Where do i stand legally with people coming into my field?

I had an issue a few years ago with the neighbours dog coming into our field,it attempted to chase my foal and bite his legs. the dog was then chased off by an angry broodmare and the rest of the herd. The same dog jumped over our gate to try and kill our cats.

So, i called them and explained the situation to them. in that its highly likely that if their dog goes in the field again it will get hurt, if it hurts any of my horses /cats etc then i would be holding them liable for any bills. Since then, the dog has been no trouble whatsoever. in fact we even met them taking him for a walk when we where hacking, and the dog was very calm and obedient. Turns out they have taken him for training, which has been a huge success, as he was proving to be a real problem for all the neighbours.
 
Oz

The person dumping rubbish into the field was at a previous house, but here we had issues with dog owners who had got used to parking and walking their dogs on about 10 of our fields, as the house/land had been uninhabited for several years before we moved in. It took quite some persuading to make them realise it was *owned* land, and using it as free dog walking zones wasn't allowed, or appreciated. I have Zwartbles sheep, which are about as friendly as you can get, but they are huge ladies and won't think twice about performing a fairly hands-on pat down of anyone going into the field, in case they are carrying treats about their person !
 
Could you "innocently" chat to them next time you see them asking if they have noticed anyone walking a dog in your field as you have found dog poo? You know it couldn't possibly be them as you had spoken to them and told them they couldn't walk their dog anymore ;) This way you're letting them know you know there is a dog going in the field when it shouldn't but without the dreaded neighbour confrontation.
 
ownedbyaconnie said:
Could you "innocently" chat to them next time you see them asking if they have noticed anyone walking a dog in your field as you have found dog poo? You know it couldn't possibly be them as you had spoken to them and told them they couldn't walk their dog anymore ;) This way you're letting them know you know there is a dog going in the field when it shouldn't but without the dreaded neighbour confrontation.
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This is a good idea. But wait until you have the wildlife camera set up and say that you'll need to check the footage tonight and to see who's going in. You don't want them to get sneaky, waiting until you've left to give their dog a run around.
 
I’m afraid I wouldn’t hang about being polite, this would annoy the bejesus out of me. They’d be receiving a solicitor’s letter which they would hopefully take seriously.

The last dog walker who thought it was fine to walk through the geldings’ field at the yard had to sprint for the fence and throw his dog over as the 10 or so horses decided they didn’t want a stranger in their field. There are no public footpaths through it.
 
Are you allowed to put other livestock on the field? I've heard that llamas are excellent livestock guardians, being chased by an angry, spitting llama might put their dog off! Might also worry the horses though... ?
 
I would be knocking on their door with a well drafted disclaimer for them to sign outlining the potential damages you will be seeking if they continue to trespass and they or their dog cause any damage to your property or injury to your horses and absolving you of any liability should they or their dog get their stupid heads kicked in. I understand you want to sustain a cordial relationship with your new neighbours but I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if they don’t turn nasty and litigious if they or the dog get kicked. I would ensure I had really good public liability insurance in place too and return their dog mess to their garden.
 
ownedbyaconnie said:
Could you "innocently" chat to them next time you see them asking if they have noticed anyone walking a dog in your field as you have found dog poo? You know it couldn't possibly be them as you had spoken to them and told them they couldn't walk their dog anymore ;) This way you're letting them know you know there is a dog going in the field when it shouldn't but without the dreaded neighbour confrontation.
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I like this idea.

Also is the field rented? Have you spoken to your landlord? I had an issue with a bloke turning up to shoot on my field. He was upsetting my horses but for ages I never managed to catch him in the act. Neighbours were telling me he was there but by the time I got there he was gone. Anyway finally caught him - had a full on rant at him, but found out he had permission from the land owner. (which land owner confirmed, but stopped straight away)

It might be that years ago they asked to walk their dog when the field was empty and owner said yeah that's fine. and then completely forgot about it. A friendly call from him regarding livestock now being resident and now not appropriate might safe you a fortune in fencing. Just a thought.
 
Years ago I had a bit of a do with a neighbour whose garden bordered one of my fields they persistently let there dog and toddler into the paddock .
The toddler would toddler up behind the horses going horsy horsey parents no where to be seen .
I was beside myself nothing seemed to stop them until I invested in a solicitors letter
 
Quigleyandme said:
I would be knocking on their door with a well drafted disclaimer for them to sign outlining the potential damages you will be seeking if they continue to trespass and they or their dog cause any damage to your property or injury to your horses and absolving you of any liability should they or their dog get their stupid heads kicked in. I understand you want to sustain a cordial relationship with your new neighbours but I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if they don’t turn nasty and litigious if they or the dog get kicked. I would ensure I had really good public liability insurance in place too and return their dog mess to their garden.
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You can’t sign away your rights in English law .If you are liable in law you are liable .
Disclaimers could be used to prove the risks had been pointed out and they had chosen to keep repeating the behaviour, for example they could not say I did not know horses Can bite .
A disclaimer may also be taken as a green light to go into the field and accept the risk
 
Agree with Goldenstar - we were told/advised on getting legal info about how best to deal with the persistent dog walkers in the fields, that signs that say *these horses can kick and bite* are less useful than *livestock - no entry* ones for the purposes of the law. Never really understood it myself - you'd think common sense would prevail, but no. Our signs warn of electric fences, which we do have, but a lot of the fields are only grazed by our sheep, so have a strand of white rope ( not electric / electrified / electrifiable ) on the top, as a visual deterrent, and I don't think many people would touch it to check !

