Thats one opinion, mines differant.
But here’s my question…how the **** do you KNOW it’s not in use? Quite clearly, you haven’t asked. (Not talking about a specific situation, nescessarily…) Someone said that they understood about planted fields, but didn’t understand about woodlands…but you can grow stuff in woods too. Like, perhaps, mushrooms. And people do farm mushrooms…most in controled situations, but sometimes just out in the woods. And heck, even trees are a crop.
And just because it isn’t in use gives you NO REASON to think that you can use it. Heck, one of my neighbors has a little convertible that he keeps garaged and only takes out maybe four times a year. But I can pretty much guarentee that he would be PISSED if he walked in one day to find me starting it up! And I can tell you the “But you’re not even using it!” excuse won’t get me far! It doesn’t matter what the owner is doing with it…he paid for it (and we all know land isn’t cheap) and continues to pay for it through taxes.
Another reason people may not want you riding through their farmland…horses spook. We all know this. Some may spook more than others, but ALL spook. And some spooks can be pretty devastating if you take out a whole section of crops…believe me, I know! Luckily for me it was just corn, but in the case of tobacco, or sod, that could be a good chunk of someone’s earnings that you just destroyed!
So what if people don’t want to share? It’s not a communist country, and they have every right not to!
I’m not arguing for the right to ride through somebody else’s property. I’m just saying that it is not necessarily done with malicious intent. In fact, it is probably rarely done with malicious intent. Damage is damage, though, whether a person intends it or not, and hoof prints can damage anything growing. That is why I don’t tresspass.
I guess I was just surprised by the vehemence of the landowners’ posts here and the assumption that people are being deliberately (rather than unitentionally) rude by riding where they didn’t think anybody would be bothered. I’m not saying the negative attitude it isn’t justified. It just shows that people in the world are changing, getting less friendly, more suspicious of others. That’s what city’s have a reputation for, not rural areas.
I find it sad. :no: Makes me want to keep to myself, which I’m sure a few people on these BB’s would appreciate.
Hard to explain it, really. I am friendly, courteous, likeable and in general, a nice person. Unless I catch you tresspassing in my backyard. Which, if you think about it, is fair. I mean, if I were walking around in your backyard, wouldn’t you wonder what the heck I was doing there, and maybe even ask me to leave? Or how about if I were leaving ruts by your front door with my ATV. And what if you asked me to leave, and I kept coming back. And maybe brought my chainsaw and cut down a few of your trees. And shot at deer while I was there. And worse, much, much worse. :no:
My opinion of people who tresspass has been earned through the people who have tread irresponsibly and maliciously over what is mine. I was raised by parents who taught me to understand that you ask permission before you use something that isn’t yours. Seems others weren’t.
And as for property that appears “abandoned,” etc. If you saw a car on the street with the keys in it, would you assume that it was available for the taking? I doubt it. That would be stealing, even if the moron who owns it left the keys in it. And so riding on someone’s property without there permission “trespassing,” even if they are not there to see you. It just is.
My opinion. It’s a strong one. Much stronger than I usually post on these boards, as I do like to keep it friendly. But this is a topic that is too close to my heart for me to tread lightly. :no:
Please do not make assumptions…I had the horse before I moved to this acre lot.I lived in Hunt Country where they don’t mind you riding through their land as long as you close the gates and don’t ride when its really muddy. I do not own, I rent… I have many animals and rental property is scarce here. I took what I could get at the moment
My friends have never ridden on the property. They are older and semi retired and their horses are mainly pasture ornaments,but they have permission because they bought their house and 15 acres from the landowner.
He does not have to put up a sign, all he has to do is give me permission.No liability. I was very polite and when I was told they would rather I didnt ride on it, due to liability.I let it go at that. It was after that when I met the people who have permission, they said, aw, go ahead and ride him over there, Ill tell him youre a buddy of mine.
Who peed in ur Cheerios this morning?
