Shooting near indoor school

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FinellaGlen

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I was exercising my pony in the indoor school today (don't have an outdoor one at moment anyway) and the farmer next door was doing something extremely noisy. I'm not sure what type of machinery he was using but it was making a heck of a racket. Pony had a little look at the direction noise was coming from but was basically fine and was doing some nice work.

I was giving her a short break and we were walking round the school when the famer decided to take a pot shot at a pigeon right outside the school! My pony spun and we set a cracking pace down the centre line and I decided to get off after another couple of minutes because I had no way of knowing if the farmer was going to aim at another pigeon.

I don't have any problem with him shooting as pigeons need to be controlled (and I have a gun myself) but it would be nice to be given a bit of warning that he is going to start firing off shots willy nilly. He did the same last Monday and my friend nearly got trampled because she was pulling her horses mane and he got scared by the shooting and flung himself round the stable. We have asked him to give us some notice if he is about to start shooting but our words seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Just realised what I have typed - maybe famer is actually deaf and doesn't realise that his gun is so bl**dy noisy?!!
 
repeated gunshots in his ear might have done for his hearing
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try getting a pop gun or something and desensitising your horses if the farmer is likely to shoot at you a lot
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Ponies will get used to it, my grandad is not seen without his shotgun, and my extremely nervy coloured doesnt even bother anymore, farmers will be farmers, its a man thing- hunter gatherer instinct, they feel proud if they have shot something, dead manly
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I had an accident in an indoor a while back as a result of someone being irresponsible outside and spooking the horse. I was out of action for a while and had dreadful whiplash. Lots of people tried to encourage me to sue the person who caused the accident, and although I wouldn't, many would. So I think you should have a quiet word in his shell-like and explain some simple facts.
You can desensitise horses ad infinitum, but they can still be startled by something sudden that they can't see coming.
 
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its a man thing- hunter gatherer instinct, they feel proud if they have shot something, dead manly
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mmm, you should see my OH when he stocks the freezer with venison, he's as proud as punch - reminds me of a labrador
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Yes, I have started to think that his hearing may be shot. Oh, enough of the puns already!

Pony is actually used to bird scarers and also shooting because there are shooting parties just over the road every weekend just lately. She is normally fine with it but this shot was LOUD. Even the yard guard dog went and hid in a stable and refused to come out until my friend (who had come to see if I was ok) went back down to rescue it.
 
Rosiie - I know what you mean about the manly thing! My OH has a gun and he whips it out at every opportunity. That sounds a bit rude but not meant to!!

I think it was just the fact that this shot was so close by and so bloomin' loud and unexpected that pony was startled. All the other stabled horses (barn attached to indoor school) went a bit loopy too. My friend's little coloured cob was still jumping around when I put Nelly away.
 
There is a lot of shooting around me - the neighbour shoots clays and my husband shoot pigeons too. BUT the sound of a shotgun close by is very loud and will make even the quiestest horse jump. This is really not thinking on behalf of the farmer. Is it is his yard? He ought to be far more considerate.

If my husband is going to take a shot in the yard/garden area he always warns me first if I am by the stables, just in case it frightens the horses.
 
orangehorse - no, the farmer doesn't own the yard. It is privately owned and there is an Arabian stud the other side of the lane, a lady who does carriage driving just along the lane and another yard next door to the ours where someone keeps about 6 ponies and horses. Hopefully, some of these people will also complain.
 
I can beat this....my boss (at the time) and I were riding in an indoor school, having a lesson, when the estate gamekeeper decided he would shoot the pigeon sat on the roof...shooting towards the main yard.
He must have been not deaf, but blind, because he fired about 6 times without success in terms of pigeon death.
Boss's horse took off and decked her...my horse took off, unfortunately ran straight towards prone whinging body of boss, swerved and I fell off too... damn near crushing rotund figure of boss further and generating more high pitched noises
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A little while later, after about the eighth or ninth shot, the gamekeeper finally hit the pigeon...which landed with a thud on the roof just as instructor was handing boss the reins....
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I have to say I found it really funny...boss was not amused.
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Good grief. I am not sure how amusing I would have found that. I think amusment would have been quite far down my list of immediate emotions to be honest!!
 
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