How much noise does a horse make?

[almostthere]

This from my local paper.

Keeper of horse and donkey wins battle over complaining neighbors
By BYRON ROHRIG Courier & Press staff writer 464-7426 or blrohrig@evansville.net
December 15, 2004

A group of seven East Side residents lost their bid to deny a neighbor permits to keep a donkey and a horse on his property. The Animal Control Commission voted 3-2 Tuesday to license Steve Miller to keep his animals at his home at 8020 Lincoln Ave.

After the vote, resident Phyllis Ralph questioned the intelligence of board members who voted to renew Miller's permits.

The attorney she and her husband, Hugh, hired to argue their case declared three board members should be removed from office.

The vote followed a debate that lasted more than an hour. A chorus of complaints was voiced over noise, stench and marked increases in biting insects and bird droppings blamed on Miller's animals.

"Those people don't have the mentality to be on the board," Phyllis Ralph said of Teddy Stucki, Jamie Weber and Sam Elder. Elder moved to grant Miller's request to renew his horse license and elevate his probationary donkey permit to a permanent one. Debbie Calloway and board President Marlin Beck voted no.

Attorney Toby Shaw II saved his best blasts for Stucki, charging moments after the vote that Stucki "stuck things in his ears and didn't hear anything anyone had to say."

Stucki said he made repeated trips to Miller's place and didn't smell or hear any of the irritants of which neighbors complained: "If something is going on, surely we ought to be able to catch it, write a citation and go from there."

Miller had been issued citations by Animal Control officers, according to meeting testimony.

Ed Ziemer, director of city Transportation and Services, recommended the large-animal permits be revoked. Animal Control is part of Ziemer's department. Beck argued, too, for denial. He said he was distressed that Miller, though now apparently with proper permits, got them only after city officials caught him without them. And Beck scolded Miller for never proposing to respond to his neighbors' complaints. "I know you're an animal lover. I am an animal lover. But I love my neighbors, also," Beck said.

"It is a nuisance. It is a hell," said Wally Khan of 510 Winchester Drive, who complained of noise and stench. Dennis Tretter of 7948 E. Oak St. said he liked to eat in his back yard in the summertime. "But this summer, the flies were eating more of my supper than I was."

Miller denied wrongdoing. Shaw said Miller hasn't heard the last of it. "We're going to get that license revoked, come hell or high water."

[second_noah]

Funny thing, I used to eat INSIDE the barn with 8 horses all around me in the SUMMER and I wasn't 'swarmed' by flies and biting insects...and the only time my horses ever uttered a peep was when it was time to eat or they were talking to others out on the trail...

If he's taking care of them then in my opinion, these other people need to buzz off and find someone new to harrass.

Go figure...some people would complain if you hung them with a brand new rope...

~Christina

[comfortablynumb]

while I was renovating the house, my horse STALL was my porch, and he used to have his head in the dining room window half the day... he liked the TV (no kiddin).

I needed my porch back to I built him his own house..

people are so clean sterile and picky... ugh.

[HarleysMom]

When I used to live in the 'burbs, one of my neighbors complained constantly to animal control about my 2 dogs and 1 cat. He had a trap and caught about 8 cats and took them to the animal control center and told them the cat was mine and a nuisance. They would call me each time, but my cat was in the house with me. Then he would call and complain that my dogs were barking constantly. The animal control guy would come out, I wasn't home during the day, but he said the dogs never once barked at him when he left a complaint notice. So I called the animal control office and they told me that they now realized that my neighbor was a problem and they quit responding to any of his complaints. This neighbor was behind me. I contacted my other neighbors and they had no problem at all with my animals. My dogs were in the house with me when I was home and slept in the bedroom with me at night. I didn't care for living in town anymore so just decided to get the he(ll) out. I now live in the boonies with donkeys and chickens and ducks and 2 dogs and 2 cats. I actually have fewer flies with all those animals than I did for the two years before I got them. But anyway, someone who would sit outside and eat when the flies are so bad is missing some marbles. He could probably build a screened-in porch with the money that he is shelling out for a lawyer.

[kabri]

Well, if the horse is anything like my neighbors, I could understand the "noise" issue. She's so herd bound that she screams like she's being killed the whole time he takes his gelding somewhere without her. We've gotten used to it, but my gosh, that mare is LOUD!!!!!

I used to be able to smell my neighbor's 3 horses when she first moved them into her new barn next to our place. Then we got our own horses and I don't notice it anymore :haha:

[cathyharrell]

My daughter's horse Toby is quiet unless he sees a sack of cake or if he looks up and notices the cows have left him. Then he says something and takes off to find them.

[caberjim]

We lived in a house several years back that bordered a field with 2 draft horses. Never smelled anything. Almost no noise aside from the occasional snorts which I enjoyed hearing in the morning. And no flies that I noticed. Only problem was that our cocker spaniel would dig under the fence, follow them around and eventually start rolling in the manure. I had to climb the fence and haul his smell but back over to our yard.

[RenieB]

There are some neighbors that aren't happy unless they have spmething to complain about. We have areas in out town that are zoned for lifestock. Where we live is. So really there is nothing anyone can do if we have a pig, horse, or any livestock, unless we weren't taking care of them. To me the sound of an animal is soothing and much more pleasant than some of the music my neighbors play loudly. Even their music is not loud enough for me to complain about.

RenieB