Gipsy Horse Squatters

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unclearthur

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Anyone had any luck getting rid of gipsy horses grazing without permission?

We've got four of them in a small field. We got caught out this January, as the field gate is never locked, and five ponies were put there until July. The cheeky ***'s even locked them in!

Once they left I had the gate chained and padlocked both ends (the scumbags then kindly returned and filled the locks with glue) but over last weekend they cut the padlock off (breaking and entering in my book) and installed another four scrubby youngsters.

I didn't involve the police first time as there's not much they can do, but this time I reported the damage. I still don't believe the police can help (though they did give me a crime number!), so any ideas would be welcome.

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Gosh how annoying!!!

Could you park a few old tractors/an old lorry across the entrance perhaps. to stop them getting through?

I'd be getting onto my MP/local paper as well.

Best of luck.
 
Put a sign on the gate saying that the horses will be impounded and sold if not removed within 7 days, failing that, just remove them and tether them on council land, deny all knowledge of them ever having been in your field - Im sure you will be told it is illegal to move them, well so what? Why should these people be able to just graze their horses for free, if they don't get 'done' for dumping them in your field how can you be for dumping them on council land!
 
Not sure if there is much you can do other than turf the ponies out, relock the gate, and report the ponies running loose??? Not very fair on the ponies though, I know!
Other than that i have no idea! No-one seems interested if they are on private land :(
 
hch4971 said:
Put a sign on the gate saying that the horses will be impounded and sold if not removed within 7 days, failing that, just remove them and tether them on council land, deny all knowledge of them ever having been in your field - Im sure you will be told it is illegal to move them, well so what? Why should these people be able to just graze their horses for free, if they don't get 'done' for dumping them in your field how can you be for dumping them on council land!
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I agree with this. But dont just threaten with the selling, why dont you actually do it ;)
Breaking the law i guess, but they put them on your land without permission. Or you could keep them, move them somewhere they cant find and say 'well, you were warned :rolleyes:'

Then you would get in the *****. which obviously isnt fair at all.
 
A friend of mine has had gypsies and their horses living in her field for years now and do you think she can shift them...NO!! For some ridiculous reason they seem to have their own special rules. If I were you I'd put a notice saying that any horses other than your own in that field will be removed- then load them up and put them out onto common land if possible- if not try and be creative about a place to dump them. I guess you could even try locking them into your field so they can't get them back (although they may just leave them there then!)
Basically there's no legal way you can budge them so you'll have to use your own initiative ;)
 
Open the gate usher them out, and just claim they damaged the gate breaking in, and it wouldn't close correctly.
Definatly get in contact with the police, rspca the lot...
Friend of mine had a problem like this a while ago. Police turned a blind eye when she 'left the gate open and the horses wandered out'.
 
There's a field a developer owns near here that from time to time gets gypsy horses dumped on it for the summer. Problem is as the field has a stream, the RSPCA can't do anything as there's enough grass/scrub/trees (and ragwort) to eat, despite the owners not returning.

From memory, last time the owner got a court order to remove them and it was pasted to the gate with I think 14 or 28 days notice to remove or the ponies would be sold at auction. As far as I know they did get sold, they were removed a few days before the auction (but after the notice time had expired)

can you get some advice on this (?CAB, solicitor?)
 
South Wales is a bit far. And I won't turn them out onto the road - it's not fair on the horses (or passing drivers).

I wasn't expecting such a great response though - a good few ideas here. Thanks, everyone.
 
some of the advice above sounds good, but actually putting this into practice with a bunch of gipsys can be quite a scarey thing to do. To be honest i would no do anything like that to upset them, before you know it they can make your life difficult and they hold big grudges against people. Has your area not got a gipsy liasion officer ? Id try contacting them to resolve this, or just find out who the main Gipsy leader is in the area and talk to them. We have big problems down here with Gipsys coming onto our land, but the farmers and gipsys had a fight in Tenby and the farmers won so they leave well alone now..but i feel for you as i know exactly what they are like.
 
