Complaining neighbor

[gahorseygal]

Been a while but I’m here for advice again. My neighbor has now taken to complaining about the dust from my arena.

Back story - we’ve lived here for 6 years. Had horses about 3 years. Running my lesson program here for over 1 year. Just put my footing in my arena this past March. Arena is on the corner of our property near my neighbors. Dry, flat area with a gentle slope, perfect for arena. Neighbors have always told me how nice it is we are using the property, like our animals, etc.

Beginning of the summer my neighbor yelled at me and a student learning to canter when she veered out of the arena (one side has about 15 feet up a hill to the fence, landscape poles to mark the arena edge so horses can step over). It was still dirt from the grading on the outside of the arena and as the horse kind of jumped out it kicked up a bit of dirt. My neighbor sits and watches most of my lessons. A bit odd but he’s old and retired so whatever I ignore him. This instance though he yelled at me and my student about the dirt that got kicked in his direction. I ignored him as my student was cantering for the first time and I was coaching her through the situation.

Not long after the neighbor got my attention while I was setting up jumps one day and told me to “watch my dust”. I have always been very nice and accommodating to them but was very confused by his comment and it raised my hackles a bit. He went on to say the dust from my arena was getting on his vehicle and into his garage. He parks his vehicle in a carport that is next to my arena instead of his garage that has a door. He also leaves the garage door open all day. I immediately told him no, my dust was not going to be enough to cause him an issue, I can not be responsible for where the wind blows it.

Well today during lessons he got my husband’s attention and threatened to sue us if I didn’t water the arena before every ride. Now, I have no way to currently water it. But the dust has only been an issue while riding like 2 days this summer. We use the arena for about 1 to maybe 2 hours a day (broken into 30 minute increments for my private lessons). So it has been rare to have a really dusty day. We are on a well that is over 600 feet from the arena. And purchasing a water sprayer attachment after I just paid for my arena, UTV, and drag attachment isn’t in the budget right now.

Regardless, the guy never came to talk it over with me. He just ordered me to “watch my dust” and then threatened my husband with a lawsuit. I don’t think he has any basis in GA for a lawsuit but I don’t have the money to deal with it regardless. We plan to fork out the money for the water sprayer to hopefully shut him up.

But yall, I’m worried. I’m about to put lights up. There are trees between his house and the lights but I’m afraid he will complain once they go up. I only plan to have them on for my last lesson 3 days a week that runs after dark, and only for 30 minutes. This would about 6:30pm to 7pm.

I just need advice, sympathy stories, etc. I’m so upset as we have always tried to accommodate these neighbors and the guys wife has told me how wonderful it is that I’m building this business.

I’m also a bit annoyed now that the guy watches all my lessons. My husband said the guy told him he has pictures and videos of the dust issue. However I have never seen him recording anything. It just bothers me to think I have a lot of female minors that he sits and watches.

Ulgh. We live in a very rural area too and we are surrounded by cattle farms, chicken farms and even a goat farm.

[Lusoluv]

I’d basically ignore him. Is he really going to hire an attorney and sue you? And for what? He’d have to have a list of valued damages that he can prove. I.E. - he can’t just say you owe him $5k for dust on his property. He has to have validated claims of monetary damage to property by a professional. But if he really bugs you, can you put up an inexpensive privacy fence just alongside your arena to give you relief from his prying eyes and alleviating most dust that he could claims blows his way? Again, to sue he’d have to spend a lot of money and likely not get anything for his efforts if anyone would even take his case - sounds like a blowhard more than anything else! I would also not engage verbally with him AT ALL. Your husband included. If he wants to throw out idle threats, he can do it in writing!

[Bluey]

Put up a fairly solid, tall fence along his side of the arena.
Even some poles and wind screen material stretched along them would work for that at a reasonable cost.

With the excuse of being a wind and dust barrier, you eliminate his prying eyes also.

[LovieBird]

I’d for sure put up somekind of barrier or plant something that grows quickly to obscure the view. What a creeper.

[BUSY]

Ignore the crackpot ! or go to police dept. and tell them the guy is bothering you - create a paper trail FIRST !
The guy is nuts ! Rural area … riding arena …he needs to move to high rise condo very far away !

[stb]

If it were me I would put some sort of screen up - either a privacy fence, some sort of fast growing tree, or both. That would keep the old guy from sitting and watching your lessons, which is creepy. In the off chance that the neighbor really does try to cause trouble for you then the fence and/or trees gives the impression that you tried to lessen the impact on your grumpy neighbor.

After that I would ignore the guy.

[endlessclimb]

Agreed with the other posters. A privacy fence for immediate relief (only need to put along where his house is/where he sits and creeps on you), and then some THICK and PRICKLY hedge plant. Don’t say another word to him, let him put it in writing if he doesn’t like it.

[skip99]

I would dot your i’s and cross your t’s with regards to lights. Make sure there are no zoning regulations or ordinances that say you can’t have the lights where you want them. I’d also make sure to not point the lights at his property. Also I agree with the idea of fast growing trees or hedges along the ring.

