Advice on "city folk/horse ignorant/PUSHY neighbors".

[crosscreeksh]

This is a spin off on an earlier topic concerning a housing development going in next to a horse farm!!

We have an 18 mo. old, 65 acre, horse farm/facility that we have built…stallions, mares, youngsters and saddle horses. Our closest neighbor is a professional and sort of a “non-existent” neighbor…nice enough, but not involved in neighborly things. The next house beyond the first (13 acres) are “relocated Dallas city dwellers”…the middle aged woman a self admitted “horse nut”! After repeatedly asking her PLEASE, not to feed my 6 geldings “junk food” (lettuce, celery other vegetables, sugar and horse treats and encouraging them to lean over OUR new, horse wire perimeter fence so she can pet and feed them…now she has bought herself a groom kit…and is sneaking out to play with/groom the horses when she thinks we can’t see her. Three times now other people in the area have called me to say they see "some woman hanging over the fence and messing with our horses!! If she was at least pleasant to me I wouldn’t be so annoyed but she won’t even wave or speak to me. My issue is that one of the big geldings gets very aggressive when he is given treats of any kind…if this woman gets bitten in the face our butts will be in trouble!! How can I make her stay away without calling the sheriff’s office? I am not a grumpy person…but I’m getting annoyed that our horses are being coaxed across a 35 acre field by a crazy, rude neighbor…who I am sure will sue us if she gets bitten!! I’m thinking of running a high/HOT electric fence wire down the fence line!! At least the horses won’t cross over that.

[HPFarmette]

Yes, do the electric fence. But also document that you have warned her not to mess with the horses. In writing, certified or some other way that you can prove. Does your state use “posted” signs? She is trespassing, yes?

[SuzieQNutter]

I agree. Make an aisle with a very hot fence so the horses can’t go to the outside fence. Make a sign saying no trespassing. Make another sign saying ‘Due to Medical reasons do not feed the horses’ and at the bottom put, ‘this means you.’

or

Invite her in and teach her your way of horsemanship and have someone who can feed when you want to go away and will call you if something is wrong when you are at work.

[HPFarmette]

I hate when neighbors feel they can just come and feed the horses. I have a gelding who, before I bought him, lived with kids who I am guessing constantly gave him treats. He was mouthy to the point of dangerous. I stopped all treats. I don’t think horses need them. I’ve been flamed on this board though for saying I think treats make them mouthy. Some kids visiting my neighbors came trooping over with a big bag of whole carrots (can you say CHOKE) and I screamed at them “This is not a zoo”. Maybe a little over the top but what if I hadn’t been outside at that moment?

[crosscreeksh]

@SuzieQNutter

I agree. Make an aisle with a very hot fence so the horses can’t go to the outside fence. Make a sign saying no trespassing. Make another sign saying ‘Due to Medical reasons do not feed the horses’ and at the bottom put, ‘this means you.’

or

Invite her in and teach her your way of horsemanship and have someone who can feed when you want to go away and will call you if something is wrong when you are at work.

Ours is a 35 acre pasture…we put up the main fence…not double fencing a whole other line to keep her away!! ps. When my husband and his helpers were putting up Horse Safe fence on our posts…her husband came out and asked if my husband was intending to fence him out?? Said he like to walk his dog in our fields!! She doesn’t even speak to me…I don’t have the need to teach her and would NEVER trust my horses with the care of such an idiot!! We NEVER go away!! The horse farm IS our work!! 24/7 and overtime!!

[mmeqcenter]

Sneaking out to groom, as in actually stepping onto your property into your fields without your permission? Oh. Heck. No.
I’d be calling the sheriff, myself.

Yeah, hot electric line at 5’ height if you can (extenders), and a locked front gate. Cameras. Trespassing signs. The works.

I certainly would never invite such a person in to “learn my way of horsemanship” and count on them as a feeder. This person obviously has no concept of personal property nor social norms, and I would not trust them to correctly feed my horses in my absence.

[Chall]

Security cameras on tall (unreachable) poles.
people refrain from doing things when they know they’re being filmed. Plus evidence!

[clanter]

hire her to clean stalls or some other neat thing to do…then she will never show up, she will call in sick or have an excuse for not being there

We are IN the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex–we are less than mile away from Northeast Mall… we had to double fence and padlock all gates…and got a really nice huge German Shepherd Dog to keep unwanted people away from the horses

.her husband came out and asked if my husband was intending to fence him out?? Said he like to walk his dog in our fields!!

the fence is here to keep you out, but if you want to walk you dogs in my field can I put my horses in your front yard?

