AIBU to carry on normal garden noise despite neighbour's nervous pony?

Contact your council's Regulatory department and ask for advice. They will be able to tell you what constitutes a noise nuisance and from what you have said you are making reasonable noise. Then you can pass on the advice when he complains next.

He just needs to move the pony to a better, quieter area.

My horse is much more scared if he can hear strange noises but not see what is causing them, than if he can see the source of the noise.

Yes this. Horses are herd animals and need company.

I would laugh and carry on with a normal family life.

Horses are scared of leaves, shadows and their own farts. He can threaten all the legal action he wants. I doubt very much he’d get anywhere.

Good fences make good neighbours. I would put up electric gates and close off your home to him. He isn’t reasonable so don’t try reasonable solutions, reach for the unreasonable ones you would not apply normally.

As others have said, the pony is likely nervous due to its living conditions of being alone, spending too much time time cooped up in a stable and having a highly strung owner. I also suspect the pony is likely an excuse and it’s the owner bothered by any noise. Can you see the pony? Does it seem to get chance to graze outside? Don’t worry about lawyers as he has no basis.

YANBU horses can get used to noise if they're living around it. How much land is he keeping the pony on? I'm concerned he's keeping it in a stable which could be adding to its anxiety if its not allowed to at least wander in a field and graze.

Horses, like most animals, are not designed to live in solitude and get nervy. Does it have a companion? If not id suggest to owner that he gets one. It doesn't need to be a horse. Goat, donkey, chicken, whatever...

I think all you can do is keep repeating “I’m sorry to hear your pony is upset, but this is normal household noise and we are going to continue to use our garden.”

When he threatens legal action stay calm, say “ok, we’ll wait to hear from your lawyers then”.

He has no case (unless you’re using your swing at 3 in the morning or something).

Worth checking your household insurance and employment benefits to see if you have any legal cover, and if so you could ring for advice for your peace of mind and to let them know about a potential issue.

Lawyers will write to you, you just respond that you are engaging in normal domestic activities, that the levels of noise are normal and reasonable, and that you are not making any changes.

In theory it could end up in legal action if he’s willing to throw money at it, which would be a hassle but he wouldn’t win.

I’d consider getting security cameras in case he escalates, and if you feel he’s harassing you then talk to the police for advice.

Another horse owner here, tell him to do one.
He should move the pony which shouln't be on it's own, plus it's not like you're letting off fireworks etc which would be a big no no

Your neighbour sounds a bit bonkers to me!

Of course you should carry on with your normal garden noise - it sounds like you are not doing anything that is out of the ordinary.

If your neighbour only has one horse, that stands to be a good reason for the problem. They are naturally herd animals, and they need other ponies / horses for company. Also, if it is stabled for long periods of time, again, that is not a natural for them. Yes, lots of horses are stabled, but they also need a good amount of turn out time too.

Your neighbour is the problem here, not you. The fact he has threatened legal action if you upset his horse, sounds to me like he is a bit batshit!

I’d be more concerned the pony lives in a stable. Does it go out in the field etc? Most are outside during the day and stabled at night which is when there shouldn’t be noise anyway?

They have placed a nervous pony next to a garden. It is very normal for noise to come from gardens. They can not be maintained in silence. Did they not think about this when they acquired the pony and chose where to accommodate it? This is not your problem.

He is very wealthy and has threatened legal action if his horse gets so upset

he hasn't got a leg to stand on.

how will he be able to prove the horse "got upset?"

on what legal basis will he take you to court?

If it's only ordinary levels of noise, he's being ridiculous and doesn't have a leg to stand on, legally. Someone as unpleasant as he sounds probably won't be swayed by normal concessions or attempts to limit noise within reason, so there's not much you can do. Just try to stay calm, don't rise to his threats, and be certain that noise levels are within legal limits.

This.
And when the legal action threat comes out of his mouth answer with 'Do it. Do it now. I'm not worried in the slightest. You have no legal recourse over my normal enjoyment of my garden. Any solicitor will explain this to you'.

I would not get into ANY suggestions about how or where he's keeping his animal/s. Keep it simple.
You're doing nothing wrong.
Any legal professional will tell him the same.
You'll be carrying on exactly as you are.
Good day.

I think everyone is right, but with these characters it is more about how you approach it. I'd suggest next time he complains calmly saying
"I'm sorry you feel that way, normal garden noise isn't a breach of any laws but you do whatever you feel is right. There's no point in is continuing to discuss this as we disagree, so I will leave it with you to do as you see fit"

The reality is, even if he is wealthy, there is no solicitor in the land who is going to take you to court (what court even!) Over normal garden noise within normal hours. The council will also not be interested. The sooner he raises this with an independent/objective person rather than you, the better. They will tell him it's nonsense and he will move on. I'd try and get it off your desk and let him call and bully his solicitor or some council official.

It's a problem when they're in a stable as their instinct is to run but not being able to do that means it's stressed and horses and ponies do stupid things when stressed.

As other posters said you can't move your garden and presumably he doesn't have a spare stable further away. The best solution is one of compromise. His pony should not be in during the day unless it's very hot, or it has laminitis or needs box rest. So is there a reason he can't turn it out during the day?

Maybe he should use some of his money to put his pony on a stable where there’s no daily normal residential noice.
I would just tell him the pony has to get used to it

You could live in silence and the pony will still be spooked by monstrous things such as a tree with a leaf out of place.

Let him get on with it.

Every single time he complains, just say ‘train it or move it’ and walk away.

Keep repeating, until he gets the message.

Am all for helping out neighbours and I do love animals but he has a farm. He has lots of land. He can move a pony... he must've known about the noise before he got the pony?

Let him contact councils/solicitors and waste his money. He'll soon hit a dead end on it because you've done nothing unreasonable.

There's nothing you can say or do as you can't reason with unreasonable. Just live your life and let him crack on with whatever legal action he thinks he can pursue.