Shooting

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humphrey pumfrey

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Turned up at a friends at lunch time today to find her in a bit of a state. The local shoot had decided to send the beaters up along her fence line where the beaters were doing their bit to get the pheasants up using umbrellas etc. Then the shooting followed right within about 20 - 30m of her horses. To say they were upset is an understatement. we finally managed to get them out of the field but there were in quite a state and we were lucky not to get injured. I said she should complain to the shoot that they should out of courtesy told her they were shooting along her boundary today. Unfortunately she rents a field from them and doesn't want to lose it so she wont say anything. Gob smacked that so called country folk could be so bloody stupid
Still furious
 
She should just ask for the dates that should cause no problem.
It's just something you just have to live with in at this time of year .
The horses might run about a bit but they soon get used to it ours have learned to pretty well ignore shooting etc.
 
Them being the owners of the land and knowing that there are horses kept there they should supply her with a list of upcoming dates or at least leave a note on the gate if last minute etc.

Agree with Amymay, she should approach them, explain what happened today, Not to complain, but to advise what happened, and that she really does not want to go through that again and ask to be kept informed of all shoots that will be taking place close to the field she rents from them, so she can do what she can to avoid it happening again.

I really hope she isn't too shaken and her horses calmed quickly.
Better women than me, Id have hit the roof!
 
Sorry for your upset and for the upset of your horses but shooting is a normal pursuit in the countryside and it doesn't take a lot to accustom your horses to it. Think horses in western films. They don't even flinch with guns being fired close to their ears!

I sold a two year old pony to a client who lives on a shooting estate. She was concerned about disturbance by shooters during the season. As she did not want to collect the pony for a couple of weeks, I suggested I might have a surprise for her when she returned.

She arrived two weeks later with a friend. I took a bucket and my 12 bore shotgun and we went to see the ponies. I fired a shot in the air and they came at the gallop. I fired several more shots as they ate their hard feed a few yards away. It did not bother them in the slightest! It really isn't difficult.

My only problem is that I'll miss out on a shooting party getting mugged by a hungry Highland pony!
 
I say all the above, but my horses are right next to farmers fields, and they use gas gun bird scarers, took my 3 a while to get used to, but they don't bat an eyelid now.
 
I used to have my horses on land that was used for shooting, the guys were great and used to come by with a list of dates, im sure theyd rather tell you than watch your horses freaking out, nobody will mind, it keeps everyone safe. I just kept them in when the shoot was on, put them out in the morning, in by 10 for the start, out again for an hour or so at lunchtime then back in again till they finished. Sorry meant to say they coped well after the first few shots, by the end of the season they couldnt have cared less but i preferred to keep them in as the guys wandered through my field beating and they didnt like that
 
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My crowd are all used to shooting when it's hunting season. They all continue grazing but your friends horses presumably have never seen a shoot before so if she doesn't want her horses out whilst they are shooting then she just needs to ask the estate manager what dates the guns will be there.
 
The shoot won't mind giving your friend a list of dates.

We live on a shooting estate, and the shoot always ring round local horse owners to let them know when there is a shoot on, even if it is just clays.

My horses are pretty immune to shooting, and while the bird scarer in the next field always makes me jump, the girls don't bat an eyelid :)

Your friends horses will soon get used to the shoot, and the beaters with umbrella's will be exposing the horses to something they may come across at some point in their lives, thus doing some bombproofing for your friend :D
 
Goldenstar said:
The horses might run about a bit but they soon get used to it ours have learned to pretty well ignore shooting etc.
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This ^^^

I used to keep my horses on a farm that ran a shoot. The horses got used to it very quickly and seemed to enjoy the activity/excitement that was happening around them.

Recently I've been out hacking on my TB when he's heard some gun shots and he's grown an extra hand and bounced down the road in excitement, he seems to think of it like hunting now but as more of a spectator sport, he doesn't have to do any work which for him is definitely an extra bonus!
 
