 556382, or the TROT office on 01622 735599.

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Welford (WA05) - Tinsel ride New Years Eve 2011

First ever Tinsel TROT for Stratford Riding Club.

On New Years' Eve, Stratford Riding Club joined forces with TROT to enjoy the re-opened Welford TROT route. For the full report click HERE.

Bramshill (FC Routes) - Wed Feb 22nd 2012

The local hunt is expected to go through Bramshill on Wednesday the 22nd February 2012.

Welford (WA05 ) - Now re-opened from January 1st 2012

1st January 2012 - Welford (WA05) has now re-opened. Any queries please can contact Local Agent Paul Benson on 07919520210.

Squerryes Ride (KE03 ) - Closed for December 2011

The route will be closed during December 2011, a Film Company will be using the estate from 1st December until Christmas Eve for filming. Any queries please contact the TROT office on 01622 735599.

Flanchford Farm (SU08 ) - Closure dates

The route will be closed on certain days through the winter 2011-2012, for full details, click HERE or contact the local agent on 07775 796333.

Hanley Castle (WR08) - Newsletter Winter 2011 (includes closure dates)

The newsletter for the Hanley Castle route is available HERE . Details of closure dates through the winter 2011-2012 are included. For more information please contact local agent:Chrissie Bacon
on 07813 066680 or email chrissy.bacon@btinternet.com

Ulcombe (KE27) - Activity dates 2011-2012

The route will be affected by other activities on certain days through the winter 2011-2012, for full details, click HERE or contact the local agents Jayne/ Charles Tassell on 01622 858733

St. Leonards Forest FC33 (FC04) - Forestry key needed

The Forestry Commission has informed TROT they are constructing a lockable barrier at the entrance to the car park of St. Leonards Forest. This is to stop the illegal dumping of rubbish in the car park. The barrier can be opened with a forestry key. If you do not have a key please contact the TROT office on 01622 735599 and we will send you one (£15 deposit payable). This gate will be locked from 1st October 2011.

Wick Saturday Closures(WR02)

Please be aware that riding will not be permitted on the Wick ride on each Saturday until February 2012. If you have any queries please contact the Local Agent , Wendy Martin on 01386 556382.

Hadlow/East Peckham (KE17)

The toll ride on Goblands Farm will be closed on Sunday 25 SEPTEMBER and Monday 26 SEPTEMBER, and every Sunday and Monday until the end of January.

The track from the Stanford Lane/Bells Farm Lane junction to the centre of the farm will be closed entirely from Sunday 25 September, although access will still be available from Stanford Lane at the Leavers Farmhouse entrance (past the old woodyard) on the days the ride is open (ie Tuesday - Saturday).

During this time, please only walk through the farm and avoid disturbing partridge/pheasant if possible.

We are only able to keep this ride (mostly) open during the winter because of your co-operation, so thank you for being helpful!
If you have any queries please either contact the local agent Polly Thomas 01732 850373 or the TROT office on 01622 735599.

Enjoy riding 12 miles of off- road TROT tracks through the Worcs countryside then finish with tea/coffee/squash and home made cakes and biscuits before returning home. Box parking available at Gilberts End Farm WR8 0AR £5 for TROT members to include refreshments £10 non-TROT members for day pass and refreshments.

To book a place or for more information contact:
Jane Sanderson 01684 564485 mob. 07905 909 667
or Zelda Freeman 01684 569168 mob. 07908 755 929
Phone on these numbers if bad weather on the day. More details click here.

101 competitors took part in an Endurance GB organised ride on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June 2011. The venue was adjacent to the TROT route and Saturdays Social ride with 44 competitors rode on the TROT route completing distances between 5 and 16 miles. As the route has been recently mown and has good grass cover all returned with smiles and compliments on the route. There is even a video of the social ride route made by a participant which can be seen on: Youtube video

On Sunday there were both competitive and Pleasure classes, with 3 advanced horse and rider combinations entered for the 50 mile class and 5 in the 40 mile class. 57 competitors in total competed at distances of between 10 and 50 miles in extremely hot weather. The event included Pony Club Endurance and Riding Club Championship Qualifiers as well as the normal Endurance classes. The longer distances started and finished on the TROT with all classes under 25 miles using only the TROT route. As the riding on Stapleford TROT is so good some fast times were achieved, despite the heat. The majority of competitors were local but the event also attracted riders from as far afield as Durham, and Riding Club teams from Solihull and Yorkshire competed for a place in the British Riding Club Team Endurance Championships. Photographs taken over the 2 days can be seen on the Leicestershire & Rutland Endurance group website: www.lregb.co.uk .

The first sections of the ride, approximately 4 miles in length will go from Brissenden Green Lane to Plurenden Lane, with a circular route around Plurenden Wood on the way. It then connects Plurenden Lane to the bridleway connecting Redbrook Street with Woodchurch Road. It is essential that riders kep to the edges of fields, off the cropped land and keep to the waymarked routes. It is hoped that this route will extend and improve with support from local riders.

For more details contact the local agents
Ian Anderson Tel: 01233 820341 E-mail: ianmcanderson@aol.com
Lynne Anderson Tel: 01233 820341 E-mail: pottersfarms@aol.com

A successful ride was held on May 10th, to see the report and photographs from one of the participants click here.

