Attractive nuisance
 

I have done a little research on the subject but it is mostly directed at children and natural land features such as quarries or ponds. Are horses considered an "attractive nuisance"? I know it varies state to state; I live in Florida.

The reason I ask is because our neighbor seems to think she can wonder over anytime she likes and "visit" the animals. We have asked her to please come to the front door and announce herself first. We would not mind taking her to see the horses and cattle etc but she just does not seem to get it at all. She thinks that just what neighbors do! We even brought up the issue of liability in case of injury and her response was, "Oh B.S.! That doesn't stand here in the state of Florida and besides, I would never sue you. " Last words of a fool right?

One of the horses is a big true 18 hand warmblood who thinks everyone is his friend! He doesn't help matters when he follows people around like a puppy dog. LOL!

We are going to place the liability signs you see at other equine facilities. We have talked to this woman until we are blue in the face and even have tried to fence her out but she just climbs over our no-climb fence and walks around the yard and pasture.

This is the same woman who shoots hogs almost nightly at the feeders. She also has feeders for the deer which bring in the coons and other small critters but she shoots the small critters at the feeders too. WASTE ALL THE MEAT!!! So illegal.....but that is another topic......

Any thoughts, advice or ideas?

If you have been nice and firm and I do believe you have, tell her to stay off your property unless she complies with your rules........period. She is trouble or she would honor your wishes. Let her get hurt and she will be more trouble. If she did not do what I asked, I would contact the sheriff, neighbor or not.

Talk to her again, and secretly record it so you can be heard telling her to stay off your property. Or better yet, have someone there with a camera in her face, so she knows the conversation is being recorded.

Simple solution - file a "trespassing" complaint at the local sherrif's or police department. They will inform her to stay off your property unless invited. You do NOT need a neighbor like that as a "friend." Also ALL states have in place a law stating that firearms cannot be discharged/shot within a set footage of a residence, so she may also be breakig the law by endangering your home, your animals, yourselves.

I agree I would be talking to local law enforcement at this point because she just isn't going to listen.

I think you guys are 100% right. We have to get over the nicey-nice of trying to be friendly neighbors with her and let her know we are serious even if that means getting a LEO involved. We have gone beyond what we would normally do in this situation already.

There is 40 acres between our properties but her firearm of choice is a high powered rifle, a 30-30.

I live in GA and in my county, I can discharge a firearm from anywhere on my property as long as I am 50 yds from the public road.

Put up no trespassing signs and register them at the county court house and prosecute.

Have her sign a notarized statement saying you will have no liability in case of injury on your property

check your insurance coverage just so you know, here horses arean attrctive nessiance and as owner I need to carry special liability Ins. I'd try the sighned waiver before calling the sheiff, something similar to what riding staples use, the proplem with that is your kinda giving permision to roam the field, but at her own risk. If she can hit small critters from a pretty good distance tread carefully before ----ing her off. Some people just don't get it. Is there a chance the novality will wear off and this will end on it's own?

How about electrifying that fence?

SBJ

Sounds like she is the attractive nuisance. And a people user/intimidator. Tell this Annie Oakley the game is over, in no uncertain terms. Then order her off your property, call the sheriff, and prosecute.

geo

I understand, I'm just concerned about her firearm manners and her accidentally shooting one of our animals. (And the fact that she thinks it's okay to come visit our animals without us knowing about it!) She recently killed a large hog near our fence line. She was on the 40 acres that is in between our properties. She HAD to have fired towards our place to kill it. I have no issue with shooting but I do have a problem with ignorant firearm handlers that do not realize that when they are shooting they have to take into consideration what is also beyond their target.

This is an easy fix. Simply string a single strand of electric fence on top of your no-climb fence. She will only grab that wire once before she gets the message.