I keep and ride my horse on a shooting estate and agree the beating is often more traumatic than the shooting. However they would never shoot near our fields and there is plenty of room to avoid areas where they are shooting when riding. The biggest danger is being run over by the shooters leaving afterwards for some reason they all drive like a bunch of knobbers.

It is not very neighbourly not to let you know if they are shooting so close and I don't subscribe to the it's my land I'll do what I want and sod you ethic either.
 
They do get used to it, we have even shot clays in the same field as the horses (obviously shooting away from them!) Agree with AM, ours would get more excited with the beaters and dogs.
 
We have a shooting school very close, and regular shoots around our hacking routes, along with crow scarers hidden in the long grass on our field verges (ridden with permission). I know it seems like a drama, but look at these things as an excuse to desensitise. You never know when you might be on a road with a backfiring motorbike behind you - it's happened to us!

On Saturday the local firework display, delayed for high winds in November, took place in the field right by the ponies. I didn't worry, and neither did they.

There really is no limit to what a horse will accomodate to. The horses on Salisbury Plain don't look up when the RA are firing heavy artillery.
 
amymay said:
I suspect it was the beating that upset the horses, rather than the shooting.
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Agree with this. Met a shoot out hacking the other week, their shoot line crossed the public road we were riding on and they were in filled either side. The beaters' flags worried the horses a little, however once I shouted hello and they spoke back the horses settled. We then had to cross the guns and they trotted on without a second look. With gunshots they don't usually bother much unless the rider does.

Sensible to ask for a list of dates. It's usually only Saturdays up our way.
 
I could not believe it when people told me the guns [shooters] were so bad that the pellets were likely to land on the stable roofs, but they did!
Also one very icy day one of the "beaters" had a collie dog, which was not on a lead, as he walked through the stable yard he was walking towards a lot of tiny kiddies bringing ponies in from the field [behind a hedge], the dog ahead of him, I asked him to call his dog back, he was very annoyed , apparently he can just do what he likes on a shooting day.
I have to say the proper countrymen had proper gundogs for beating, and they never left their sides except when bidden.
 
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I would just politely ask for a list of dates and move on. My horses have to come in when we are shooting as they chase the beaters and their dogs and generally behave appallingly.
 
Clodagh said:
I would just politely ask for a list of dates and move on. My horses have to come in when we are shooting as they chase the beaters and their dogs and generally behave appallingly.
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Yup , I remember this before we owned the shooting rights on your land I have seen the fleeing dogs and men in combats leaping fences .
 
I do not see the problem, ok so the horses got upset but all were ok. Just go and ask the landowner for a list of dates, and if in doubt ask specifically where the beaters walk to run up the drive that is by your horses.

We have a shoot by ours and last week was the first time my youngster has seen it and he was fine, presumably because none of the others made a fuss. We also run a shoot and have strict guidelines for beaters and guns, however I do not think I have come across one person on a shoot day that is rude to other folk.
 
Sounds like the organisers of the shooting party, the beaters and the guns have no common sense at all. They are clearly not complying with the guidelines which state that shooting parties should stay clear of fields grazed by horses and livestock.
If that happened to me I would be straight down to see the firearms officer at the local police station who would take an incident of this nature very seriously as they could have caused the horses to bolt out of their field and cause an accident.
 
OWLIE185 said:
Sounds like the organisers of the shooting party, the beaters and the guns have no common sense at all. They are clearly not complying with the guidelines which state that shooting parties should stay clear of fields grazed by horses and livestock.
If that happened to me I would be straight down to see the firearms officer at the local police station who would take an incident of this nature very seriously as they could have caused the horses to bolt out of their field and cause an accident.
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pffft the police would say its a legal shoot , what do you want them to do about it!! if you keep your horses on land owned by an estate where they shoot you have to expect that there are gong to be shoots during the season, yes , it might have been polite of them to let you know their plans but i do not think it is law for them to do so!
 
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