For more information on the route contact the local agent email: staplefordtrot@btinternet.com

Forest Fires - Crowthorne Woods (FC24)

Crowthorne Woods (FC24) are inaccessible due to recent forest fires. Please avoid this area.

Tilgate Forest FC02 - Route change

Tilgate Down Hill Mountain Bikers Club now lease a small area to the west of the main powerlines. They have created trails and divert down hill riding from the wider forest. No horse riding is permitted in this area. General warning and boundary signs will be posted, which should make this area clearer. The club do appreciate that at this time it may not be apparent and some riders may have inadvertently wandered through without realising. Please click here to see a PDF of the Tilgate map.

Managing Grassland for Horses Workshop

A FREE workshop for horse and pony owners and people who manage livery yards, riding schools or their own paddocks.

Thursday 12th May 2011
6.30 - 8.30pm
Newdigate Village Hall, Newdigate

Coffee/Tea/sandwiches provided

Contact Petra Billings on 01273 497515 or email petrabillings@sussexwt.org.uk to book your place. More details here

This route is now open.

The announcement of the Independent Forestry Panel by DEFRA has caused TROT concern. The panel which was announced on the 17th March, does not include any equestrian representatives Read more.

Kadiya Qasem from TROT said: “We believe that we had a very strong case to be on the panel. For over 15 years our members permit money has generated the Forestry Commission with a portion of its income, so our members deserve to have a voice.”

From March 1st 2011, this route is closed to visitors until further notice as building work means there is no box parking available.

For more information please contact local agent:Chrissie Bacon
on 07813 066680 or email chrissy.bacon@btinternet.com

The Toll Rides (Off-road) Trust in conjunction with Ride Welland, is to open a new route at Kinoulton (Notts) on Barn Farm by Kind Permission of Mr G Hickling. The route will hold an open day on the 31st July 2010 when everyone can ride the route for free.

This is a circular route of 3.5 miles on arable land with no gates, it can be accessed via Hall Lane (leading to Hall Farm) in Kinoulton or from the track opposite Barn Farm (which takes you onto the box park) or from the bridleway between Colston Bassett and Kinoulton. The route can also be reached from Cropwell Bishop.

For more information and to book your place, please contact local agent:
Catherine Ellis on 07976 154952 or email cat.hammond5@btinternet.com

The Toll Rides (Off-road) Trust officially opened their 15th toll route in the West Midlands (the 3rd in Warwickshire) on Saturday the 19th June. The new Welford upon Avon route is a joint venture with Warwickshire County Council who approached Trot to help them make something more meaningful of their existing bridleway network which had no desernable circular facility and also required a much needed link. By kind permission of a few local farmers, a stud farm, a breakdown yard and a some local residential tenants a 10 mile route has been created. The mixture of landowners makes this a very varied and interesting ride with Trotters experiencing farm tracks and headlands, disused gallops, miles of disused train track, quite country lanes passing through the village of Welford and a river front walk and woodland section. The routes close proximity to the much loved Ragley estate route provides added value to becoming a local member in the area.

Contact: Julia Jones 01386438779, 07941899624 (outside office hours), email trot@mikehat.demon.co.uk .

We are delighted to report the opening of a new stretch of ride at Hadlow, which will enable riders to avoid the Golden Green road, and forms a link between the Hadlow Place rides and those towards East Peckham. The ride on Style Place Farm is nearly two miles and goes from Victoria Road to Kent House Farm on headlands around fields and alongside the River Bourne. The entrance from Victoria Road, if you come from Golden Green, is the first farm drive on the right after the bridge over the Bourne. Look for the waymarkers, and please show consideration for walkers also enjoying the countryside. At Kent House Farm the ride goes around the edge of what is currently a letttuce field, and can be accessed next to The High House (on the z-bend of Court Lane) or over the ditch bridge by Kent House Farm.

Please note that the very short link via the footpath behind Kent House Farm is now closed to horses.

For more details contact the local agent Polly Thomas on 01732 850373 or Jeanette Gibb on 01732 771078.

The Ashley TROT is located between the M56 and Tatton Park. The route includes parts of the Tatton Estate. This is a very popular route with over 35 members.

The full TROT route comprises approximately 4 miles of ‘off road’ riding. The route is mostly on arable field margins with some tracks and pastureland. Because the route is made up of several loops of varying length riders choose how much of the route they would like to ride.

Two nearby farms offer bed and breakfast and can offer accommodation for horses too. Together with the equestrian access to Tatton Park a mile away will make this a ‘must do’ holiday weekend with your horse.

For more information on the Ashley TROT route please contact Laureen Roberts on 01565 650 529 or email laureen.roberts01@ntlworld.com

Due to a special relationship between Trot and the East Anglian Farm Routes rides (EAFR ) members of Trot can now gain access to routes in Essex provided by the EAFR which amounts to over 250 miles of off-road tracks and headlands on over 55 farms. They have routes covering Colchester, Halstead, Mersea Island, Braintree, Tendring, and the Dengie Peninsula. For up to date route information prior to riding, please contact them on: 01206 251790. Details are also available on their website: www.farmrides.com