Photo-a-Day  (Thursday, 2nd March, 2017)

Nice bit of firewood for you there Ron, courtesy of Doris. Don't let yon mon i't lodge si thi though.

I like the photograph, but I thought that was a footpath not a hoofpath

Good action photo, but I have a question. Why can't users of the towpath remove that small tree that is creating a potential hazard ??

Tow paths were made for horses, weren't they?

Is the tow path a Bridle Path? If its not the horses should not be there.
Their hooves do churn up the ground.

Nice photo Mick, with the narrowboat in the background. I do love a canal !

A lovely picture -the galloping horses,colourful boat and the great outdoors!
What's not to like?

In most cases horseriding is not allowed on towpaths. The exceptions are those very few sections that are also officially a bridleway. If you want to ride a horse on a towpath, go to Scotland it's allowed there.

Barges were pulled along by horse power some years ago

I much prefer horses on the towpath than motorcycles.

Roy is right - horses are no longer allowed on most tow path including the one in the photo - neither are motorcycles Garry.

I can't understand why horses (if it's true) aren't allowed on canal tow paths. If they are just trotting, I can understand it if they were always galloping all the time. What about push bikes then, are they allowed to ride on the path??

Garry - towpaths are not Public Rights of Way - they belong to the canal owners. Sometimes sections of towpaths are a Right of Way - the canal might have cut across a pre-existing footpath when it was built, so the footpath would be diverted along the towpath. More recently, canal owners may have reached agreement with a local authority to allow the towpath to be designated as a RofW in exchange for the LA taking over the maintenance of the towpath. I think Peel Holdings did this with Cheshire CC on its Main Line as part of the Cheshire Ring footpath. Horse riding may be permitted under these agreements.
Otherwise it is useful for the canal owners to hold onto their rights over the towpath as it allows them to close the paths without notice if, say, there is a bank collapse, or the towpath is required as a track to give access to work on a lock.
Cycle riding used to be allowed only to permit holders, but that rule has been dispensed with, as part of an effort to encourage wider usage of the canal environs by walkers and cyclists. That helps the present owners of the main canal system, The Canal and River Trust, to make its case for funding from the public purse.
Personally, I think horse riding on towpaths is unsafe for the rider and the horse, as well as for other users. Horses are easily spooked, and if one falls into the canal it would be very difficult to get it out, especially along sections where both banks have stone walls.

Very good Rev Long, now I understand.