Footpaths, numpties and horses.... Letting off steam!

B

Bounty

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Morning all, just need to let off steam, so bear with me!
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Our 4 horses are currently turned out in a field which is kindly loaned to us by a neighbour - the one problem being that it is situated right next door to a caravan site which is teeming with children every school holidays. In the past couple of years we've had increasing amounts of trouble, wuth gates being left open, fences taken down and horses being fed all manner of things
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I have fenced off everything I can with electric fencing (which has the yellow warning signs all over it!) and made it so any walkers/campers can not longer feed them (though connifer branches are still being chucked into the filed as 'food') and the horses will be as contained as possible if they are let out again.

Last night I was later than usual getting them in, and went round at 8.30ish as it was just getting dark. A load of kids forrm the campsite were at the edge of the field shining and flashing torches and screaming and shouting at the horses to make them go wild... They obliged
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I dodn't know how long they'd been going before i got there, but all 4 were in a right tiz and sweated up and heaving. Boozle had a hind shoe half off, but was far to lit up for me to be able to remove it before I had to walk her home. Took 25minutes of walking to get her breathing anywhere near normal, though she was still weezing a little. She's given her leg an almighty bash as well, and was lame on it this morning.
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Am also expecting a mammoth absess as a result of all the times she's pierced her sole with the nails from her hanging off shoe. Just what we need!
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So just to say, I HATE HATE HATE having a field next to a caravan site and having a footpath through it
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We can't even hack out without being swamped by numpty children unless we go out at 6 in the morning before they get up.
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Roll on back-to-school!!
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Oh no, that sounds a total nightmare! I have always been concerned cos footpaths go through some of the fields at our yard but thankfully they are v quiet and we don't (touch wood frantically) get any problems. Why do kids feel the need to act like that? I suppose they are bored and think it is "fun"
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Have you spoken to the owner of the caravan site and informed them of what legal steps you will be taking against them for not issuing appropriate guidelines on the rule and regulations of the caravan park. I would also tell them that you are in a position to identify these kids, and will be reporting the incident to the police (if you haven't done so allready????)

I'd also be moving pdq!
 
They are the worst sort... very enthusiastic but with no common sense. They don't mean to be malicious, just think it's fun to see the 'horsies' gallop around, and forget to shut gates etc. I dread grazing them on that field in the summer, next year when I have the little one it won't be going out there at all - they'd be so much worse with a cute, fluffy 'baby horsie' to tease
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And don't worry... if Josh did stay with me he'd be kept up by the house!
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What a horrible situation! I would definitely tell the owners of the caravan park. They should kicked off the site for behaving like that.
Hope your horses soon recover and this doesn't repeat itself.
 
Now that honestly hadn't even crossed my mind
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Luckily not too long now until the little darlings go back to school
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The owners of the caravan site do all they can to make the lives of all the local residents hell, as we all objected about their plans to put in a big clubhouse which would blare music loudly through the early hours of the morning.
They are systematically blocking the access to the road (we live up a private road to which they own the rights
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) We can just about get a 7.5t lorry up there now, but nothing bigger due to them putting massive stone/blocks things on the corners of the road, it's a sharp bend. We also have to put up with speed ramps that they have put in.

He himself is an ex-police officer, he used to be quite high up in the local force until he was injured on the beat and retired with massive compensation.

We were moving and had an offer in on another place, but my grandparents refused point blank to move there, and have instead paid to have a granny annexe built onto our house...
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what cr8p situation!!!, i've got public footpath through our field and i'm always amazed on how stupid people are. We have electric fence with electric tape gates on footpath and the amount of stupid numpties who can't work out how to unhook them
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or even worst rehook them!!! You see them crawlling under neath stepping over, then getting shocked cos it's attached to mains and whats worst this thats some folk think they can walk anywhere they what even if not public footpath in field with cattle/sheep etc with dogs running around completely out of controlled.
And when you challenge them they act DUMB!!! so you point out politely where public footpaths are, and next week you still see them doing samething!!!!!!!!!!!! so them again you point out correct route!!!!!!!!!!!! arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhh
 
Almost no-one would ever use the path through our fields if it wasn't for the caravanning people - there's a track belonging to the local fruit farm the the other side of our hedged boundary which the locals all use - the footpath turns out onto that anyway a couple of fields down.
This year I didn't cut the hedge near the main gate in the hope that the brambles and stingers would put them off (makes it hard to get to the catch!) but seemingly they are die-hard enough to persevere
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sounds a nightmare but it could be worse

a local farmer doesn't have the caravan site but he does have a nearby ex-council estate and although it's not horses but it's cows

they feel it is great fun to not only chase the cows round but to use them as target practice with air rifles

not killed any yet - and at least the police are doing something about it - 'cos the estate is a 'known trouble spot' so they are around there anyway
 
Put up signs stating that anyone causing distress to the horses will be reported to the police as it is a criminal offense to upset them. Maybe actually speak to the police, and state that the caravan site owners are not taking measures to prevent it happening. Also you could go to the local paper? Or even write up a little leaflet and give it to the caravan sight residents.
I take it that if say the kids wind the horses up and a kid gets hurt you are not liable? And also if they horses get hurt surely the caravan sight is liable?

