October 2010

 

Dear All

 

We are now starting to look to next year and would like anyone who may be interested in joining the Committee to let one of us know... some new blood would be more than welcome.  We meet once a month outside of the main meetings usually on a Thursday evening.

 

Bridleway News

 

There’s not very much to report on bridleways this month, it’s all very quiet.

 

·         Lea Holme

A fence has been put up at the back of Lea Holme Farm and there is now limited space for a big horse to turn to close the gate.  We have spoken to the council about this and they are going to re-align the gate to give more room to manoeuvre.

·         Scotland Lane (Dunham’s)

We have had a quote to do some work on Scotland Lane on the Bury side as it’s always extremely muddy during wet weather.  It looks like it’s going to cost quite a lot of money but we have £1,150 which was donated specifically for this area a few years’ ago to put towards it.  We would have to put about another £1,500 towards it and would like to know if any members have any objections to this money being spent on this.

·         Bridleway near Minevah (Motorway Bridge) Bury

Irene has been asking Bury Council to cut some trees back on this path for about 4 years and they have now done this work.

That’s about it on bridleways, this time; I suppose its good really as no-one is reporting any problems.

Reviews

·         Quiz

We had a good turn out for the quiz night in August, the winners were a team from the Birtle area.

·         Tack Auction

The tack auction was very well attended and we had absolutely loads of stuff to sell.  There were some mega bargains on the night and we raised £35 in commission.

·         Buckley Hall Ride

About 8 riders joined the Buckley Hall ride in August and had a really good day for it.

 

Dates for Your Diary

 

·         Monday, 25^th October

We have Tony Dampier – My life with Horses.  This should be a highly entertaining evening.  8.30 pm at The Pack Horse

·         Monday 29^th November

Cheese & Wine at Naylors.  Following the success of last year’s cheese & wine evening we are holding another one this year.  Hopefully there will be some extra discount and special offers on the night.

·         Christmas at The Waggon at Birtle

We have once again got the upstairs room at The Waggon at Birtle booked for 4^th December.  There is a lovely menu and the cost is £24.95 per head.  If you want any more information about this please contact me.  Space is limited and a £10 deposit is required to secure your place.

We are now working on next year’s calendar so if there is anything you would particularly like to see then let one of the Committee know and we’ll try to arrange it.

 

Hi Viz

 

An important article appeared in the latest BHS mag about liability/insurance.  What it amounts to is that if you are involved in an accident and are not wearing hi-viz clothing the other party can claim you have acted negligently - it's clear now - we must wear hi-viz when out riding or face the consequences.

 

Mary Towneley Loop

 

Four of us completed the Mary Towneley Loop in August.  We set off on a very dark, wet Friday morning but luckily the rain stopped fairly quickly and we had near perfect conditions for the rest the weekend.  It is a long way but if you like hacking I would definitely recommend it.  There are some scary bits (Summit), but the scenery is absolutely spectacular.  Well done Brooke who completed it for the second time and she’s still only 8!

 

Gill, Rosie & Jessica Morrell are doing it next week with a group from Holcombe Pony Club and are trying to raise some money for MacMillan nurses so if you want to sponsor them come along to Monday’s meeting when Gill will have her sponsor form available.

 

Something Lighthearted

A cowboy goes into a bar, has a beer, walks outside and finds his horse has been stolen. He walks back into the bar, fires his gun through the ceiling. "Which one of you stole my hoss?" he yells. No one answers. "All right, I'm gonna have one more beer and if my hoss ain't outside by the time I finish, I'm gonna do what I dun in Texas." He drinks another beer, walks outside, and his horse is back. So he gets on it and gets ready to ride out of town. The bartender walks out of the bar and asks, "Say pardner, what happened in Texas?" The cowboy turns to him, and says, "I had to walk home."

 

 

 

Barbara

Dear All

 

Firstly I would like to apologise for this newsletter being a month late... but its here now and we have got some good news.

