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  Discussion on Riding past stud pasture
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Member:
mleeb

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 13, 2007 - 11:21 pm:

Hi
My daughter and I ride from home and would like to ride further north of our house, but always stop because the neighbors have a pasture bordering the road that holds 21 studs during fall, winter and spring, and 1 stud and a brood mare band in the summer. I've always been uncertain what the reaction of the pastured studs would be if we were to ride past, and opted not to find out. We have a few horses to choose from, so could take either mares or geldings on our ride. I just would hate to be there when 20+ percherons decided to take out the barb wire and hit the road with us. Any thoughts on this one? We'd like to have another place to ride as it is pretty limited right here.
Member:
amara

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 14, 2007 - 10:25 am:

have you talked to the farm owner about your concerns? at the very least give them a heads up.. maybe they could do some "trial runs" where you ride by and they are there to "pick up the pieces" if there are any...
can you ride on the opposite side of the road? the more distance between you and them the less of a threat the stud will think you are...

a pasture bred stud will mind his mananers better than most hand bred studs, because he's learned that the mares will kick the s%^& out of him if he approaches them when they dont want to... so it shouldnt be any problem to ride your mares past, but be wary if they are in season..

you have a right to use the roadway (as long as city ordinance allows it).. the first few feet from the road is also usually owned by the city too(as part of eminent domain), so while you dont want any horses getting loose, it would be the farm owners problem to reinforce the fencing if they felt their horses were that way..
Member:
ilona

Posted on Thursday, Feb 15, 2007 - 7:25 pm:

Something you may want to suggest to the gentleman concerned is the inexpensive addition of electro-braid fencing....of course, horses can plough through that, especially a Percheron, but most think twice with the 'zing' they get.
Wouldn't geldings be safer to ride than the mares in those circumstances...just my thoughts.
Member:
jmarie

Posted on Friday, Feb 16, 2007 - 10:14 am:

I agree with Ilona on the geldings vs mares thought. The scariest ride I ever had on my Paint mare was past a stud paddock on a nearby road. The boys were fine. They didn't give her a second look. She, however, went nuts, screaming and pulling and threatening to rear, and I really thought I was done for. We stayed on the far side of the road and were accompanied by a friend on a gelding, but that didn't help her attitude one bit. A mare I owned years ago had to be trained to walk past the stud paddock at the boarding farm, as that was the only way out of the driveway. Her thing was stopping, squatting, and refusing to move AT ALL. Even after she learned not to do that, when she was in season we simply gave up the road trips and stuck to the woods where we were guaranteed to be safe.

I don't know that I would expect the stud farm owner to pay for more fencing. After all, his horses haven't done anything wrong, so why should he incur more expense? You might offer to pay for the hot wire, but the maintenance would still be an issue.

Melissa's right; you do have a right to use the roadway. I think it would be wise, however, to go see the stud farm owner in person, explain what you want to do, get his feedback, and talk over how you might work out a trial run with him present to oversee his boys. "Rights" don't necessarily trump common sense. If your mare is a problem for his stallions, that's on you, in my opinion.
Member:
jojo15

Posted on Friday, Feb 16, 2007 - 12:00 pm:

i might try the geldings first, and see what transpires. do they run up to anything new or not? and see how they respect the fence. You might be surprised in they ignore you... and when you drive up and get out of your car what do they do?

Then maybe a nicely worded note in the owners mailbox, asking for his help. and your phone number. Letting him know, That you want to ride past that pasture but worry, and don't want to create an unnecessary emergency or stampede. That you ride with your young daughter. have mares, etc...And would he please call you so that you can start to establish riding past. Also, explaining what you just did here, that there is more places, better trails, to ride going in that direction.

Because if his horses do get out of his property the expense, the repairs, any damage, and the emergencies are all his to bare on you, and on your horses. I wouldn't necessarily say that till, or if he gets snotty or you're at an impasse. But responsible owners know these things, you first have to assess the owner.
Member:
mleeb

Posted on Friday, Feb 23, 2007 - 7:54 pm:

I'm not too concerned about the "who gets the bill for the fence" part of it, as I used to work for the neighbors and know them well. I'm just wondering what should I expect in the animal behavior department? Is it realistic to think they might come through the fence? I wouldn't ride the mares past there, and probably not even a gelding in spring when the hormones are high. But, later on if I was riding a horse that I was confident in, just how worried should I be about the horses on the other side of the fence? Being accosted by a territorial stud could be dangerous to say the least. The fence is pretty standard 3 strand barb wire, the pasture it borders is at least 40 acres.
Member:
ilona

Posted on Saturday, Feb 24, 2007 - 11:53 pm:

3 strands of barbed wire wouldn't even stop a frightened small horse never mind a determined, territorial Percheron stud. That said, have you spoken to the neighbours and asked them how these stallions behave around other horses not in their herd. Does their pasture border another with a different herd, what happens when mares come in heat in the other pasture (if there is one). I would explore the behavioral history of these horses with their owner and ask them for their suggestions. After all this is a mutual issue. Its really helpful that you know them so well as it means you can probably have a good, informed and co-operative result.
Member:
jmarie

Posted on Sunday, Feb 25, 2007 - 9:44 am:

I am inclined to agree with Ilona. I'm not clear on why you haven't just called the neighbor and discussed this with him. Taking unnecessary chances seems an unusual way of dealing with people you know well and have worked for. I'd be more concerned that the studs (Barbed wire??? Geez!) might hurt themselves. I don't get why knowing him well would obviate the necessity for discussing who would bear the cost of adding hot wire to the fence, but that's between you and the farmer.

Talk to the farm owner. If you're afraid he'll try to talk you out of riding there, then maybe you need to rethink the whole idea. He might know something you don't know, and you'd be wise to approach him with an open mind.
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