Neighbors Horse Destroying Fence

[Bopper]

Our neighbor’s horse is a cribber and he loves to crib on the 18’ of our fence that is wooden (the rest is not cribber friendly). Neighbor is nice but not real observant about stuff and the horse is slowing destroying our fence. He uses his side as a paddock but our side is our barnyard/garden area where our horses are not turned out. Talking to him does not help. I have mentioned other minor issues with the fence for example he put up a hot wire on another section and it has been down now for months despite my asking him to fix it. I am about ready to just run a piece of barbed wire across the top to keep his horse from cribbing on it. I have tried chew stop and the horse does not stop. Due to the location it would be difficult for me to run an electric fence line. Today the top board was down and neighbor just puts horse out, the horse probably could have walked right over to our property and never noticed the fence was down. This is a small maybe 1/2 acre paddock.

Any other suggestions?

[PeteyPie]

Is the fence right on your property line or is it completely on your property?

[Ready_To_Riot]

who owns the fence? I understand it’s probably set at the property line, but the fence belongs to one of you and the other person is just allowed to use it because it is sitting on the line. That matters in what you should do about this

[gumtree]

Depending on location and zoning but most places require that a fence is set back X amount of feet from the property line.

If this is the case then the horse is “trespassing” and causing damage to your “property”.

Your neighbor should do the “neighborly thing” the “right thing” and put up a section of fence on their side of their property.

That’s what people do around here. Horse or cattle.

A nice chat with them might solve the problem. At least it should. If not hit them with a fence repair bill.

[Bopper]

It is about six inches on my side of the property line. The previous owner of our property was careful to put all fences on his property only. As far as I know that along with my documentation of maintenance and repair of the fence makes it my fence. I am going to talk to him again but I know he won’t do anything about it. He is MUCH better than our previous neighbor (blocked the drainage ditch and flooded our property, etc.) but he is just careless.

[JanM]

If you are really trying to stop the fence destruction, then I would put electric fence on top, and probably more than one strand. The neighbor’s horse will quickly get the idea, especially if you turn the juice up.

If the fence is truly on your property, then the neighbor needs to put a fence on their side of the line. I bet the electric will stop the damage.

[Somermist]

We had a very similar problem. Fence was on far property line, put up by former owner. Neighbors horses were eating my fence. I won’t even get into why, but believe me when I say they were not going to do anything about it. We put up a good solar fencer, spent a weekend running a hot wire on the inside of all the fence boards. It saved our fence and if it was destroyed I could have complained all I wanted, they were not going to fix it. So we did what we had to to protect our property. Been up a few years, all is well.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=JanM;8380289]
If you are really trying to stop the fence destruction, then I would put electric fence on top, and probably more than one strand. The neighbor’s horse will quickly get the idea, especially if you turn the juice up.

If the fence is truly on your property, then the neighbor needs to put a fence on their side of the line. I bet the electric will stop the damage.[/QUOTE]

Yep. I’d make that cribber light up like a neon sign.

[horsepoor]

Your fence on your property? Then, yes, I agree with others, just run electric along the top. No more cribbing damage.

[clanter]

our east fence fine (about 400 feet) now has three fences, the one we first put up on the property line, which the neighbor’s horses nearly destroyed, the second one we put up ten feet inside the property line to keep our horses in and finally the new fence the neighbor had to put up on his property line to keep his horses off my property. They would not agree to any joint repairs of the first fence so I said screw it and built ten feet inside the property line… then called animal control every time their horses broke through the first fence.

That neighbor couple finally got a divorce then had to sell the property to settle their internal battles, but the three fences remain.

[JanM]

A fence inside your property line is yours. The neighbor has zero responsibility to protect your fence, and apparently doesn’t care, so wire it, plug it in, and watch the fireworks. I wouldn’t be surprised if the neighbor doesn’t trot over whining about his horse getting zapped, and he can shove that complaint too.