I think its sick how these horses are treated, all 4 of them were human shy bar 1 which was only a little confident but only enough to nuzzle my hand aswell as them only bein youngstock and by the look of the 2 smaller fillies they only seamed to be around yearling age + from what i could see by lookin at them, i just think itz terriable how these horses get beaten on a lorry n off a lorry to a differant place then beaten bck on 2 a lorry off sum where else when infact these ponies could have a genuine perfectly good life as any sort of pony it wanted to be but clearly these ponies are only money to some people and this i think is due to over breading and gyppo's bein money grabbing idiots who dnt care about the poor animals n how they are treated n i persobnally think its sick and shouldnt b allowed but unfortunatly their is neva goin 2 b a way of stoppin it!
 
Please don't turn them out anyone. Just think, apart from possible damage to ponies, a car driver might die. We had a horrible accident near us a couple of years ago with loose ponies on the road. The poor postman who hit one with his van had a very lucky escape.
 
SianLizzie said:
I think its sick how these horses are treated, all 4 of them were human shy bar 1 which was only a little confident but only enough to nuzzle my hand aswell as them only bein youngstock and by the look of the 2 smaller fillies they only seamed to be around yearling age + from what i could see by lookin at them, i just think itz terriable how these horses get beaten on a lorry n off a lorry to a differant place then beaten bck on 2 a lorry off sum where else when infact these ponies could have a genuine perfectly good life as any sort of pony it wanted to be but clearly these ponies are only money to some people and this i think is due to over breading and gyppo's bein money grabbing idiots who dnt care about the poor animals n how they are treated n i persobnally think its sick and shouldnt b allowed but unfortunatly their is neva goin 2 b a way of stoppin it!
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This Forum Should Have A 'Like' Button :rolleyes:
 
If you do know where they live find out who the leader is there is always one and he is normally the most sensible, tray and organise a meeting with him.
The council should have a traveller liason person who could approach them for you and arrange a meeting with yourselves and the liason officer present.
If not the only other course of action is a court order but then you are unfortunaly starting trouble.
It does get my back up as it seems some of these travellers do as they wish and the everyday person does feel threatened when having to approach them. Why do they feel they can just use any field they so wish, i would not do it nor dare any other horse owner
 
Are you a Gold member of the BHS? If so, why not ring the legal helpline and ask what your rights are?

I think the sign on the gate stating people have x number of days to remove the horses otherwise they will be sold is the legal way to go.... though I don't see how they can legally be sold seeing as you don't have passports for them!

I don't suppose the gipsy's have either, but there you go!
 
Hahaha my mum has come to stay. She said when it happened to us we went down after dark with a saddle and tried it out, found the gypsies and bought it off them!!! :eek::eek::eek:
Love my mum's approach :p
No critisisms to me twas my mum.
 
I would be tempted to put a note on the gate & send/deliver the owners one if you know where they are, stateing that the field is being sprayed with highly toxic weed killer (you can always google a fatal one and name it!) by a contractor on a certian date say 2 weekends time, and you advise that the ponies need to be removed before this date or the rspca will have to be informed that they are/would be being poisoned!
Make out you are doing them a favour by letting them know, not that you are bl**dy mad and just want rid!
Good luck, I dont envy you having this problem.
 
Also bear in mind that wherever you take the horse they have in the past sometimes been stolen back in raids; the police and welfare charities have to have 'secret' locations for seized horses to be taken to for this reason, so if you are going to move the horse make sure you are very sure you arent being watched or followed.

If the field isnt being actively used the best deterrent is.....ploughing it! Not only cos it makes them move the horses quick when the tractor and plough pull in, but also it stops them coming back as theres nothing for the horses to eat. But thats only a solution if you arent using the land.
 
piccies of the lil ponies them selves - soz the pic qaulity aint very gd, took them on me fone at the time.

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Lock their horses in your field and put an invoice for them on the gate, grass livery, checks, as much as you can put on there including the rent for the last time thery were there.
No rent= no horses. You can take them in lieu of payment.
 
Remove the water supply then call RSPCA and tell them you have four ponies dumped and no water for them. They have to take them then. And don't replace water trough unless you are going to use the field yourself.
 
Ladyinred said:
Remove the water supply then call RSPCA and tell them you have four ponies dumped and no water for them. They have to take them then. And don't replace water trough unless you are going to use the field yourself.
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This is what I would do. I woudl not do anything to antagonise the gypsys, they might exact revenge. I'd let the RSPCA deal with it.
 
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