HERE in Craven, horse riders are very lucky to have the most wonderful off-road facility at Coniston Cold. David Coates' Craven County Ride at Pot Haw Farm is a veritable theme park for horse riders, who turn up in their hundreds throughout the spring and summer to enjoy miles and miles of specially devised routes with graded obstacles, water features and woodland. All of it with the stunning backdrop of Craven's landscape, and with not a single main road to cross, car driver to annoy, or potentially startling fast moving peloton of cyclists.

Craven Country Ride has been going for several years now and is well established, but it is an example that the British Horse Society (BHS) is keen to see picked up by other landowners and farmers - and a grants programme could very well see that happen. The Yorkshire Dales LEADER programme is a community-led rural development project that aims to improve the quality of life and prosperity in rural communities, just like in Craven.

And over the next five years it will be handing out more than £2.2 million to support initiatives aimed at helping to develop a diverse rural economy and create sustainable communities.

Grants of up to £35,000 will be available to fund projects to successful applicants who apply before July 25.

Jane Ellison-Bates is on the executive board of LEADER, as well as being a keen horse rider and BHS committee member covering the Yorkshire Dales.

“Some farmers can be instinctively resistant to horses, but in reality riders are not seeking to tear around chewing up their fields at a flat-out gallop, but simply wish to get from A to B in a pleasant environment away from traffic," she says. "There is plenty of evidence to suggest that responsible riders are willing to pay good money to ride routes off-road, as shown by the commercial success of farmer David Coates' highly popular diversification venture Craven Country Ride at Coniston Cold."

"It always surprises me that there are not more landowners like David realising the commercial potential presented by horse riders and the current LEADER funding is a golden opportunity to get started.”

Jane points out it's not just farmers such as the Coates family who have spotted the potential and are busy helping out horse riders. The Forestry Commission and Yorkshire Water are both excellent examples of larger landowning corporations to have provided tracks for riders at their sites, including at Swinsty and Scar House reservoirs - both owned by Yorkshire Water - which provide excellent details on its website.

The BHS is encouraging farmers to consider creating new circular routes, developing footpaths, or using currently private access tracks to link up with existing public bridleways and rights of way to make viable routes for riders to take, off road.

And it says toll routes, with areas created for visiting riders to park horse boxes and trailers, with perhaps refreshments and toilets laid on, are potentially income generating opportunities that can be created with relatively low investment, and minimal maintenance.

Landowners can dedicate new rights of way across their land through a creation agreement. And once a route has been added to the definitive map, the responsibility for the upkeep of its surface is usually taken over by the highways authority - which, in Craven, is North Yorkshire County Council.

The Pennine Bridleway is another fantastic facility for horse riders. Its 205 miles of ancient packhorse routes, drovers' roads and newly-created bridleways are a perfect example of landowners and farmers working with national parks and local authorities to create a safe and marvellous riding route.

The Yorkshire Dales LEADER funding area extends beyond the boundaries of the national park, so the area of geographical eligibility is quite extensive. Farmers and other landowners throughout the region can potentially access funding to make existing tracks and footpaths rider-friendly by replacing stiles with gates and signposting new routes. These could be developed further to provide new sources of income and sustainable job opportunities - the key objectives of LEADER funding.

And it's not just horse riders who will benefit from off-road routes, it will also take riders off the roads, which are becoming increasingly congested - now with cyclists as well as motorbikes and cars.

The BHS Dead Slow campaign was launched in a bid to get car drivers to slow down when passing riders on the roads and encourages riders to report any accidents or incidents. Since its launch, five years ago, more than 2,000 incidents have been reported, including 36 where the rider actually died, and 181 where the horse either died, or had to be destroyed as a result of injuries.

LEADER funding is available in several different categories, so an early conversation with its Yorkshire Dales co-ordinator, Rima Berry, is recommended for farm business owners to determine the best approach to a funding bid for diversification.

As with it seems all grant applications, there are several different areas for potential applicants to get their heads around - but people should not be put off, as it could mean some useful cash at the end of it.

Categories include investment in new and existing small-scale schemes by micro and small enterprise businesses and projects aimed at attracting more visitors.

Grants are also available to support farming businesses with long term investment plans, and in forestry productivity.

Outline applications must be submitted by July 25. Anyone interested in finding out more about applying for a grant should visit the website yorkshiredalesleader.co.uk/apply or contact Rima Berry by email at rima.berry@ydmt.org