Help me write a notice to keep interfering local out of my field

sassyv

sassyv

Member
Joined
14 June 2009
Messages
27
Visit site
A local dog walker insists on interfering with the horses at my livery yard kept in the fields next to a foot path. He has been told politely on numerous occasions not to feed the horses or to go into the fields, he has also been told not so politely on several occasions but it makes no difference. There are already signs up saying DO NOT FEED.

Well yesterday I had notices some of the ragwort had gone from my field, a job I was saving until the weekend when it had rained. I went to look and it had been pulled and left scattered around the field (i'd insert and angry face if I knew how) and turns out it was this dog walker. He has no right to be in my field and spread poisonous plant material all over it!!

I want to put a sign up making it very clear that this is not acceptable and to put me in a stronger position should he continue to to ignore us. But I need some help with the wording of this please.

I'm not sure if there is any action I can threaten him with as the area has permissive access due to the conservation order on the place so trespass might be out but there must be something about endangering the animals by leaving the ragwort and feeding lamanitic ponies? Or that ragwort is a notifiable plant and must be dispossed of properly or something?

He also has 4 dogs which are never on the lead dispite signs saying they must be and I have caught one of them chasing a pony before GGRRRRRR and they never pick up the mess!

I've had enough. He's been asked, he's been told, what now?
 
Argh, what a nightmare for you!! I hate footpaths! Is there any way you can fence off the footpath round the edge of the field and electrify it so that he can't get in? That's probably what I'd try first off... Hope you find a solution!
 
You can get in touch with the police community officer or your local animal welfare i.e for me it would be the sspca.
Get in his face and tell him he is killing the horses!
 
I would also put electric fencing up and I think you should contact your local Police Community Support Officer for their help. Ours are really helpful and would happily arrange to come at a specific time if you wanted them to talk to him on your behalf. I know it's not technically a criminal matter but this poses a real danger to your horses so they should be willing to help any way they can.
 
Yup, ask the area Police officer if he can help. I would also go for a zillion volt fence (properly signed of course).

If it was me, I can't actually print what I'd do.
 
That sounds like a nightmare. I think electric fencing too might help. Maybe rather than print a notice, print a very short paragraph on the effects of laminitis and include some graphic, nasty photos and do the same for ragwort. Maybe put a vet bill tariff on too for such calls outs and treatments and state anyone feeding the horses is liable for the bill. I'm sure he just means well but if he can actually see what he is potentially causing he may stop.

Fingers crossed for you x
 
Thanks for the quick replies. The fields are all electric fencing. An extra fence line has been put into the ponies field so they can't be reached. I thought about putting the dangers of ragwort especially once pulled on the notice, this was once I had calmed down and been talked out of putting a full on personal attack sign up on the gate. If I catch him walking tomorrow I will certainly give him what for! but want to put a sign up to make it offical so there is no misunderstanding and if I have to go to the authorities he has been given far warning. I don't understand why people think they have the right to interfer especially when they know nothing about horses.
 
I'd put up a big picture of a horses hoof with the laminae marked and text saying 'Additional food can give horses laminitis, which causes swelling here. As you can imagine it is very painful for them and sufferers often have to be put down. My horses need a carefully managed diet to reduce the risk, please dont feed them.' Then I'd have a picture of a lami stance pony with a lable saying 'A pony with laminitis desperatly trying to reduce the appaling presure in its hooves,' underneath it.
 
I would make sure to bump into him and NOT give him hell - just ask him for his full name and address. Don't tell him what you plan to do with it - leave it to his imagination to work out, but you could ask the CSO to pay him a visit, on the basis that his behaviour is likely to cause a breach of the peace :)
I once had a stand off with a lorry driver who expected me to back up YARDS when I knew he could get through the gap. When I asked him for his full name he jumped in the cab and....drove through the gap. People will do all sorts of things under the cloak of anonymity they wouldn't dream of otherwise.
 
