Forestry England has brought in new annual horsebox parking charges at a number of woodlands and excluded riders from parking at others – six months after trumpeting it was making “horse riding accessible to more riders across the nation’s forests”.
This spring, Forestry England announced that riders would be able to access 49 more woodlands across England without permits from May 2025. This followed a review of 51 woodlands, where paid-for permits were required for riding. Forestry England said at the time permits would still be required at the remaining two, as these are ecologically sensitive wildlife sites that need extra management.
As Forestry England gave with one hand, it took with the other and access to horsebox parking areas at several forests was withdrawn.
For some, who are able to reach woodlands safely without driving, this will mean free access to hacking they would previously have had to pay for. But H&H heard from a number of equestrians in the south-east who were frustrated as they were in effect losing access to this off-road riding on publicly owned land. They explained that they would box to the woodlands, to avoid riding on busy roads, so losing the parking was a blow, and that they would be happy to pay if it meant they had access to safe parking (news, 7 August and 4 September).
Paid-for parking
Forestry England has now released a paid-for horsebox parking permit that allows riders to park at three woodlands: Hemsted Forest, Bedgebury Forest and King’s Wood, all in Kent. Parking areas at other woodlands, including Clowes Wood in Kent, and Friston Forest and Abbot’s Wood in East Sussex, remain off-limits for horseboxes.
The pass runs from 1 May to 30 April. A pass for the full year costs £96 and decreases proportionately, so a pass bought in November would cost £48.
H&H asked Forestry England how removing access to horsebox parking at some woodlands and introducing these parking charges for others fits with the spring announcement that it would reduce the number of permits and “make horse riding accessible to more riders across the nation’s forests”.
A Forestry England spokesperson told H&H: “The two issues are coincidental but separate. And from what you have said, we believe this is a localised issue in our east district, not nationwide. Increasing the number of woodlands in England we manage that do not need permits for horse riding does make them more accessible to more people.
“We only get around 20% of the money we need day-to-day from Government, so we raise money in other ways, including from charging for facilities. Across the country we are increasing the number of car parks where all visitors pay to support or work.
“When we review our facilities, such as box parking, we sometimes find we have to close them.”
Recovering costs
The spokesperson added that the pass will help keep areas clear for riders to use, and helps Forestry England “recover our costs for maintaining this exclusivity”. He added that Forestry England is “investigating alternatives” at woodlands where access to parking has been removed, including Friston Forest, Abbots Wood and Clowes Wood.
Asked if there will be a cap on the number of passes, the spokesperson said: “No, provided the number of people using the box parking allows for a pleasant visit and still allows us to manage the forests.
“We are monitoring how the box parking is being used, and we may introduce a cap if we decide there are too many risking the safety of horse riders or preventing our necessary forest operations.”
He added: “Forestry England has introduced this pass following changes to equestrian access across the nation’s forests. As part of this, we have ended our relationship with TROT [Toll Rides Off-Road Trust], which previously managed equestrian parking facilities at our sites across Kent and East Sussex. TROT memberships will not be valid at sites where the equestrian parking pass applies.”
TROT is a charitable trust dedicated to providing members with access to riding and carriage driving routes. Its work is continuing and it has many other routes available to members.
Added concern
H&H reported in August that TROT’s membership numbers had been affected by the end of the relationship. The news of Forestry England’s new parking charges is an added concern.
“This charge of £96 is a similar price to that which they asked us to charge for the annual riding membership, so hardly making the riding free for all, as many riders need to box to the forest to ride,” Julie Chantler of TROT told H&H. “It’s also extremely disappointing they have chosen the same expiry date as ours. That could ultimately mean some riders may have to decide on either a forestry box parking permit or TROT membership.
“Surely, Forestry England could have chosen a different date, so it makes it more affordable and spreads the cost for riders. I do hope it doesn’t come to that as our membership has been significantly reduced since Forestry England made this announcement in May. Unfortunately this could result in many of our routes closing for ever, reducing the off-road riding on offer in the southeast.”
Questions have also been raised as to how the British Horse Society (BHS), which welcomed Forestry England’s decision to scrap permits this year, is helping find a solution for riders.
Working together
BHS director of access Mark Weston told H&H: “The BHS continues to communicate with Forestry England and alert them that their operational and financial reasons for closing car parks is putting riders’ lives at risk, as the roads they have to use to ride to the woods are dangerous. We’re continuing to make this point at every quarterly meeting we have with Forestry England.
“We’ve also actively asked local riders to let us know if they are aware of any adjacent landowners who might like to provide some land for horseboxes to park on, because we’re very keen to have an open dialogue with such landowners to see how we can facilitate the provision of such parking that’ll enable riders to be able to access those woods safely again.
“We recognise that the new parking permits represent good value for those who want to park at forests more than seven times a year, but for those who want to use it fewer times it is expensive. We have made this point to Forestry England and will continue to communicate closely with them until a suitable resolution is provided.”
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