One of the persistent dog walkers simply moved her dog walking area of choice, to my neighbours drive ( at over a mile, it is even longer than mine ! ) and she parks at the road, walks the drive and back, never picks up after her dogs, and then has a go at any drivers who dare to get in her way !
 
Nasicus said:
You'll probably want to be put a few 'Private Property No Access' signs (or of that ilk) on your gate and along your fence line. Can't play dumb and claim they never knew then if someone does get hurt.
A security camera can be a great deterrent too, and associated 'Warming CCTV signs'.

Interested to hear of the legalities though, as we've had similar issues, until I put barbed wire on the gates, CCTV front and back, and a truck load of Keep out signs haha.
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This, and I'd also put a line of electric all the way along the top all the way round the field.
 
saalsk said:
Oz

The person dumping rubbish into the field was at a previous house, but here we had issues with dog owners who had got used to parking and walking their dogs on about 10 of our fields, as the house/land had been uninhabited for several years before we moved in. It took quite some persuading to make them realise it was *owned* land, and using it as free dog walking zones wasn't allowed, or appreciated. I have Zwartbles sheep, which are about as friendly as you can get, but they are huge ladies and won't think twice about performing a fairly hands-on pat down of anyone going into the field, in case they are carrying treats about their person !
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I have a pet lamb , saved her from the freezer, she chases my chickens, cockerels, pheasants , ducks and dogs!
I am getting some Jersey Giant hatching eggs, if they hatch the cockerels stand 27.5 inches high, she might think twice about taking one of those on :)
Oz
 
Geese are very effective - we had 2 pairs for many many years, and they shouted at anyone coming down the drive, and didn't shut up about it until they left. Amazingly noisy, amazingly observant, and blimmin scary when in full angry mode ! They were a time-bind with having to let out first thing, and shut them in at night, but not many things would take them on.

Right now, I am thinking Oz is going to google Huge Geese Breeds, to go along with his Giant Jerseys !
 
saalsk said:
Geese are very effective - we had 2 pairs for many many years, and they shouted at anyone coming down the drive, and didn't shut up about it until they left. Amazingly noisy, amazingly observant, and blimmin scary when in full angry mode ! They were a time-bind with having to let out first thing, and shut them in at night, but not many things would take them on.

Right now, I am thinking Oz is going to google Huge Geese Breeds, to go along with his Giant Jerseys !
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Horses wouldn’t take very well to sharing their field with geese ! They would be at as much risk as a dog.
 
Bonny - the geese ruled the place - the horses kept their distance when they were out and about during the day. They happily cohabited, and soon worked out how it worked, although it did help that the fields were large, so they could each give distance. The worst bit was that the geese soon worked out that appearing at the front door, and pecking at it, meant that PushOverOwner would appear, with a scoop of corn, to take them back to their own enclosure. Where they would then plan their next escape, to find the lovely PushOverOwner.....
 
When i moved to where I am know, we had 4 geese. They were all over 20 years old then and we sadly lost them over the next 5 years. They were terrifying though! Made poo picking and water filling a real challenge. The ponies were very cautious.
Worst thing was they used to hide behind the tack room door waiting for me to come out!
 
D66 said:
No, unfortunately the fox gets all of the geese eventually.
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We have Embden geese and they are huge. We don't shut them away and the foxes have never bothered them despite us having a massive fox population here.
ETA. They have survived like this for over 4 years now although a seagull did take the one gosling they managed to hatch
 
CanteringCarrot said:
Oy, I must have a "special" dog. I cannot tell you the number of times my Labrador has zapped herself on the same small section of fence. Then after a zap, she goes and checks again, and ZAP. Nope, that wasn't a fluke, dog. A few days later....
She can follow me in through an open lower section, but that'd be too easy.

I couldn't ever just let my dog wander onto someone else's property, nevermind with their pets/livestock. People blow my mind. Also don't get this protect intruders from harm thing. It's not just in the UK either. Again, blows my mind.

It's just sad that you even have to stress about this, go to these lengths and have these somewhat awkward conversations with your neighbor over basic levels of respect.


I think the netting, electric, and signs, signs, signs! approach is the best you can do.
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Hehe your 'Special dog' that made me chuckle! Yes i am with you 100% basic courtesy costs nothing and if we all took a little more consideration of each other we would all be having such a great time:-) Things like this can really spoil the fun if you are not careful! Hopefuly the wire should be here tomorrow so I can get that up and then its just the electric stuff to come and fingers crossed that should do it:-)
 
bonny said:
Horses wouldn’t take very well to sharing their field with geese ! They would be at as much risk as a dog.
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My neighbour has had several horses over the years that have happily co-habited with geese. When we were at livery the geese wandered in and out of the fields nearest the yard, whether there were horses in there or not, without incident. The most off-putting domestic animal I have ever encountered was the game-cock that the YO had - he was wary of the horses and kept out of the way but was vicious with people.
 
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