[wsmoak]

Since you can’t choose your neighbors and you do have to live with them and people are weird… Just be really sorry and blame the entire thing on your insurance agent. You can’t have the liability of other people on your property, etc.

(You really can’t. If she feeds a finger to one of the horses, her insurance company may try to recover costs. And horses are usually in the ‘attractive nuisance’ category meaning YOU have to fence the idiots out. So +1 on the very hot electric fence, she won’t lean over that to feed them more than once!)

And put it in writing. If they want to walk in a field they can go find a public park to do it in.

[NoSuchPerson]

Hot wire on extenders along the top of your outer perimeter fence so your horses don’t hang over.

A selection of “No trespassing,” “Electric fence,” “Horses bite - please don’t feed or touch the horses,” and “Property under video surveillance” signs scattered along the fence in areas where the fence is accessible from outside your property.

A registered letter to the neighbors politely informing them that you have installed electric fence, explaining that your horses are on special diets and that it’s not healthy for them to get extra treats, and telling them that your horses are on individualized training programs and it’s important that they not be petted, groomed, or handled in any way by anyone not involved in those training programs. End the letter with an explicit, unambiguous request that they not enter your pastures, don’t throw anything into your pastures, or interact in any way with your horses.

As far as putting up video cameras, I’ve always heard that just putting up signs saying that you have video surveillance is about as effective as putting in the cameras and putting up signs. But, game cameras are cheap and easy to install, so why not?

Of course, you’re going to have to be willing to follow up with attorneys/law enforcement if they continue despite the warnings/requests.

[JustTheTicket]

I would contact a lawyer and ask what you need to do to protect yourself in this situation. She’s trespassing but if she gets hurt her insurance will go after you. I know you don’t want to, but you absolutely do need to add a second row of hot wire. Have the lawyer write up a letter or cease and desist and send it certified so there is a record of you telling them that they can’t just hang out on your property.

[Stacie]

Did you fence at the property line? Or inside it?

[walkinthewalk]

1. I am so sorry you have to put up with such a numnutnitwit

2. I am not as kind as you – that means I most certainly would get the sheriff involved, especially after the arrogant husband’s dog walking comments.

3. By all means start documenting by sending a certified letter FROM AN ATTORNEY - I know that costs $$ but it may be cheaper than the lawsuit if she gets bit and her hand “can no longer support her her life style” because her fingers are now crippled up.

4. Set up cameras – more expense but ----

5. In the interim talk to the sheriff and explain you are documenting, including a letter via an attorney.

6. Non-trusting soul that I am, please consider running another fence inside your perimeter fence to keep the horses away from her. I wouldn’t put it past her to throw things over the fence and maybe even throw something to hurt them if she gets vengeful enough. IMHO, she sounds psychotic, buying a grooming kit for,horses she knows she isn’t allowed to feed or groom.

Best wishes in getting this issue resolved — you would think 35 acres would be more than sufficient to not have to deal with these kinds of problems.

[crosscreeksh]

@wsmoak

Since you can’t choose your neighbors and you do have to live with them and people are weird… Just be really sorry and blame the entire thing on your insurance agent. You can’t have the liability of other people on your property, etc.

(You really can’t. If she feeds a finger to one of the horses, her insurance company may try to recover costs. And horses are usually in the ‘attractive nuisance’ category meaning YOU have to fence the idiots out. So +1 on the very hot electric fence, she won’t lean over that to feed them more than once!)

And put it in writing. If they want to walk in a field they can go find a public park to do it in.

All good advice…but to clarify…she is not able to “walk” onto our property…it is fenced with no climb wire…(our whole farm is perimeter fenced)…what she is doing is coaxing our horses to lean over the fence where she can reach them by feeding them treats. Now she is grooming them (no complaint there) by pulling them as close to the fence as possible and reaching as far a she can. If she was half that nice to me…I wouldn’t be so pissed off with her actions!! And I don’t want our horses thinking it is alright to lean across the fence!!

[crosscreeksh]

@Stacie

Did you fence at the property line? Or inside it?

The fence line is one the boundary…it’s been in place for eons…we just put no climb on our side of the old barbed wire fence.

