New neighbors riding through our farm

[Stonewall]

I live adjacent to a National Park. I have looked up from bush hogging my lower pasture to see people riding horses on my land on the way back from riding in the Park.

I greeted them with happiness because they are my neighbors (and their friends) and we have lived next to each other for 30 years, We are not even sure where some of our actual boundaries are. But when I get stuck, they pull me out and I bring them pies. We are fond of each other and help each other. Having good neighbors is worth an awful lot.

Can you imagine a situation where you can benefit each other? It sounds as though the slate is clean and you have the opportunity to make it work for both of you.

[halla]

The areas I’ve ridden, also in SE PA, it’s totally normal to ride across other properties. You stay on the tractor paths around the fields and you follow any signs, but it’s completely accepted. You don’t go near houses for the most part and get a feel for horse paths and non- horse paths, and people spread the word about landowner preferences. Some people do put up no trespassing signs.

People ride through the farm I’m at all the time, they’re just asked not to go by the stallions and not to use the ring or cross country jumps. I’ve never seen anyone have a problem with following the instructions. Our horses all get used to it. Some land is hayed part of the year and other seasons mowed for riding. Where I used to ride, even the very high-end TB breeding farm let everyone ride around their fields, no special permission needed. As a result we can ride for hours and miles and it’s great.

Not to say you shouldn’t ask people not to ride anywhere you like, but they could be coming from a different riding culture and not be jerks.

[endlessclimb]

@cutter99

Luckily, my farm’s exterior is totally fenced. I have permission from neighbors to ride on their land, but I do not take others there as I would never want to risk a lawsuit against my neighbors if something were to happen.

It won’t be you that sues when something happens. It will be your insurance company, and there is nothing you can do to stop them. So not taking your friends is kind of pointless, though I understand your desire to be respectful. The end result of an accident will be the same, though.

[cutter99]

@endlessclimb

@cutter99

Luckily, my farm’s exterior is totally fenced. I have permission from neighbors to ride on their land, but I do not take others there as I would never want to risk a lawsuit against my neighbors if something were to happen.

It won’t be you that sues when something happens. It will be your insurance company, and there is nothing you can do to stop them. So not taking your friends is kind of pointless, though I understand your desire to be respectful. The end result of an accident will be the same, though.

No, you missed the point, not me. Individuals can sue just as easily as an insurance company, hence many states having equine liability laws.

When a non-horse person opens their land to you, I believe you need to do everything you can to protect their best interests.

[endlessclimb]

I understand your desire to be respectful and polite to your neighbors.

But your statement is misleading. Even if you, personally, get hurt, your insurance company will sue them.

So the risk the landowner takes is the same with you, or with you + your friends (assuming you don’t ride with total nincompoops).

Edit: You edited three separate times while I was trying to respond. Do you hang out with people who would bring frivolous lawsuits against a landowner? If so, then yeah, don’t bring your crappy friends along.

[cutter99]

@endlessclimb

I understand your desire to be respectful and polite to your neighbors.

But your statement is misleading. Even if you, personally, get hurt, your insurance company will sue them.

So the risk the landowner takes is the same with you, or with you + your friends (assuming you don’t ride with total nincompoops).

Edit: You edited three separate times while I was trying to respond. Do you hang out with people who would bring frivolous lawsuits against a landowner? If so, then yeah, don’t bring your crappy friends along.

I’ve seen horses that are worth nothing suddenly become world champions when money becomes involved. All bets are off when money is involved.

You do you, I’ll do me.

[endlessclimb]

I’m not sure why you’re turning this hostile, but ok sure. That sounds good.

[Fiesta01]

@trubandloki

I was brought up in suburbia and even there we were taught that you do not assume you can use things that are not yours. You (general) do not just to go next door and climb in their pool, you do not assume you can make a short cut thru a neighbor’s yard, etc.
The same holds true when someone owns acreage and you are on a horse. It is their land. It is their crop.

