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New Forest Show Criticised By Local Horse Group Over Cycling Events
by Nick Gregory
Organisers of the New Forest Show have this week become the latest recipients of heavy-handed criticism from the increasingly vocal New Forest Equestrian Association, as part of their attempts to divest the national park of mass participation cycling events.
The New Forest Equestrian Association (NFEA) launched its tirade in the wake of the Wiggle New Forest 100 event, held the weekend before last. The group points the finger at the organisers of the country show for their willingness to rent out the New Park site for use during the cycling event. "It wouldn't be possible for these events to go ahead without the New Park showground being available for commercial organisations to allow people to park," the NFEA's Dr Tony Hockley claimed.
As reported last week, the event itself was marred by saboteours, who risked rider safety by ripping down signs and dumping mud on the roads - the latest in a series of protests that have also seen vandals placing tacks on the roads to cause punctures, and belligerent motorists deliberately driving slowly in front of cyclists.
Dr Hockley, who is also a member of the multi-interest New Forest Cycling Advisory Group, suggested that the "last straw" for the NFEA was "having to cancel" the annual pony drift near Brockenhurst due to the date clash with the Wiggle New Forest 100. However, organisers of the event, UK Cycling Events, state that sufficient notice had been given, and that they hoped for "better, more timely communication" from drift organisers in future to avoid clashes.
Seemingly rejecting any offer of sharing the national park with cycling events, despite the significant beneficial impact they have on the local economy, Dr Hockley stated that the infrastructure at the New Park site is unable to sustain the current volume of events, and that "the showground exists to support equine events, so it would be wrong if we were squeezed out."
In addition to claiming that cyclists have "no respect for the area", some activists have cited a danger to livestock as a reason for eliminating cycling events from the New Forest. However, unsurprisingly, according to figures on the Verderers' website, the danger cyclists pose to livestock is minimal. Of the 64 livestock deaths, and 18 serious injuries caused by road traffic collisions in 2012, private cars were responsible for the vast majority. The last recorded incident of a bicycle being involved in such a collision dates back to 1999.
In response to the NFEA's complaints, the New Forest Show Society's secretary, Dennis Dooley, said the organisation would be looking into these concerns, "at our next board meeting on November 20th".
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