A warning

lorenababbit

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 November 2005
Messages
1,357
Visit site
Today i was threatened and abused by a guy when i was riding out, luckily with a friend, when he decided i didnt have permission to be where i was. He used a ten inch screwdriver to emphasise his point. Though he grabbed Harveys bridle and tried to force us of the path the horses were very brave and though upset would have none of it and we escaped luckily with no more damage than shock and a broken bridle. the police have been involved and i am still feeling sick thinking about it.
i believe there are a faction out there that having failed to stop hunting will pick on other supposedly pursuits they believe to be participated in by a priviledged few. it wont be long before someone is badly hurt or worse by one of these nutters x
 
it's at times like this that sometimes it's a shame you are riding a nice calm sensible horse and not a raging nutter that would have sorted the bloke with front feet, hooves, teeth etc.
 
You poor thing I hope you, your friend and neddies are ok.

Absolutely airedale, i know if someone tried that with my old mare she would probably kill them.
 
Christ
frown.gif
Glad you andyour lad are okay, that could have been nasty!
crazy.gif
 
i hit the bloke with me whip not that i could get good shot in as was leading another horse but luckily it was enough to make him let go so we could escape. i do not recomend the resorting to violence in general.
 
that is discusting please make sure that the police prosicute this guy someone may not be so lucky as you next time with him .
 
tjhats what we said and we are. luckily the police were really nice and said once the screwdriver had been waved about anything we did was self defence.
 
Actually a very short (200yds) private road that the householders have said we can use and the farmer and the water board (it goes past a sewage works) because it means we can get on to the bridle way with out a five mile trot along a main road.
 
just as well we havent sold dear Harvey yet Weezy cos if i had been on the other one i would not have been so lucky. i will put body guard and brave warhorse on his list of talents, and as for the bridle rachel i would love to but if blokey gets a criminal record i will be well happy x
 
And bless Lucky for not running away when bridle broke ( i was leading him) and bless oscar for not doing his nut and dropping helper friend as we all shot off. there you are Weezy you have turned me into pollyanna always finding a positve thought!
laugh.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Actually a very short (200yds) private road that the householders have said we can use and the farmer and the water board (it goes past a sewage works) because it means we can get on to the bridle way with out a five mile trot along a main road.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately when it comes to land and access people can get very worked up..sometimes there is quite a lot at stake..I am assuming he just happened to have the screwdriver in his hand and didn't go off to fetch it to use as a weapon. The difficulty is that if he has some control of the land he MAY have the right to eject trespassers, and use reasonable force to do so in some circumstances if they don't co-operate.

I suggest you clarify your position in writing regarding access across this private lane before venturing along it again, otherwise this might escalate.

It must have been very frightening, so well done for keeping your wits about you. It certainly isn't worth risking injury to you or your horses over, though
 
A person may use reasonable force to protect themselves, not to eject someone from land that they do not control. The riders had a right of access & the 'attacker' had no legal right to stop them, no legal right to touch the horse or tack & certainly no legal right to use a screwdriver to threaten with.

Assuming the police can identify the perrson involved there are a number of charges he could face & he will need a very competant solicitor/advocate who can find a lawful reason for him to act in the manner described. Frankly I doubt if a reason exists in law.

This incident should never have happened & is a another good reason why it is better to ride out in pairs & take a mobile phone with you.
 
[ QUOTE ]
A person may use reasonable force to protect themselves,

(or their property)

not to eject someone from land that they do not control. The riders had a right of access & the 'attacker' had no legal right to stop them, no legal right to touch the horse or tack & certainly no legal right to use a screwdriver to threaten with.

(she said he 'reinforced' his point with it- if he happened to have it in his hand and was merely gesticulating but not actually threatening....and I think she referred to hitting him with her whip?)

Assuming the police can identify the perrson involved there are a number of charges he could face & he will need a very competant solicitor/advocate who can find a lawful reason for him to act in the manner described.

(no, I could defend this one with one arm tied behind my back -sorry!)

Frankly I doubt if a reason exists in law.

This incident should never have happened & is a another good reason why it is better to ride out in pairs & take a mobile phone with you.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am guessing you must have been there, or be very close to the OP to state all the above with such certainty. I am in the business of assessing evidence daily so tend to take only what is stated and not assume anything else...I can certainly anticipate some potential defences to the account given by the OP. There is this perception that when something nasty happens the wheels of justice will spin into action and any failure to prosecute can only be the result of incompetence, idleness and apathy..actually evidence (or lack of) is quite significant.

But none of that matters ..the OP thinks she is entitled to ride on this section of private land, this man appears to believe that she is not, and is apparently quite assertive in this belief. It certainly is not worth getting hurt over..the right of access simply needs to be clarified.

Sorry to hijack the threat, i get very wound up in these cases. I certainly don't mean to downplay your experience today, however the reality is that if the man is identified it is very unlikely to ever reach court.
 
That was a fantastic respons henryhorn, I have to say that we have had a good respons from our local police when there was an issue with a dangerous driver.
 
How awful! I have not long moved away from your part of the world (I think) and always hacked out in relative safety. I am shocked that these people are out there and are acting in such a way. The worse I ever got was some weird guy telling me how he liked a girl in jodpurs and did I want to go back to his.... er NO! Glad you and your horse are ok.
 
Top