Cheryl
If you knew you would catch flak for this, why are you saying my cheerios were peed in?
As a land owner, your attitude in your post was enough to really set me off.
Just because you see something that you want to use does not mean there is no good reason for you not to use it.
The landowner told you not to ride on his land, for reasons of his own. You are planning on riding there anyway. This type of behaviour is what makes landowners shut down all access to their property.
Regarding your property and your horse, regardless of when you got the horse and whether you are renting or not, you chose to have that horse, you chose to live on that property, and other people who happen to own property you covet have no obligation to allow you to use their property just because you want more room for your horse.
Well…yes and no. People have always been a bit touchy about their land…it’s always been valuable. Afterall, if you were caught shooting a deer on the king’s land, you were killed…
And I have every right, really, to be less friendly…watched the news lately? Read some of the other posts? There are PSYCHOS out there…people who watch properties and people, pinpoint the perfect time to kidnapp/rape/kill. Who’s to say that the seemingly-friendly neighbor I let jog on my property isn’t just waiting for the perfect oportunity to kill me? I’m not really paranoid…just not naive.
I’ve had people walking their dogs off leash, and then proceed to show no control over said dogs as they mob my horse, and then threaten ME that MY horse, on MY land, better not kick their dog. So yes, they WILL be kicked off the property.
Unfortunately, IQ tests are not required to own guns. Which explains some of the drunk-off-their-bums people who come tromping onto my property, a wake of beer cans behind them. Do I want these tipsy dim-wits holding a loaded gun ANYWHERE NEAR me when I’m riding, or have my horses turned out??? MOST CERTAINLY NOT! As I’m sure any reasonable horse owner would agree. One of the trigger-happy idiots shot a neighbors dog a few years ago…the poor old man was devastated, and it’s really kinda hard to mistake a dog for a bird…
I’m like Reynard Ridge…I’m really a pretty nice person to deal with…I work retail, so I’m exceptionally “good with people”. (AKA, good at smiles on the outside, muderous on the inside!) I get along with almost anyone, if given the opportunity. But like her…this is a touchy subject, and the attitudes of some of the people on here have me amazed.
This reminds me of a situation I had this spring with my neighbor. I have a deeded right-of-way through another neighbor’s property, then it turns into my property (driveway which goes straight and then has a turn-off to my house). This other neighbor who lives across the lane (which is my property- driveway) seemed to think he had access to it - wrong. One day he comes driving in and is sitting in front of my house looking up at his house (which is up the hill and across the lane (mind you, he never introduced himself or even greeted us) and backed his car up and left. Ok… Well one day I see a guy and a girl walking down the private right-of-way and down our driveway with a loose dog (I have two horses - one who will go after a dog that chases it and an OTTB that I did not know what it would do with dogs). I asked the people (because I did not know who they were), who they were. The guy just points up to the house where he lives. Doesn’t say I’m your neighbor so and so, etc. I then asked, will that dog go after my horses. He said, “I hope not.” Bad answer… I told him, then you need to please catch your dog and put it on a lead. He ended up being a real *ss and my husband told him to get off our property and do not return. After that we put up no trepassing and private property signs all around our property.
It’s like mentioned before, some people think they are entitled to do what ever they want and to heck with everybody else. What nerve!!! I would never have the gall to go walking on somebody’s land with a loose dog knowing there was livestock there. Better yet, knowing you are walking down a driveway by somebody’s house uninvited. Geeezzzz, all the nerve.
Our last place had a well stocked, 2 acre pond. Largemouth bass to 10 pounds, channel catfish to >30", and tons of panfish. I allowed anyone, after they asked permission, to fish there whenever they wanted, as long as they obeyed my rules. I even provided 3 rowboats for their use. It took years and thousands of $$ to set the place up. I never charged anyone to use it. It was there to give young people someplace to go and something to do. The rules were simple:
- Release anything you catch, except keep all the panfish you want.
- Clean-up after yourself.