Not sure about laws down in england, but I would have thought that with regards to access, they cannot block your access to your house/yard if that track is the only way in and out. My dad looked into it when we had our communal driveway tarred as it was owned by people up the road but shared by us and out neighbors.
 
you can apply to have footpaths moved under particular circumstances although I don't know if this would count. As a walker I usually think that people who move footpaths are selfish scum but in this case I think you'd have a strong argument. If the police won't do anything I would suggest that you keep a diary with photo evidence of the problems that this footpath is causing and the distress that it is causing to your animals. Build it up as a portfolio and try arrangng a meeting with your local council's rights of way officer. If from what you've said there is another footpath a few fields down then they might be willing to consider it
 
I've spoken to most of the children before now - I tend to take the horses down the road every week or so and the kids all come running out screaming 'horsies, horsies!!!' etc. That way I can talk to them about what is and isn't acceptable. Quite often I get them to fetch the parents so I can talk to them too.
The problems occur when the parents can't be a*sed to keep an eye on their kids in the evenings, which is when they get into mischief. Only a couple of weeks left now
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The fencing arounf the caravan park is supposed to be stock proof (i.e. to stop dogs getting out!) but is just a very low, sagged bit of pig wire. That in itself is an ongoing dispute between the caravan park owners and our neighbour, who owns the field that we graze on. It is was high pannelling then most of our problems would be solved, as the kids wouldn't be able to see the horses so easily 'out of sight, out of mind'.
Will look into outting up more signs to go with my existing array of 'please do not feed the horses', 'please shut the gate' ' caution, electric'....
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Re. the access - all of us that live up our road (nine households) despise the owners of the caravan site and are looking into taking legal action. The trouble being that the majority of the residents are retired and don't want to be putting their pension money into legal proceedings (and sadly take the attitude that that probably won't be alive long enough to see a difference made
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) and there just won't be enough moeny between the rest of us. The owners of the caravan park have endless money, and coupled with a determination to be in control, they'd drag it all out as much as possible, which we simply can't afford.
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I have public liabilty insurance, so not too worried about the implication of a child getting hurt
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Try the local council going down the nuisance neighbour route, it is worth exploring environmental health, noise and nuisance issues - and if a notice is served on the caravan site they will have to take steps to address it.
 
I'm almost tempted just to speak to the owner of the fruit farm and see if I could just redirect the path slightly!
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He has footpaths crisscrossing his land all over the place, so is walker friendly anyway.
It'd just mean the walkers would walk down the other side of the hedge, which wouldn't involve coming through our fields, and then it would join up with the footpath a little further down. Would just mean a slight tweaking of the direction of the footpath sign!
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I'm almost tempted just to speak to the owner of the fruit farm and see if I could just redirect the path slightly!
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He has footpaths crisscrossing his land all over the place, so is walker friendly anyway.
It'd just mean the walkers would walk down the other side of the hedge, which wouldn't involve coming through our fields, and then it would join up with the footpath a little further down. Would just mean a slight tweaking of the direction of the footpath sign!
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I would go for it. the majority of walkers are scared of walking through a field of horses and would welcome such a short detour to go in what they feel would be a 'safe' alternative. If it would be that easy I'd contact your rights of way officer and put the suggestion to him. Without legally moving the footpath you'd still find people wandering into your fields if it was shown on the map.

You could try a sign saying something like "Please use alternative footpath route to the otherside of the hedge to avoid the horses" and see how it goes. be aware that you couldn't close the stile or however people are getting into your field without permission as you would risk expensive penalties in anyone felt stroppy
 
Under the Highways Act 1980 Section 148 it is an offence to put something on the highway (which includes the verge), so if the
road/verge is blocked by stones you can tell the local Highways Authority - usually the County Council highways department.

Also if these blocks/stones damage a vehicle then the owner of the property is liable.

Of course, if this is a private drive then the above won't apply.
 
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Without legally moving the footpath you'd still find people wandering into your fields if it was shown on the map.

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I don't think the calibre of people we are talking about could follow a map, LMAO!
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As far as the owners of the caravan site are concerned no laws apply to them.. it's a private drive and that's that. And as for the local residents - they'd love to brainwash us to believe that the only laws that apply to us are the ones that they lay down.

Also on their verges they have quaint little 'if you can read this sign, get off the grass!' signs on each side of the road which just serve to infuriate me each time I see them.
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One day I'll have 'em!
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Also do be aware that if you put in an official complaint about your neighbours and then want to sell your house you are legally obliged to inform people of your problem neighbours. It is best to avoid legal action if you want to sell up...

I really feel for you, it is sad that people just don't respect other peoples property anymore and I find it even more shocking that this caravan guy is an ex-police officer and is behaving in this manner. goodness knows what he was like as a 'proper copper'!
 
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