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

[Where_sMyWhite]

OP, thanks for persisting.

You are exactly right (and would be my expectations) that no, do I think they should actively do something? Maybe not but if there is a pattern of behavior (sounds like there was with a number of mailbox smashed and mailbox smashing is rarely isolated) and it happens enough, LE should begin to do “something”. Not just sit on their b*tts eating power rings (aka donuts :lol:)

My opinion comes from 17 years of volunteering for a sheriff’s office including 3 years “on the road” assisting deputies with things that didn’t really need a sworn officer (getting cattle off roads and taking cold/no suspect case reports). Been there, done that, shirt worn out a long time ago ).

[Ghazzu]

@crosscreeksh

It IS…but not a priority in most cases!!

Yes, but this was in response to a question about why the post office recommended informing local law enforcement about it.

[Rackonteur]

@crosscreeksh

Last year our new, EXPENSIVE mailbox was bashed in twice…probably with a baseball bat…we fixed it once and replaced it once. I called the post office just to report the assault and they told me to call the sheriff’s office. I did, and they sent two deputies out to see the damage. I told them the PO told me to contact them…just for the record (ps. I noticed several other boxes smashed within miles of our place. The sheriff asked me what we wanted them to do…“set up a stakeout with a car and officer?” …in a very snotty manner!! I said no, I was just reporting it as per Post Office orders! The third time a neighbor’s bull torn down THEIR fence and got into OUR pasture, I called the Sheriff’s office again ( about 4 mo. after the mailbox issue). When the sheriff showed up his comment was…“oh, we’ve been out here before…what is YOUR problem now?” Very sarcastically!! I’m sure as H*LL not calling for horse petting!! I may really need them at some point and I obviously annoy them!!!

Your sheriff sounds like a “good ol’ boy” who got elected by lots of his friends and knows he has job security and doesn’t have to do his job. Other posters have posted about the value of your vote, but if he has lots of good ol’ boy buddies who keep voting him in, then he’s sitting pretty and doesn’t have to give a dam’.

Totally sucks.

[crosscreeksh]

@Rackonteur

Your sheriff sounds like a “good ol’ boy” who got elected by lots of his friends and knows he has job security and doesn’t have to do his job. Other posters have posted about the value of your vote, but if he has lots of good ol’ boy buddies who keep voting him in, then he’s sitting pretty and doesn’t have to give a dam’.

Totally sucks.

THIS!!

Note - we are NOT moving because of any of this behavior!! Texas weather/muddy ground/ TAXES for senior, land owners and general lack of horse related services is the cause. We are lifetime, professional horsemen…we need/WANT to get back to the life/horse culture… we have known for most of our lives!! “Stuff” here is annoying, but bearable. We breed nice horses for sport…and are now living in “Cowboy reining, roping, cutting, barrel racing territory”.

[Bluey]

@crosscreeksh

THIS!!

Note - we are NOT moving because of any of this behavior!! Texas weather/muddy ground/ TAXES for senior, land owners and general lack of horse related services is the cause. We are lifetime, professional horsemen…we need/WANT to get back to the life/horse culture… we have known for most of our lives!! “Stuff” here is annoying, but bearable. We breed nice horses for sport…and are now living in “Cowboy reining, roping, cutting, barrel racing territory”.

Good that you know what you want and what works for you.

Hope you find that in your next location.
If I remember well, that was maybe NC?

Are you sure that will be East enough for what you want to have and what you want to avoid?

Let us know if you find your just right place there.

[crosscreeksh]

@Bluey

Good that you know what you want and what works for you.

Hope you find that in your next location.
If I remember well, that was maybe NC?

Are you sure that will be East enough for what you want to have and what you want to avoid?

Let us know if you find your just right place there.

We lived in Southern Pines, NC for many years!! I moved there as a single nurse and met husband to be…we married a few years later…raced horses all up the east coast, then upstate NY (couldn’t take the cold and SNOW for so many months…then moved back to So. Pines and built a 100 acre race horse training center!! Retired from the breaking/training business and moved to Ok. on daughter’s recommendation stayed for 12 years but not good for us…moved 300 miles south to Tx. (not good for us $$$ wise). So. Pines has built up so much there isn’t much affordable available…now aiming for the Aiken, SC area!! Still be breeding and raising nice horses for English sports, but cutting way back as mares (and we) age out!! We are very familiar with Aiken…No surprises anymore!!

[Bluey]

@crosscreeksh

We lived in Southern Pines, NC for many years!! I moved there as a single nurse and met husband to be…we married a few years later…raced horses all up the east coast, then upstate NY (couldn’t take the cold and SNOW for so many months…then moved back to So. Pines and built a 100 acre race horse training center!! Retired from the breaking/training business and moved to Ok. on daughter’s recommendation stayed for 12 years but not good for us…moved 300 miles south to Tx. (not good for us $$$ wise). So. Pines has built up so much there isn’t much affordable available…now aiming for the Aiken, SC area!! Still be breeding and raising nice horses for English sports, but cutting way back as mares (and we) age out!! We are very familiar with Aiken…No surprises anymore!!

