George Orwell’s “four legs good, two legs better” has long been the case when it comes to access to England’s forests, the British Horse Society contends. But “equality” may now be in sight. For decades, those wishing to ride horses on some of the country’s most beautiful off-road routes have had to seek a permit, a bit of paperwork that neither pedestrians nor cyclists need.

Forestry England, which oversees that system, maintains that such paid-for permits are important in sensitive sites to avoid damage to the environment or clashes between horse riders and those enjoying a ramble or bike ride through the countryside.

The word in equestrian circles in recent days, however, is that despite some suspected reverse snobbery over the perceived high-born status of riders, the “discrimination” of the past may now be coming to an end.

A new consultation on the system of permits launched by the forestry agency in recent days and ending on 9 April has given some hope of a more equitable future to Mark Weston, director for access at the British Horse Society (BHS), and the 3 million riders he represents at the charity.

“Horse riders should have free access as walkers and cyclists have free access,” he said. “It is discrimination.”

“In a lot of forests there aren’t permits at all, which just demonstrates to us that they are not really needed,” he added. “Forestry England’s justification is that the cost of the permits is reinvested into the routes but our view is that it doesn’t really happen and if it does happen, well, walkers and cyclists are benefiting from that investment at the cost of equestrians.”

The BHS argues that there is a strong safety argument for better access: in 2022 alone, 68 horses were killed on Britain’s roads and 139 people were injured.

Hackney horses are at risk of extinction, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) has said, despite their historic role in traditional British rural life.

The RBST, which works to save and safeguard rare native livestock and equine breeds, has today released its Watchlist, showing which breeds are seeing a recovery, and which breeds are currently most at risk.

While some animals are doing well thanks to a renewed interest in consuming local, traditional breeds, others are dying out because the modern world has no use for them. These include Hackney horses, whose breeding numbers are down to 129 from 158 last year. They were traditionally used for driving carriages, but there is now little need for them because of the rise of motor vehicles….