They appeared there without community consultation, began as a small scale non-intrusive activity, and now dominate the whole beach in the early morning for most of the year.

Objectively assessed, there are very good things to be found in having horses on the beach here. They are beautiful animals, aesthetically pleasing to many, and the gentle motion of the wooden planked dinghy that guides them can be a joy to behold.

On the other hand, families can no longer walk at McGennan's beach from March to December, and the early morning calm has been wholly lost for those same months.

The real issue in my view, though, is not that this is what Warrnambool has decided on how Lady Bay is managed, but that a few people in power and mostly in secret made those decisions.

Where was the consideration of the whole community's needs in this new use of our beach? Where was the public consultation? I don't recall any of substance.

I personally think that training should be permitted all year in the water but running of horses wholly forbidden; but much more important than that, that our major decisions should be brought back into the public sphere.

It might slow down some types of progress, but that is the price of healthy community.

Christian Schultink,

Warrnambool

FIRE Danger Ratings tell you how dangerous a fire would be if one started and are your prompt to stay safe.

It is essential information for people living, holidaying or travelling through country Victoria and helps you to know when conditions are dangerous enough to put your bushfire survival plan into action.

Ratings are forecast for up to four days in advance, based on weather and other environmental conditions such as the amount vegetation and dryness of the landscape. The daily ratings are all about helping you stay informed so you can do what you need to do to protect yourself and your family.

It is a simple way of linking the different actions in your bushfire plan to the Fire Danger Ratings. For example, you may choose “very high” as a trigger to do a last-minute check around the home and “severe” to check the fire pump and sprinklers are working if you have them and “extreme” may be your trigger to leave a high-risk area.

Ratings take the guesswork out of it, so you know when to be extra vigilant and also when the risk is lower.

Looking at those daily ratings might prompt you to take extra precautions such as checking regularly for warnings or even leaving the area on days where fire danger ramps up.

It is important not to base all your actions on Code Red, as it is a very rare occurrence. We have not had a Code Red day in south-west Victoria since 2009, yet we had major fires, including Wye River, last fire season.

There may be some confusion with Fire Danger Ratings and Total Fire Bans, with people not sure of the difference or what it means to them. The Fire Danger Rating is your prompt to take action to stay safe, while Total Fire Bans are legal restrictions aimed squarely at fire prevention, with clear-cut laws attached to them.

No fires are allowed in the open air on Total Fire Ban days and strict penalties apply. Pick up a copy of the Can I or Can’t I publication for all the Total Fire Ban restrictions, download a copy from cfa.vic.gov.au or call 1800 226 226.

Richard Bourke,

CFA operations manager