I agree. For every one of my boarding barns, one of the first topics between BO and myself was where we were allowed to ride when riding off property. All my BOs had already come to agreements with neighboring farms and everyone knew the rules and stuck to them.

[Ruth0552]

Obviously.

Where I live there is a lot of conservation land in small tracts with right of ways and trail easements to get from one area to another, or to access it at all. I was thinking if there is conservation area near by they might think it is owned by the state or something. They might not realize it is a hay field either, but as horse people they should. And that you ride around the EDGE of a hay field.

Still a good way to start a conversation. People are generally more receptive if you start something without accusing them of doing something wrong.

[Bluey]

Think hard what all and how much of anything you want to permit on your land.

Always keep in mind, it is easier to set limits or say no now than half way accept some compromises that are not going to work later and then have to be the ugly neighbor that tells others no more access.

It is easier to tell everyone no than yes to some, no to others and those denied expected to respect that gracefully.

When it comes to land use, “my insurance doesn’t cover xyz” is not an excuse, is a reality today.
Talk to your insurance agent and find out what is common and how to manage these situations, from their point of view.

[trubandloki]

@clanter

the average horse person thinks hay comes from the feed store

So true!

I am giggling at the amount of horse people here that do not know what a hay field looks like.

To me, a polite person assumes it is a crop first. Unless you have permission to ride on it, then don’t. Seeing someone else ride on it is not permission. Not knowing who the owner is, is not permission.

[LCDR]

That’s a can of worms opened there - four wheelers.

[SharonA1]

@cutter99

It is pretty darn easy to know what is your land and what is not! If you are riding on land you do not own without the permission of the owner, that automatically makes you an asshole in my book!

Well, in my area, unless there are signs or fences, you don’t know whether something is conservation land or private property. Many trails loop around and through.

Surely none of us “good horse people” go through life assuming a person is an asshole just because they haven’t been educated yet.

[moonlitoaksranch]

This is really plausible. Horsepeople follow trails or where they see others ride sometimes. They might not realize it’s not for everyone. Also, a horse could have been spooking or being stupid about something, which caused them to leave tracks in the hay field. I stay on the trail, but there have been times when a fractious horse caused me to leave it.

[BUSY]

Your land
Your responsibility
Your Liability

Take care of this now … or have your attorney handle it with a registered letters -
then
Everyone knows what Everyone needs to know !

The answer is NO ! TRESSPASSING !

*sadly this “NO” includes the elderly fellow … you don’t want him to suffer an accident on YOUR property !

Good Luck with this most uncomfortable situation - not easy - people will be angry and choose not to understand your requirements for safety. * no need to ask me how I know .

^ It simply does not matter what someone else does with their property making money and thus needing elsewhere to ride = the elderly man with corn crops
or
the new neighbors who have land, indoor, outdoor ring and just think cruising through your land too is ok - the bottom line is ALL these people know now they are riding on YOUR property. This is TRESSPASSING !

Better to be Smart than "nice’ & sorry and find yourself in court !

[S1969]

@SharonA1

Well, in my area, unless there are signs or fences, you don’t know whether something is conservation land or private property. Many trails loop around and through.

Surely none of us “good horse people” go through life assuming a person is an asshole just because they haven’t been educated yet.

Well, the OP said there are no public riding fields/trails in the area, so it’s unlikely that the neighbors are unsure whether the land is privately owned. They know it is, but they haven’t asked for permission. Period.

[Texarkana]

@BUSY

Your land
Your responsibility
Your Liability

Take care of this now … or have your attorney handle it with a registered letters -
then
Everyone knows what Everyone needs to know !

The answer is NO ! TRESSPASSING !

*sadly this “NO” includes the elderly fellow … you don’t want him to suffer an accident on YOUR property !

Good Luck with this most uncomfortable situation - not easy - people will be angry and choose not to understand your requirements for safety. * no need to ask me how I know .

