In reply to SCrossley:
My wife and I quite often ride our horses up High Pike in the Northern Fells, as do a few other folk we know (see photo here (scroll down):
http://needlesports.com/catalogue/content.aspx?con_id=3cf15cda-1b7b-4cca-8a... ). In fact the Northern Fells are ideal for riding as they are fairly rounded and grassy plus not very crowded.
Horses are fairly nervous animals, particularly when out of their comfort zone and this is even more so when they are young, which ours are. So we try and pick days when there's no wind but it's not too hot. When they are used to being surrounded by hedges, suddenly being in a wide open space is very different for them. Fell runners, dogs running loose, mountain bikers, paragliders, farmers on quad bikes all make them jumpy so going to quieter areas makes sense as they are often nervous enough already. We have also had a fairly scary time on Askham Fell with a herd of fell ponies charging round and round us like cowboys and indians so we tend to make sure there are none of these around too.
Some people are scared of horses or just don't think they should be there, though we have never had anyone actually say anything, but you can tell from their attitude. However the majority seem delighted to see horses on the fells and are very pleased to chat to us - still, going in the emptier parts of the Lakes makes sense in this respect, and it's also beneficial when trying to park the horse box.
As regards bridleways, there are not so many shown in the high Lakeland Fells, but obviously horses (or at least ponies) were used all over the fells in the days before cars and quadbikes, particularly in the case of the northern fells where there were mines worked by horse power all over the spot, so we don't feel that we are doing anything wrong.
Finally, if you are running, biking or even walking in the fells and see a horse in front of you, it would be a great help to the horse and rider if you could just say something, especially if approaching fast from behind, "Hello, bike coming through etc", that sort of thing, as the horse will be a lot less nervous if it realises you're a person and not a predator - and also slow down or stop if you think you might spook the animal. Having numerous times done an instant 180 degree turn on the spot when a cyclist has appeared silently from the rear at 25mph, I can tell you it's pretty scary! Actually, virtually everyone we meet is really good in this respect but, as always in life, there are a few p*ll*cks!
Post edited at 13:49