Bet the horse then starts chomping something on the neighbor’s property, and the neighbor freaks out about that.

[Ambitious_Kate]

If its his fence, put your own up inside your line.

If its your fence, take it down.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=Ambitious Kate;8380500]
If its his fence, put your own up inside your line.

If its your fence, take it down.[/QUOTE]

It’s on the OP’s property.

But, living in the country…good neighbors are hard to find. I wouldn’t rip down a fence that they are using to contain their horse over this.

Solar chargers are pretty inexpensive and it sounds easy enough to run one wire across the top to “train” the horse. If it works, you might be able to take the charger off eventually (so you don’t have to look at it)…

We have issues with some of our neighbors, but I know they could be 100x worse. I try to find a reasonable solution to neighbor issues when possible.

[saje]

Solar fencers are cheap enough for the small section you need to wire, and do a good job.

It’s either that or :

-replace or cover your top rail with something tougher (a strip of metal angle iron or channel, heck even tack chicken wire over it)

-run a length of pipe above the boards,

-swap the top board for cement or PVC or something really tough like oak.

-tack some cheap pine 2 x 4s to the outside (your outside, his inside) at a level above the existing boards and let him beaver away at those.

-Put a stiff wire fence on his side, placed high enough that Cribber won’t even try to get his head over

-Get 2 or 3 sections of round pen panel and use those to block his access to that section of fence

[ThirdCharm]

“Hey, neighbor, just wanted to let you know that I’m planting some decorative shrubs by the fence line in my garden/patio area, and since your horse chews on the fence I was a little concerned he might eat the bushes. I think White Oleander is pretty toxic so you might want to run some electric tape on your side of the fence…”

Pretty much the conversation I had with my neighbor whose horses would tear down/get entangled in their sh**ty Hogwire fence to get to our hay storage in our (non turnout, so unfenced on my side) barn courtyard. It should be noted that prior to this conversation all hope of pleasant neighborly relations was already far, far in the rearview mirror. If you’re still on passing civil terms you might want to be nicer.

Jennifer

[China_Doll]

[QUOTE=Bopper;8380283]
It is about six inches on my side of the property line. The previous owner of our property was careful to put all fences on his property only. As far as I know that along with my documentation of maintenance and repair of the fence makes it my fence. I am going to talk to him again but I know he won’t do anything about it. He is MUCH better than our previous neighbor (blocked the drainage ditch and flooded our property, etc.) but he is just careless.[/QUOTE]it may not be your fence depending on codes. Putting it on your property just makes you loose the 6" as they have been using the space as there’s. People can’t put up fences next to each other because you have to have room to repair

[Bopper]

It is my fence. I have proof of maintenance and upkeep therefore based on legal advice I have been told in the past, it is my fence.

Electrified part of it today, his horses will get a ‘shock’ this evening if they try to lean on it to get to the grass on my side which they have been doing. The cribbing area I can’t electrify because of its location.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=Bopper;8381550]
The cribbing area I can’t electrify because of its location.[/QUOTE]

You could put up a fake section of electric - once they get a shock, they may avoid all things that look similar. (Unless they are like my mini, who can tell when fences are off and goes ignores/breaks through them.)

[lorilu]

Yes, horses are pretty smart. Once shocked, they will avoid what looks like a hot wire. Until they realize it’s not hot.
Why can’t you electrify that one section?

I saw an idea for keeping a dog in that might work. It was a cable strung just above the fence, with a section of PVC pipe strung on the cable. If the pipe is big enough he wont be able to crib on it.

[merrygoround]

[QUOTE=S1969;8381669]
You could put up a fake section of electric - once they get a shock, they may avoid all things that look similar. (Unless they are like my mini, who can tell when fences are off and goes ignores/breaks through them.)[/QUOTE]

Sorry that won’t work… I laughed watching one old guy testing the wire with his whiskers. It was hot.

Solar fence charger is the simple solution.