I would simply go to the police. Tell them you have someone trespassing on your property and you want it dealt with.
 
No because he pulled it and left it to rot scattered around the field. It is far more dangerous like that than when it is growing! There wasn't much in the field as I had already cleared most of it and the horses are currently not grazing this one and he doesn't know when we plan to put them bvack in there. If I hadn't of noticed it and picked it up itwould have spread and made it worse next year.

Bottom line is he has no right to be in there messing with my horse and his field!
 
sassyv said:
No because he pulled it and left it to rot scattered around the field. It is far more dangerous like that than when it is growing! There wasn't much in the field as I had already cleared most of it and the horses are currently not grazing this one and he doesn't know when we plan to put them bvack in there. If I hadn't of noticed it and picked it up itwould have spread and made it worse next year.

Bottom line is he has no right to be in there messing with my horse and his field!
Click to expand...

You are right that his sin is the greater BUT the fact it was there means you were committing an offence in law under the Weeds act. So it makes it difficult for the authorities.

I would for now put up a notice stating the facts about ragwort and it being so much more dangerous dried than growing and it was being removed and if there is any more interference with your horses or your field you will be reporting them to the police as their actions with the ragwort could have been fatal. Take a date stamped photo of the notice.

If you then get further problems then you would have a much stronger case to ask the police to take action.

I don't understand what you mean by conservation status and rights of access, you need to give a bit more info on that, it's unclear whether the land has public access or not?
 
sassyv said:
No because he pulled it and left it to rot scattered around the field. It is far more dangerous like that than when it is growing! There wasn't much in the field as I had already cleared most of it and the horses are currently not grazing this one and he doesn't know when we plan to put them bvack in there. If I hadn't of noticed it and picked it up itwould have spread and made it worse next year.
Click to expand...
Yes I know the dangers of ragwort. Ragwort is just as dangerous growing as it is dead, the only difference is when dead the horses are more likely to eat it. I digress, that wasn't my point at all. My point was if he picks up on ragwort being dangerous to horses then he has a come-back in saying then it shouldn't be growing in your field.

Bottom line is he has no right to be in there messing with my horse and his field!
Click to expand...
No he doesn't. And that is what you should focus on imo.
 
Is he accessing the field through the electric fence or is the another wooden fence/gate he is using?

If it's just the electric fence I'd be tempted to put so many strands up he would need to do some serious Mission:Improssible stylee ducking and diving to get through!

Maybe photograph him in the act and tell him you are taking it to the police if he doesn't stop!
 
the access is through two metal gate but it is not really practical to lock these as it is a fairly busy livery yard.

The horses are not currently grazing this field and there is not much ragwort in the field at all. I pull it after it has rained when the ground is soft to get as much of the root as possibly. I'm very serious and sensible about how I maintain my field but that is not what this post is about.

It's about stopping an interfering old busy body that obviously have nothing better to do with him time. Manybe I should suggest to he he goes play down the side of the motorway to pull ragwort if thats what he wants to do with his spare time :)
 
Difficult one, because it sounds as though he has access, and may also be well-meaning - he might have heard ragwort's dangerous and thinks he's doing you a favour! I'd stick up a comprehensive sign, as above, with photographic evidence. If that's ignored, I'd contact the police.

NOTICE
Please do not feed the horses - they are on a carefully controlled diet and any other food may make them seriously ill.
Please do not tamper with the field in any way - ragwort, once dead, is palatable to horses and much more dangerous than when it is growing. A programme is in place for its removal and destruction.
All dogs must be kept on a lead.
All walkers must keep to the footpath.
Tampering with the horses, or with the field, in any way, is forbidden.

A bit wordy, but you probably need to be quite clear!

Good luck.
 
Theocat said:
Difficult one, because it sounds as though he has access, and may also be well-meaning - he might have heard ragwort's dangerous and thinks he's doing you a favour! I'd stick up a comprehensive sign, as above, with photographic evidence. If that's ignored, I'd contact the police.

