Surprise Tent Revival … what weird things have happened by your farm?!

[ladybugsbw]

So yes, we woke up today to a large circus type tent in our odd neighbors field and our animals all out of sorts. When I say large, I mean massive, could be the second coming of Barnum and baileys circus, large. At first, I was excited, who wouldn’t love a circus next door, then I saw a sign saying it was a tent revival.

I googled it. It’s a church thing. I grew up in a church, but never did anything in tents. Oh and it’s going on NIGHTLY for the next 10 DAYS. Sounds like some serious reviving will be going on.

It’s their land and to each their own. I chalk it up to some good sight seeing for my horses and free preparation for any tent stabling at shows!!

So, what weird things have popped up or surprised you next to your farm? Permanent or temporary, I want some good stories!

Eta: photo… duh!!!

[roseymare]

Hot Air balloon landing.
DO NOT RECCOMEND

Very irritating as they landed first then asked if it was ok. Old bombproof mare just about had a heart attack as did quite a few of the cattle. My father gave them quite an earful and refused to take the complimentary photo of their balloon that they offered.

[roseymare]

We also had a local pilot who flew Russian Mig Fighters. He would sonic boom the area quite often and simply pay the fines. Anyhow it is pretty fast and fleeting so the horses ran a bit at first but get used to it pretty quickly. They would still flinch when he flew over but would look up and you could tell they wished they had middle fingers.

The Balloon on the other hand is very loud off and on and hot and smelly and large and takes a longish time. I am not sure how long it would take for one to get accustomed to them.

[ladybugsbw]

Ok hot air balloon sounds horrible! We have a runway for small planes right behind our property, so they have gotten used to planes coming and going quickly!

[roseymare]

I think the fire and noise and size is just too much for them! I am all for getting horses used to many things but this one may be a bit much for most. The cows were panting they were so scared.

[NaturallyHappy]

I had this, too. It was awful!!! I’ve never seen horses so frightened.

[roseymare]

I wasn’t home but my father truly thought his mare was going to die as well as a few of the older cows.

[Mango20]

@roseymare

Hot Air balloon landing.
DO NOT RECCOMEND

I’m on a usual route for hot air balloons and they’ve landed behind me or across the street a couple of times. My horses weren’t terribly freaked out but I had one dog who was irrationally afraid of hot air balloons. Every sunny fall afternoon, she’d slink around the house sneaking glances at the sky through the windows and would freak out even if she spotted one far away. She passed away in 2020 and I got a new puppy who didn’t seem to care until this summer when one landed in the soybeans behind my house, then realized it was soybeans and rose back up and driectly over my backyard with loud fire sounds and people talking. My now 2 year old dog was extremely frightened, and my older dog was barking her head off, which I think made the scared dog even more scared.

The only other odd thing that happened once was a fire department shuttle run exercise with numerous other fire departments in the area. They were practicing pumping water from a pond and scooting it off somewhere to be used.

[tikihorse]

The plant farm/nursery right next door to the barn I used to board at caught fire one time.

I was en route when I saw what I thought was fog. It was just dawning on me that it wasn’t fog when I heard sirens behind me and I had to pull over to let them pass. I then panicked because I thought it must be the barn!

It wasn’t, but the smoke was so thick, the horses were all pretty frightened. Luckily, the fire department was able to put the fire out quickly. I never did find out what had caught fire, but man, did it ever create a lot of smoke! The barn reeked for days and I had to take a shower when I got home, because I smelled so badly for smoke.

[usernameTaken]

Also on a hot air balloon route. One horse used to love watching them. She would be the first to see them when they were far away and just be mesmerized until they floated by and out of site again.

However, one time one of the hot air balloons was going to event next property over. The balloon pilot miscalculated and landed too early on farm wrong side of me and literally bounced as it tried rather unsuccessfully to get airborn again - barely making it off the ground as it stumbled thru the neighbor’s fields, which were behind trees and hills so we could hear it but not really see it. The horses were trying to figure out what the heck it was. Then it came into full view as it bounced across my hay fields and into the paddock next to one horses were in, barely making it over the fence. When it’s that close it is crazy loud and really large. The pilot gave it all he had for the next hop – fuel was hissing, and flames were huge, which was needed to get over the tall trees and ravine between my place and the neighbor he was heading towards. I happened to be out in the field the horses were in at the time. I was freaked out as much as horses. It was very unsettling. A real-life colorful dragon. Thankfully it made it, barely, over the trees and landed next door. Then they deflated the balloon, which was also pretty scary from the horse’s perspective. The horses don’t fear the hot air balloons that keep their distance. However, I don’t ever want to test them with anything up close and personal like that again.

