People using my field (with horses in)

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FinkleyAlex

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I pay a weekly amount in return for grass livery for my 2yo gelding who lives with the field owner's three ponies. Field owner (FO) is a lovely sort who has had the field for many years - it is surrounded by houses on three sides and by a footpath that dog-walkers use on the fourth side. FO is very easy-going and a bit of a Mr Nice type.

Today I noticed some children had gone into the field from their back-garden (that backs onto it) to cross it to go and play on the footpath as it goes through woodlands etc bordering the fourth side of our field. They don't go up to the horses (who are a very friendly bunch) but I was wondering if they were to get hurt one day would it be the FO liable or myself? My 2yo is absolutely lovely but being only two can be playful (though it would be really unlikely for him to leave the herd and in fairness they all ignore the children for the most part). However by the time they crossed the field to go back to their house, I had brought my 2yo into a sectioned off part of the field for a groom, with the rest of the ponies waiting just outside the sectioned off part for him to rejoin them. Once they saw the children running through the field back to the house the ponies all galloped off towards them (stopped once they were within clear eyesight - just investigating who was in their field) but it really worried my boy as he's still a little insecure of being alone due to his age and this being a relatively new environment. Would I be out of line to ask the children not to cross the field? I don't want to tread on FO's toes as I'd imagine he probably knows the neighbours to an extent, having been there for a good few years and he doesn't worry about it?

About 30 mins later I noticed a man wandering around the far end of the field, presumably having come out of his back-garden as-well. Wondered what he was doing at first as he was stood still but then realised he was flying a remote control helicopter! All the herd were down my side of the field and didn't bat an eye but I still had the 2yo in the fenced off part so not sure how he'd react to it all. Should I tell him to get out as well? Again I don't want to make enemies as its not my land in fairness but its not exactly a free-for-all park!
 
I don't really think it is your place to ask the neighbours to stop using the field, it is up to the landowner, who seems as if he doesn't mind them using the land.

I'd speak to the field owner and point out your concerns and leave it up to him whether he decides to do anything, as you say, you don't want to make enemies of people and providing the horses aren't being harmed I don't think that there's much you can do.
 
Your should have public liability insurance for all your horses (relatively cheap to get through membership of the BHS for example) to cover you should they cause damage or injury to third parties.

Personally if it was me I would be very worried about people walking through a field with youngsters and would talk to the YO about fending off the footpath so everyone can use it safely. If YO refuses I would look for another livery yard.
 
Would piss me off big time, it's private property no matter how you look at it, in this nobhead mentality we now live in claim claim claim, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen, what happens if the trespasser illegally using the field spooks one of your horses and it injures you, can you afford time off work, who will look after your horses, if one injures itself spooking or on something left in the field who will pay the vets bill ?.

Don't know how you will sort it and keep the peace at the same time, but not a good situation.
 
Having tried having two of mine in a field that house backed onto and had a footpath running through part of it, all I can do is wish you good luck!

People just treat it as parkland and no matter what you say, they will keep using it.
 
I would, after speaking to the field owner, pop over to the children's house and speak to their parents to let them know there is a youngster who might play bolshily.
 
Miss L Toe said:
I would not worry too much, if they are trespassing they won't get much in the way of compensation, and your horses are not "dangerous".
Insure third party as previously suggested.
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Er, well after 10 years of stress and hassle and court time my friend ended up paying in excess of £50k of her own money to someone who was injured by someone else's horse which was in her field in similar circumstances, because the insurance company wriggled its way out of the claim, so I think the OP is right to be concerned as should the FO be.

I think that she should speak to the FO especially as he sounds very reasonable and take it from there. Both could find themselves in bother.
 
Its up to the owner of the field to speak to the people and explain nicely that there is a young horse and they should use footpath only from A to B. If the people are using ie a gate or accessing the field from their back gardens and have done it for years or it builds up as years....over years you will end up with householders getting togehter to say there has always been a right of way etc(ie they could create a new path along the back of the houses etc). There must be a park nearby that the helicopter guy can fly it.

They probably havent really thought of what they are actually doing and think its harmless. If the kids are leaving the horses alone that wouldnt bother me too much ie is it just at weekends and holidays. Also I would look at it for a bit of training and desensitisation of noise in trees etc and kids in general(as you will come across this out riding). Kind of think I would have done as a kid(stick to the perfect path why..when its quicker to cut a corner..most of us do it at some time).

Re Liability make sure you have it. They should be on the path.

We had grass cuttings from a row of houses chucked over the fence into the field as if it was a dumping ground(they got a letter to say it was private land..in fact I knocked on row of houses and spoke to them all and letter if not in). This stopped. I think they just thought it was grass..countryside and wasnt going to harm anything.

People are a bit uneducated about countryside etc
 
Naturally said:
I would, after speaking to the field owner, pop over to the children's house and speak to their parents to let them know there is a youngster who might play bolshily.
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No don't do that you are admitting liability before anything has happened , have a talk about with the parents by all means but keep to general points about safety around horses.
 
However I would speak to the field owner but be ready to move on if he does not like hassle the easiest thing will be to move you.
 
Thanks everyone - mine is insured for everything including public liability but FO's horses aren't. Youngster isn't bolshy at all and the rest of the herd seem to have seen it all before and aren't bothered but as youngster is only two you never know when they're going to react to something even if they've seen it before. Probably should have mentioned that the footpath is fenced off with post and rail and is accessible from one of the sides with houses on (if you imagine a C shape of houses it is accessible from the road at the bottom of the C) so they're really just crossing the field to climb over the fence onto the footpath rather than going the long way round and entering it from where it starts. There are also fields at the bottom of the roads leading up to the houses which dog-walkers can use so Mr Helicopter Man could definitely find elsewhere to fly his toys!

Such a dilemna - I've asked FO before if children going through bother him and he has said that he's given up trying to control who uses the field as a shortcut to the footpath and that as they don't bother the horses it doesn't bother him. Personally I'm not a parent but I would not be happy with my non-horsey children going through a field of loose horses, may ask them if they go through to only walk as it seems to only be when they run that the horses become interested. Going to tell Mr Helicopter to get out though because that's just an accident waiting to happen.
 
I had similar concerns when my 2 yo started sharing a field last year...luckily, one of the mums who lived near decided to warn off the kids from going in the field unsupervised (which they previously had done when an elderly pony and some chickens were the only residents)...so they self-policed, which I was relieved about.
However, I did arrive one day and the sharer's Dad and young boys were riding a quad bike up down the field...with the ponies in...my 2 yo and elderly friend were actually very unconcerned so despite me feeling initially unimpressed, I decided to view it as high-level desensitisation training...had they/he been stressed by it I would have tactfully had a word...but at the end of the day, its not just me who uses the field, so much as I would like to completely do my own thing, I'm not in a position to.
I did, however draw the line at field sharer galloping elderly pony up and down the field with 2yo and Sec A galloping loose and jostling for position alongside..not a sight I want to see too often!
 
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