[gahorseygal]

This is a good idea, thank you. We are near the road so not bad to double check for that purpose too.

[js]

Agree with those saying put up a tall privacy fence on that side of the arena and a fast growing hedge on the outside of the fence too provided there is space for both; if not at least put up the privacy fence. Make sure the lights aren’t directly throwing light on his property as best you can.

[trubandloki]

I agree, put in a privacy hedge. It will help keep your dust on your side and keep him on his side.

I do not agree with how he went about this, but I do not blame him for being frustrated by ring dust. It travels far and makes a mess of everything. I also find it amusing that you some what admit there is ring dust by saying that he should close his garage door and park his car inside.

[Marla_100]

I agree with OP to get a water spray system to alleviate the dust.
I’d still install a barrier of some sort, maybe some tall cheap fast growing trees. That will also help with dust blowing over into neighbor’s yard.
Whether or not you need a privacy screen is up to you and how comfortable you are being watched in your lessons.
It’s always a good idea to get along with neighbors especially in rural areas. And you have to always consider the effects of our using our property on them.
The old guy won’t be there forever if he’s old.

[gahorseygal]

I have never told my neighbor to do anything with his vehicle or garage. That’s just my thought if he’s going to claim it’s a hindrance. His house is 100 feet from the road, and we have a rock quarry down the street (where my arena sand came from) so is he gonna complain about that? No, of course not.

I’ve just talked with my county and cleared a lot up. My lights are totally within my rights. My neighbor has also apparently lied about property lines and I’ve got their Plat from the clerks office now.

I’m looking into the privacy screen since they do block dust so that will hopefully stop complaints since we are going out of our way to make sure they will be protected. I just don’t have the time to water my arena before every lesson since I can’t just turn sprinklers on.

[beowulf]

Good fences make good neighbors.

Put up a privacy screen of some type of shrub that will help prevent too much dust from traveling to your neighbor. Added bonus being, it’ll be a visual barrier for your lesson horses and students.

I’ve lived adjacent to a riding ring. Your neighbor is not being reasonable, but don’t discount how much ring dust travels.

[Bluey]

@gahorseygal

I have never told my neighbor to do anything with his vehicle or garage. That’s just my thought if he’s going to claim it’s a hindrance. His house is 100 feet from the road, and we have a rock quarry down the street (where my arena sand came from) so is he gonna complain about that? No, of course not.

I’ve just talked with my county and cleared a lot up. My lights are totally within my rights. My neighbor has also apparently lied about property lines and I’ve got their Plat from the clerks office now.

I’m looking into the privacy screen since they do block dust so that will hopefully stop complaints since we are going out of our way to make sure they will be protected. I just don’t have the time to water my arena before every lesson since I can’t just turn sprinklers on.

Sounds like a good starting point.
Here are some screens that could work

Galeshield.com (Pricey but top of the line.)

https://www.networldsports.com/livestock-protection-windscreen.html (New to me, sound interesting).

farmrtek.com ( Have all kinds of screens.)

There are cheaper ones sold to green houses that would work also in a pinch, but those may not last as long.

Now that you have real land boundaries, try to put the fence right on the line, no sense in giving up any acres to “just being friendly” to a contrary neighbor.

[trubandloki]

There was a lesson barn in my part of the world that to continue running their lesson program they were required to sprinkler the outdoor ring any time it was in use, because the dust would blow onto the neighbors house. This was because a lesson program is a business and that street was not zoned for business occupancy so to get the approval to run the business they had to appease the neighbors.

Please make sure you are allowed to run a business on your property before you annoy your neighbor too much. This is not a case you riding your horse making dust. It is you running a business that is making dust.

[Mosey_2003]

@gahorseygal

His house is 100 feet from the road, and we have a rock quarry down the street (where my arena sand came from) so is he gonna complain about that? No, of course not.

Not to nitpick at all, but you would be surprised how many people complain loudly and repeatedly about quarry dust. My company has spent a lot of money related to that.

[Equkelly]

I would tell him if it bothers him that much he’s more than welcome to come by and water your arena for you any time!

[MsM]

I agree with the privacy fence and or shrubs. My boarding barn has an outdoor ring that is nearly unusable due to a neighbor. He was upset that the neighbors did not vote to allow a variance for something he wanted to do, so he has been ugly to all the neighbors ever since. If you ride in the outdoor ring and he is home, be will likely bring a chainsaw or something of the sort to the property line and start it up just as you ride by. He knows that the sudden noise will startle even the calmest horse and people have gotten dumped. If the rider survives that, he repeatedly revs and/or turns it on and off. Not a great atmosphere for riding! Of course his position is “I was just clearing brush on my property!”

[gahorseygal]

I have a business license from my county and had inspections done to run my business from my property. No issue there. I have been very careful from the get go as I grew up riding in a very suburban area and know how much trouble you can run into. We, however, live in a very rural area and there are not many regulations on our zoning so my neighbor does not have much to go on.