HELP! Horse trespassing in garden!

JennyP

I know this isn't about buying or renting property but it is a land/property issue.

My elderly parents live next to a disused railway track. There hasn't been trains on it for years but it is still owned by the railways. It connects two lines that cross near my parents home so you can walk along the tracks and onto live train lines.

Anyway, a local man keeps horses and never has them securely fenced in. Last summer a small pony repeatedly got onto the disused railway and into my parents garden. It was small so mum shooed it away and we barricaded the bottom of the garden where it was coming in.

A really large horse has now started to come in. It can't get through the barricade but it comes along the railway bank and then down into my parents garden. I can't describe it well but it would be difficult to put a barricade in place to prevent this. It could be fenced at the top but that's railway land not my parents land. It's been in three or four times this week.

My dad is very elderly and has had a stroke and I worry about the consequences of him coming face to face with a large horse when he's in the garden.

Mum has rung the RSPCA who have visited and said the horses are not being ill-treated (though if they get on the live railway line which they easily could they'd be killed and heaven only knows what sort of consequences it could have on a passenger train). The RSPCA therefore won't do anything. The police say that since it's the horse doing damage and not the man it's not a police issue.

The police did ring the man. The first time they called he was aggressive and rude to them and denied it was his horse. Then today he said he would go and talk to my parents about it.

I am not at all happy for him to visit my parents - if he's rude to the police, he doesn't sound like the sort of man who'd be considerate of OAPs - I'm worried he'll be aggressive and upset them - or worse.

What can we do? Something ideally that doesn't cost my parents a fortune in fencing (or involve them trespassing on railway land) and that doesn't cause conflict with this man, given that he might be the sort of person who could cause trouble.

Ideas appreciated!

Jen

jonewer

What police did you call? Local or British Transport Police? If the former, try the latter. Mind, if its dis-used then its not a live track surely?

JennyP

No, it's not a live track - there's about 1 mile of track (or less) running between two live tracks. Mum has tried normal police and is trying railways police. I'll post when I've an update. Any more ideas? Surely an animal (especially a big one) can't just wander into someone's garden, on a regular basis, and do damage to lawns and flowerbeds (plus it's kicked over some stone walling) and nothing be able to be done about it.

SimbaSimon

JennyP wrote: »

I know this isn't about buying or renting property but it is a land/property issue.

My elderly parents live next to a disused railway track. There hasn't been trains on it for years but it is still owned by the railways. It connects two lines that cross near my parents home so you can walk along the tracks and onto live train lines.

Anyway, a local man keeps horses and never has them securely fenced in. Last summer a small pony repeatedly got onto the disused railway and into my parents garden. It was small so mum shooed it away and we barricaded the bottom of the garden where it was coming in.

A really large horse has now started to come in. It can't get through the barricade but it comes along the railway bank and then down into my parents garden. I can't describe it well but it would be difficult to put a barricade in place to prevent this. It could be fenced at the top but that's railway land not my parents land. It's been in three or four times this week.

My dad is very elderly and has had a stroke and I worry about the consequences of him coming face to face with a large horse when he's in the garden.

Mum has rung the RSPCA who have visited and said the horses are not being ill-treated (though if they get on the live railway line which they easily could they'd be killed and heaven only knows what sort of consequences it could have on a passenger train). The RSPCA therefore won't do anything. The police say that since it's the horse doing damage and not the man it's not a police issue.

The police did ring the man. The first time they called he was aggressive and rude to them and denied it was his horse. Then today he said he would go and talk to my parents about it.

I am not at all happy for him to visit my parents - if he's rude to the police, he doesn't sound like the sort of man who'd be considerate of OAPs - I'm worried he'll be aggressive and upset them - or worse.

What can we do? Something ideally that doesn't cost my parents a fortune in fencing (or involve them trespassing on railway land) and that doesn't cause conflict with this man, given that he might be the sort of person who could cause trouble.

Ideas appreciated!

Jen

Perhaps try the local council? I guess something similar to a dog warden but for larger animals? Could it pose a danger to children or similar given its a large horse? They can kick or chase sometimes.

tizerbelle

I can't advice on the legalities although have you contacted network rail - are they aware horses are going onto their land. They may well sort the matter themselves and have more funds to do so.

Unless there is some absolutely amazing, can't be got anywhere else, super horse tempting greenery in your parents garden then you don't need a major barricade to prevent the horse getting in.

A couple of fence posts with 3/4 taut strands of wire (not barbed) running across is all you need. It's a rare horse that will demolish / jump / destroy a fence and then there usually has to be a horse-related reason for it.

Alternatively you could look at getting some electric fencing - sounds extreme but once it's been in place a while and the horse has had it's muzzle zapped once or twice, they soon learn, you can actually disconnect the power source and have it as just a fence. Mum's horse hates the electric fence and on the rare occassions it is used to seperate a part of the field off now - he won't go within 10m of it - even if he hasn't seen it for 6 months.

sonastin

Have you tried Network Rail? They might be interested from the point of view of the horses getting onto the live tracks. And they might be willing to enter into an arrangement which allows you to fence off the place where it is easier to put the fence in provided you don't then start claiming possession of the land - providing they don't use the land for anything else. At the very least I would think it is worth a phone call to raise the issue and ask the question.

Edit: I see tizerbelle beat me to it!

JennyP

I wondered about electric fencing but it does seem mean. My main worry is that mum will try to the horse - she used to have one and is a farmer's daughter, so she's not scared of them but at her age, it wouldn't be wise. It's a big one and they do bite and kick!

tizerbelle

SimbaK2K wrote: »

They can kick or chase sometimes.

:rotfl:Sorry, are you talking about the kids here?

Yes, horses can kick but you have to be up close to them in the first place for it to connect. Horses are generally docile and will not just chase and "attack" people for no reason - shetland ponies though is another matter!

Horses natural instinct if they feel threatened is to run first and then after 3 miles I think is the natural avaerage flight distance and then stop and check if the danger is gone.

A bit like dogs, don't worry about the giant ones - it's the little ones you have to worry about.

jonewer

Incyder wrote: »

You could get a roll of that bright orange builders plastic fencing and put it at the top of the garden with some wooden posts and a sledgehammer. It may work, its cheap enough to try.

Thats quite a gratuitous and grotesque picture to post for no reason.

tizerbelle

JennyP wrote: »

I wondered about electric fencing but it does seem mean. My main worry is that mum will try to the horse - she used to have one and is a farmer's daughter, so she's not scared of them but at her age, it wouldn't be wise. It's a big one and they do bite and kick!

It's just a low wattage zap - think of occassions when you've had a static shock of a car or something - it's no more than that and they do learn quickly.

As your mum is a farmer's daughter I am sure she will still be able to read the signs of horses - if the ears go back flat against his head, leave him alone - he doesn't want to be approached. Are you sure though that mum hasn't been giving them the odd crafty snack - which is why it is coming back?

p.s. my great-aunt kept horses until she was well into her eighties - frail or no, she was never hurt by a horse.

Incyder

An electric fence or energiser as they are called, is going to cost £100 for a cheap one plus the tape and poles.

http://www.rutland-electric-fencing.co.uk/

http://www.rutland-electric-fencing.co.uk/PageAnimalEquine.aspx