I ride at a small farm (20 horses) in a pretty small town. We have been having problems with our neighbors for a while but they have recently escalated. The outdoor ring of the barn is behind their house and they are clearly not very happy about that (the barn and ring have been there far longer than the house. They knew that there would be horses there when they moved in). The problem has become so bad that people are getting routinely thrown and my trainer has had to stop lessons frequently due to their actions. Just last night while I was training a horse I was thrown while they were screaming and letting their dogs run barking and growling at the horses. My barn has small children and I am becoming very worried that someone is going to be seriously injured or worse because the neighbors decided that they do not like horses. Does anyone know of anything that I can do?
Unfortunately, there’s lots of @$$holes in the world. From what I’ve seen on similar other threads, this is going to be really dependent on what laws are available in your area. I’d contact your county or a lawyer and inquire into laws about harassment and something like intent to cause harm.
Plant some bamboo between the arena and their property line?
I would say it is time to lawyer up and investigate where the law sits on this, as MMeq says. You can search here many of these problems really are tricky. Perhaps some voices of experience will join the thread. Does the neighbor own or are they renters?
And yes you need screening and plantings. Personally I prefer native planting since they are low maintenance but here is a nice site about bamboo.
https://lewisbamboo.com/is-bamboo-invasive/
Good luck, this is a terrible situation
If it’s not your barn, probably not much. This is the barn owner’s problem to deal with.
What state are you in? There might be some interesting prior cases to read.
The very simple bottom line is that the neighbors have the right to use their property, right up to the property line, in any way that’s not prohibited by zoning code. If there’s no law saying otherwise, those neighbors have zero legal obligation to restrain their dogs, lower their voices, avoid sudden movements, or in any other way curtail their use of their own property just so that the owner of your barn can use her/his property for riding lessons. Doesn’t matter who was there first, or if they bought the property knowing the stable was in use. None of that takes away their rights.
Unfortunately that doesn’t bode well for the riding school if they can’t 1) get on civil terms with these people, and/or 2) train and desensitize their horses to the shenanigans next door. The latter is eminently doable, by the way.
You mentioned the neighbors’ dogs “run barking and growling at the horses”-- do they come onto the barn property? If the dogs were staying on their side of the property line, then I don’t see that you have good cause for action against them. If the dogs ARE coming onto the property, that could be actionable-- check the town’s animal control and fencing laws to see what the rules and penalties are. But the reality is, getting their dogs impounded is not going to move you closer to solving the problem–would be more simple and effective if the barn owner simply fenced the dogs out.
Be grateful-- I recall one poster here who had a hateful neighbor, and the arena was right by the property line. The Bad Neighbor installed one of those fluttering air-filled “tube man” things, like you see outside used car dealerships. Man, if you can get your horse used to one of those, you’d be fine whatever they throw at ya.
If it’s not your barn - move barns.
Even if the barn property owner is motivated to try to do something about this, it’s going to be a long and difficult process. And it may not be successful.
People who behave like these neighbors do it because they want to, not because they have a cause for complaint. There is no reasoning with them, and probably no negotiating. It will be an all-or-nothing fight if it’s going to be taken on seriously. One party will end up moving away. It’s usually not the Nightmare Neighbor. Since they enjoy the contest, they don’t have a reason to move.
Many jurisdictions have laws addressing Nightmare Neighbors (which imo includes anyone who is willing to risk an injury to someone else through their behavior). And with or without such laws, there are attorneys who specialize in these problems. But regardless, the issues are complex and extremely difficult to navigate, and almost always expensive.
There are some long threads on COTH about Nightmare Neighbors, aka Neighbors from Hell, from quite some time ago.
This is not something you need in your life. It’s like a hurricane, it’s not something you can control or change, just try to avoid, and the best strategy is early evacuation (especially with animals). That’s my comparison for Nightmare Neighbors.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/neighbor-h…ry?id=20575571
p.s. I just read the post above - good point that if they stay on their own property, they may be legally within their rights. A lot of jurisdictions have ordnances about not being a nuisance, but who defines what is a nuisance? You don’t need this fight. 
I have the misfortune to have Nightmare Neighbors. Ugh 
So, I feel your pain.
While laws and ordinances may vary from one county/state to another, my general understanding is that if the humans and animals are remaining on their own property, there is little to be done, even if they are acting like idiots.
Over our 17 years here, we have spent several thousand dollars on surveyors, attorneys, etc. with minimal effect. The county sheriff that is typically sent out is a relative of our neighbor (go figure! :lol: ), and is little help and has no sympathy, at all… Moving isn’t an option for us financially, so we bide our time, try to ignore them, and look forward to a day that we will no longer have to endure them.
