Need advice re: horses in derelict field

Ziegfeldgirl27

We live in a housing estate. At the back of our house, there is an old derelict field that nobody owns. A man, who does not live in our estate, keeps five or six horses in this field. He also keeps more horses in other derelict fields around our town - he does not own any of the fields but he keeps some horses in them.

Anyway, about a year ago he put a metal bale feeder into the field behind our house. He placed it, and I am not joking, about two meters from our back garden. I could not believe that anyone in their right mind would put a bale feeder so close to someone's house. The horses surrounded this bale feeder for the most part of the day and at night I could hear them kicking it. My father went around to the mans house and told them that it was too close and perhaps he could move it. He moved it further back several days later.
When he transports new hay to the horses, he drives a tractor through our estate and into the field and the estate is just covered in muck after he leaves. It's disgusting.

This morning he arrived in his tractor, but instead of putting the hay in the feeder which is some distance away from our garden now, he just put the hay bale about four meters from our fence. It is just too close for my liking. The horses are so dirty and smelly, and when I was in our garden with my dog earlier the smell was just horrible.

I just want some advice - surely there is someone I could call to tell them about this? Environmental Health? USPCA? This man obviously has no regard for us if he keeps putting the hay bales too close to us. The horses don't bother coming up this close to our fence - only if the hay is there. It is driving me insane, I don't like horses and the smell is unbearable to me.

cypressg

sounds like it's his field

Ziegfeldgirl27

It's not his field. It's nobody's field.
I know of at least two other locations where he keeps horses, all just derelict, waste ground fields.

cypressg

They could all be his fields.

Ziegfeldgirl27

Listen, it is well known in this town that they are not his fields. What I need here is advice on whether or not there is something i can do to keep them away from our fence.

antocann

contact the local council , but as other's have said , it sounds more like it is his land , you have no proof it is or is not , hearsay is not valid proof ,

Cedrus

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

It's not his field. It's nobody's field.
I know of at least two other locations where he keeps horses, all just derelict, waste ground fields.

There is no land in this country which is not owned by a person or an organisation the first thing you need to do is get your facts straight.

A visit to the land registry will tell you who owns the land. If the horse man is not the owner you could possibly complain to the owner, if the horses are being abused or neglected, you could complain to the ISPCA or the county council veterinary section.
You could also complain to the Gardai and the council if the mud he is leaving on the road is so excessive as to cause a driving hazard, but this is likely to be subjective and their judgement may not agree with yours.

There is also no such thing as "derelict, waste ground fields" if the fields are zoned for agriculture he's perfectly entitled to keep horses there.

username123

How do you know nobody owns the field? I would be honestly surprised if in Ireland any land existed that is not owned by a private individual, a county council, a town council or a company. It may be owned by the council and he has an arrangement to keep the horses there? It would seem unlikely that he is keeping horses, providing hay bales etc... and no permission to do so. Of course I could be wrong.

Your first step should be your local county council. Find out who owns the field. Find out if the guy has permission to keep horses there. He probably
does, but you can address a complaint to the owner of the field.

On a practical note, perhaps growing some large thick bushes along your back fence (or building a wall) might help with your garden privacy?

Ziegfeldgirl27

Sorry folks, I just spoke to my father who said that the church of ireland are the owners of the field. I thought that nobody owned it! It is a very rocky area of land, very uneven ground and there is the remains of an old railway bridge in it.

mathepac

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

Listen, it is well known in this town that they are not his fields. ....

We're listening, but you need more evidence than that supplied by bar-room lawyers. He could have rented the land or it belongs to his distant relative

Ziegfeldgirl27

But couldn't this guy have put the hay bale further away from us?

Cedrus

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

But couldn't this guy have put the hay bale further away from us?

Why should he, your house was probably built on farmland so you need to adapt to the farming not expect the farming to adapt to you.

It's quite likely given the last years weather and your complaint about mud, that the field is too soft to drive a tractor across and if he did so he would create deep ruts that would be hazardous for the horses and would also result in more mud being deposited on your road.

HarrisonLennon

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

But couldn't this guy have put the hay bale further away from us?

Yes...

Pumpkinseeds

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

We live in a housing estate. At the back of our house, there is an old derelict field that nobody owns. A man, who does not live in our estate, keeps five or six horses in this field. He also keeps more horses in other derelict fields around our town - he does not own any of the fields but he keeps some horses in them.

Anyway, about a year ago he put a metal bale feeder into the field behind our house. He placed it, and I am not joking, about two meters from our back garden. I could not believe that anyone in their right mind would put a bale feeder so close to someone's house. The horses surrounded this bale feeder for the most part of the day and at night I could hear them kicking it. My father went around to the mans house and told them that it was too close and perhaps he could move it. He moved it further back several days later.
When he transports new hay to the horses, he drives a tractor through our estate and into the field and the estate is just covered in muck after he leaves. It's disgusting.

This morning he arrived in his tractor, but instead of putting the hay in the feeder which is some distance away from our garden now, he just put the hay bale about four meters from our fence. It is just too close for my liking. The horses are so dirty and smelly, and when I was in our garden with my dog earlier the smell was just horrible.

I just want some advice - surely there is someone I could call to tell them about this? Environmental Health? USPCA? This man obviously has no regard for us if he keeps putting the hay bales too close to us. The horses don't bother coming up this close to our fence - only if the hay is there. It is driving me insane, I don't like horses and the smell is unbearable to me.