- Anyone in the boats must wear a life vest, bring your oun or use one of mine, but put it back when done.
- Pull boats back up on gravel and turn upside down when finished.
- Allowed to bring no more than 2 guests and they must be told they cannot come back without you, unless they get permission themselves.
- Stay away from the horses, the caboose, and the swimming pond. ( I allowed use of the swimming pond on an individual use basis)
When I would find unknown, unescorted people there, they would usually tell me they had come previously with someone else and were told it was okay. I would ask who brought them before telling them to leave. The next time I would see the person whom invited the trespasser, I would tell them to leave also. That would happen every couple of weeks. They weren’t hurting anything. It was a respect issue. Respect me, respect my rules, or hit the highway.
I accidentally tresspassed on Saturday! :o
A friend explained to me where there was a public trail down this country road, about a mile from my house. I rode down the road (public property) and at the end of the road there was a long, dirt trail between two cornfields. Assuming that was the trail, I set off at a canter and ended up SQUARE out in the middle of somebody’s back yard.
I almost panicked. I turned around and high tailed it back to the main road. I was confused so I went down the road a ways, and bingo, there was the REAL trail.
It was a very very honest, accidental mistake, and the first time I’ve ever done something like that. But it shows you how it can honestly happen.
Just asked for and rec’d permission to ride from local farm folks in my area. They were all shocked that I ASKED first.
Really, that’s the way to do it. :yes: :winkgrin:
We have a pretty good chunk of “empty timber land” on which and through which I have spent a pretty good chunk of time and change to work on cross-country courses, gallop tracks, and trails. We have a nice manicured grass track under a powerline for a 1/4 mile or so. We don’t have many horseback riders come through although we were unloading groceries one day and a girl in a bikini on a horse bareback came up the hill from our cove on the lake one day and didn’t even wave. We do have lots of trouble from people trespassing, littering, and tearing up the ground. Once a lady on an ATV with 2 kids in tow on little ATVs came in driving under the powerline on the manicured grass under the powerline. When I pointed out that she was leaving ruts in the soft, wet ground she said, “But we’re just riding on the powerline right of way.” “Lady, just because the power company has a right-of-way doesn’t mean that you or anyone else does.”
Once we did have someone stop at the house and ask if they could let their horses come graze on our pastures because, “They are so much better than ours.”
Another couple called and asked if they could come ride their horses on our trails that afternoon when the ground was rotten wet because it had been raining for 2 weeks.
I caught a group of 4-wheelers tearing up the new grass on the cross-country course who said, “But there ain’t a house in sight!” We also get, “But I thought it was public land.”
We have other “empty timber land” not connected to the farm that we are always having people, for various reasons, going through and tearing up. Timber is a crop. Crops are for someone’s income.
We have exclusive use of an 85 mile “trail” that starts a couple of miles from our farm. But we’d have to cross other peoples’ property to get to the start so we just trailer to a friends place next to it rather than cross other folks land.
County’s right about respect. It’s becoming a more rare commodity every day. If you don’t own it or have permission to be on it, stay off. And even when you do have permission, think about taking care of the land.
And I’m normally a nice, polite, quiet guy too, but if you’re trespassing on my land I’ll be better armed and riding something faster than whatever you’re on.
:yes: 
AMEN TOM!!!
Hit nail with hammer square on the head!!
I have 11,000 acres of open land just 1/8th mile away. Soooo everyone figures they can just cross anyones land to go to it. NOT!!
It’s a good way to get shot!!
Interesting thread. I live rural, have a lot of national parks to ride in, however come winter these are impassable to ride so we ride lower elevations on BLM land or large ranches that we have written premission to ride on.
The problem sometimes is private land is interspersed on boundries with public land. Riding on someones land without permission will get you greeted with a shotgun, same if I found someone traveling through my pastures. Invest in GPS with a topo map showing public lands and private. Scout the areas in your truck or on foot first to get where you need to be to access public lands. Landowners are much more agreeable when they see you taking strides to respect their property.