[crosscreeksh]

@walkinthewalk

1. I am so sorry you have to put up with such a numnutnitwit

2. I am not as kind as you – that means I most certainly would get the sheriff involved, especially after the arrogant husband’s dog walking comments.

3. By all means start documenting by sending a certified letter FROM AN ATTORNEY - I know that costs $$ but it may be cheaper than the lawsuit if she gets bit and her hand “can no longer support her her life style” because her fingers are now crippled up.

4. Set up cameras – more expense but ----

5. In the interim talk to the sheriff and explain you are documenting, including a letter via an attorney.

6. Non-trusting soul that I am, please consider running another fence inside your perimeter fence to keep the horses away from her. I wouldn’t put it past her to throw things over the fence and maybe even throw something to hurt them if she gets vengeful enough. IMHO, she sounds psychotic, buying a grooming kit for,horses she knows she isn’t allowed to feed or groom.

Best wishes in getting this issue resolved — you would think 35 acres would be more than sufficient to not have to deal with these kinds of problems.

I think I’ll start with the electric top wire and some signs!! The “gelding” pasture is 35 acres…we own 65…surely we are not the problem!! I KNOW for a fact…her husband told us so…that he shoots at the cattle on the property south of their land…in the middle of the night!! I find golf balls and hear buck shot pinging off our T-posts occasionally…Our property is at a 90 degree angle from theirs…no doubt they are aiming at our land!! City people should have to be licensed to move to the country!!

[LovieBird]

@crosscreeksh

I think I’ll start with the electric top wire and some signs!! The “gelding” pasture is 35 acres…we own 65…surely we are not the problem!! I KNOW for a fact…her husband told us so…that he shoots at the cattle on the property south of their land…in the middle of the night!! I find golf balls and hear buck shot pinging off our T-posts occasionally…Our property is at a 90 degree angle from theirs…no doubt they are aiming at our land!! City people should have to be licensed to move to the country!!

Now that kind of behavior is downright infuriating 😡

[OverandOnward]

@crosscreeksh

… KNOW for a fact…her husband told us so…that he shoots at the cattle on the property south of their land…in the middle of the night!! I find golf balls and hear buck shot pinging off our T-posts occasionally…Our property is at a 90 degree angle from theirs…no doubt they are aiming at our land!! City people should have to be licensed to move to the country!!

Is an animal cruelty action possible, even through his own admission if a nighttime LE officer can’t catch him in the act? Although I understand that cattle tend to have different status that other animals, nonetheless this behavior is egregious. Cattle are not tree stumps or bales of hay for target practice.

Maybe it’s time for a neighborhood intervention visit with the new neighbors - a polite one? Given your horses, the other neighbor’s cattle, and I’m sure some other mayhem these neighbors are creating, you are probably not the only ones who would like to communicate a reality check to these people.

And, given how many neighbors they are consistently harrassing and how many animals they are putting in physical jeopardy, these ‘city folk’ neighbors may be straying into the behavioral arena of nuisance neighbors or “neighbors from hell”. In many places there are some special legal actions that may be available. If enough of the community finds these neighbors to be a danger to their animals, at some point all of you (or some of you) might like go as a group to speak to an attorney about it, even if just informationally.

The earlier you put a stop to their ignorant and harmful actions, the less of it there will be. The more they get away with it, the more it will escalate. Good luck!

[SuzieQNutter]

The shooting is way more alarming to me.

Only 35 acres we have 100 acres. Yes add an electric fence inside so the horses can not go any where near her. You can plant a hedge in that aisle to block them out as well and hopefully can’t see to shoot at.

[S1969]

@crosscreeksh

I think I’ll start with the electric top wire and some signs!! The “gelding” pasture is 35 acres…we own 65…surely we are not the problem!! I KNOW for a fact…her husband told us so…that he shoots at the cattle on the property south of their land…in the middle of the night!! I find golf balls and hear buck shot pinging off our T-posts occasionally…Our property is at a 90 degree angle from theirs…no doubt they are aiming at our land!! City people should have to be licensed to move to the country!!

Yes, hot wire and cameras. I’d definitely want them to know that you are watching the property. And I would probably talk to your local law enforcement about the buckshot issue now.

This has nothing to do with “city people”. City people don’t, as a rule, shoot at other people’s animals.