I am appalled at the idea of people riding on conservation land without permission.
Why do they think it is set aside as CONSERVATION land, anyway?
To CONSERVE the habitat.
If people start riding horses across it, walking across it, walking their dogs across it, horses and dogs pooping, people peeing, tracking it up …
Can’t believe anyone would consider themselves entitled to just go out and “enjoy” land set aside for a particular purpose. :rolleyes::rolleyes:
I’m late to this thread but I never ride on posted land, Posted means keep out. I have a friend that will happily continue on down the trail and I know of someone else who will rip down the signs and continue riding. It just gives riders bad names and I am appalled by it.
I asked a fairly close neighbour if I could use his land to condition my eventer - they had an awesome track on the side of a slope. They were concerned about liability if I were to fall off and get hurt, or my horse get hurt, and they also had certain times available when the track was free after they had exercised.
I signed a waiver and bought a case of beer and they were happy.
Best not ride on my land which is marked. Now if you ask I will probably say yes. How would you like it if I just walked through your house?
[QUOTE=Countrywood;7067472]
I am going to ask the woman that readily rides along edge of the fields if she ever asked any of the farm managers or owner of land…as I asked her one time about riding along edge of fields and she said the people who own the farm don’t mind. I don’t know if she ever talked to them, or just assume since she has been doing it for so long (over 2 years) that if they minded someone would have said something.
I was surprised at vehemence of some of the replies but also understand it, as the signs are there…in my area, owners of fields don’t want ATV’s and people dirt biking etc…perhaps many of them don’t mind the occasional rider but as many said, better to ask and find out if possible. I also see people fishing off the canal banks of these farms with signs and nobody ever says anything to them either.[/QUOTE]
I only read to this post and I have to say, as a land owner I’m surprised that YOU were surprised that people take offense to it.
If everyone who thought it was okay to be on our posted land trespassed anyway, we’d have absolutely no privacy whatsoever, and our property would be trashed. I understand you’re just one person on a horse, but one person always leads to more…as you said, you assumed it’s okay since another woman said it was. But that really doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t personally asked the landowner. If I had a dime for everyone I’ve booted off my property who never asked…
Yes, this.
Just because someone else “does it” doesn’t mean it’s okay. That’s a pied piper mentality.
Assume nothing, ask questions and if you are not certain it is okay, then just approach the land owner.
You’ll get your answer.
You state that the land is agricultural. Horses droppings contain E. coli and other nasties. If these farmers are growing produce that goes to market, and makes someone ill, it could be your fault.
That is why all comercial agricultural property is fenced and posted, because you could ruin someone’s buisness, and/or cause a national health crisis! People who trespass are why we have to triple wash our lettuce and cantalopes!
[QUOTE=Countrywood;7064499]
Dilemma…some really nice trails along agricultural fields here have “no trespassing” signs posted. And sometimes…I’ll admit, we ride there, mainly on Sundays , when the field workers are not out there…
Anyone else do this? Is it terrible or not? ( I know it is illegal but the trails are so nice…some riders do it all the time, some refuse to so I am in middle)[/QUOTE]
So you won’t mind if I break into your house, and hang out, help myself to your food, wander around your bedrooms, etc.
That’s what you’re doing when you trespass. That is someone else’s property. You do not have the right to use their property without their permission.
What you’re doing is terrible. I can’t believe anyone would think this is ok.
Do you know how many rural landowners hunt or target practice on their land? Just think about the fact that you might get shot. I shoot on my land, and also hunt on it. If someone was trespassing I’d have no way of knowing and that person could get killed or injured.
I don’t even know where to begin with this.
No, that is not public land. It’s not your tax money. It’s private property. You’re committing a crime. And I hope you get caught.
Do you know why that conservation group wants the land off limits? Because there is something living or growing on that land that is rare. Perhaps endangered. It could even be the last place that plant or animal can exist on earth.
And your horse is stepping and crapping all over it.
Stay off the land. If you want land to ride on, GO BUY YOUR OWN.
[QUOTE=Appsolute;7074652]
I don’t pass no tress-passing signs - ESPECIALLY on private property.
(and I look up the ownership of surrounding properties in the County records before I head out!)
But I DO tresspass - as in, ride on land without specific permission… but it is land owned by local conservation groups - which are funded with tax money (ie publically held).
Basically the trails have been there for as long as any one can remember. The land sold to the conservation group, and they put up signs “conservation land do not enter”. They have never enforced any sort of “no riding” policy as far as I know.