^ It simply does not matter what someone else does with their property making money and thus needing elsewhere to ride = the elderly man with corn crops
or
the new neighbors who have land, indoor, outdoor ring and just think cruising through your land too is ok - the bottom line is ALL these people know now they are riding on YOUR property. This is TRESSPASSING !

Better to be Smart than "nice’ & sorry and find yourself in court !

It’s been really interesting to read different people’s approaches to this, because I don’t see any reason why this needs to be an uncomfortable situation at this point. Nor do I see why it needs to escalate to involving attorneys yet.

If the OP takes action and it continues, sure. But right now, the OP hasn’t even met these people. A friendly conversation, a “no trespassing” sign, or a simple temporary fence all seem like easy steps (and cheaper steps) that can be taken that shouldn’t result in anyone becoming angry.

[BUSY]

@Texarkana

@BUSY

Your land
Your responsibility
Your Liability

Take care of this now … or have your attorney handle it with a registered letters -
then
Everyone knows what Everyone needs to know !

The answer is NO ! TRESSPASSING !

*sadly this “NO” includes the elderly fellow … you don’t want him to suffer an accident on YOUR property !

Good Luck with this most uncomfortable situation - not easy - people will be angry and choose not to understand your requirements for safety. * no need to ask me how I know .

^ It simply does not matter what someone else does with their property making money and thus needing elsewhere to ride = the elderly man with corn crops
or
the new neighbors who have land, indoor, outdoor ring and just think cruising through your land too is ok - the bottom line is ALL these people know now they are riding on YOUR property. This is TRESSPASSING !

Better to be Smart than "nice’ & sorry and find yourself in court !

It’s been really interesting to read different people’s approaches to this, because I don’t see any reason why this needs to be an uncomfortable situation at this point. Nor do I see why it needs to escalate to involving attorneys yet.

If the OP takes action and it continues, sure. But right now, the OP hasn’t even met these people. A friendly conversation, a “no trespassing” sign, or a simple temporary fence all seem like easy steps (and cheaper steps) that can be taken that shouldn’t result in anyone becoming angry.

I agree ^ … I’m just a ‘product’ of what I have encountered … AFTER that friendly neighbor conversation and the escalating of damage and expense…in hindsight I would have used and currently use the attorney pathway.

[B-burg_Dressage]

This thread is interesting to see all the different perspectives.

I’d certainly be annoyed at someone trekking up my hay field and letting their horses graze on it without every talking to me. But I would have likely approached them as soon as I saw them and had a friendly conversation about it. I’m not shy if someone is on my property. However, I would have also suggested that they stick to the perimeter until after the hay is cut and only when it’s dry (as that’s what I do on my own hay field) and I could ride in their indoor in the winter. All about friendly horse neighbors sharing facilities respectfully.

I’ll share a time I was trespassing with my horse, galloping on a harvested bean field. Did it weekly in the fall when the ground was nice. Farmer in a big semi chased me down and chewed me out (I literally about peed myself as a rule following young teen). Turns out, I had the wrong farm. I HAD gotten permission from someone to ride on their farm, but I had gotten the directions wrong. I never rode on anyone’s farm again unless I was with a landowner. Scared the crap out of me, but not everyone has gone through this. And clearly not everyone is from an area where it’s out of the norm.

Simple, friendly conversation is the answer. Set the boundaries you’re comfortable with and move on.

[LCDR]

As a fox hunter I have seen and met all kinds of landowners. Generally they are mostly country born and bred folk who understand a bit about horses and the people who ride them, but aren’t horsemen themselves. Those people may have restrictions as to where and when to ride, but are generally quite accommodating and friendly.

Then there are the city-bred new landowners. What a different breed they are! “It’s my property and I have no intention of sharing it in any way so just keep off of my grass.” The OP reminds me of some of them, “hobby farm” being the clue. Seems that OP has no interest in becoming a part of the community., so I’ll go back to my first post and change my advice to build a fence, put up no trespassing signs, raise the drawbridge, and hire an attorney to send cease and desist notices to anyone who enters.