We have thought about using electric wire over the top and will rethink it. I will bring this back up to my hubby. Also, she was doing this before we brought the horses home from the boarding facility. When we first moved here she came over to visit my veggie garden. She doesn't take anything from the garden, she just looks. When we got chickens, she came over to see them. When we got cattle she came to visit them too. Now the horses are home she wants to come see them. She comes over 'just because'...it's one thing or another with her and it is constant. Since we bought this place there hasn't been longer than three days that she hasn't called or wandered over! This evening we are going over to her place for a little social and let her know that she MUST come to the front door to visit first and if she wants to see the animals she must come to us and ASK or we will have to file a complaint or take more serious action. We do have "no trespassing" signs in places that are quite visible but she thinks she is immune to them just because we are neighbors. We do not mind having company over but I do mind seeing her head walking by the window when I am doing the dishes or seeing her walking around the pastures and trying to interact with all the livestock. I am worried about liability if she gets hurt and the fact that she is very inconsiderate and invades our privacy really irks me big time.
Thank you all for your advice :)

I would also worry that she might decide to start bringing treats to your horses and give them something harmful. We had neighbors dump bags of lawn clippings over a pasture fence several years ago. They were convinced that it was a nice treat for the horses and wouldn't believe that it could harm them.
The barn owner finally installed a double fence so they couldn't reach the inner fence.

I think she should have to call you first (Miss Manners). I mean, once she has come to the front door she has already interrupted your day and imposed on your privacy. I'm sure she won't like it, but you might as well get the "mad" over with all at once.

Sorry she just doesn't get the meaning of the word "No".

Tell her - and then call the sheriff if she doesn't comply.

Do you think this person has all her mental faculties to fully understand your message?

The biggest problem is that you are being too nice to her.

Even from over here, I am getting mixed messages about it. You keep saying that you don't really mind if she comes over, except.... Well, all she is hearing is the part where you really don't mind.

You must be very firm with her. You are being too neighborly. If you have to, get a restraining order against her. She is being extremely rude to just wander around your place like it is a public park.

I'd fix me a big Glass of Iced Tea, get out the old Boom Box with the most Obnoxious Tunes and a Lawn Chair head on over and hang out on her deck for a while. In a Speedo.

That teach her!

Invite a few of my Over weight, extremely obnoxious and overly hairy buds to come hang out too.

First let me say, I agree she should not be coming over without permission and wandering your property without your knowledge.

Second, I'm a pushover and tend to be overly nice to folks as well so I understand the being too neighborly.

Next, is she lonely? Since you mention she even "visits" your veggie garden, does she have a garden or any animals of her own? Perhaps if you were to try to help her get into something of her own to occupy her time and keep her off of your place?

Take video of you telling her not to come on your property without permission-useful later..
What really bothers me is her killing an animal and not using the meat,etc-disgusting-call the game warden on her.

Once again, until I knew otherwise, I would assume this person is a psychological manipulator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_manipulation ) and give her the heave-ho.....

geo

Every time I come across this thread I am reminded of a handful of young ladies whom I suffered to endure while incarcerated at the local high school, some years ago.

We saw her last evening and she seemed shocked and appalled but then apologized and said she would not come over so often and when she does she claims she will respect our privacy. We then proceeded to tell her that if she breaks our rules we will call the sheriff and completely ban her from our property. She looked hurt but I hope she got the message. Her reaction made me think about the mention of her being a few fries short of a happy meal. You guys may be right on that. Apparently her Mom lost her mind due to dementia disease. If that is the case with her, then how we deal with her is an entirely different ball game. Also, those who mentioned we have been too nice are 100% correct! I mentioned we have already gone beyond what we would normally do but we tried to be 'neighborly' first. No good deed goes unpunished....
We are going to string up some electric and see how that goes. As far as her wasting meat and calling fish and game....the hunt club near us has already done that and was told she has to be caught in the act.

And be sure and get a video of her grabbing it! :runforhills:

Be sure and put up lots of "Warning, Electric Fence" signs. She might get bit and want to cause trouble.

The fact that she says she won't come over as often and will try to respect your privacy when she does just tells me that you won't see her as often because she'll be sneaking around.

Ugh.

Froot loops!

:gossip: And then share it with us! ;)