 

Bridleway News

 

·         Lea Holme

This route is now open!  Please be respectful to the landowner if you bump into him whilst riding this route and please stick to the proper paths. From Norden end go down the hill in front of the Tea Gardens and then keep right until you get near to the farmhouse... go right before you get there between the house and a barn and then go behind the house.  At the end of the path turn right again.  Make sure all gates are closed.  You need to be careful when you get to the last gate which opens onto Edenfield Road as it is quite near to the road and there is a bit of a blind bend.

·         Greenbooth

We have had a bit of a problem with a group of riders leaving ALL the gates open within this concessionary route which resulted in a neighbouring farmer contacting a local councillor to complain, he also contacted United Utilities.  We have managed to pacify him this time but please please close all gates behind you.

·         Path from Coalpits Bridge to Wolstenholme Fold

We had a bit of a scare with this path during July when I received a letter from Rochdale Rights of Way Officer to say that a kissing gate was to be installed on the path alongside the Bird Sanctuary boundary.  This is not going to happen but we are now gathering evidence to get the path upgraded to bridleway status because there is a real threat that it could be closed off to us at some time in the future as the ROW Officer made it quite clear that it was illegal for horse riders to use this route whilst it has a status of footpath.  I would like to thank Councillor Metcalfe for her help in sorting this out for us.  An evidence form is here and if you have used this path please complete one as honestly as you can and either send it to me or bring along to the next meeting.

·         Meadowcroft Mills

We were going to do a path clearance down here in June but the council beat us to it and has resurfaced all the bridleway and have made a cracking job of it.

·         Splash Lane & Black Dad

The council are currently in the process of resurfacing the path down from Splash Lane to the stream and then the path which was badly rutted up to Black Dad farm.  This will make these two paths much safer to ride as they had become very rutted and extremely boggy in wet conditions.

·         Black Dad Farm to Ashworth

The road down to Black Dad farm has been resurfaced but has had a horse friendly surface on the steep bit.

Reviews

 

·         Path Clearances

We have had two path clearances.  The first was at Broadhalgh on the path which runs up the left hand side of Taylor Park between the golf course and the field.  About 8 people turned up and made a big impact on this path, well we made it passable!  This comes out on Norden Road just lower down than Clay Lane and at a place that is not as busy as the junction of Clay Lane and Shawfield Lane.

On the evening of Wednesday 6th July 2010 four enthusiastic souls turned up to clear the vegetation on Bridleway 36 ( Bury), or in understandable terms the bridleway behind the houses near Lowes Farm at Walmersley, Bury.  The track is not very wide at the best of times and over the summer the vegetation has grown so much that there was barely room to get a horse down there.  The encroaching brambles enjoyed making a grab at you as you went by. Not any more!   We got our own back and in a surprisingly short space of time the plants had been tamed.  Unfortunately we did not have the time to finish the job but we managed to clear the worst section and the route is now more comfortable to use.

·         Cowm Resevoir Ride

Seven riders turned up for what turned out to be a ride not without incident.  It was all peaceful until we approached the reservoir on Tong Lane when I noticed a sign advertising a Triathlon event on that day.  The bridleway entrance had a tent across it where the start line for the run section was, there was very loud music playing and the odd interruption of the loud speaker.  Two of our riders actually went through the tent and I have heard the organisers are still waiting for two runners to come back.  Luckily most of the runners had already returned so it wasn’t such a problem and we reached our picnic spot without incident.

·         Bev Berisford – Show Judge

Bev Berisford spoke to us at our June meeting and gave a really informative insight into the world of showing and did highlight some of the prejudices which exist with some judges in the showing world.  She also gave advice on getting the best from your show and handed out some useful notes to the people who attended.

·         Chris Peat – Mary Towneley Loop

Chris once again gave an interesting talk on the Mary Towneley Loop.  Unfortunately I missed this due to being on holiday which is a shame as I am hopefully going to complete it during August.

Dates for Your Diary

 

·         Monday, 23^rd August

A week early due to bank holiday.  Quiz night.  This was a really popular event last year and we hope that we get the same amount of enthusiastic teams again this year.  8.30 pm at the Pack Horse.

·         Monday 27^th September

Tack auction.  This will be held at Pete Spence’s farm on Woodhouse Lane in their indoor school.  If you don’t know where this is give me a call.

