Two organisations have come together to create an educational film to highlight best practice to riders and mountain bikers when sharing the countryside.
The film, commissioned and funded by the British Horse Society (BHS) and Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland (DMBinS), with funding also from Scottish Cycling and the European Community Scottish Borders LAG Leader 2012-2020 programme, stars equestrians Persia Bhatia and Lesley Walker alongside professional mountain bikers Reece Wilson and Jessie-May Morgan and demonstrates how the different riders should interact with each other responsibly.
A spokesman for DMBinS said with the number of riders and mountain bikers increasing, there is a need for both groups to understand how they can “best co-habit” in shared space.
“With narrow trails exiting on to shared forest roads and increasing interactions on shared paths and the wider countryside, it was recognised that there was a need to educate both sets of riders, to how we should behave so we can all enjoy our shared spaces together,” he said.
BHS Scotland national manager Helene Mauchlen said the society is “very pleased” to be involved with the making of the film.
“We applaud DMBinS for taking a proactive approach to something that could have become a major issue for our members,” she said.
“We hope our members and the mountain bike community are able to share this video and help educate everyone on how we can all responsibly enjoy the outdoors together.”
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
DMBinS head Graeme McLean said it had been “fantastic” to see the growing number of mountain bikers using forests in Scotland but that there have been incidents where mountain bikers have been unsure how to react to or safely pass horses.
“We hope by showing the perspective from both the mountain biker and the horse rider we can all learn something and go on enjoying what we love to do – safer and for the benefit of all concerned,” he said.
The video advises horse riders should:
Communicate with mountain bikers clearly
Let them pass
Say thank you
Mountain bikers should:
Slow down and look before exiting trails
Stop and ask riders for instruction on how to pass
Say thank you
Avoid passing silently as this can spook a horse
Would you like to read Horse & Hound’s independent journalism without any adverts? Join Horse & Hound Plus today and you can read all articles on HorseandHound.co.uk completely ad-free
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
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