NOTICE
Please do not feed the horses - they are on a carefully controlled diet and any other food may make them seriously ill.
Please do not tamper with the field in any way - ragwort, once dead, is palatable to horses and much more dangerous than when it is growing. A programme is in place for its removal and destruction.
All dogs must be kept on a lead.
All walkers must keep to the footpath.
Tampering with the horses, or with the field, in any way, is forbidden.

A bit wordy, but you probably need to be quite clear!

Good luck.
Click to expand...

thank you theocat

I think that does about cover it. Straight and to the point. Think I might laminate that up now.

Yes I think there is permissive access to the land under the conservationship/ Stewardship scheme but I will have to find out whether that is a set footpath or if it is open access. But even then access to the land does not mean tampering with the animals.
 
Sounds like a VERY irritating situation for anyone to be in and it's understandable that you want to go and give him a piece of your mind but be careful in doing so that you don't do more harm than good. He may interpret this as aggressive behaviour, perhaps he is just not a horsey person at all and well meaning in his actions in which case being shouted at would most likely result in him being a bit hacked off with the horsey community at large.

If you do see him again you could explain calmly that you've had enough of his dogs/him roaming in your field and causing damage and that you're going to contact the local police as matters are getting out of hand. Alternatively, post a note on the face stating something along the lines of - 'DO NOT enter this field or tamper with it in any way. The police are aware of this ongoing matter and any further disturbances to the horses or the field will result in action being taking against the persistent perpetrator.'

Hope you get this sorted out! :)
 
Very irritating indeed. I'm sure he does think that he is being nice but you would think you would only have to say once 'please do not feed the horses'. But he has been told in many different ways by different people over the course of several month but he just can't seem to help himself! This is the first time I've known him to mess with the fields. Surely you would ask? theres usually someone at the yard who could have explained to him.
 
You could also point out to him that by feeding the horses tit bits they are more likely to follow/chase walkers and other people using the path won't be happy with that.
 
amymay said:
I would simply go to the police. Tell them you have someone trespassing on your property and you want it dealt with.
Click to expand...

Sadly not a criminal offence. I wish it were, would make life so much easier.

Catch him in the act, ask for his details. Take a photo of him and check the rules regarding loose dogs for this field. I utterly hate people feeding horses. If they want to do that, they should damned well buy their own.

I believe that it is not illegal to allow ragwort to grow but you can be asked to prevent the spread of it or other injurious weeds under the Weeds Act.
 
Where does the permissive access run - is it through the permissive access that he is getting access into your field? You can't fence an access with electric fence (well, you shouldn't) but permissive access is exactly that - access with permission from the landowner and therefore if it is causing you issues then you should close the permissive access - may teach people to respect what isn't theirs.

As for the ragwort - just pull the lot properly this weekend and then you won't have to worry about him being silly and doing the same next time.
 
aggrivated tresspass is an offence, and if the police want to persue it (which is realisticly more important) feeding horses or uprooting ragwort would count as aggrivation.
 
Last edited:
undergroundoli said:
aggrivated tresspass is an offence, and if the police want to persue it (which is realisticly more important) feeding horses or uprooting ragwort would count as aggrivation.
Click to expand...

Aggravated how, though? Pulling weeds is not criminal damage and if the bloke doesn't know that's it's palatable when dried, he can't be blamed for that.

Confronting him and mentioning police might do the trick.
 
The definition of criminal damage is that

'A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another intending to destroy or damage any such property or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged shall be guilty of an offence.'

I'm not suggesting that you'd get a conviction, but if the police wanted to have words this guy he is damaging the OPs horse, which is legally just property. I'm pretty confidant agrivated tresspass doesnt need to be criminal damage and that causing the OP distress would count.
 
re the dogs - it is legal to shoot dogs that are bothering livestock - you wouldn't of course, but it might be worth mentioning that to him when you see him. If he's holding onto his leads it shouldn't be very easy for him to pick ragwort or feed ponies.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top