Obituaries
The British Horse Society Mourns The Passing Of Robin Cook
8th August 2005
The British Horse Society mourns the passing of Robin Cook
Patrick Print, Chairman of The British Horse Society, spoke of the Society's sense of loss at the death of Robin Cook.
"Robin's passion for horses was well known, and he was generous with his time and expertise in promoting equestrian interests.
As a former Trustee and an active Vice President of The British Horse Society, and as Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Horse, Robin brought understanding, commitment and wit to our deliberations. The horse world will be hard pressed to find his equal."
Dr. Harry Greenway, former Conservative MP and another Trustee of the BHS said:
"Robin's undisputed stature as a statesman with an international reputation and as a skilled Parliamentarian should not be allowed to mask his lower profile but hugely significant work for all things equestrian.
"The Board of the BHS, which is the largest of the UK equestrian charities, was delighted when Robin agreed to become one of our Trustees.
Despite the heavy burdens of high office (he was at that time Lord President of the Council) he brought his extensive knowledge, his keen intellect and his considerable wit to the work of the Society.
"He was also from its inception Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Horse, created on the initiative of the Society, and he never missed a meeting. At the most recent meeting of the Group, held just before Parliament rose for the summer the same personal attributes created the perfect atmosphere for informed discussion leading to a clear plan of action."
The British Horse Society is Britain's largest equestrian charity, with a total membership of more than 100,000.
Robin Cook was one of the Society's Vice Presidents.
The All Party Parliamentary Group for the Horse was set up on the initiative of the BHS in 2003. Robin has been its Chairman since its inception. Its membership comprises several dozen MPs and Peers.
For further information, please contact Graham Cory, Chief Executive, The British Horse Society, 01926 707733
ANNEX
Meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Horse
The Chairman, The Rt. Hon. Robin Cook MP, invited Graham Cory, Chief Executive of the British Horse Society, to make a presentation on the issue of access to safe off-road routes for riders and carriage drivers.
Mr Cory said that, although few would deny that the present Government had done a great deal to extend access to the countryside, the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 was born from a particular, two-legged perspective which largely ignored the needs of riders and carriage drivers.
He commented that it was a case of "two legs good, four legs better" - but only because that implied twice as many walkers.
He compared the increased access to the countryside for walkers with the decrease in access for horse riders and carriage drivers in some parts of the country.
He commented that there are 52m people who have yet to be tempted into the sport, and these people won't mount a horse if hacking out means a continuation of the unequal and unpleasant contest between horse and car.
Nor, he said, is it just a matter of aesthetics and
safety: the health benefits which come from riding are fully commensurate with Government objectives.
Mr Cory said that the new Minister for the Horse Industry [Jim Knight] had impressed the Society with his understanding of equestrian issues and his appreciation of the importance of a good off-road riding and driving network.
Moreover, he had been positive in his reaction to the BHS's manifesto call for the creation, by 2015, of a joined up network of bridleways and multi-user routes.
Mr Cory invited the Group to endorse the proposition that good access to off-road riding routes is of considerable importance and to press the Minister to increase equestrian access to the level that walkers already enjoy.
In discussion, the Chairman suggested that the priority was not so much for long distance tracks as for networks of shorter routes which would allow people to have circular rides. However, the two were complementary.
Mark Todd noted the variation in emphasis placed on rights of way by local authorities up and down the country, some of whom were assiduous whilst others displayed little no interest.
However, he noted that resources were finite and he recognised that there is an argument for addressing the process which currently allows anyone to object and delay rights of way cases for a very long time.
Lord (Ewen) Cameron said that long distance routes such as the Pennine Bridleway were important economic assets to the local economy.
He also said that Sustrans had created a network of routes for cyclists which the horse world would do well to replicate.
Mr. Todd said Sustrans had secured grant funding for this work and we should see if similar funding was available for the creation of horse routes.
We should also seek to open up some cycle tracks to horses much as bridleways had been opened up to cyclists.
In discussions on other matters, the case of Mirvahedy v Henley (under which a horse owner was held to be strictly liable for injuries caused when horses escaped onto the highway even though there was no finding of
negligence) was discussed.
The prospect for repealing the Animals Act was agreed to be remote but the Chairman suggested that it might be dealt with in the course of the Animal Welfare Bill.
The Chairman also agreed that urgent advice was needed on EU Feed Hygiene Regulations as they impact on the storage of feed.
Jim Knight then joined the meeting. The Chairman explained to him the collective views of the Group and invited him to respond.
Mr Knight said he had a strong family association with horses and had been very encouraged by the work that Alun Michael had instigated and the Defra Horse Industry Team. He welcomed the opportunity to consider important issues with the All Party Group.
The Minister said that there had been a good response to the draft Horse Industry Strategy, particularly on access issues, which he was keen to pursue.
There were other issues, such as the high level of insurance premiums for equestrian establishments and the destruction of rights of way by four wheel drive vehicles, and he was looking at these, too.
In the long term, attention would need to be focussed on the Olympics to ensure that we work with DCMS to maximise our chances of showcasing the
industry.
The Chairman hoped the Olympics would enable the industry to encourage more people to take up riding.
The Minister said money was being put into the Discovering Lost Way Project to assist people in identifying historic routes, and he was currently looking at the priorities for this.
There were other issues which needed to be taken up with Highways Authorities where crossings of major routes were needed, and local authority funding issues needed to be addressed.
Mr Knight said that coastal paths in the South West were currently under consideration and if there was more access for walkers, he would look at this being extended to riders.
Dr Greenway suggested that the principle might be established that bridleways and cycle tracks were interchangeable unless there was a strong reason for not doing so.
Mr Knight asked for the advice of the group on the extent to which cycle ways and bridleways could be combined.
As regards the new EU Food & Hygiene Regulations Mr Knight agreed to look into the matter and hoped he would be able to provide some reassurance on the issue.
The meeting closed at 1830.
The British Horse Society
www.bhs.org.uk