Gipsy Horse Squatters

going to sound stupid but do you use the field in winter?? if no approach them say there happy to graze over winter but must keep the land up to date, in the spring you want to respray/seed so they need to be off?? saves all the hassle and keeps them sweet and happy and you may get the mare as payment

how do you know there gypsy horses? not being funny but i bet its not just Gypsy's who dump horses on land

mare is possibly a nanny to younger stock ma bey?
 
Inky_and_Sunny said:
Might sound like an odd way of doing it but could you just take the gate off? That way there's nothing keeping their horses in...

You could call the RSPCA and say they have been abandoned and have them removed ;)
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Those of you suggesting taking gates off and letting these horses out on the roads need to take a big dose of reality.

IF the OP did this, and someone was hurt as a result (or god forbid killed) who do you think would be held responsible - and possibly charged with reckless endangerment????

Really - if people can't post with any sort of common sense then please DON'T POST.
 
michelleice said:
going to sound stupid but do you use the field in winter?? if no approach them say there happy to graze over winter but must keep the land up to date, in the spring you want to respray/seed so they need to be off?? saves all the hassle and keeps them sweet and happy and you may get the mare as payment

how do you know there gypsy horses? not being funny but i bet its not just Gypsy's who dump horses on land

mare is possibly a nanny to younger stock ma bey?
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I agree with this approach, unless its causing you severe inconvience by having the field grazed, better to negotiate with them. At least this way, you may get some goodwill in leaving the field in a better condition, the ponies can be looked after by the owners (they look in good condition judging by the photo's) and may leave you one as payment.
 
We had a gypsy horse turn up on one of our empty fields. We went down in the lorry and removed it, plus all the elctric fencing they had put up to keep it in.

They managed to contact us in less than 24 hours and came and picked the horse up, which seeing as it was now 40 miles away from where it started probably was a bit of a pain for them.

They never put a horse on the field again.
 
Do the owners ever visit? I'd try speaking to them first, to tell them its not acceptable. If you want them off the land, tell them that. If you are prepared to have them there for rent, tell them that. If you can't meet them, I'd put a laminated notice on the gate stating they are using your land for grazing and you expect £x payment per week backdated to £x date, and if no payment is made by 28 days hence, you reserve your right to sell said ponies to recoup your losses and will refund any excess from the proceeds of sale to the owners.

I find it better to stand up to these people. I have experience - I was doing up a property I lived in and the neighbours were offshoots of a large travelling family. When I came back from holiday I knew perfectly well they'd been in my garage poking about and trying to take stuff. So I simply waited til they were all out, moved some of their stuff around a bit and continued to be friendly and polite to them in person. Nothing of mine was ever touched again and its not my imagination that they treated me with a new respect afterwards.

It might not necessarily be gypsies - it might just be some chancers. Although what the distinction is, I couldn't say.
 
I'd follow the advice by Redwings regarding abandonment. My OH has had several problems with horses dumped on land at work, they place an abandonment notice on the gate and make sure the horses are contained and have water and you can guarantee that the day before the horses are due to be sold they disappear. This has all been done the legal route with proper advice from lawyers, if you simply move or sell the horses I'm pretty sure you could be done for theft, as ludicrous as it is.
I'd certainly be careful about trying to handle things 'their' way, one of my neighbours was visited in the middle of the night by two men with baseball bats after a similar carry on, he ended up in hospital and the perpetrators never caught.
 
gypo's are a breed of their own, i'm sorry but I wouldnt want to get on the wrong side of them!! i would turn the things out on the road, me personnally, and thats what the farmers do around here then block the field entrance! never do they come back
 
as far as i can remember if left on your land for 28 days you have right to cliam them. also take all gates off and fencing down and tell police and rspca. that you are doing this as you have the right too. you are not chasing them on road but taking down what you own and it is the police and rspca problem now if they wonder onto road.
 
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charm said:
you are not chasing them on road but taking down what you own and it is the police and rspca problem now if they wonder onto road.
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and when they cause a road accident, killing an innocent mother and her children/young boy who has just passed his test/business man on the way to work/old man who fought in the war etc etc... who is responsible for that? hmmm?


why are people so keen to 'pass the buck' to police? setting horses loose on the road? then saying it's the police's responsibility?

and then, when the horses endanger life to such an extent, they are forced to do something like shoot them (cos, let's face it, the horses are unhandled, most policemen aren't kelly marks RAs) there will be a thread started on here about how terrible the police are... jeez...

