We don’t know his mind. He could love horses, and be losing his eyesight so needs to be closer to see. On the windy day the dust was worse so he chose to be in the cabin to breathe.
If he is only watching the kids lessons and not when you or an older advanced rider rides, then he is watching the kiddies not the horses and that is beyond creepy.
I agree that it is worth having a chat with law enforcement because if he is losing ground, he is going to be acting out in other venues as well. We always think it’s directed just at us, and it’s true sometimes you are the first person to get a full dose of the weirdness, if you are a neighbour. If there is an issue and its increasing, and if he does something creepy or aggressive in town or to his other neighbours, it’s useful to the police to have notes on file saying he’s been doing this elsewhere.
He sounds like a jerk, but still - why not just water the arena more often?
If there’s enough dust to make a mess on the neighboring property, it’s probably not so great for your horses or your students to be breathing it in.
Welp, his property, he’s got a right to park his truck next to your arena and watch your lesson, no?
Address the dust, because it’s the right thing to do. One farm in our area gets some complaints from neighbors and every time, they wave their Ag exempt paper and say they have the right to do it. And they do, but it doesn’t make it right that they do it. Most things they could easily modify to make their neighbors a bit happier. And it’s old timey, lived here for years earthy neighbors complaining (including me, once) not suburban plants who don’t like farms.
You can operate sprinklers remotely with your phone. Home Depot has them or Amazon. https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Garden-Center-Watering-Irrigation-Sprinkler-Timers-Irrigation-Controllers/Wi-Fi/N-5yc1vZc63pZ1z182eq
You have had reasonable relations for 6 years, then put in an arena last March which causes the dust that now upsets your neighbour. Your water supply is inconvenient for you to water the arena so you won’t. How about buying a water bowser and using that to water the arena? Dust is bad for you, your horses, your students, the environment as well as your neighbour.
(A bowser is a mobile tank or container in UK English, not a video game character or an informal term for a dog. Such a rich language, English, lol)
If your arena is that dusty, address that problem first. Then see where things stand with the nasty old man next door.
You are the one most likely to develop respiratory problems, since you spend the most time of anyone inhaling it. Or do you wear a face mask while you’re teaching lessons?
It’s your own physical health that should be the first concern.
I made a report with the police just in case the neighbor escalates things.
Again, my property already has a boundary fence that was in place before we bought the property.
My arena is fully fenced but the side by my neighbor is set about 15 feet from the fence. It’s still fenced in, there is just grass and trees between the arena footing and the fence that is near my neighbor.
We have a privacy/dust screen coming today and I’ve got quotes coming to get it installed for us. I’m hopeful this will take care of the situation. Which is what I told the police. However I wanted a record just in case.
I have no issues with the small amount of dust my arena has produced on dry days so I have not yet purchased a tank to water my arena with.
I have found from years of working in outdoor arenas that if it is a dry, windy, or sunny day it would take a very large amount of water to reduce the dust. We have had enough rain and I drag after rainy days that my arena has stayed quite moist.
I am not downplaying any dust. There is not much to begin with. I am upset that my neighbor that I had a friendly relationship with came and demanded and then threatened instead of discussing his concerns.
If you’re just doing a handful of lessons a day, I can understand why you don’t want to make a big investment, but even from a safety perspective, if you’re teaching beginners, I think it’s a good idea to have a fence. What if the kid can’t control a horse properly? Also, not having any access to water an arena will make it hard to keep the footing serviceable over time, during dry and windy spells. Having a wind barrier will also keep the footing in better shape.
I’d personally vote for a nice fence, since the downside with trees and bushes is that they too have to be maintained. Obviously, a fence might lose a rail, but cutting and pruning IMHO is a bigger PIA.
I’ve had a few neighbors who I thought were going to be problems when they initially moved in when they had time on their hands–i.e., constantly knocking on the door, walking through my yard, talking on cellphones, complaining I didn’t trim my bushes frequently enough, even asking me why I cut my own lawn (weekly) rather than get a landscaper. But once they went back to work after getting settled in they just got too busy doing other stuff. It sounds like your guy has way too much time on his hands.
