Flaming Farmers and their Shooting Parties!

cambrica

cambrica

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Major Rant - You may want to put your earplugs in :mad:
Today a truck load of local farmers from the villages descend on our field with their bl**dy guns, dogs etc. They use our footpath to get to the field beyond then all stand in a large circle facing outwards shooting at anything that moves.
It literally does make the ground shake it is so loud.
The horses went ballistic and I thought my youngster was coming through the fence. Not only that our neighbour on the other side has mare's & foals out.
My mum went up and gave them hell so they did actually leave.
Now I am a country gal so to speak. I don't like shooting but accept its a way of life for some folk but I really do think they don't have a brain cell amongst the lot of them. The danger to the horses is my biggest concern but I really enjoy our wildlife or whats left of it.... even our fox makes me smile.
 
Sorry can't quote but ours obviously aren't used to it.
The farmer who owns the field we know well but he wasn't there although he would know most of them as I do. I'm sure they must have his permission but I don't know.
 
Shotguns don't make the ground shake!!
The guns on the shoots near us are almost always country people anyway and therefore v conscientious. Perhaps the ones OP met are the exception?

If its their land though its up to them what they do on it.
 
millsandboon said:
We live inbetween three shoots. It never bothers our horses - they are all totally used to it.
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Yep, we do too, yesterday my mare spooked at some beaters as she wasn't expecting to see them, but the guns are no bother.

Maybe you should get them to shoot more often so they get used to it?
 
Surely though you would think that it would be courteous to at least prewarn.
One gun going off fine but they seem to all fire pretty much at the same time. It was incredibly loud.
 
Well I both shoot and ride, my ned can stand 5 yards away from a gas gun in the next field and not bat an eyelid as he has got used to it! I do have sympathy with those horses who are alarmed but have been fortunate that the local farmers/gamekeepers are very decent and will call to warn of a shoot so that I can choose whether or not to keep ned in.

Another case of having a decent enough relationship with folk so that we can all work together - my 'benefit' is being allowed to have a nice canter up some of the field margins and some VERY nice hay!!!
 
we currently have a very good shoot who do shot on our land-they give us notice of course. Horses don't mind the shooting but the beating can upset them a bit if they can't see them which they can't always.

Last place we had a very 'bad' shoot, who didn't care about anyone else (bunch of hoorays in 4x4s). Basically I called the police on them for shooting towards the stables from about 50m away.Police took it very seriously-never had another problem until I saw them beating in a Woodland Trust wood which they weren't allowed to do. Reported them again.

OP it might be possible for you to get dates from them if they have landowners permission-our local one puts me on the mailing list and gives me a heads up if they are next door.
 
I'm also livered in between two shoots one which take place at our farm my horse doesn't bat an eyelid, however I wouldn't be all too chuffed if they actually started shooting in my field.
 
They shouldn't be shooting "anything that moves". lol It is illegal to shoot song birds etc. We had a problem with lampers and blokes coming behind our garden to shoot 'anything that moved' with huge arsenals of various guns. I found many dead blackbirds etc. I got the Police Wildlife Officer involved in the end and we were able to buy the land eventually so it stopped.

The horses were terrified of shooting but I think that was down to the lampers and the fact it was a deep valley.
 
Edited post to say - I think shooting people are the worst closely followed by hunting people (and that's from a hunting person)!!!
 
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I have no idea what they were shooting. The field they were in is quite small and beyond that is a dual carriageway so they were close up to our hawthorn hedge. I know their not breaking any laws.
 
amymay said:
So they trespassed?

Speak to the farmer who owns the field and have a chat with him about it.
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Surely this depends on the access agreement?

We have shoots in with our horses and can't say it bothers them. The horses are more irritating to the men than the guns to horses!
I like it as would rather a horse not bat an eyelid at a crow scarer. Also means not one minds fireworks.

If shooting towards your horses, the footpath or not sensibly then I'd phone police. We've had them arrive on our land and simply check that all have suitable licenses and should be there when houses have heard gun shots.

Worth takling to the farmer and settling your concerns amicably though
 
I kept my old girl on a farm - shame they didn't tell before I'd moved on that they allowed shooting in the field right next to the horses, despite me saying that one of the reason I was moving was because my horse was terrified of fireworks and therefore just about anything that goes bang. It was so bad we used to have pellets raining down on the field, the stables, everywhere. I got hit in the back of the neck by one and believe me they HURT and they are are red hot as well. That could have been my eye. We had one horse definitely shot up the bum whether by accident or deliberately we couldn't say and a potentially nasty accident when hidden guns shot over the brideway while horses were passing and caused one to bolt. This is a national trail and popular with small children and families on foot, bike and ponies. It opens out onto a road at several access points. Very safe - not.
 
Oh I feel your pain,I have shared many a sharp word with the bunch of twits in my area.

Not actually farmers I have to say (and certainly not my farmer,he's lovely and far more interested in motorbikes than guns!!),local 'gun club',made up of farm workers,local postman and trigger happy young lads it seemed.

They used to hand tame a group of ducks,and then stand a few feet away on the bridge taking pot shots at them,where's the bl**dy sport in that??!!