:mad face:
 
do NOT take off gates/remove fences and put them in danger, that's just irresponsible Whether you want them or not, they are on your land and you are responsible for them.

Other than starting this post, have you actually done anything about them/contacted anybody? The sooner you register them on your land with the council/police/other authorities, the sooner you will have a result. Putting them and others in danger is NOT the answer!
 
charm said:
as far as i can remember if left on your land for 28 days you have right to cliam them. also take all gates off and fencing down and tell police and rspca. that you are doing this as you have the right too. you are not chasing them on road but taking down what you own and it is the police and rspca problem now if they wonder onto road.
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Wrong
wrong
and Wrong
 
"Trespassers can be legally evicted from private land within 24 hours. Every landowner has the right to remove trespassers from their land under Common Law. This right can be delegated to an agent"

You need to find an "agent" to act on your behalf, this will also keep your identity from them, preventing any repercussions. They will serve common law papers on your behalf or may be able to negotiate the removal of the horses prior to this happening.
 
First I would contact the gypsy liason officer, mention to him you need them off asap due to the fact your nasty shire x rig will be moving in and you would not like to see the ponies savaged by him. Also leave a note on the gate stating said rig will be moving in the field in 14 days, if your lucky they may believe you and move out. These people might not realize it,s private land and think its council run land, and if they have been there before with no trouble they will think they can keep coming back whenever they please.
If and when they do move out you really need to sort out some way of deterring them from coming back, if the field is usually empty maybe you should rent it out or use it regually so there is little grass in there so there is no point in them using it to fill their horses bellies before winter. Good luck
 
I really would get it ploughed after the horses are gone. NB If you put up the notice then the day before they will be (as someone else posted) be moved temporarily to another illegal grazing and then back again in a few weeks. So be prepared for that and get that plough in.

I wouldn't turn them out onto the road for reasons of liability and safety, but I would allow them to 'wander' onto some council owned land and let them deal with it, they are so reluctant to act that they have themselves to blame and it isnt right that a private person should face all the costs of dealing with anti social behaviour like this, its a shared community issue and people would focus on it more if they knew how much of their council tax was dealing with the flytipping, stray horses etc.

None of the horses at the local (council run official!) site at our old place looked anything other than thin scared frightened and beaten (in front of us), including foals being driven in sulkies until they fell onto their backs onto the road and then beaten for not getting up. My old YO had to attend one being put down by vet and ILPH as it was in such a state. I havent heard of many livery yards where that goes on.....

It certainly might not be the majority of travellers who behave like this and the fantastic treatment and breeding of wonderful gypsy cobs definitely goes on, but all experience Ive had so far suggests that the poor treatment and indiscriminate breeding and fly grazing is much more common, and needs to be dealt with by the authorities, but also by the travelling community themselves too.
 
nativeponies said:
i'm in the same boat, so don't assume ;)..but some "jobs" are a waste of taxpayers money
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in your opinion... personally i've found them to be very useful posts, and far less of a 'waste' than a large proportion of LA jobs.

...regardless, they are still jobs, that give people work... people who may have families to feed.

oh, and i didn't make any assumptions. ;)
 
This is advice on the matter given by Hampshire Horsewatch


Frequently asked questions/guidance on the issues of trespassing horses.

It should be noted that this information is supplied to assist land owners to lawfully deal with what is a civil matter, police do not have any powers to act or legislation to cover trespassing on private land.
Further information can be found on the internet or via some of the Horse Welfare charities.

1) Horses have been placed on land which I own and without my permission.

Make enquiries with neighbours or locals to try and ascertain who owns the animals. If the person is located and you feel able to approach them, ask them to remove their animals.

2) I do not know who the owners are or do not want to approach them directly.

Under the Animals Act 1971 you as the land owner can take civil action to have the animals detained and then removed after a period of fourteen days. You must put notices up stating your intentions and advising owners to remove their livestock. Appropriate guidance and notices can be found at www.newc.co.uk and searching under abandonment.

3) Do I have to tell anyone that I am taking this action?

You must inform your local police within 48 hours of taking the above action i.e. putting the notices up and seizing the animals. You simply have to inform police to cover your responsibilities under the legislation.

4) Will the police do anything?