Ok, so on a related note. The owner of the barn that I board at told me that I could ride on the surrounding properties. She went with me the first few times so that I knew the way. However, last fall one of the property owners put up a no trespassing sign. I talked to the barn owner about it, and she said to ride there anyway. I am a land surveyor so I am very aware of property boundaries. I haven’t been on the property since the sign, but I’d still like to ride their because it is less road riding to get to the public trails. I feel strange knocking on people’s doors when I’m not a neighbor and only board, but don’t want to be shot at. Should I trust my barn owner and go ride, or go knock on the door?
[QUOTE=sorabird;7747229]
Ok, so on a related note. The owner of the barn that I board at told me that I could ride on the surrounding properties. She went with me the first few times so that I knew the way. However, last fall one of the property owners put up a no trespassing sign. I talked to the barn owner about it, and she said to ride there anyway. I am a land surveyor so I am very aware of property boundaries. I haven’t been on the property since the sign, but I’d still like to ride their because it is less road riding to get to the public trails. I feel strange knocking on people’s doors when I’m not a neighbor and only board, but don’t want to be shot at. Should I trust my barn owner and go ride, or go knock on the door?[/QUOTE]
If they know there is a boarding barn, then I don’t think a boarder asking permission would be all that strange? I’d explain you saw the sign and will go around if they prefer, but you’d rather not ride on the road at risk of what drivers might do if you can come to an agreement about access. Don’t mention or ask for permission for other people from the barn, just represent yourself. IMO.
[QUOTE=sorabird;7747229]
Ok, so on a related note. The owner of the barn that I board at told me that I could ride on the surrounding properties. She went with me the first few times so that I knew the way. However, last fall one of the property owners put up a no trespassing sign. I talked to the barn owner about it, and she said to ride there anyway. I am a land surveyor so I am very aware of property boundaries. I haven’t been on the property since the sign, but I’d still like to ride their because it is less road riding to get to the public trails. I feel strange knocking on people’s doors when I’m not a neighbor and only board, but don’t want to be shot at. Should I trust my barn owner and go ride, or go knock on the door?[/QUOTE]
Id ask for myself.
Somebody on another board I’m on was having huge problems with riders trespassing on their land, and I think they followed some riders back to a boarding barn.
Turned out the barn owner was telling new boarders they had access to all this land to ride over as part of the barn selling points and facilities. Land owner had never been asked and would never have given permission for that.
So I wouldn’t take anyone’s word that I was allowed to ride over another persons land.
I stumbled across this thread on break at work today and have been seething and waiting to write a response.
I don’t want to call out anyone by name, but if you’ve ever ridden on open land where you didn’t know the name of the landowner and/or had direct contact with them, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM AND THE REASON PEOPLE CLOSE THEIR LAND TO HORSES. That was intentional shouting.
If you’ve been doing this in ignorance of how wrong it is, or at the encouragement of other irresponsible riders or barn owners, STOP IT! NOW! YOU’RE GOING TO RUIN IT FOR THE REST OF US! Yes, that was also intentional shouting. You might have been able to claim ignorance before, but if you’ve read or participated in this thread, you can’t any longer. You know what you’re doing is WRONG, disrespectful and endangering the riding privileges of others.
If you happen to live in one of the increasingly rare horsey paradises with a lot of land open for riding, do some critical thinking and ask yourself how that works. In my case, back in the 80s, I worked in hunt country, and had amazing places to ride. Why? Because the landowners had all been approached by the masters, schmoozed and promised that the hunt would be responsible for any damage or resolving any problems. This worked really well for a while, until a commercial barn in the area, who were no part of the agreement with the hunt, sent scads of people, badly mounted and equipped, out on the “open” land. The hunt managed to keep the land open for hunt club members, but a lot of land owners closed their land to outsiders.