Riding & Road Safety

Well done to those people who completed and passed the Riding & Road Safety Course which has been held at the start of the summer.

Horse Tax

Its good news on the proposed horse tax that the old Labour Government were going to slap on to horse owners.  This has now been knocked on the head and a more fairer way of raising money for animal disease is being looked at.

 

 

Barbara

Dear All

Good news all the way this month....

Bridleway News

·         Lea Holme

The wall behind Lea Holme Farm has now been taken down, there is just a fence now blocking this route so hopefully it should be open soon.  Gwen and Joan have spent some time clearing rubbish from the top end of the path and are going to put some weed killer down on the nettles to make sure the route is clear.  It shouldn’t be long down before this is open.

·         Ashworth Concessionary

Ashworth Concessionary is now officially OPEN!!  There was a walk at the beginning of May to show people the route.  Nigel Morrell has kindly been down and cleared a pathway to the stream we have to cross.  Please be aware that if you don’t know the route it would be advisable to go with someone who does know it first.  As part of this route is a conservation area, we’ll be in trouble if any damage is caused.  Route markers are going to be put up shortly (orange horseshoes the same as Greenbooth).  The same rules apply as with Greenbooth, vests must be worn and there is definitely no cantering allowed (even though it might be very tempting in places).

 

·         Heap Road

No update, I had an email from the borough solicitor about two weeks ago to say she would confirm what was happening but I’ve heard nothing so far.

50/50 Members’ Draw

 The 50/50 draw was won by Lynne Larcombe – she got £67.50 and the same amount went into bridleways funds.

 Dates for Your Diary

 ·         Monday, 24^th May

A week early due to bank holiday.  Bev Beresford show judge will be talking about show preparation etc. and giving us an inside view.  8.30 pm at The Pack Horse.

·         Tuesday, 1^st June

Path clearance at Broadhalgh.  The bridleway that goes up the side of the Golf Course, adjacent to Taylor Park is in desperate need of some work.  Meet at Taylor Avenue at 7.00 pm.

·         Tuesday, 15^th June

Path clearance at Meadowcroft Mills – again the far end of this path is getting very overgrown.  Meet at Woodgate Avenue (near where the caravan is parked) at 7.00 pm.

Saturday 19^th June

Norden Carnival... once again we are hoping to get a group together to walk in the carnival.  Hopefully Bev will take Kooga again as he was the star of last year’s carnival and won us the best walking group award.  So if you fancy joining in the theme is film characters.  There is an obvious one and I AM NOT being the back end!!!!!

·         Sunday, 20^th June

Picnic ride around Cowm Reservoir in Whitworth.  Meeting at 10.30 am at the top of Woodhouse Lane or any other point further on.

·         Monday 28^th June

We are hoping to have someone from Horsewatch but this has still to be confirmed.

·         Monday, 26^th July

Chris Peat will be talking about the Mary Towneley Loop.  Chris has written a book about it and it describes it in detail.

 Golf Course

 The muddy part of the track just below the golf course has been improved.  This work was done by Rob Naylor with the council’s agreement and cost us £250 + VAT.  Money well spent I think you’ll agree.

 Reviews

·         We had a great turnout for the Boxing Day ride on Easter Sunday.  There were approximately 25 riders set off and we had a nice lunch at The Pack Horse.

·         Penny Ridley gave an interesting talk in March about the BHS Riding & Road Safety test.  This has now started and the people involved are busy working towards the exam.

 ·         Peter Duggan a saddler from Harleskye Saddlery gave a talk about making and fitting saddles and had lots of samples of saddles and stuffing and leather at various stages of the saddle making process.

Thefts in the Area

We have had reports of a number of thefts in the area, the most recent being a couple of weeks ago when a trailer went from somewhere in Royton.  Please be on your guard.

Highway Code

Did you know that the Highway Code now supports riders riding two abreast… it states:

“Horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles. Be particularly careful of horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles especially when overtaking. Always pass wide and slowly. Horse riders are often children, so take extra care and remember riders may ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced horse or rider. Look out for horse riders’ and horse drivers’ signals and heed a request to slow down or stop. Take great care and treat all horses as a potential hazard; they can be unpredictable, despite the efforts of their rider/driver.