Police will record your intentions/actions but do not have any powers to assist you unless you have an actual incident where you feel it necessary to call us. Police will attend to ‘Prevent a breach of the peace’ should you have an actual problem with the owners on your land, but will be limited in powers unless an actual crime occurs.

5) What happens once I put the notices up?

Once notices go up you are effectively telling the owners that you have detained the animals until such time they are claimed or the period of fourteen days has passed, when the animals will be classed as abandoned. You must be aware that you are legally taking over the ‘care and control’ of these animals for that period, but you do not have legal ownership of them. You need to make sure their needs are met for the duration of the time seized i.e. water supply.

6) My field does not have a water supply, what happens if this is not available?

Any concerns regarding the welfare of the animals needs to be raised with the RSPCA who can be contacted on 0300 1234 999 regarding the welfare of the animal or 0300 1234 555 for advice. The RSPCA also has some powers to leave notices regarding ownership/welfare which can assist them in locating an owner.

7) What happens after the fourteen days?

Once this period is passed you are allowed to dispose of the animals as appropriate and claim any incurred costs if any money is raised.

The internet has various sites to address issues around abandoned or trespassing animals, including Bailiffs (Equine Bailiffs) who may be able to assist in the detention and removal of the livestock. The NFU should also be able to offer advice if requested.
 
michelleice said:
how do you know there gypsy horses? not being funny but i bet its not just Gypsy's who dump horses on land
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After many, many years of dealing with horses abandoned on land I can say with certainty that it is. Sometimes they are sound and left to roam in a field, sometimes they are tethered and left without access to forage or water, sadly sometimes they are already dead when reported.
 
Please be careful about the gypsy association.

I have a horse from WHW. When the gentleman came to check up on her, he told me that they loan quite a few of their horses to a local gypsy family. He said that they may not do things the "fluffy bunny" way we do them, BUT the horses are well looked after, well fed, INCREDIBLY well mannered, and they are good horse people.

The people who have dumped horses on your land are, at the end of the day, horrid, disgusting, immoral people, but their association with gypsys may well be as unlinked as me being white, ginger, or driving a ford fiesta.

Hope you sort it out soon, but I would go down the legal routes as you never know these people. xxx
 
Real romany gypsies have a pride in everything, their horses, everything. The trouble is, by the EU making 'gypsies and travellers' a self defined catch all and called the wider group an ethnic group, it then brings in the much bigger population of self styled travellers who have little in common with ethnic gypsies and romanies.

The 'travellers' then cause all sorts of bad feeling because of the levels of crime and antisocial behaviour that often comes with their presence, and real gypsies suffer the stigma. The same happens with the horses, all gypsies get a bad name because of the disgusting activities of bad apples. Which isnt fair but isnt surprising.

The folk I felt for most at our local site weren't us as neighbours suffering thefts, abuse etc, but the law abiding residents of the site who just tried to keep their head down and live a quiet peaceful life. One of the problems is that many smaller sites are run by one extended family who have got their power by being the hardest and most feared, which doesnt make for a peaceful law abiding existing for the rest of the residents. This is why I dislike smaller multi pitch travellers sites, as it is often better to have a larger more professionally run site, or one which is solely for one extended family.

I think from experience over a number of years that 'fly grazed' horses are almost invariably traveller horses, but they are unlikely to be real gypsy's horses. But with an EU definition that lumps the two together and in the publics eyes gives both (in practice if not in theory) the right to do things that others would be taken to the cleaners for, its not surprising that 'gypsy' and 'traveller' are merged into one.
 
amymay said:
Those of you suggesting taking gates off and letting these horses out on the roads need to take a big dose of reality.

IF the OP did this, and someone was hurt as a result (or god forbid killed) who do you think would be held responsible - and possibly charged with reckless endangerment????

Really - if people can't post with any sort of common sense then please DON'T POST.
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ENOUGH OF THE CAPS :rolleyes:

FWIW I didn't say to let the horses out. The OP said that last year they left and she padlocked the gate up. They came back and bolt cut the padlock. I simply suggested that if there wasn't a gate there wouldn't be any way of them keeping the horses in the field in the first place.

I don't know why you assumed that I meant let the horses loose - credit people with a little intelligence and humanity. I think your post says a lot about your personality :rolleyes:
 
So Romanys can do no wrong and travellers do all the crime?

Rubbish, they can be both as bas as each other and both as good as each other.
 
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