New mountain bike route is ‘an accident waiting to happen’ for horse riders
Riders are campaigning against a new bike trail that will cross 2 bridleways in the Surrey Hills.
The British Horse Society (BHS) maintains that the route is being built without “public consultation or lawful consent”.
Local rider Tessa Gooding noticed excavation work while hacking around Leith Hill Tower in January and discovered that a cycle path is due to open this spring.
“We have bridleways that will be in the middle of a downhill bike track,” she said.
“It is being built by cyclists for cyclists, with a complete lack of understanding of how horses behave in confined spaces with unexpected activity happening alongside them.
“Of most concern is a 100ft blind spot where cyclists won’t know if there is a horse in the sunken bridleway beneath them.”
The BHS and local riders are in discussions with the National Trust — which owns the land — and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Board (AONB).
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Surrey County Council (SCC) manages the common under access agreement 1949, but has “to date remained silent on the matter”, according to Bob Milton, common land adviser to the BHS.
SCC added it had “nothing further to add”.
Penny Tyson-Davies, BHS bridleways officer for Mole Valley, said there has been no equestrian input.
“If they had consulted the BHS, they would have been told that a fast off-road cycle track alongside and crossing bridleways is out of order. Mountain bikes whizzing in and out of trees, jumping ramps above horses’ heads, around an established sunken horse track, is an accident waiting to happen.”
But Sam Bayley, National Trust head ranger, said that dedicated tracks for mountain bikers will improve safety, because cyclists have been “creating unauthorised trails at Leith Hill following and crossing many bridleways”.
“We aim to balance the needs of everyone,” he said. “The design will ensure cyclists naturally slow down at crossing points by appropriate turns and signage.”
Rob Fairbanks, of Surrey Hills AONB said: “It is not feasible to ban biking in one of the most popular areas in England. We want to work with the BHS to educate cyclists about the priority that needs to be given to horse riders, so we can all share the Surrey Hills.”
This article was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (27 February 2014)
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.