“Please remember though, that as responsible road users, on bends etc you should ride as much as possible in single file.”

 

Website

 

If you haven’t visited our website for a while take a look.  Gill Morrell has been busy developing it and there is now loads of information and pictures on there.  Keep up-to-date with what’s going on.

 

Joke Alert

 

I should probably apologise for this in advance but here goes...

One day a man passed by a farm and saw a beautiful horse.  Hoping to buy the animal, he said to the farmer: "I think your horse looks pretty good, so I'll give you £500 for him."
"He doesn't look so good, and he's not for sale," the farmer said.
The man insisted, "I think he looks just fine and I'll up the price to £1,000."
"He doesn't look so good," the farmer said, "but if you want him that much, he's yours."
The next day the man came back raging mad. He went up to the farmer and screamed, "You sold me a blind horse. You cheated me!"
The farmer calmly replied, "I told you he didn't look so good, didn't I?"

Hints & Tips

Now its summer we all want our horses to look nice... here are some tips to help your horsey look nice and save you a few pennies too...

·         Alternate using main/tail conditioner with a cheap bottled water.  Don’t use tap water as this has chlorine in it and that will dry the hair. 

·         A recipe for coat sheen is add 1/4 cup of baby oil to 2 cups of water, in a spray bottle then add 4 tablespoons of cider vinegar. spray on.  Shake well before use.

·         To get your bridle looking really clean use an electric tooth brush with a bit of saddle soap and water.  You can get right in around the buckles.  You could also use this for the nooks and crannies on your saddle but it would probably take all day to do the whole thing!!!

·         Spray Listerine along your horse’s mane before pulling it.  It numbs the roots and makes it less painful.

·         Baby talc is good for white bits, as is a bit of vinegar in water to remove stable stains.

Note:  Always do a patch test.

Barbara

March 2010

 

 

Dear All

 

Attached to this newsletter is a letter from Gill Ridings our Chairman, who attends various meetings with the Council which include the Rights of Way Meeting, Norden Community Forum and Norden Area Forum. She is getting well known in the area for being our spokesman and point of contact!  Her letter is an insight into what the general public feel about horse riders and how we can try to improve their perception of us.  Meanwhile here are all the usual features:

 

Bridleway News

 

·          Lea Holme

The legal notices have been served to get this finally open.  We have been led to believe that the Council has some money put aside for getting this path sorted out so it shouldn’t been too long before we can use it.  When it is open please use respect when going past Millcroft and Lea Holme Farms.

·         Ashworth Concessionary

Work is due to start on the gate and this concessionary should be open very soon.  Watch this space.

 

·         Heap Road

I have been in touch with Julie Simpson (Rights of Way Officer) about this and she is following up with their Legal Department as it was put forward as a priority for January.

·         Golf Links

This is really just precautionary note. If you come down the bridleway from Taylor Park, the Tee just on the bend where the hole is on the other side of the bridleway has been moved back by about 20 feet making it impossible for the golfers to see if there is anyone coming from that direction.  Just take care and go slowly round the corner to avoid getting a golf ball on your head!

 

50/50 Members’ Draw

 

The next 50/50 draw will take place in April.  Its £5 per entry with half the proceeds going to bridleway funds, the other to the winner.  We already have over £100 in the kitty so it’s going to be well worth winning. 

Dates for Your Diary

 

·         Monday, 29^th March 2010

Penny Ridley is coming to talk about the BHS Riding & Road Safety Test.  We are planning to hold this in the summer and anyone who is in full time education will have their exam fee paid by us.  You have to be 12 to take the test and there has to be a minimum of 8 people and it will probably be held at Gill Morrell’s at Wolstenholme Fold in Norden.  8.30 pm at the Pack Horse.

·         Sunday, 4^th April 2010

Weather permitting we are holding the Christmas ride which was postponed on Boxing Day for obvious reasons.  Meet at the Bus Terminus in Norden at 10.30 am, going along Mile Canter and through to School Lane, down Ashworth Road, up Bury & Rochdale Old Road to Birtle and stop off at The Pack Horse for lunch and then back down through Nabs Wife.  You don’t have to do the whole ride you can pick up along the route or just come for lunch.  Instead of wearing reindeer antlers put your bunny ears on!  Please wear your bridleways bib.