Sadly the stream the ducks occupied was at the bottom of my paddock,so they were basically shooting into where my horses were,and sometimes in the dark the neighbour informed me:mad:
Bear in mind was only a small paddock and on a really steep hill.My horses are bombproof to be fair and didn't react to the noise as such but guns going off a few feet from them in the dark did spook them somewhat,worried the life out of me that would slip and injure themselves:(

Every other saturday they would all turn up and go off taking shots at anything that moved in the copse near paddock.In the past they've threatened to shoot a nearby residents labrador who was off lead in there and disturbed them apparently,and nearly accidentally shot a guy out walking his dog!!

Luckily it was a temp field farmer let us use when my land flooded,so not somewhere i have to be often,but it is a pain as it put's me off using it in the future if i need to.
 
I rode my youngster out alone today first time out since oct and passed feet away from shoot she was not bothered in slightest, i guess bcause the farmer next door has them regular shes used to it !
 
We shoot, and live in 'hunting country' so none of our horses (including loads of youngstock) bat an eyelid to guns going off. OP most horses will get used to shooting if it's done often. Is there a public footpath across your field? Otherwise Amymay is right, they are trespassing and you can do something about that.
 
My horses ignore shooting they put their heads up watch then go on grazing , I can ride close to a shoot and do so often. My OH horse will stand with guns when he mets friends shooting horses do get used to it.
 
My new boy came from a farm where there was a twice-weekly clay pigeon shoot but that didn't stop him jumping out of his stable when there was shooting in the field next door. However, there is so much shooting around here (on and off the farm) and as soon as the season is over the gas guns start that I'm guessing he'll get used to it. Fingers firmly crossed!
That said, he only did a little spook at the weekend when we were surprised by a chap with four pheasants and a gundog appearing out of the undergrowth. They had been shooting on the farm and had finished but were obviously still clearing up!
ETA - shooting is a big part of country life and my OH does it too. One of my dogs is terrified but we are getting her to accept it and it has made her (slightly) better with fireworks
 
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Fp I can assure you that the people I know who shoot take it very seriously and don't shoot towards anyone or thing. If it is not clear away from horses they won't take it. Likewise will not aim toward road or bridleway (no adjoining fields). What you're describing is worth reporting!

SF. She said they had access rights. So not sure tresspass would come into this. We have access rights to our house and previously land. Although they had to allow access they couldnt not. It was simply a formality and would expect the same in this case if only access.
 
I have no issue with shooting as such, but with the attitude of some of the people shooting. On our old yard they used to come through a gate, which they would leace open, then go off down the path. They were rather shocked when I appeared from under our lorry to ask if they understood the importance of closing gates in the countryside, I think I got rather out of my pram on the last occasion, it was the same people every time, and they seemed to stupid to see the problem! The farmer whose land it was they crossed to get to the shoot had had words a few times too!
On another occasion people were shooting in a neighbouring field nearly shot my boss, who was riding on his own land, to say the air was blue would be an understatement!
 
cambrica said:
I have no idea what they were shooting. The field they were in is quite small and beyond that is a dual carriageway so they were close up to our hawthorn hedge. I know their not breaking any laws.
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Actually they may be. One of my fields abuts a dual carriageway and when I have the shoot down to exterminate my bunnies they have to alert the police so that if a stray bullet were to cause an accident on the road they know who to blame! Awful thought :(
 
Sorry, but I have no sympathy with the OP whatsoever.

It takes a couple of weeks to train most horses to come for feed at the sound of a shot and it is very easily done.

How do you think they managed the "Charge of the Light Brigade" -- or cow boys films?

Just teach them to come for their hard feed to the sound of a shot (blank pistols and blanks are not that expensive) and fire a few random shots as they feed. They will soon get used to it.

A client bought a yearling from us a couple of years ago and was concerned because she lived on a shooting estate. I told her to come bank in two weeks. When she did, we demonstrated ALL the ponies coming to shot and not being the slightest bit bothered by random shots when they had their heads in the buckets.These were blanks for dummy launching, so not exactly mild!
 
I nearly rode into a shoot once and my horse was more upset about the amount of people standing in the middle of a normally empty field. Fortunately they did see me and immediately stopped to let me pass and were absolutely great about it(I thanked them profusely). They would shoot next to his field and he would have been more spectator, I do agree they do get use to it but I suppose its not funny and it would have been polite to have prewarned about them shooting on that day in that area. I mean there are plenty of posts on here about fireworks going off(mine was ok with those too). But I can understand just politeness and they should have a raised awareness of their actions on animals nearby and prewarned owners. We all want to get on in the countryside.
The only gripe I have is they go around and shoot every pigeon or anything else that moves in the hedges(& they dont kill them outright we have injured birds flapping around for days).

Seems like you need to ask them to just prewarn you and that you would like the horses to become accustomed to the noise with a bit of notice. I disagree that the noise is not loud or ear drum breaking... a shotgun is LOUD.
I know owners who put their horses away at the sight of ie a tractor!
 
I work for a very well known shotgun shooting school, most shooters are sensible and conscientious. Safety of people or livestock around you when shooting is very important and I doubt they were shooting anything that moved! Any reports to the firearms officer of improper shooting is taken extremely seriously and most would not risk there licences being revoked.

I'd have a quick word with the farmer that owns the field they were shooting in and ask if you could be warned in advance.

My two tb's field is next to a range with shooting going all day, they never bat an eyelid, even when they first moved into said field, horses get used to the sound very quickly. Plus we have the pleasure of riding over the ranges when it's closed for shooting!
 
There are shoots around us and a friend will shoot our land for crows, rabbits and squirrels. The biggest problem he has is the young horses following him and standing to close to him.

They get use to anything if they meet it often enough.
 
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