Get a fence, look into getting even a standard sprinkler over to the fence to water things, and then talk over the guy’s “spectating.” I would even put it along the lines of, “my students can be self-conscious, many are beginners, you know how kids are at that age, ha-ha, so shy, hate to have grownups looking at them.”
ETA: I just saw you got the privacy barrier. I hope that contains things!
Ehhh this guy might have the “right” to watch the lessons but I don’t think it’s okay for men to behave in a way that intimidates women and children (probably on purpose, but who knows). It’s creepy to watch one’s neighbors, it’s creepy to get closer to them after one complains…I’d like to think the best of him because he’s an older guy but men should REALLY think about how their behavior might appear to women and/or children. It’s totally not okay for them to just do whatever they want to do even though it’s legal…
Anyway, the inner feminist in me could not help but rant. I would document these incidents but I doubt the police will really care that he’s being creepy towards you. I’ve seen men do a lot worse without and repercussions.
If you’re running a business and are responsible for the welfare of kids and animals, surely your clients’, your horses’ and your neighbors’ health should be at least as important as your own?
This thread is just crazy to me! I know this is a horse forum, but come on - the fact that it’s a horse business doesn’t make creating unsafe or unpleasant conditions instantly acceptable. What if the OP had a neighbor who operated a kid-centered go-cart business that spewed out dust or smoke or constant noise over her property? Would sane people really suggest that she must be a pedophile (!!!) if she complained?
I just don’t get it. Don’t people believe in being good neighbors and good citizens any more?
Wow, the first thing I would do in this situation is try to put myself in the neighbor’s shoes. OP, you’ve added a dust nuisance and next you will be adding lights. Rather than puff yourself up about your rights, you might want to have a little bit of compassion and try to accommodate your neighbor. It’s a nice thing to do and it will improve relations with this man. Life is so much better when you get along with your neighbors. (Oh, and I like the suggestion by @ComingAttraction.)
I’m kind of surprised that the neighbor has fallen to a level of creepy just because he watches the horses during lessons. Am I missing something? I too enjoy watching riders work their horses, and if that were in view of my back porch, I would probably do the same.
I’m also sympathetic to the neighbor regarding the dust. OP has only recently installed her arena and it’s just a fact that a lot of dust can be created if the arena is not properly prepared or watered. So this is a new issue which he did not have to deal with before, and the fact that there is already some dust from a nearby quarry has nothing to do with the situation.
I think it would be much better to make a point of watering before using the arena and apologize to the neighbor for the dust. Tell him you are watering before lessons and doing whatever other mitigation practices, and ask him to let you know if it continues to be a problem. Seriously, acknowledging the issue and telling him you are trying to fix it can make a huge difference in your neighborly relations.
The advice above to plant shrubs and add screens is good, and if you do that, let your neighbor know that you are taking these additional steps to reduce dust. Also, just to be kind, tell him that you are installing lights and that you will be careful to use them during reasonable hours.
Good for you.
You have “no issues” with the fact that your neighbor can’t enjoy his own property, and hates you as a result?
Terrific.
He is probably bored/ as well as lonely and so far it doesn’t sound like he is a pervert or possible child molester, just grumpy. Watching the kids ride in lessons has nothing to do with complaining about the dust.
If it is windy then I have no doubt the dust blowing in his direction is noticeable and irritating .
We lived on 2 gravel roads( lightly traveled ones) and the dust that got into the house and on outside stuff was still unbelievable , even on a non windy day.
My understanding was that the OP didn’t have a problem with the neighbor watching lessons, but rather the concern from OP and many others came in when neighbor revealed he had been taking pictures and video of the students. That crosses a line IMO.
He’s taking pictures of THE DUST - as any rational person would if they planned to take action against a thoughtless neighbor who refused to listen to just complaints.
This bullshit about him being a pedophile was made up out of whole cloth, by a bunch of online commentators who know exactly nothing about this man except what an extremely biased poster claims.
The only reference I can see to taking photos is from the original post and it is this quote below. Which to me is VERY different than saying they are taking photos and videos of the students riding.
If he’s taking video of the dust happening, wouldn’t that be during an active lesson?
Probably. So what? That hardly makes him a pedophile.
You people are nuts.
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