Wind Turbines

McNally

McNally

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A planning application has been put in by the next door farmer to erect wind turbines- (he actually owns the yard aswell)
Now on one hand i am all for my can be difficult horse getting used to and being exposed to as much as possible at home - ie- when i'm not onboard!!
But... several people have told me i dont understand how loud they are and that horses wont get used to them however long they are there for.

Has anyone got any experience with horses and wind turbines?
should i be concerned!
 
Hi, we have just lost a battle we've been fighting for the last 3 years opposing 4 wind turbines just a few miles away from our yard. They are very loud and can cause sleep deprivation (it's a strange kind of noise - like something almost in the back of your mind). They can also break/blow up etc and everywhere else in the EU there is a 1.5 mile (I think - it could be 1 mile) restriction where they can't be erected if there are dwellings within that distance.

I'm all for renewable energy but wind turbines are not nearly efficient enough to be of any real benefit. It's just the government jumping on the 'green' bandwagon and pushing the applications through regardless. it's virtually impossible to stop them - the whole thing has been set up so that people in the local areas can't really do much about it.

For more info see our campaign website - there is quite a lot of documentation on there about the noise etc and I think there is some horse related stuff too - effects of shadow flicker etc.

www.awfals.org.uk
 
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We've got them near us.

Never heard them or caused any problems. Obviously if you stand next to them there is an audible swooshing but I'm assuming you won't be hacking that close.

All very flat here in the fens so noise travels and still haven't ever "heard" them.
 
They are not as loud as people think that they are. I have stood right underneath one and struggled to tell what was the traffic noise and what was the wind turbine!!
 
I am having a 15m one built in my yard. Im not that worried about it and the horses will just have to get used to it i'm afraid.
 
My old loan mare was kept in a field 500m from 10 wind turbines. Not only did I never hear them but, she never had any problem with them either. They were built whilst she was kept in the field, and although the horses were unsettled for the first couple of days they were being built, after that they didn't care!
 
We've got them on the local estate, maybe bout 3 miles away from our house but my old yard was a lot closer. They are right on top of the moors and I used to hack quite close to them on the neighbouring estate. Never heard anything or had any problems, the community also got a huge cash grant as compensation for the road disruption when they were being put up.
All the cables had to be laid under the "main" road through our area, my youngster was only 4 at the time and we had to hack along a stretch of that road daily. As it was dug up 4 or 5 times over the space of bout 9 months it was really good for de-sensitising him to traffic, roadworks etc as a baby so in a way I think it did us a lot of good :D
 
We have a small one near our yard, the hunt horses have no issue with it, my hacking buddy has no issue with it, but my horse has been past twice, first time he cantered past at walking speed, second time he walked past it then freaked when it was behind him. It’s a quiet country lane thought so plenty of room for freak outs and he’s getting better. Farmer used to have horses turned out in the field with it! If my horse doesn’t get used to it going to ask farmer if I can chuck him out in the field for a week and feed him underneath it to get him used to it.

It does make a noise but more of a whooshing noise.
 
I would like to point out one obvious thing - wind turbines only make a noise when it's windy i.e. when there is wind noise anyway! I went night lambing on a farm I had never visited in daylight and in the morning I got the shock of my life when i walked from the shepherds hut to the lambing shed and saw a HUGE wind turbine towering over me :eek: It had been going all night but I never heard it over the normal wind noise. A friend used to regularly hack a very sharp TB directly under several wind turbines and never had a problem.

Factors like noise and efficiency do depend on the make and model of turbine - not all are the same so it is worth finding out which is proposed by your neighbour. Plus why not just talk to him about your concerns and get it out in the open :)
 
Hi,

We obviously have a lot more wind turbines here and no never had a problem with them.

Horses do seem to get used to things in all honesty mine moved to a yard at the end of last year that had a fast train line on the otherside of the road from the school soon got used to it.

We are now on the final approach to the runway at Schipol (think Jumbo Jets coming in) and sometimes it is so loud you have to stop speaking.....horses care not a jot and even ignore the noise when being worked.
 
We have a couple quite close to a bridlepath. Since the BHS wasn't consulted I can only guess that they are just beyond the statutary distance from the b/p. My horse was very surprised when he saw them at first - thumping heart through the saddle. "What's that?????" But when he realised they weren't going to chase after him he lost interest and I have been past a few tiimes now and he takes no interest at all.
 
There is no stautory distance in the UK. I have several in my district and really cant say I have had any problems. One of the biggest is a farm of 8 turbines. The closest houses are 750m and you cant hear them at all at that distance. On a still day they are not going. On a windy day the wind noise masks the turbine swoosh. Ocasionaly you can get strange sound effetcs inside houses with multiple turbines but Icant see how it would affect a horse at all.
 
My friends have wind turbines almost in their back garden, they are the largest ones I have ever seen - much bigger than the ones I have seen in the UK - more like the offshore ones I have seen! They barely make any noise (I have to shut my eyes and really 'listen' for them unless I am actually underneath them) and it is pretty much the same sort of level as trees rustling in the wind. The only thing I am not keen about them, is they can, depending on where they are sited, time of day etc, cause some strange shadow effects (strobing) which is distracting while driving.
 
There are about 20 where I am on top of the mountain. They have never caused any problems to be honest with you. My previous TB was a 4yo when I had him and didn't bat an eyelid and my new 5yo did nothing either. The worst bit isn't the sound but it's the shadows on the floor turning aroudn when suny. But mine just snorts a bit. Go out with someone bombproof first and I'm sure you will be fine. They really aren't that bad. Good Luck!
 
http://whiteleewindfarm.co.uk/outdoor_pursuits?nav

A nearby windfarm (largest in Europe) encourages riders to ride out around the windfarm. I have seen a couple of riders out and about there and they didn't have a problem. I would have loved to have asked them if their horses were ok with them from the start or if they took a bit of time to get used to them.

As for the noise, i think you'd get used to it, they aren't too bad. I think its like anything I live next to a main road and at first the noise of traffic used to annoy me or keep me awake but now i hardly notice it.
 
I think it depends on the turbine - the smaller ones can be the noisiest - I have one 20m from my bedroom window and I can't sleep, the dogs bark at it and the woman who has just put it up is virtually deaf anyway :rolleyes:

The council are currently on her case. The horses can detect it from a long way off but I expect they will get used to it - the main problem is that the noise changes as it turns which always makes things harder for them to understand.
 
Wind farms on land are no where as efficient as those at sea.
Wind farms do generate a noise which can effect local residents.
The rotating turbines cause shadows on the ground and in bright sunshine can reflect the sunshine blinding anyone nearby.
During cold weather ice can form on the blades of the turbines which is projected off them as they rotate.
Under current legislation the BHS are not informed of the erection of wind turbines close to roads or Public Rights of Ways used by horses.
If a wind farm is being erected near a road or Public Right of Way then I would suggest that in response to the planning application you ask that a new completely circular Public Right of Way of 'Restricted Byway' status is placed on the ground around the wind turbine farm at no closer than 10 times the total height of the wind turbines so that riders can completely avoid them.
Also during the construction stage of the wind turbine site ensure that all contractors vehicles are made aware that there may be horse riders using the local roads.
 
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