RESPONDING to Annie McKie's letter (June 24) referring to horse riders in the Blakeney area of the Forest:

Like herself and her walking friends, horse riders also like to be out in the woods to enjoy this wonderful part of the country. As a general rule most riders do try to keep to the hard tracks. However, to link up paths, sometimes it is impossible not to venture onto other tracks and during summer months most of the tracks are dry and hard and horses' hooves do little or no damage.

So, to say the natural paths are being 'destroyed' and 'like ploughed fields' is rather extreme. Has she not noticed the damage the wild boar are doing to the tracks – far worse than any horse?

A few of the tracks in the Blakeney area have always had wet patches whatever the weather. Therefore, maybe the walkers should choose other paths to walk on or put on more appropriate footwear to deal with the muddy patches. This is a working forest and tracks are uneven which is part of its character; not all are going to be flat and smooth for people on foot.

To say this area has 'never been a horse riding area' is incorrect. Many people have ridden in the Blakeney woods for a very long time, some longer than 30 years (me included) when Ms McKie said she moved here.

In 2006 a survey was carried out by the Forest of Dean Horse Riders and Carriage Drivers Association, covering 13 of the 41 parishes within the Forest of Dean district. The average number of horses per parish was 126; apply the average to all parishes and this would be 5,166 horses.

Five years on and this would now be considerably more as people are taking up horse riding as a healthy outdoor activity for the young and not so young. So hardly 'a minority of people'. Also, the average annual spend per horse, five years ago, was £2,500 (BHS survey), which brings in approximately £13m to the local economy. That figure would be far more now.

It's a very sad reflection of our times, if horse riders (some of them children) are being shouted and sworn at by some of the local residents.

The horse definitely has a place, along with walkers, cyclists and all users of the forest. With a bit of tolerance from all parties, surely everyone can enjoy this wonderful place?

– E. Rye, Viney Hill