The other tresspassing I used to do - was again, onto conservation land, and I count it as tresspassing, as I passed through a gate (an old falling down one which I fixed I might add) to access the adjoining open space - although there were no keep out signs posted. Rode there for years, never saw a soul (besides lots of wild life). Just me, the horse, and 5,000 acres with ocean views to roam. It was pretty blissful, even if I did keep an eye out in case an open space patrol happened to come by on their yearly check![/QUOTE]
jmho!
bumping for some friends! 
maybe they think there is some kind of “right to roam” like they have in the UK?
if you know it’s private land, and it isn’t posted, would you think it was ok to trespass on it?
Thank you, JSwan – CONSERVATION LANDS ARE NOT PUBLIC LAND. Most were purchased with private monies by non-profit organizations. It’s not your land, it’s not there for you to traipse all over it, destroying habitat, exacerbating erosion and sedimentation, and various other transgressions. I about lose my mind when I find people have ridden their horses/ATVs/bikes all over conservation easements we manage and if I had my way, I’d put spike strips on every one. 
My earlier reply was eaten, so here’s another.
Waterglen-- I hope your “friends” prosecute the trespasser to the fullest extent of the law. We all know how touchy land is in NOVA. As foxhunters we also know how absolutely critical it is that no one endanger the relationships with the landowners. Traipsing about on a landowner’s property without permission might even be more of a total eff up than if your horse kicked a hound. And we all know how bad THAT is!!!
Here’s a novel idea for you in the “well, it wasn’t posted” crowd…
How about if you only ever ride on designated public riding trails or land you have gotten permission of the landowner to ride on or cross?
And while a “conservation easement” might give the landowner a tax benefit because they’ve agreed it will not be developed, it isn’t funded with taxpayer money, nor is it publicly held land.
Lest any of you think that, start riding where you please around Middleburg and see what happens. I was interviewing for a job and one of my duties was to ride out the owners’ horses. They had several hundred acres. I ended up on someone else’s property, quite by mistake, For about 20 minutes, before someone who actually belonged on the property came up and asked me what I was doing on private land. Fortunately, they recognized that the horse I was riding did indeed belong to who I said it did, and directed me back to where I belonged.
Even though I am a horse person, I would be appalled if somebody were to come riding on to my property without my permission. I live on 150 acres and have a lot of trails that I have set up for myself and my friends to enjoy riding, hiking, and biking on. I pay the gas for my tractor to mow those trails, cut down branches so we don’t wack our heads, and do general upkeep on them. I do that for my enjoyment, not somebody else’s. I also pay the land taxes on that property, that is not so that somebody else can come use it.
I had a massive problem with my neighbor’s trespassing on my property with their off roading bikes. It got ugly. The police and DNR had to be called multiple times. There is now a chain across their access point and I regularly monitor the area. I did a lot of research on the laws involved with trespassing. Did you know that even if the person is trespassing on your property if they get injured they can sue you as the property owner? For those of you trespassing, did you know that a lot of states have very strict laws protecting a farmer’s plants? Up to $250 PER PLANT if you damage them while trespassing?
[QUOTE=wildlifer;7134593]
Thank you, JSwan – CONSERVATION LANDS ARE NOT PUBLIC LAND. Most were purchased with private monies by non-profit organizations. It’s not your land, it’s not there for you to traipse all over it, destroying habitat, exacerbating erosion and sedimentation, and various other transgressions. I about lose my mind when I find people have ridden their horses/ATVs/bikes all over conservation easements we manage and if I had my way, I’d put spike strips on every one. :([/QUOTE]
I was very tempted to put up spike strips when I was dealing with my trespassers. Too bad it is illegal in my state.
It is TERRIBLY important for many reasons, to ask permission to ride on anyone’s property, let alone those marked “No Trespassing” :eek:
Wow! :no:
IF there are no health or safety reasons for horses to be banned, WHEN YOU ASK THE OWNER, they MAY let you ride.
I take it that you have not lived in the countryside before, and have never owned acreage?
Countrywood, you say she said she “can ride wherever we want”. You say that a few “risky things” have already happened. I commend you on agreeing (it appears) to follow the law and staying off posted private property. Obviously that person has some issues with rights and entitlement…you may do well to stay away from someone who will lead you into trouble. I would hope that at some moment when you’re not with her, some private property owner unloads some buckshot up her hind end so she has a near-permanent reminder of the law.
[QUOTE=paulaedwina;7071044]
I think alot of it is fear of liability. Fix that and I think alot of people will unclench. But as long as you can get sued for someone injuring themselves on your property you’re going to want to control who comes on and what they’re doing.
Paula[/QUOTE]
This A.M. I took a tumble off my filly in MY arena at the farm that I own and broke my wrist. At the emergency room they asked me at least four different times and in different wording if I fell off somewhere but at MY farm. That was so that my insurance company could pass the $ to some other persons insurance company.
I want mention a different kind of trespass here that also makes my blood boil. That is the trail rider in state forests that ride off trail. Just because you pay taxes does not entitle you to disrespect the park rules. Stay on the trails!
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