Add a horizontal line to plot and legend in ggplot2

Another solution :

gg <- ggplot(the.data, aes( x = year, y = value ) ) + 
        geom_point(aes(colour = source)) + 
        geom_smooth(aes(group = 1))

cutoff <- data.frame(yintercept=50, cutoff=factor(50))
gg + 
  geom_hline(aes(yintercept=yintercept, linetype=cutoff), data=cutoff, show_guide=TRUE) 

This code generates exactly the same graphic as the one in point (1) of @G. Grothendieck. But it is more easy to adapt to graphics with several layers.

(1) Try this:

cutoff <- data.frame( x = c(-Inf, Inf), y = 50, cutoff = factor(50) )
ggplot(the.data, aes( year, value ) ) + 
        geom_point(aes( colour = source )) + 
        geom_smooth(aes( group = 1 )) + 
        geom_line(aes( x, y, linetype = cutoff ), cutoff)

(2) Regarding your comment, if you don't want the cutoff listed as a separate legend it would be easier to just label the cutoff line right on the plot:

ggplot(the.data, aes( year, value ) ) + 
    geom_point(aes( colour = source )) + 
    geom_smooth(aes( group = 1 )) + 
    geom_hline(yintercept = 50) + 
    annotate("text", min(the.data$year), 50, vjust = -1, label = "Cutoff")

Update

This seems even better and generalizes to mulitple lines as shown:

line.data <- data.frame(yintercept = c(50, 60), Lines = c("lower", "upper"))
ggplot(the.data, aes( year, value ) ) + 
        geom_point(aes( colour = source )) + 
        geom_smooth(aes( group = 1 )) + 
        geom_hline(aes(yintercept = yintercept, linetype = Lines), line.data)