Am I being unreasonable?

[Jessey]

My neighbour stocked his big pond with fish and has started setting off bird scarers, the ones you light a fuse and a blank shot gun cartridge goes off every so often for about 4/5 hours.

I’ve already nearly been trampled by Monkey being spooked by it. But I only heard it one evening and the following morning, so bit my tongue and let it be.

This morning he’s messaged to say they will now be set off every morning from 7.30.

I told him what happened last week and asked he find a less noisy solution, he declined, I told him I will hold him responsible if myself or the horses are injured, he said he’d wait to set them off after I’ve left in the morning.

Im tempted to call my insurance legal dept for advice. I don’t need my spooky muppet of a horse living on the edge all the time, but at least he’s 200m away, it’s worse for the little guys, it’s less than 50m from Hanks paddock.

 

[carthorse]

I'd call the BHS and see where you stand legally, and it may be worth a call to the council too in case there are bylaws governing the use of bird scarers. Not a lot of consolation but horses do tend to get used to noises like that after a while.

 

[chunky monkey]

Agree they will get use to the noise. We have a shooting school nearby and the horses get use to the bangs in the field. Although that mare I rode last year whilst happy in the field was not happy when i rode nearer to the bangs and given a chancewould have bolted.
They use a bird scarer on the farm on top when they've just drilled seed. But it's only for a couple of weeks. The horse round there seem to get us to it.
If your neighbour is going to be letting this off daily then it could be classed as a noise nuisance. I would speak to your local council and put in a complaint. If you can get some video evidence when it's going off, of the horses running up and down that will also help you case, as it's stock worrying.

 

[Trewsers]

In time they will get used to it because even spooky Joe our tb got used to the regular shooting at our last house. We would have fog (god know how the shooters can see to aim in that!) and a gaggle of middle aged blokes having a jolly behind our woods. Bang bang bang for hours - sometimes intermittently and sometimes in a volley.
And then other times we would have a party of them coming down parking on our road and helping themselves to anything that moved on our land (I didn't try and stop them to keep the peace as they'd always done it). Anyway long story short in the end even Storm got used to it. Though I'd never try and ride during it. If you're trying to ride then I appreciate its not ideal - and even just handling Monkey too if he's upset.
The only thing I would say is - if you are going to complain and possibly go down a legal route just be sure its what you want as sometimes it really can make matters worse. And the best of relations with neighbours can break down and it can turn into something you can't come back from and you'll never mend bridges so to speak.
Just a thought. Appreciate how vexing it is for you - and dangerous at the mo. But in time, could be a different story.
Up here farmers use crop scarers at all hours (hey its Orkney lol) and I believe there are rules in place but not adhered to totally. I don't care either way now I'm used to them and its only for a small part of the year anyway when they've got seedlings in.
Sorry long reply - just some thoughts.

 

[newforest]

Isn't that what scarecrows were used for?

 

[Frances144]

How awful. I do dispair of folk sometimes. x

 

[Jessey]

I don’t want to take legal action or lodge a complaint, but I always think it’s worth knowing where you stand before it becomes an issue.

I do hope Monkey and the others will get used to it, and it could be a blessing in disguise if he does, it just might be a rough few weeks until then. None of them fuss after the first fireworks of the season, so I hope they will

Last night I unlocked my car to grab something on my way out with Monkey, he’s doesn’t normally care but we got a big 4 foot spook, so he’s definitely excessively sensitive just now, even for him.