Vet bills & the hunt.

[expanding_horizon]

This is so infuriating.
I always email the hunt secretary at the start of the season. I give my address and contact details. They always say they'll contact us with the dates of the meets and they never do. Honestly they deserve an outright ban for their lack of respect for other people's animals if nothing else. You'd think given its not exactly the most popular sport they'd try and keep as many people on side as possible.

Hope your horses are OK x

I’m obviously luckier with communication and warning around my parts of surrey. I’m in two hunt FB groups and have been on two “text when in my area groups”in past (not in hunting direct area now, though useful to know when was a large hunt ride on my local hacking area).

 

[Flowerofthefen]

OP hope your pony is recovering. We have the hunt round here today. They said they would contact me if they were in the area. I had heard they were planning to come today so I messaged them yesterday and asked why I hadn't been contacted like they said they would. No real explanation!! Be glad when it's banned outright.

 

[Annagain]

I must admit our local shoot is very good. We don't get advance warning but they always have someone watching the access routes to the farm they shoot at (it has a bridleway running along the boundary) and radioing to the shoot to pause until we're out of the area. The whole area is like a bowl and the shots echo all around so it's quite handy that they stop. The bridleway has one very rocky, uneven section that you have to be really careful over and they always give us time to get to the other side of that before starting to shoot again, which takes about 6 or 7 minutes. We don't have a hunt coming through our area any more thankfully.

Hope baby cob has no lasting damage SEL.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Hunt have been on land they havnt got permission to go on.... what a surprise!!

 

[Wishfilly]

They don't have permission from one of the landowners - but he says it's not worth the hassle to speak to them because he'll get grief. I have a feeling there is history.
But I'll flag it with the council. Given the roads around here are full of potholes I won't hold out hope but at least letting them know means they may have a word.

I think it's up to the landowners to fix, usually, not the council, so you may get a better response?

 

[little_critter]

I think it's up to the landowners to fix, usually, not the council, so you may get a better response?

That’s a bit unfair on the landowner. The hunt go on a PROW (so landowner can’t stop them, its a right of way) trash it, and the landowner has to clear up after them.

 

[Chuffy99]

It appears that the Langley Bloodhounds are not members of the Governing body and are just doing there own thing

 

[Marigold4]

Sounds a bit like the shoot near me they shoot right along my boundary fence and never let me know, had birds go down in my field and their dogs they don't care they are so rude.

I must admit our local shoot is very good. We don't get advance warning but they always have someone watching the access routes to the farm they shoot at (it has a bridleway running along the boundary) and radioing to the shoot to pause until we're out of the area. The whole area is like a bowl and the shots echo all around so it's quite handy that they stop. The bridleway has one very rocky, uneven section that you have to be really careful over and they always give us time to get to the other side of that before starting to shoot again, which takes about 6 or 7 minutes. We don't have a hunt coming through our area any more thankfully.

Hope baby cob has no lasting damage SEL.

Lucky you! Last Saturday our local shoot were shooting right next to the bridleway. No lookouts. We have shooting 3 days a week and I daren't take my horse out on those days.

 

[humblepie]

I was riding horse down a lane last winter past a little copse when a shotgun was fired so close it hurt my ear. Was definitely a shotgun not bird scarer and truck with local country estate name on it parked in the gateway. Imagine vermin control and shooting on their own land so legal but could have been a serious accident with a different horse. Mine jumped forward but came straight back to me but my ear hurt for quite a while. Did wonder about horse’s ears. I was going to contact them in a polite way but never did.

 

[Wishfilly]

That’s a bit unfair on the landowner. The hunt go on a PROW (so landowner can’t stop them, its a right of way) trash it, and the landowner has to clear up after them.

It's a legal position, not my opinion?

It does depend on the damage that's been caused, and it can depend on the circumstances surrounding the creation of the RoW, but often it is partly the landowner's responsibility to maintain. Certain things like bridges are usually council responsibility, and sometimes it's also up to the council to maintain the surface. However, if there are any obstructions etc, it's the landowner's duty to remove them.

I agree it's unfair on the landowners, but ultimately it's for them to speak to the hunt and discuss the damage caused with the hunt. Whilst it's true they can't stop people riding there if it's a bridleway etc, they could probably dispute hunting as in most cases the dogs are not under "close control" (I know a lot of other dogs often aren't either) but they should be on a public right of way.

If the surface is especially waterlogged or damaged already, the landowner can also temporarily stop access whilst "repairs" are needed, which may be another way to block hunts from damaging PROW.

 

[Wishfilly]

I was riding horse down a lane last winter past a little copse when a shotgun was fired so close it hurt my ear. Was definitely a shotgun not bird scarer and truck with local country estate name on it parked in the gateway. Imagine vermin control and shooting on their own land so legal but could have been a serious accident with a different horse. Mine jumped forward but came straight back to me but my ear hurt for quite a while. Did wonder about horse’s ears. I was going to contact them in a polite way but never did.

Not necessarily legal- it's an offence to shoot within 50ft of the centre of a highway if someone is injured or placed in serious danger. I would argue that given they could not know how your horse would react, you were placed in serious danger. If you'd fallen off and been hurt, definitely not legal. I think it's normally accepted that anyone shooting within 50ft of a road should post scouts and stop shooting if anyone wants to pass?