·         Monday, 26^th April 2010

Peter Duggan – saddler.  It’s pretty obvious what he’s going to be talking about, at least I think he’s going to be talking about saddle fitting, etc.  8.30 pm at the Pack Horse, Birtle.

Check out the website www.rbba.org.uk for more information and future events.

 

Does anyone fancy going further afield to ride?  It would be in the week, probably Thursday or Friday and you would need transport.  If you are interested please let me know and then when we have an outing planned we will contact you to see if you can make it.

 

Reviews

We had an interesting night yet again with Julie Rolls, the animal communicator.  I think she managed to convert some non-believers.  Lots of people brought photographs along and Julie did some random readings on the night.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are now overdue; a renewal form is attached to this letter.  Can you please complete all details on the form and either bring it along to the next meeting or post it to me.  If you haven’t already renewed please forward to me as soon as possible.  If you have not paid and have a Greenbooth key please return it as you are no longer eligible to ride through.

Can you please make sure that we have up-to-date contact information for you, if you change your e-mail address, or your home address please let me know otherwise you won’t get the newsletters or any other information that we send out.

Petition Against Horse Tax

 

You are probably aware of the horse tax that the Government are trying to push onto all horse owners.  There is a petition against this at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Horse-Rethink/ and it’s open until 11th September.  Use this link and sign up.  If you want more information on the tax visit www.defra.gov.uk and for more information on the campaign again it visit www.rethinkthehorsetax.org.

Discounts

 

Unfortunately Nosebag is no longer trading so we now only have discounts at Horsebits and Naylors.

 

Ben at Naylors has told us that someone has been lending their membership card to other people to obtain the discount.  Please don’t let anyone else use your card get them to join to take advantage of the discount because Ben is wondering if it is actually worth it if it’s going to be abused.

 

Barbara

Dear All

 Firstly, I’d like to wish you all a very happy new year and hope that the weather improves soon as I’m fed up of not being able to get out and ride. 

 Bridleway News

 ·         Lea Holme

We have just received the Inspector’s FINAL decision on the path behind Lea Holme – we won!!  Hopefully it won’t be too long before its open.  The only option open to the Landowner now is to take it to the High Court, hopefully he won’t go down that route.

 ·         Ashworth Concessionary

As soon as the contractor that United Utilities has appointed to put a gate in for us completes the job, we will be having a work party to clear a route and this will then be open.  We have no further update on this but fingers crossed it will be open before summer (but hey, did we not say that last year too?)  Why does everything take so long its so frustrating.

·         Woodtop/Mile Canter

The tree which was blocking the entry into the river near Paperhouse Bridge has now been moved.  Nigel Morell was kind enough to take his chainsaw to it.  Thanks Nigel.

 

·         Horse Warning Signs on Edenfield Road

You may recall that a lady who lives in the cottages near the sign opposite the White Lion had complained very loudly to anyone who would listen about this sign and wanted it removing.  Luckily we got lots of support at the Norden Area Forum and the sign is staying where it is.

50/50 Members’ Draw

The next 50/50 draw will take place in April.  Take the opportunity to join the draw and pay with your subscription.  £5 per entry with half the proceeds going to bridleway funds, the other to the winner.  I know some of you have already paid and that money will be carried forward to this draw.

Dates for Your Diary

·         Monday, 25^th January 2010

Annual General Meeting – Come along and pay your subs and find out what we’ve got in store for this year.  We have a fabulous social calendar along with some extras.  8.30 pm at The Pack Horse in Birtle, refreshments will be provided.

·         Monday, 22^nd February 2010  (AS SEEN ON TV)

This is the only event I’m telling you about.  We have Julie Rolls, the animal communicator coming.  She has changed her presentation since the last time we had her and now concentrates on communicating with animals from photographs brought in by the audience as this is what most people want.  This will be a really good, fascinating evening.  There will be a nominal charge of £1 entry for members and £3 for non-members (unless they join on the night and then they can get £2 back).  Don’t forget to bring your photographs. 

