scarey bird scarers

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shamus

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i am wondering if anyone can give me some advice,i keep my horse on my own land which is surrounded by farm fields,i have been there for two very enjoyable years but things have now changed since the farmer has started using a bird scaring rocket which when let off sends all the horses into a stampeding herd which as you can imagine is extremely dangerous to both horse and rider,the farmer is very unapproachable so i wondered if there is anything i can do about it
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do you mean your riding over the farmers land, or the bird scarers are in the fields near yours?
 
It might be worth having a chat with him and seeing if he can reposition them so they point away from your field, apart from that there's not a lot you can do I don't think
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Saying that, I used to ride in an area where there were a lot of these and they never bothered the horses - they should get used to them
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Noticed it was your first post - welcome!!!

I am sure the horses will get used to it!! We occassionally have clay pigeon shooting in the field next to us and the horses soon calm down!!
 
Bird scarers are nationwide becoming a real problem for horses and horse riders.

Unfortunately there are no real laws restricting their use.

If a neighbouring land owner is using them and he has failed to stop using them at your request because they scare your horses I would suggest that you ask your local district council to do something about it.

They could use the enviromental protection act (as ammended) to make him stop using the bird scarers

Peter Natt BHS North Herts Rep
 
I was riding a couple of feet away from one when it went off a few months ago, gave both me and Ronnie a heart attack. I didn't know it was there as it was in the bottom but the other side of the hedge that I was riding alongside.

Horrible things.
 
If you read the original post above you will appreciate that this is not a normal bird scarer but one which launches a rocket which explodes mid-air and is then recoiled by a wire attached to it. I would suggest that there are very few horses that would get used to this type

The other menacing one that is growing in poppularity is the Michelin man type one that suddenly inflates and then lets off a number of repeated large bang and flashes. Again horses would be upset by this type.
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you read the original post above you will appreciate that this is not a normal bird scarer but one which launches a rocket which explodes mid-air and is then recoiled by a wire attached to it. I would suggest that there are very few horses that would get used to this type

The other menacing one that is growing in poppularity is the Michelin man type one that suddenly inflates and then lets off a number of repeated large bang and flashes. Again horses would be upset by this type.

[/ QUOTE ]

Didn't realise they were quite that bad - God - my horse would have a fit. Ok retract what I said earlier and I think you definately need to approach the farmer and sort this out before someone gets hurt!!
 
They WILL get used to it!

We are very close to live firing ranges and a tank range. The booms from there make the windows rattle... and the horses get used to it! They are literaly bomb proof!

If you think about horses in days gone by it just shows that they do become used to such things. For hundreds of years horses were used by the military... and stil are! They do displays involving cannons at the Great Yorkshire Show.

As far as bird scarers go, horses can hear the thing working, ie building up the pressure before it goes off. We can't hear it, but I know horses can because the horse I drive used to stop and turn his head in the direction of the bird scarer just before it went off. He got used to it.

They are not allowed to use the bird scarers early in the morning, so do your riding then! Or, you could always ask the farmer if you could switch the bird scarer off whilst you ride, then switch it back on again.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Bird scarers are nationwide becoming a real problem for horses and horse riders.

Unfortunately there are no real laws restricting their use.

If a neighbouring land owner is using them and he has failed to stop using them at your request because they scare your horses I would suggest that you ask your local district council to do something about it.

They could use the enviromental protection act (as ammended) to make him stop using the bird scarers

Peter Natt BHS North Herts Rep

[/ QUOTE ]

Prob with using EPA 1990 is that it is only concerned with human health. The effect on horses would be a case of undue sensitivity, you would be able to take private action if you felt damages had occured. If the bird scarers are affecting your sleep or some other use and enjoyment of your home (hobbies such as horses dont fall into this category) then the Environmental Helath department may be able to help. In any case all types of bird scarer should be operated in acordance with the NFU code of practice (found on defras website).

Good luck
 
thankyou to all of you that have posted replies as owlie says they are the rocket launching type of scarer which i cant see the horses getting used to as he fires it right next to the field but i will try and speak to him,i will keep you posted as to what the outcome is and hope i wont be posting from a hospital bed
 
If all else fails snaek out and reposition it. That's what we did to one pointing at opur house, we turned it round so it pointed at farmers house instead, 'well the wind blew it really!'
 
Unfortunately the NFU guidlines are defective and require upgrading.

It is o.k. to say horses will get used to them but if your horse has not encountered one before and one goes off causing an accident then they can have serious consequences.

I know of a number of serious accidents that have been caused by bird scarer gas guns. In a number of these the riders where unaware that there was a device in the vicinity.

I for instance believe that farmers/landowners who use bird scarers within 500 yards of a public right of way or public highway should have to display bright yellow signs warning members of the public of them, how often they go off and if they explode more than once in one episode how many times they explode together with the name and telephone number of the landowner/farmer.

If the farmer/landowner concerned fails to co-operate after you have a word with him then I would instruct a solicitor to write to him and advise him that if an accident occurs then he will be held responsible.
 
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