Trespassers-What can I do?

skint1

skint1

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Long version:
My pony and my friend's horse live on a farm with a single track lane running through it. I've heard people say that beyond a certain point this is private property but others disagree. It is a council owned farm that is rented to a farmer whom we pay livery to. We are the only 2 there. Last autumn we had a little spate of strange things happen but padlocked gate and it stopped. Over winter we got lax with padlocks (they kept freezing!) so we took them off, all has been well.

Pony and horse not been turned out much due to pony's laminitis but last couple of weeks they've been back out in their field, pony in a starvation pen made with electric fencing.

Yesterday evening the main field gate was open and also the gate to the fat pen, the electric fence was switched off and pony was out! We couldn't figure how such a thing could happen but we kept horses in over night and all day just to be safe. Last night we saw 2 girls (aged between 9-11) and a dog too, I told them how worried we were about pony and gates etc...

Today, I finish work 2hrs early, went and checked pen, trough etc in field and then park myself with the pones in the yard where I could view the field unobserved and waited to see what I could see...

A man and the same 2 girls (+1) with dog park bikes in front of the field, he opens the gate and the girls and dog go in!!! I walked over as calm as I could ,explained firmly but politely that the girls shouldn't be in there for safety of pones and themselves, emphasising the massive risk to the pony and equally massive vet bill I'd had and how I'd be looking for the people that let him out to pay any further costs.

At first he tried to pretend that he'd only stopped to help the girls coz they looked lost but then the dog kind of put paid to that so he came up with some rubbish about how he'd been coming there for years and knew farmer who said it was ok so I said "oh right, hang on then I will just call him" and he backtracked right quick. The girls looked WELL flustered too.

My friend came soon after, we gave the horses their tea then turned them out. Well, when we got the field I found his pen half down, the trough running over, the fence charger ON and the bulldog clip in the puddle of water on the ground.

We've put a heavy duty chain and padlock back on

Short Version
Children and dog accompanied by adult entering horse's field,which is on a single track lane which may or may not be private property. They're messing with electric fences, troughs, letting laminitic pony out of pen and leaving field gate open. Have politely and firmly warned them of risk to pony and horse and themselves but am astounded that an adult could be such a pillock as to do it in the first place so I am expecting it to be an ongoing issue. We've padlocked gatebut is there anything else I can do? Any experience of this
 
Whats worrying is that they put the clip in the water so obviously some nasty intent. Hopefully thats his little attempt to get his ''own back'' at being told not to go there and you can only hope he wont have the front to go there again. I would tell the farmer, put signs up and also keep a note of things incase anything happens again. Take your camera up with you incase you see them again. If anything does happen again I would report it.
 
You have my sympathy. I was at a yard that backed onto some new build (expensive) houses. They started putting gates in their back fences, or styles. Found they were coming into the field to have picnics (you can just imagine the scene with 4 mares joining in can't you being fed all types of crap. Why do idiots think it's funny to try & feed horses ham???) or footy games (which stirred horses up), or to walk their dogs & leave their **** in the field (which was poo picked). Then there was the one who used to dump his grass clippings over so he didn't have to get rid of them. Tried explaining to him several times, then when he didn't listen a few times of me picking them up & chucking them back over the fence messing up his rose garden he stopped. Apparently he worried more about his roses getting a bit of grass on them than my horses dying from eating said clippings. Says it all really.

Why do people see a field & assume they have the right to go in it? It's not a playing field, but a working resource owned by someone.

Just because your guy rents the farm from the council doesn't grant public access. You need to find out from the council the EXACT extent of any rights of way over the land. Then I would suggest (if your field or lane is not a public right of way) putting up posters showing the limits of the ROW, so anyone walking down that track is aware they are trespassing. Also put up signs to say trespassers will be prosecuted & any dogs found worrying stock will be shot. Then they may start to get the point. Loads of 'private - no right of way' signs will also help (especially on lane & on field gate). Then look into getting some signs stating you have hidden CCTV. Lot of effort, but people can be monmentally dim & will only change if they think there may be a consequence to their actions. After last time, you don't want them thinking they can deliberatly place you or your horses at risk from their spiteful natures.
 
I wish I had taken photos, I was just so....not quite shocked exactly....it was just so odd. Especially when the man tried to deny he was with the kids and then trying to blag that he was a buddy of the farmer's.
 
Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought, but then on the other hand it might come in useful for an insurance claim if one of the horses gets injured.

I was so angry but tried my hardest to be polite and reasonable because I worry for the horses when we aren't there and I thought if I explained to this moron why it's not good to let a group of kids run amok like it's a petting zoo at Longleat it might help. He wasn't a young man either, old enough to know better I would say.

I'm having a hard time trying to understand why they would do that, especially yesterday when the horses were not even in the field.
 
I have access to an even scarier sign "Warning-Infectious Disease Within" but I am not sure they would understand that
 
Slightly Foxed said:
I doubt the police will be in the least interested. 'Trespassing' is a 'civil' offence.
Click to expand...

Trespassing across land is all well and good but they are actually interfering with the horses and someone's property. Some time ago we had strange occurences and interference and the Police were very good. Do you have a Horsewatch Police Officer in your area?
 
I don't know, I didn't know there was such a thing. *goes off to Google Thank you very much!
 
we had a couple of thefts and put up a "dummy" video camera - it has flashing light to show its recording so looks v realistic - to the point that if i go next door to see the girls in their yard I am very aware of their camera even though I know it is fake !! you can buy them on ebay but make sure you put it somewhere that could possibly have electric (outside of a building) - even if it is away from the field but overlooking it - you could then put a notice on the gate to warn people that they are bieng recorded !! i would almost gaurantee they wont take the chance !

Good luck - it is a horrible feeling when you know someone has been in and around your horses when they shoudlnt have

ps. camera was v cheap !
 
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