Complaint - who is being unreasonable?

Nudibranch

Nudibranch

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Our summer grazing is fenced off with electric fencing, about 100 metres away from a bridleway. I have just heard from a neighbour that the local livery YO was trying to get hold of my phone number so she could ring up and complain about them. One is a youngster who occasionally has a canter about when horses pass and she finds this "upsets" her youngster. As a consequence I believe most of the yard avoid the bridleway now.

I have every intention of turning them out on the same grazing soon, and quite honestly if she does contact me I am planning to tell her they have every right to be there, are well back from the bridleway and quite frankly she ought to spend some time training her horse properly if it gets so upset by horses messing about at a distance. But before I do, am I missing something or being unreasonable?!
 
A bridleway route go's past my paddocks and yes sometimes my horses are interested when new horses pass. Nothing I can do about it other than leave!
I think she's being unreasonable.
My horse used to be a prat passing others so I avoided it where possible as it was my problem.
Different if the bridleway went through the field maybe but no, I can't see that you are at all in the wrong.
 
That's what I said! Apparently my youngster is just so upsetting... I find it bizarre but there must be some truth in them avoiding it because said neighbour is delighted, they stay off his land too now!
 
Mine spook at cows but it would be unreasonable of me to expect every cow owning farmer in the region to remove their cows so I could ride passed without upsetting my ponies. However as its horses no doubt someone will expect them to be moved I can't see it is you who is being unreasonable in this instance. I would expect horses to be interested in others and would train them appropriately. Provided they are not escaping to pursue the ridden ones I can see no real objection
 
Well if I was her I would make the youngster not upset at yours. I can see her horse having fun and games with her. Your horses are contained and that is the main thing. If she wants to avoid bridle path that's up to her. There is currently a thread on here about bridle paths through grazing fields she should read that LOL
 
I feel her pain, mine gets silly going past other sillies. Nothing she can do about it though and you're well within your rights :)
 
Weird complaint. I don't see what you can do reasonably about it - the risk of upsetting one person (who might well be a nervous rider) against rendering much of your own land useless for your preferred purpose - she is being unreasonable.

Its amazing what people complain about. Maybe she is a very novicy horse person who has somehow managed to become a yard owner? It reminds me about a bizarre complaint I had when at a yard once from a neighbour who said that my cantering a few steps on a short bit of soft on an otherwise rocky track upset her horses so much 2 fields and about 300m away that I was reckless. Apparently they cantered about the field at the sight of my horse in the distance. Of course my few steps of canter was translated to "galloping out of control up and down the track upsetting my horses".

I came to the conclusion that the complainer didn't have much practical horse experience and/or was for her own reasons determined to be a nightmare neighbour.

I would nip it in the bud and not be too conciliatory to her.
 
LaMooch said:
Well if I was her I would make the youngster not upset at yours. I can see her horse having fun and games with her. Your horses are contained and that is the main thing. If she wants to avoid bridle path that's up to her. There is currently a thread on here about bridle paths through grazing fields she should read that LOL
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This! It's a challenge for her to get her youngster to accept other youngsters in paddocks!!
 
Assuming your youngster isn't a strapping 3yo entire fenced precariously behind poor fencing I would tell her to do one, it's her responsibility to keep her horse under control when it's out hacking.
 
It's a field. If it didn't have horses in (any of which might choose to career about when they see horses pass!) it might be cows, or sheep, or pigs, or something else just as spooky. She's being completely unreasonable - there's no way you can dictate what people should keep in their own fields.

Bear in mind, though, that until you speak to her you don't know exactly what the problem is, so be open minded until you hear from her - Chinese whispers can create problems!
 
Hippona said:
Well...if I couldn't hack past any fields of horses frankly I'd never go anywhere.
Her problem, not yours :)
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This

Does she never pass a field with horses in, that would bring her closer to the horses than in your situation and likely she would be on a road at same time, she needs to teach her horse to behave.
 
My horses are next to a livery yard paddocks and both mine and their horses often charge around at random points. We all have to hack past each other's fields. I wouldn't dream of complaining and I would be astonished if livery yard owner complained!! If she did, I would have to say that it would not make me not put my horses out in that field!
 
Is it just me but are we hearing more and more from riders expecting the rest of the world to amend its behaviour to allow for their inadequate riding skills and poor horse training .
They really should not be out and about in the real world .
 
this makes me laugh.
I am sure its is very upsetting for you but seriously some people need to get a life! Not you, the YO!!
if they don't want to pass the field....... their loss. you can't make your youngster not gallop or move the horses because of a bridle path nearby.
Try to ignore and move on some people are just not worth the worry!
 
Not your problem in the slightest but think if it was me id be nice and try and work with her a bit. Like her hacking at a prearranged time when I was there to put a headcollar on the horse.. as long as she was nice about it of course, really she should get her horse used to it
 
Goldenstar said:
Is it just me but are we hearing more and more from riders expecting the rest of the world to amend its behaviour to allow for their inadequate riding skills and poor horse training .
They really should not be out and about in the real world .
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This.

We have to ride through fields with bullocks in, not fenced separately and opening and more importantly closing the gates can often be challenging!
 
Get on with your own life and take no notice of her. You are doing nothing wrong. If she can not control her horse then that is her problem.

My friend has a stallion in her fields which run next to a track that many riders use . No one has ever complained. She also has three footpaths across her fields,again no one has ever complained
 
twiggy2 said:
put pigs and herd of frisky bullocks out there instead-a bit of sport may put things into perspective for her
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Took the words right out of my mouth!

Personally, I try to avoid a fight if I can and I would have word with the local council way leaves officer just to make sure that the law is on your side.

Then, when next approached, tell the YO very politely that if she can hang on a few more months the problem will be resolved as the field will be going into free range pigs. I'd add that it is only planned to put 100 in initially but if that works, there will be more…..!
 
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