I think it’s fatal to keep your dog on a short lead unless it worries cows .If it does dont cross the field
Cows can be dangerous and generally they are not afraid of dogs and may just be curious or can chase them and run the owner down .
No it’s not fatal it’s a 2 m lead not one of those extending leads
Those extending leads are lethal to anyone passing .
Ripple the cows around here are very big and they are not nervous on the contrary they are very confident with humans and think nothing of strolling over en masse . Fortunately the huge bull that is with them is usually lying down too exhausted by his duties and keeping his frisky girls in order he’s too tired to chase anything .
On private land dogs should be kept on a 2 m lead… not allowed to roam free The worst scenario attacking sheep ,causing what could be a lethal situation with with cattle and killing ground nesting birds .
I always put my dog ( a border collie ) on the lead with sheep in the U.K. .
In Spain I don’t as big flocks walk along the road and in the country he ignores them completely .
One mounted shepherd wanted me to give him to him as he was just what he wanted !
There are not really any ground nesting birds in Wiltshire and as we have lots of foxes they will have got them first .
However in the breeding season for ducks / peasants etc one puts one dog on the lead .
I do know about cows being as I lived on a farm, the farm was in a national park where cattle are allowed to roam free. Every year in The New Forest dogs are killed by heifers , I lived there for approx 30 years in that time I know of dog walkers killed by young heifers roaming free. Cows are inquisitive animals.
I wouldn’t ploughed through the farmyard full of cattle even if it did form part of a right of way
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For that reason the farmer was being an a***e. . the actual footpath was in the corner of his yard a simple rope across it would have given anyone passing room to get by.
So they are not all bluff and well meaning .
It may surprise you but one horse bit my face when I stopped to talk to him, fortunately the damage was minimal as the fence was strong enough to hold him.
A farm is a place of work indeed a dangerous place
Walkers have to make allowances for that ,not take risks to gain access where stock or machinery concerned.
My dad used to say that the land once belonged to the people who lived and farmed on it , and the Kings and Queens stole it from them by giving their friends titles and land just because they could , then the titled new owner would either evict the people or charge exorbitant rents forcing the people to work for a pittance or leave .
And so it continued , lords and ladies and royalty continued to take the land from the people that is why over 90% of the land is private
It’s doesn’t surprise me at all .I have been with horses all my life and I know that they are potentially dangerous .Horse get irritated too by people walking by ( especially if they are boxed ) and will bite and a bite from a horse is very serious they can break your arm you were lucky Twink it didn’t get your face .Racehorses often bite especially they are colts ( uncastrated males ) it’s natural for them to bite and unless checked it will get worse as they get older not all of course .
It’s important with horses as with most animals to watch their body language .Ears back in a horse means they are not happy and may bite . Threatening with their rear end is obvious get away before I kick you .
Farmers have to make allowance too walkers have the right to use footpaths most are respectful of animals and are not likely to be putting themselves at risk with farm machinery which should not be on a public footpath anyway .It is illegal to obstruct a public footpath or right of way .
It seems to depend on the horse. I spent 8 years helping to look after a few who were stabled at my place.
My favorite was Buddy 16.2 hands who managed to get injured more than most. He got his foot stuck into a big gate and ripped it from it’s hinges, but he knew me so well that he let me calm him till Anne, his owner, could get a vet out.
Did I spoil him? Yes because he learned that if he put his rear end to his stable gate I would scratch either side of his tail. On Bonfire night I would take him treats and make sure no fireworks got into his stable.
When he managed to get a spike through his leg his owner and I took turns in checking on him every 2 hours… even through the night.
He was big enough to harm me , but he never did and I always feel that if you are kind to animals they learn to trust you.
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Some will take advantage Twink .
Especially ponies who get lots of tidbits .
Always best to give them treats in the feed bowl .
A horse that bites ( luckily it quite rare ) may not have been ill treated but may have learned his strength and ability to intimidate .
If you don’t know a horse it’s always wide to be wary .
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That’s because it’s not legally a rule Ripple you have to be sensible about these things .
I don’t know anyone who allows their dogs to molest stock in any way .
It is however the legal liability of the farmer not to put a potentially dangerous animal in a field where it may do harm to people on a public footpath . Ie cows with young calves who can be protective .
Looking after Buddy for 8 years meant we knew each other well.
I relate well to animals and Mr Grey, the feral cat with the broken leg that I took in, now lives with me & cannot bear to be separated from me. He even follows me to the bathroom. 
He doesn’t get treats but if he sees me with his comb he sits beside me waiting to be groomed.
It takes a while to win an animals trust, but I have found that ,when you do, that trust remains!
This came from my government booklet I’ve also checked on the Gov website to make sure it’s up to date
Dogs on open access land
You must keep your dog on a lead no more than 2 metres long on open access land:
- between 1 March and 31 July - to protect ground-nesting birds
- at all times around livestock
On land next to the England Coast Path you must keep your dog under close control.
There may be other local or seasonal restrictions.
Obviously this doesn’t apply to public rights of way or assistance dogs.
What is access land
Access land includes mountains, moors, heaths and downs that are privately owned** . It also includes common land registered with the local council and some land around the England Coast Path. Your right to access this land is called the ‘right to roam’, or ‘freedom to roam’.
I can’t go on any longer on TRTR it’s doing my head in 
Your Dad was right some times landowners would move entire villages if they spoiled the viewing form their great houses
The enclosure acts were responsible for the purloining of common land .
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Going back to the original post
Richard Benyon is worth £130 million.( 2019 rich list ) He controls the Englefield Estate, a 14,000 acre estate of mainly rural land and property in West Berkshire and Hampshire between Reading, Newbury and Basingstoke. It is the largest private landowner in West Berkshire.He also owns the Glenmazeran Estate in Inverness, Scotland.
He is the Under Secretary of state for Access to nature and Rural affairs
Not much access to his vast acres though .
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Oh the irony. Well I hope people continue to tramp and ramble all through “his lands” because I am getting very fed up with these sorts of people.