‘You are nobody to the hills or the thick boughs heavy with greenery. You are no longer a role, or a status, not even an individual, but a body, a body that feels sharp stones on the paths, the caress of long grass and the freshness of the wind.’

So wrote Frédéric Gros in his French best seller ‘A philosophy of walking’. Sunlight and fresh air, increasing your vitamin D, basking in natural light, taking a digital detox, enjoying the ion rich oxygen and physical activity – these and the mindfulness they bring are all reasons why the British Horse Society in Scotland takes a great interest in restorative environments.

We don’t want to see urbanisation or over engineering lead to all paths being black topped in something like tarmacadam – that can’t be good for man nor beast?

Technology, on the other hand, can help us tackle the problems of well used tracks sustaining access, conquering the wet and providing drainage. There are trade mark surfaces that are softer and non-slip under hoof than tarmacadam, while offering a more pleasing aesthetic appearance and texture. We are very glad, therefore, that ‘Paths for all’ has produced a technical leaflet for everyone to use on the matter.

But there is more to a restorative environment than surfaces. It also takes those who share it to do so with consideration and courtesy.

The BHS is forever reminding horse riders of their responsibilities in the countryside and to the natural environment, land managers and other users. That is why it pains us so much to hear of yet another horse rider suffering the trauma of a vicious dog attack while out riding.

The effect on the horse can be fatal and injury to the rider huge and life changing – all because some irresponsible dog owner did not bother to control their dog or safely familiarise it to equines before letting it run free in the vicinity.

We are working hard to ensure that horses are included in all the political manoeuvring and initiatives currently surrounding the serious challenge of livestock worrying by dogs in the Scottish countryside. We applaud The Scottish Farmer’s ‘Take a Lead’ campaign and we will be using the Highland Show to join as many influential campaigns as we can.

The evidence we are collecting on our horse accident website are sadly showing dog attacks to be a growing danger in the Scottish countryside.

So many worries (including keeping our restorative environments restorative) we all have – will there be enough bedding next winter with the drought making straw in short supply and timber prices going through the roof?

How can we help our riding schools survive the pressures of high overheads and being undercut by the non-licensed livery yards?

Improving biosecurity in our industry – if we could control the spread of strangles by being responsible, we would be so much less vulnerable to other serious diseases.

How do we make sure owners keep their horses on the right side of the law apropos the equine identification legislation – when will we see the detail of the Scottish regulations?

So many of these issues can be tackled by education. Therefore it gives us great pleasure to announce our next Scottish Equestrian Access Conference, in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, on October 31.

So, with that in mind, please visit us at stand 474 Avenue 16 at the RHS – if nothing else, come for a cuppa?

The summer solstice and the turning of the year is so often associated with peace so we wish everyone tranquillity in the Scottish countryside as we share it responsibly and keep things restorative this mid-summer.