‘No horse’ signs do raise certain questions

I was surprised by the story of signs aimed at preventing horse riding in Cookham’s lanes but it raises a couple of points however tolerant one is of equestrians.

The typical image of horses is one of herds of the beauties charging across the landscape with their manes flowing.

They are naturally gregarious and full of energy.

Areas like Cookham would have been much better suited to horses 150 years ago before thousands of houses were built, there were no cars, and farming had not become mechanised.

There were many solid working horses then as well as some of the hunter types but they had plenty of fields to live in.

Is it really justifiable, at a time when we are becoming more appreciative of wildlife, that horses can be kept socially isolated and in circumstances when their only exercise is a plod along busy roads?

Should horses only be kept, in this subrural environment, where they can live in a sufficiently large paddock that allows them to charge around at will, preferably with equine companions?

Recent urbanisation has seen the loss of bridleways but perhaps this is a reflection of the fact that the commuter belt is no longer a suitable environment for horses.

Probably all horse riders are also motorists and sometimes have appointments to meet that involve driving.

If they were to come across a car, on the local roads, being driven at walking pace, covered with police tape and the words ‘POLITE NOTICE’, they too might just be a bit irritated.

Masquerading as a mounted police officer is not endearing to road users.

I understand that some horses are nervous creatures and so are some drivers, but a well-controlled horse trotting along our roads would cause much less upset and be a pleasant reminder that we live in a beautiful bit of countryside.

I would not want to ban courteous equestrians from our lanes but I would like the more general welfare of horses to be considered.

Dr ADRIAN DOBLE

Dean Lane Cookham Dean

near the Miller & Carter, there are roadworks on the Bath Road at the top of Castle Hill, and there are also traffic lights on the Marlow Road, outside the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The Braywick Road is virtually the only viable exit from the town.

To get from the Bishop Centre on Friday morning the route was through Taplow and onto the Bath Road near Sytners and once over the bridge along the A4 to Frascati Way avoiding the tailback at the roundabout at the bottom of Castle Hill and along the Braywick Road round the Stafferton Way roundabout and back up Grenfell Road.

A 10 minute journey took 25 minutes and added about three miles to the trip.

It would seem sensible to avoid any roadworks on the A4 during the period when the motorway is closed at weekends, but not for the RBWM, that would require organisation and planning.

Another major organisational blunder RBWM, well done.

Just look at this company’s other mind boggling catastrophes.

Serco was forced out of a contract to provide out-of-hours GP services in Cornwall after it was discovered that the company had been falsifying data and that it had a ‘bullying culture’ which discouraged whistleblowing in the interest of patients.

Serco made £165million profit after being paid to run a ‘shambolic’ test and trace

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Why is it that Serco, G4s, and Mitie get government contracts without any sort of tendering process?

Also worrying is the fact that these companies can operate in any way they wish, and no one can question them because private companies are not subject to a Freedom of Information request.

The ridiculous decisions go on.

Look at that daft idea of a themed pedestrian crossing.

Our council is all but bankrupt and they wanted to spend eight thousand pounds on a themed crossing.

Thank God it was rejected.

As for Josh Reynolds remark that eight thousand pounds wasn’t a lot of money (Advertiser, October 1), tell that to all the people that sleep rough in the borough every night and all the parents struggling to feed their children.

I get the distinct impression that our politicians, both in local and central government are totally ignorant of the circumstances of the people they represent.

They appear to live in some sort of cloud cuckoo land where they believe everyone lives in a nice semi, has a well-paid job and a bottomless pit of cash to pay for their endless bad decisions.

KEITH CHAPMAN Cornwall Close

Maidenhead