Another horse owner on the same hot air balloon route almost lost her horse. Owner said the balloon came down low over her fields and the people in it were taking pics of the horses running. Her mare ran into a fencepost. It wasn’t pretty, was a long recover, and the horse never was able to be put back in work. The local vet who responded and treated the poor mare was beyond furious and called the balloon company. Apparently, they didn’t know the difference between ‘pretty horse running’ and ‘pretty scared horse running in fear of its life’. They did admit the client wanted to get closer to take some photos. I’m told they keep their distance from horses now.

[endlessclimb]

10 nights??!! They can’t revive during the day? I’d be pissed

[Sdel]

I have a private school’s football/soccer/baseball stadium next door.

[erinmeri]

Was not there to witness, but one infamous one from when Trump was in office was fighter jets chasing off some poor guy in a private plane who flew too close to Bedminster for their liking. We are very close to a small airport with hobbyists, etc. Apparently horses were not pleased and they were directly over the farm.

[Fiesta01]

Second the hot air balloons. The ones at my farm were not even landing. There was some sort of balloon rally/festival going on at the small local airport. A group of about 15 balloons came right over the farm.

The horses in pasture and under saddle went nuts. The sight of them approaching put them on edge, then the whoosh of the gas being adjusted in the balloons sent them over the edge into crazy-ville. Very exciting day!

[Fiesta01]

I would have sued the balloon company for my vet bills. And I’m not a sue happy person. Poor mare.

[AwiUsdi]

@roseymare

We also had a local pilot who flew Russian Mig Fighters. He would sonic boom the area quite often and simply pay the fines. Anyhow it is pretty fast and fleeting so the horses ran a bit at first but get used to it pretty quickly.

We live in an Air Force jet training area. They fly up the valley and “bomb” the local lake. Usually they run south of us, east to west, in pairs. By the time I hear the first one it’s already long gone, so I look ahead to where the second should show up, watch it fly by in a weird sort of silence, followed a few seconds later by the engine ripping mach-whatever sound of its passing. It’s been this way for years, horses don’t even look up.

Occasionally the jets change their route. One evening at dusk they flew straight up the power line that runs between the house and barn, low enough we could see the stenciled lettering on the side, and as they reached the top of the hill kicked on the afterburners, which really stood out in the twilight, and screamed straight up into the sky trailing fire. Too cool! Like a private air show! They were flying “slow” that evening - speed of sound - but naturally I didn’t have my phone to get some video. Horses took a bit of exception to that and dutifully cantered about in circles for a few moments, but then went back to grazing.

Some folks complain; DH and I call it the sound of freedom.

[AwiUsdi]

I think it’s set up so people can work by day, revive by night. We have a lot of them where I live, they’re often advertised in the local paper. Strikes me as kind of old-timey but I can’t really say, since I’ve never attended one.

[chestnutmarebeware]

I only had hot air balloons come over the pastures once, but yeah, that was a memorable day for all creatures on the farm. Thankfully no one got hurt.

And years ago I unknowingly moved my TB gelding to a small boarding facility in Parker, CO that had a next-door neighbor who raised a few emus. OMG the DRAMA!!! Poor Will never got used to the two-legged dinosaurs even though he could see them 24/7 from his pasture. We also had to go past them once on any hack, which was when I invested in my suede chaps for a little extra stickability!

[AwiUsdi]

Sorta similar when we decided to acquire chickens… tiny dinosaurs! Horses didn’t want to come in to eat because the terrifying chickens were right next to the barn . It was funny at first then became less so… but eventually they got over it.

[TheBigEasy]

Several years back, neighbors to our barn setup a shooting range next to the back pasture. They had targets and a berm and would shoot Lord knows what whenever they pleased. But this range was far too close to the pasture for BO (or any boarders who had their horses on that side of the farm) to be Ok with.
BO approached the neighbors kindly about the safety concerns and got a big “F you” from them. Then they doubled down on the shooting, they made sure they’d take the loudest shotguns out when anyone was attempting to trail ride.

BO had to scramble to re-arrange the pastures. Shooting continued. She reached out to the sheriffs office as it was a nuisance and legit safety hazard. From my perspective I felt like these neighbors were intentionally trying to intimidate the BO and us boarders.
Sheriff didn’t see it that way and refused to intervene.
BO got a lawyer. Judge also sided with the neighbors.
She had to re-fence a huge chunk of her land in order to keep the horses out of the potential line of fire.

Fortunately for everyone the neighbors sold about three years ago. Creeps.