Good, you know then where you are going already.
I lived in SP for a while, was helping take care of a stable, starting colts and hunting a little one winter.
Wonderful people I was with and wonderful experience, everyone so very friendly.

Now, that was almost half a century ago.
Can’t even imagine what that place looks like today.

Sounds like you have a great plan, best wishes.

[Haylter]

Yes very hot wire creating a no go zone before hard fence for horses or inches inside your property line if it is beyond the fence.AND no trespassing signs on your property line. Yes the equine equivalent of “beware of dog” may not be best. Also a friendly inquiring call to the sheriff office as to how you can best indicate people should not feed pet or go in with horses. I would have called if I saw her in with the horses grooming. And no she has zero recourse if she is injured doing something specifically warned not to while trespassing.

[Chall]

Wait, Texas has high taxes on land? I thought everyone was escaping the coastal metropolises for Texas and Florida because of lower taxes. I guess it’s lower income taxes only?
They have bat proof mailboxes that swivel and smack back at the hitter. I have to see if I can find a video, it’s kind of funny.

[Ruth0552]

In addition to the signs and the topline of hotwire, I’d consider banging in a couple t-posts a few feet in from the fence line and mounting game cameras. Or you could even mount a few game cameras and a few fake toy cameras. From 5-10’ away you can’t tell and unless you are super familiar with game cameras you won’t know how far they shoot, if they take photos/videos, or if they are motion-activated or streaming/live. I bet you won’t have ANY trespassing then. Just make sure they are pointed down your fence line, not at their house. That might be an issue.

[crosscreeksh]

@Chall

Wait, Texas has high taxes on land? I thought everyone was escaping the coastal metropolises for Texas and Florida because of lower taxes. I guess it’s lower income taxes only?
They have bat proof mailboxes that swivel and smack back at the hitter. I have to see if I can find a video, it’s kind of funny.

No income tax in Texas…they make up for it on property tax!!

[511]

@SuzieQNutter

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.

Don’t invite someone like this, they already have disregarded prior requests.

[clanter]

OP is going to have fun selling their place as a horse operation, might do better dividing into mobile home tracks

[crosscreeksh]

@clanter

OP is going to have fun selling their place as a horse operation, might do better dividing into mobile home tracks

“Real” horse properties like ours are much sought after in our area…But worst case…we have over a half mile of road frontage…that would make a LOT of MH pads!!

[OverandOnward]

@crosscreeksh

“Real” horse properties like ours are much sought after in our area…But worst case…we have over a half mile of road frontage…that would make a LOT of MH pads!!

Guessing the half mile of road frontage will make your property quick to sell at any time you wish!

Glad you have options and hope you land in a place that is a happy one for you, wherever it is!

[candyappy]

@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!!

Sometimes " country" people are just as bad. I would go for a stand at the top and 1 or 2 along the fence so the horses have no desire to get close. Maybe the lady will grab the top wire:) use the most powerful charger you can get.

Our neighbor had one of their beautiful ponies die from something another neighbor fed them. I wouldn’t mess around.

[clanter]

@crosscreeksh

“Real” horse properties like ours are much sought after in our area…But worst case…we have over a half mile of road frontage…that would make a LOT of MH pads!!

but as you have said in this thread there there is lack of support services, you have these wonderfully helpful neighbors who shoot at livestock, groom and feed horses and property taxes that are out of sight,

we are NOT moving because of any of this behavior!! Texas weather/muddy ground/ TAXES for senior, land owners and general lack of horse related services is the cause.

and a neighbor’s cattle who break into the pastures, tear down fences to get in inside the pasture then tear down fencing to leave… maybe those cows need to go see the neighbor who likes to shoot at them

just sounds the ideal horse property

[ecpolo]

OP I am guessing your property wasn’t Ag exempt. That is unfortunate. You’ll love Aiken. It’s on the short list of places I’d like to love someday. Most people there are horse literate, unlike your awful neighbors.

As for the idea of sherriffs in Texas being hero cowboys, I have had many experiences to the contrary as well. The most recent was when two bulls got loose on a major highway and I pulled over to see if they needed help blocking the road or borrowing a rope from my car. Sheriff was terrified and had no earthly clue what to do. I ended up directing him to park his SUV across the highway so I could shoo the bulls back in their gate while all decked out in my tailored sportsmen breeches and whatnot. Some cowboy! Luckily the bulls were too young and emaciated to move very fast or scare me. I tried to get him to file a report about their condition as well as inadequate fencing along the highway he acted like I was a lunatic PETA activist. Didn’t even thank me for doing his job that day. Whatever. I was in a rush that day so I left, but I always look twice when passing that stretch of highway.

[trubandloki]

@crosscreeksh

No income tax in Texas…they make up for it on property tax!!

Then don’t come back to NY. We have both here, crazy income taxes and crazy property taxes, even for seniors.

[crosscreeksh]

@trubandloki

Then don’t come back to NY. We have both here, crazy income taxes and crazy property taxes, even for seniors.

We lived in upstate NY a long time ago!! Not going back, but because of the snow and cold!! Summers used to be about 2 weeks long as I remember!!