Bye bye Freeforest

A great deal has happened in the months since Fiona and I started Freeforest, some good and some not so. I took a back seat some while ago, feeling that personally I could not come to terms with the apathy shown by the vast majority of the riding population of Epping Forest. Many people were prepared to join organisations, true, but few would lift a finger to assist those fighting on their behalf – except perhaps to criticise.

Fiona and I have spent many hours writing letters on behalf of the members, making phone calls to officials, being interviewed on radio programs and badgering the press. We both are, or have been media professionals, and felt that the most important task facing any minority pressure group is to gain the sympathy of the general public.

This is particularly true of horse riders as we still have a very poor public image as privileged, snooty, conservative ‘fox chasers’. We know that to a large extent this is not true today, but the taint still clings to us.

Our plan from the outset was to show that we as riders were as committed to what we believe as the Heathrow protesters, Fathers for Justice, the ‘Forest Uprising’ in the New Forest or any of the other organisations that have benefited by capturing the public imagination. The reasoning being that while City of London could happily argue with a bunch or riders alone, they would balk at the embarrassment of crushing a united front of all forest users in the full glare of media attention.

Unfortunately it seems that the overwhelming majority of horse risers in Epping Forest do not care enough about their freedoms or even their safety to do anything but sit back passively moaning and expecting others to fight their battles for them. Worse, they do not wish to experience the challenging emotions of speaking their minds, or have their ‘Middle England’ conservatism rippled by questioning the status quo.

I fully admit my personal attitude to EFRA (the Epping Forest Riders Association)is antipathetic. Any organisation meant to be representative of the best interests of its members that will not entertain discussion of its methods and dissension in its ranks without spouting personal ‘anger’ against those that question its committee, is deeply flawed.

Personally I have a problem with a riding organisation run largely by people who do not ride, and worries about an body where a significant portion of the committee and the chairman all hale from one stable yard, and often conduct their business in ‘the tea room’ without democratic process, minutes or scrutiny.

I resigned from EFRA in the honest belief that the organisation - or rather its leadership - is arrogant, outmoded, out of touch, with a limited appeal to the average non-pensionable age rider. I stick by that view.

Fiona has finally had enough of all of the above. While she has an altogether less cynical view of humanity and likes to see the best motives in everyone, even she has her limits, and the petulant childish blandishments of certain EFRA members have hurt her deeply.

To those that have helped us and the cause of keeping the Forest free of gates, cattle grids etc, heartfelt thanks to you. I won’t mention you by name but you know who you are.
To those who have criticised, moaned and obstructed....well though I’m tempted to blow a big fat raspberry....I shall simply say: I rather think that you will get, in the end the sort of Forest you were prepared to fight for...in fact, the sort of forest you richly deserve.