The council statement issued on the 31st March stated that a decision was made in conjunction with the FRA and the beach hut association along with councillors that riding on the beach from Good Friday - October is BANNED and the winter months only access is till 11am

Frinton residents association (FRA) for the past few years have been threatening and having discussions with TDC to stop horse riders using a path that has been used for nearly a 100 years to access the beach. 

They have numerous times approached TDC for the rights of horses accessing the path to be removed.

However due to Covid and lots of venues closing horse riders from out of the local area were driving down and using this beauty spot so the traffic coming down was higher than normal and a very small number unfortunately were breaking the rules and not using common sense but as with most things there is always someone.

*What we have done to try and help....

We (local riders) have tried to speak to other riders by the power of social media asking them to respect the site.

We have also asked for better signage with rules to be put in place but this was rejected.

We asked for a permit scheme to be put in place, this was also rejected.

We have gone the to beach and spoken to other riders to try and spread the word about the rules.

We have cleared up droppings and mess (apart from a small number of people but it is a bridleway)

What FRA/TDC have done......

FRA have said they have been putting cards on windscreens and giving TDC numberplates for TDC to send a letter. After a recent poll on Facebook it came back that less than 7% ever got a card and this was over two years ago.

Signs were put up but not in the right places and not enough compared to the new ones erected banning horses!

****suggestions 

The new rule about banning horses in the summer and off by 11am in the winter is a bit unfair. The mornings are dark in the winter and makes it fairly impossible to be off that early.

A total ban In the summer is also unfair and we feel maybe reconsider this to be off by 8am-8pm in the summer.

There would also be an option to move the bridleway further up to the Leys end, (bottom of Pole Barn Lane) there is better access,  the beach is larger and its away from high public footfall areas from Frinton highstreet.

The authorities/associations that made this decision are small number of people who have voiced their concern, yet when this new announcement was made most of the comments were from other locals who were upset that they wouldn't see the horses anymore.

Bridleways are very few and fair between in the Tendring area and badly maintained, yet Tendring has high population of horses. With all the new houses being built we are losing more and more places to ride which forces us on to the roads.

We are not asking for a complete overturn but would like to meet halfway.  Hopefully there is a way around this so everyone can enjoy the outside.