Reviews

Turn out to the last few meetings before Christmas was excellent, particularly the Quiz Night in October.  We were absolutely amazed at the number of people who turned up.  Congratulations to the winners The Long Stayers.who were also kind enough to share their chocolates.

The shopping night at Naylors was also well attended and we’d like to thank them for giving us the extra discounts on the night.  The Grand Draw took place but there were far too many prize winners to list.

BHS Riding & Road Safety

We are hoping to hold a BHS Riding & Road Safety Training course this year and we have already had some enquiries for this.  We need a minimum of 8 people to hold the course and Penny Ridley has agreed to run it for us.  The total cost is about £75 which includes 6 weeks training and the exam.  In a bid to try to get some of our younger members to do this we are going to pay the exam fee for anyone under 16 or 18 if they are in full time education.  The minimum age limit is 12.

Boxing Day Ride

Well this didn’t happen – weather permitting it didn’t permit!  Anyway, we are planning to still have a Christmas ride with hot toddies (courtesy of Gwen) as soon as the snow and ice has gone.  Santa hats and tinsel or antlers or whatever can still be worn.

Committee Roles

We thought it might be useful for you to know who is on the Committee and what roles they have.  If anyone wants to join the Committee at the AGM please let one of us know. 

Chairman                                              Gillian Ridings

Vice Chairman                                       Roger Mee

Secretary                                              Barbara Brown

Treasurer                                               Gillian Morrell

Past Chairman                                       Irene Pope

Social Secretaries                                  Janet O’Connor/Lynne Cramb

Rights of Way Council Meetings                       Gwen Mann/Joan Snowden/Gillian Ridings

Working Party Organisers                        Bev O’Connor/Chris Mee/Bernard O’Connor

Fund Raisers                                         Karen Whittle/Zoe Williamson

Web Site                                               Clive Goslin

As we have not received any nominations the committee will stay the same for 2010.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are now due and a renewal form is attached to this letter.  Can you please complete all details on the form and either bring it along to the AGM or post it to me.  Subscriptions should be paid before the end of February, anyone who hasn’t renewed by then will be contacted to return their Greenbooth key.  We would like everyone to complete a form this year to make sure we have up-to-date information.

We would also like to remind you that it is a condition of membership that you have third party insurance to ride on the concessionary route.  You get third party insurance included with Gold Membership of the BHS for however many horses you have and that costs £59 per year.

And now something a little light hearted

A blonde decides to try horseback riding, even though she has had no lessons or prior experience. She mounts the horse unassisted and the horse immediately springs into motion. It gallops along at a steady and rhythmic pace, but the blonde begins to slip from the saddle. In terror, she grabs for the horse's mane, but cannot seem to get a firm grip. She tries to throw her arms around the horse's neck, but she slides down the side of the horse anyway. The horse gallops along, seemingly impervious to its slipping rider. Finally, giving up her frail grip, she leaps away from the horse to try and throw herself to safety. Unfortunately, her foot has become entangled in the stirrup, she is now at the mercy of the horse's pounding hooves as her head is struck against the ground over and over. As her head is battered against the ground, she is mere moments away from unconsciousness when to her great fortune... the Tesco  Manager sees her and shuts the horse off

Where do most Mormon horses live?

Salt Lick City

Barbara

 

 

 

ROCHDALE, BURY BRIDLEWAYS ASSOCIATION

 

 

 

 

MEMBERSHIP FORM

 

 

Name: ………………………………………Tel No. …………………………………

 

Address…………………………………………………………………………………

 

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E- Mail Address: ……………………………………………………………………….

 

I WISH TO JOIN THE 50/50 DRAW  £5 PER ENTRY                                   YES/NO

 

Single £10                    *Family £12                  TOTAL AMOUNT PAID ___________

 

* Family members must live at the same address and be named below:

 

…………………………………………………………………………….**Age……..

 

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…………………………………………………………………………….**Age……..

 

** If under 16

 

Cheques Payable to: Rochdale & Bury Bridleways Association

 

Please return to:            Barbara Brown

81 Harewood Close

Norden

Rochdale

Lancs.

OL11 5TJ