Since I primarily worked for hunt club members at that time, I still had access, because the understanding was that if I abused the privilege, or god forbid, was rude to a landowner (worse than kicking a hound!) the masters would visit my employer, and consequences would be paid. Likely my job, though I never experimented with the equation.
It’s this quid pro quo that citiots and newbies don’t seem to understand. I will give my neighbor permission to cross my land in exchange for my permission to cross his land. If I do something stupid, or my horse bolts across a wet hay field, my neighbor knows 1.) I will own up to it and 2.) I will make it right. I also make sure to occasionally plow his driveway or bushhog just to make sure my status as “good neighbor” is secure.
Do i feel as comfortable that the new boarder at the commercial barn down the road (Who changes barns more often than I change the oil in my car) will do the same? No, I do not.
Somewhere on this board is a thread I started or participated in bemoaning the fact that land I had carefully and properly obtained permission to ride on was now closed to me because of rank abuse by other local riders. The landowner’s apologetic rescinding of my privilege was that she couldn’t police who was on her land at a given time, so out of concern for liability, she was closing her land to everyone.
So, accidental trespassing? I’m not buying it. The only “accidental” trespassing is when Farmer Brown gives you permission to ride his land and describes to you where the boundaries are, and when you ride you run across an angry Farmer Green, who tells you that Farmer Brown’s property ends at the tree line. In this case, you apologize profusely to Farmer Green and get the H*** off his land and never return. Then you research the actual boundaries before returning.
My very rural, agrarian county has all the property plats and maps online. If you don’t know where the property line is, you can easily find out. And even if they’re not online, a trip to the courthouse is a small price to pay to stay on the right side of the law and landowners.
Sorry for the rant, y’all hit a nerve.
Link to previous thread on this subject -
We have a small cattle farm and it backs up to a state park with equine trails. Well people nearby have decided that riding through our pastures and going through the fence is better than paying the 2 bucks donation the park department requests and providing current Coggins. Normally I am a very laid back person and would ignore the occasional infraction. EXCEPT they insist on cutting the fence and just leaving it. Luckily we have never had animals escape but checking the fence daily is ridiculous. I know they use the road side gates to get in because I can follow the trail. I had to quit locking the gate because the cut chains and stolen locks were getting expensive. Yes they stole the locks so I couldn’t just lock it back. When I did use heavy chain they cut the barbed wire there too. They have no regard for the fact that I could lose all my cattle and my donkeys. We have posted no trespassing signs and they ripped the ones on the gate in half. Well it is illegal to have a functioning unlocked gate granting access to the state park so I just continue to deal with the patchwork that is my back fence. If I call the police, we are so remote that they never make it in time and they refuse to wait and catch these people. I finally set up trail cams to show the police what a big problem this was. I was shocked when I reviewed the pictures. The terrain is laid out that if you enter from the road it funnels you down a trail so besides the gate and back fence I put a cam there. I counted a group of 24 horses with riders coming regularly during the week while no one is home. These same people were coming in smaller groups as well most evenings. What really blew my mind was they were leaving with bundles of my hay which meant they were opening my barn and going in. The police were hardly concerned even with clear photos of them cutting my fence. Said they would increase their presence. Since there is no police presence I wasn’t hopeful. Then one day a game warden pulled up with a warrant for my dead father’s arrest. I was shocked. He explained that by riding my horses onto the state park I was trespassing. Luckily I had the photos and police reports. The game warden camped out every evening for a week and finally busted a large group of 16 riders. Arrested 12 of the 13 adults, charged them all with criminal trespassing. Charged the ones clearly seen in pictures with hay for theft as well. They must have spread the word because the only hoof prints I find now are left by the perfectly shod horses of the Texas Parks and Wildlife. They now have keys to out too tiny to be useful guest house where they have air conditioning and heat and indoor plumbing and their horses have a brand new watering station complete with hitching post and plenty of shade to show my appreciation. I don’t think trespassers will be an issue going forward. Lol
