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Complaining neighbor

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.

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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!

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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!”

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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.

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Also I haven’t been on this forum in a while and can’t figure out how to get it to quote the person I’m replying to, so I apologize if my responses are confusing!

And I just want to thank you all for your replies, it is a huge help to make sure I cover my bases!

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Quoting (and photo posting) are two of the best features of this new format.

You have options.

Here is a copy of the instruction that were so nicely typed out by someone else.

That came from this thread:

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I would put the fence a teeny bit inside your part of the property line, and if you get a survey, cement the metal markers in. I would never allow that man on my property again, for any reason, or ever go near him.

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AH! Thank you, that is such a huge help and it is so nice!

We actually have no idea where the property line is as he admitted to moving the marker. Apparently there was a dispute with the previous owner. The plat was no help since the marker is not there and could have been moved. I am having to get survey quotes which we need done anyway as I found someone hunting on our back 5 acres! They had no idea we owned the property :upside_down_face: Again, there are no markers so we need it marked to put out signs and trail cameras (it’s all wooded). One of our dogs went missing and I’m afraid someone shot him. Living in the country has it’s own issues.

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I lived in Georgia for many years. Back then boarding barns (not sure about lesson barns without boarded horses) were required to have a stable license from the Department of Agriculture, and annual inspections by the state Vet’s office. Is that still required?

Survey and a fence sounds good, but it may cost you more than running a water supply and installing sprinklers. And of course that won’t stop the old pervert from watching.

And it is a criminal offense to remove a property marker in Georgia.

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Yes I had to get my stable license in order to get my business license…or vice-versa. Can’t remember now which one required the other. So I’ve been inspected by the state and my county.

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It’s why I let my trees grow up. Less dust for the neighbors.

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Farmtek has all manner of screens available that would do in the short run while you decide on what’s next. I would favor a tall privacy fence over shrubs. Faster and solid.

Look forward to hearing about him losing his marbles over the survey markers :wink:

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Intentionally causing people to get hurt? That’s a whole other level of awful :expressionless:

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Yes please update once you do!

I think you should do something to document the watching/filming as this crosses over into creeper territory.

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I had a similar issue where neighbors to the arena I have access to were complaining about the riders and dust. They would come down to the arena and stand at the fence complaining while we rode and would watch obsessively. The arena had been there before they moved in and while it does have drama behind the construction, it is something they were aware of upon the purchase of their homes. Once the other riders and I started ignoring their complaints they quickly stopped. They still will pop up to glare at us, but if I don’t engage them in conversation then they don’t make snarky remarks.

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As difficult, creepy and antagonistic as your neighbor sounds, his complaints of dust are quite likely legit. Arena dust carries a surprisingly long distance, and seeps into everything. There is both visual dust, and fine essentially invisible dust (until it builds up on surfaces). It clings to house windows and siding, settles on lawn furniture, coats your car and irritates your airways. You are not able to open your windows. If the prevailing wind floats dust in his direction it is a problem that you need to address. Gaaahhh, imaginge what he thinks when you drag the area!!! How he chooses to use his property (leaves garage door open) is up to him, and he is not required to change, it is up to you to fix the problem.

I recommend you immediately address his complaint by spreading Mag flakes, Whoa Dust or similar product in generous amounts. Since your ring is near a home, this should have been done as the project was wrapping up. If it was done, it is time to reapply. Inform the neighbor that dust reduction products have been applied. ( Personally, I would make a great visual show of the process when I was sure he was watching. Better still, spread that hour’s work into a few hours done over a couple of days) This action can happen today and will greatly reduce any dust that might travel to his property. Then plant a fast growing barrier such as Miganthus Giganteus to provide rapid reduction in wind carriage, and a much needed privacy barrier. These actions will dramatically reduce dust, are cost effective, easy and FAST.

Long term you can look at a more permanent and pretty privacy/dust screen and installation of a watering system.

Again, I agree, not the neighbor I would want, but also not ok to discount his complaint.

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Completely agree with everything you’ve said. The fine dust is awful and it does get on and in everything.

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Glad you are getting a survey. And I agree with putting the fence slightly INSIDE your line.

Here in Florida, we are a “fence in” state - you are required to keep your beasties on your property. I have a back fence that is just inside the survey lines. The original property line fence, long older than my ownership, is a ratty barbed wire and broken 4" woven fence. Neighbor has no fence of her own. Her 90# pitties are always at my fence (as is my dog, but on my side), getting caught in the barbed wire, pushing on my fence (so on my property…) I am over it, but not sure what to do without endangering my dogs 'cause ya never know…

SO, put the fence slightly on your side of the line.

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Your neighbor may not allow any fencing equipment or personnel to come on his property, You may have to sacrifice a few feet of your land for installation. Let your fencing contractor know about this - I’m sure they deal with this from time to time and may recommend a fence that can be completely installed from your side.

I ran into this 40 years ago with a neighbor, one of 2 properties that abutted my back line. I ended up with a 2 foot jog in the fence line. Neighbor woman hounded the fencing crew the whole time they were working. The supervisor said “we made sure she got the bad side of every board we put up.”

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