If you think that the horses are being neglected then you need to contact the ISPCA immediately.

Boombastic

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

If you think that the horses are being neglected then you need to contact the ISPCA immediately.

I think the issue is more the smell and the muck left in the estate, it's not in keeping with the area. They seem to be fed and attended to otherwise?

Ziegfeldgirl27

Boombastic wrote: »

I think the issue is more the smell and the muck left in the estate, it's not in keeping with the area. They seem to be fed and attended to otherwise?

^^ This x1000. It is definitely not in keeping with our area. ever since this housing estate was built 15 years ago, that field was empty until the last couple of years when this man left the horses in there one day.

farmer_dave

If your house is beside the access to the field then I'd fully expect him to place the ring feeder there as driving a tractor across land at this time of year would leave the field in a mess and put even more mud on your estate.

However, there is an onus on him not to make a mess when accessing land.

You need to speak to the CoI and make your complaint to them and take it from there.

Ziegfeldgirl27

If he put the feeder near the gate where he accesses this field then there would be no problem at all, it is not near any houses. It's just that he drives the tractor in the gate, turns left and drives a bit so he is right at the back of our house. I don't know why he does that.

3ndahalfof6

How secure are the rest of the boundaries in the field, have you spoken to him or is it just your father? if you have not maybe you should, maybe if you spoke to him explaining your concerns he might have more empathy,

also he might not, but by him meeting the person he is directly effecting could lead him to rethink his position.

Ziegfeldgirl27

I genuinely don't know how secure the boundaries are. Only my father has spoken to this man. Me and my father live together so we are both affected, but next time I see him delivering more hay I am going to tell him that I don't think it's appropriate that the hay is dumped so close to our fence.

I took my dog in just now, and all i can smell off her hair is the horses! We don't live in the country so I am not used to these sort of things, I am quite sensitive to farm smells!

3ndahalfof6

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

I genuinely don't know how secure the boundaries are. Only my father has spoken to this man. Me and my father live together so we are both affected, but next time I see him delivering more hay I am going to tell him that I don't think it's appropriate that the hay is dumped so close to our fence.

I took my dog in just now, and all i can smell off her hair is the horses! We don't live in the country so I am not used to these sort of things, I am quite sensitive to farm smells!

When you are talking to him remember softly softly catches the monkey, say, while you do like looking at the horses in the field it is the placement of the feed he is providing for them at times that is you problem (to close to your house)

this will give him some type of association with you (you like horses) and might make it a lot easier for him to understand where you are coming from,

making it easier for him to do what you are looking for, (some men can be very ignorant but when given a bit of ground to work from they feel as if they are doing you a great favor),

I think they call it reverse psychology.

Jen Pigs Fly

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

I took my dog in just now, and all i can smell off her hair is the horses! We don't live in the country so I am not used to these sort of things, I am quite sensitive to farm smells!

I love the smell of horses if you're gunna live in the country you should get used to it, this man is feeding his horses in what is probably a dry, sheltered area in a possibly very rocky, muddy area, which is minimising the risk of mud rash and hoof issues in his horses - good owner in my book, you complaining could mean his horses may need to stand in a more muddy place in order to eat and void result in hay wastage.

I feel rather insulted that horses 'smell' they're just like any other animal who ave just as much right to be there as you.

Ziegfeldgirl27

To be honest folks, I wish I hadn't posted this at all. A lot of you seem to have picked me up wrong. Some of you have given me great advice which I appreciate.
If you saw the field I am talking about, you would agree that it is not suitable. How can you describe this field as being a dry, sheltered area when you have not seen it?
The issue I had was that the owner has placed the hay too close to our fence. I thought perhaps I could call environmental health and see if they could enforce something but now I realise they probably cannot do anything. I am going to wait until the owner comes along with more hay and I will ask him to move it away from our house.
Do you really think horses have a right to live in a housing estate? And why on earth should I get used to country smells when I do not live in the country nor do I intend to?
Perhaps I posted this in the wrong forum. I know we all like animals here and I do too, but it seems I have been totally misunderstood here. Perhaps a mod could close this thread now.

SillyMangoX

There is an equestrian forum on here too, maybe that might get some better responses than here? I think your best bet would be to talk to the horses owner, he probably doesn't realise that having the horses so near to your house is causing problems and might be happy to move them away from you!

antocann

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

To be honest folks, I wish I hadn't posted this at all. A lot of you seem to have picked me up wrong. Some of you have given me great advice which I appreciate.
If you saw the field I am talking about, you would agree that it is not suitable. How can you describe this field as being a dry, sheltered area when you have not seen it?
The issue I had was that the owner has placed the hay too close to our fence. I thought perhaps I could call environmental health and see if they could enforce something but now I realise they probably cannot do anything. I am going to wait until the owner comes along with more hay and I will ask him to move it away from our house.
Do you really think horses have a right to live in a housing estate? And why on earth should I get used to country smells when I do not live in the country nor do I intend to?
Perhaps I posted this in the wrong forum. I know we all like animals here and I do too, but it seems I have been totally misunderstood here. Perhaps a mod could close this thread now.

best thing to do is contact the council op , they will sort it out

DBB

OP, as you have requested the thread is closed, I'll do so.
However, for future reference, if people want mods to do any thread closures or editing, please send a PM. We don't necessarily read every thread, I just happened upon this request now.
Thanks,
DBB