HungarianHippo is right – only course of action is for BO to install a 6 ft. sold fence in between ring and neighbor’s property line. Won’t help with noise but will help with visuals – and neighbors might stop their antics once they can’t see the ring.
well, there is such a thing as Malicious Intent which refers to the intent of their actions, without just cause or reason, to commit a wrongful act that will result in harm to another. It is their intent to harm or do some evil purpose.
so, f I were BO I would install a bank of very high quality video camera recording these neighbor’s actions storing the recordings directly to cloud app… most will hold the records for six months if not specifically chosen to be kept.
actually if going this route have BO check their zoning, if farm just move in a herd of hogs to put in the ring, let those dogs bark at them for awhile.
another option would be install very high powered lighting that nearly sets the house on fire
Good grief! Do not plant bamboo. It will take over the world!
There’s two types. Running and clumping. Running spreads like wildfire. Clumping does not. Running can also be contained with ditches. It’s not that big of a deal. Most varieties grow 20+ feet tall within a few months = great privacy screen.
An easier solution is to train the horses to be accustomed to this noise and “busyness”… You can install a fence or some sort of visual barrier, but at the end of the day if these are lesson horses they need to be able to work and not get easily distracted by IMHO rather common-place noises.
What you are describing doesn’t sound malicious so much as ignorant; kids playing and dogs barking is just what kids and dogs do. Maybe the neighbors don’t know it upsets the horses? What makes you and BO think these things are malicious/deliberate? Not enough info in OP for me to know one way or the other.
Has anyone had a (polite) conversation with them about the dogs running loose? Are they running loose on the barn property, or their own property?
My parents had nightmare neighbors too. They moved in some ~10 years after my parents built their house and farm, and would complain about the noise/smell/anything of the farm. they would let their large dog go berserk and run/pace the fence-line while snarling and lunging against the fence any time we walked or drove by, and didn’t care that their kid[s] visibly spooked and upset the horses. Their property line ran the length of my parent’s very long driveway and bridle path, so it was frequently used for traffic and hacking.
But… they did it on their own property… which is completely within their right to enjoy their property how they see fit, as long as it is within the town’s zoning/bylaws.
Good fences make good neighbors, of course, but the easier thing to do was to teach the horses not to care. I spent a lot of time walking them up/down the border of the property until the barky dog and screaming kids were NBD… And I am not the next Clinton Anderson, so, it can be done. Barky dog is still barky, but kid is much better :yes:
Those bad neighbors have since turned into very sweet, nice neighbors – ever since their son took an interest in farming and has gotten his own sheep… :lol:
Just what the OP can do is determined by local law. HH is quite correct in what they wrote. But there is a difference between criminal and civil law. On the criminal side you have to prove things beyond a reasonable doubt. On the civil side, depending on the issue, the bar is MUCH lower. The OP paints a picture of intentional harassment. On the civil side that MAY be actionable even if the actions all occur on the actor’s property and they would otherwise be lawful. If the OP is really lucky their jurisdiction might recognize the tort of Trespass on the Case (where the indirect losses of action can be compensated).
Civil action will require hiring a lawyer and that will likely cost money. Even if the case is taken on contingent fee there may well be requirement for a retainer to cover costs of investigation.
Property disputes are second only to Divorce in the level of rancor they generate. Both parties have a right to peaceful enjoyment of their property but that “peaceful” thing is a door that swings both ways.
Good luck to OP as they go forward.
G.
This same old argument is so tired every time one of these threads comes up. Sure, we should all desensitize our horses. I just personally do not agree that snarling, growling, menacing dogs running up and down the fence line for hours is a normal disturbance to have to get used to. It upsets me, much less the horses.
One of my neighbors currently has a terrible beagle that, anytime he’s outside, as soon as I walk outside he comes barreling to my fence line, even crossing into my front yard (their yard is not fenced, my property is but my front gate is typically left open). I had to chase it out three times two days ago. It’s a safety issue. I personally am not too bothered because in my situation, I live at the dead end and my house is at the front of the farm and all my horse facilities are behind it, so the douchebag dogs don’t actually bother my horses, just me. A determined dog can easily jump a 4’ fence, or dig under it, and while horses can certainly get sensitized to dogs, I think expecting all horses to be 100% A-OK with a predator threatening them incessantly is a bit much.
Know of a similar situation. Guy is pissed off at neighbors who blocked a variance for a use of his property. There is a riding ring on the property adjacent to his, very near the line. He has repeatedly started up and revved a motor (chain saw or other loud equipment) when people try to ride in the ring. Both parties put up fence, but this only means that the rider cant see it coming. Even quiet horses have been spooked and lost riders with a sudden loud engine starts that close.
Of course guy maintains it is just coincidence and he is allowed to use his equipment on his property. No resolution at this point.
I guess this thread is telling us all to plan carefully when picking a place for our riding ring. Right next to the property line is not a good place.
Unfortunately for the horse-owning property owner, the topography of the space means that there is no place else to locate the ring without major excavations and fill.
If I was not a horse person I can totally see how having a ring right next to my property would be a real annoyance. Most rings involve dust, no matter how much you try to make it not dusty.
just show the horses on the Kentucky county fair circuit… often there amusement rides are next to the show ring… but I believe it was Huntington WVa where you had to go under the roller coaster to get to the ring
We kept the Foxie horse in Kentucky to show in the county fairs… nothing bothered her after two years of that, nothing at all
