quick question off to do some trail repairs to a new bit of trail added to my local loop this bit of trail is very near a horse riding centre and quite often used by them the trail is on MOD land problem ive got is that there are a few big and I mean big muddy puddles/small lake landmarc the MODs grounds people have been in the area cutting down small trees and I was going to use left over branchs to fill puddles so it can be ridden without widening trail i.e putting branches across puddles/mud hole and packed down into them is this going to cause problems for the horse as don’t really want to get into conflict with them??

And breathe…..

I’d say yes it’ll cause problems for the horses but can you not just do half the width e.g you fix and ride the left side, leave the right side untouched for the horses to use? Failing that fill with branches but then cover over and pack down with earth.

If they are really big puddles then yes. The horses will end up sliding around on the branches if they are large. As above try doing half or a narrow section that is good enough for cyclists. If you cover the trail the first horse to go over will end up kicking them all over the place anyway.

It is worth considering what kind of ground it is and how the horsists will move. They prefer to go faster up longer gentle rises where the ground is free of rocks. If it is rocky/very soft or downhill they are more likely to be walking so it would cause less issued.

Is there anyway you can get some drainage in (dig a channel or hole to the side) to encourage the water away?

Could you go and ask someone at the riding centre. Sure they’ll know more than most of us. That little dot I used is a full stop by the way.