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

does he not have anywhere else he could move the pony to? I think normal garden noise should be expected. Maybe you could give him a heads up on tankers arriving as a compromise? Do you have legal protection with your house insurance they might be able to advise

He hasn't got a leg to stand on. His choice to have a nervous pony located there and of course you are going to make normal garden noise. Make no concessions to this bullying man: if you give him an inch he'll take a mile.

Unless it is excessive or early or late this is the noise of normal life. I would tell him that and suggest if he doesn’t agree he contacts the council. I would tell him to stop harassing me and if he fails to heed that warning I will take legal action of my own. Good day.

He needs to move the horse to a quieter location then, and I think that's all you can tell him. He has absolutely no chance of any legal action because you're only making perfectly normal, reasonable day time noise on your own property. What have you said to him so far when he's complained? I'd be telling him to crack on with legal action if that's what he wants to do but that no solicitor in their right mind is going to say he can stop you from using your own garden because his horse gets upset by noise, and that surely the sensible thing to do for everyone is to move the horse. As a PP said, if he carries on threaten your own legal action for harassment.

I can’t see how you could be U if all is as described. If your normal garden use means making lots of sudden banging noises that probably would distress the horse but the answer is still for him to move it elsewhere on the property if you couldn’t or wouldn’t stop banging

You are just doing normal things in your garden. Horses and ponies are nuts and scared of everything but you can't make this man dictate what you can do in your own home. There is a horse and pony board on MN it might be interesting to get some views on there - The Tack Room. I am not a horse owner but have some experience on a farm where the livery horses were apparently scared of the pigs. The pigs weren't moved but the horses were eventually taken elsewhere for different reasons.

He needs to put up a fence.

Yanbu.
And I expect if he went to see a solicitor they would tell him to move the horse!

Generally horses become less skittish with more exposure to things (eg. Our horse was terrified of tractors rattling by his stable until he wasn’t anymore and got used to it). It’s his responsibility to train his horse. If you were letting off flares and fireworks next door that would be quite different.

Does the pony live alone? Does it get out the stable? Its living conditions are probably a bigger factor than the garden noise.

I live next door to a show jumping yard that breaks young horses, brings them on and then sells them into top flight show jumping all over the world.
When we first moved in we asked about noise they said ‘horses need to get used to it’ they only time they ask us not to mow is when they buyers come to see a horse.

Oh yes, good idea, that'll help with noise. 🙄

A lot of horses are spooked by sight so actually, a fence could help massively.

But also OP, horses need company - if this pony lives alone in a stable constantly then it’s no wonder it’s a nervous wreck.

Horse owner here - the owner needs to take responsibility for his own horse. If he only has the one, then to start with he’s a pretty shit owner - horses are herd animals and draw comfort from their herd companions. They can become very stressed living on their own. Horses become used to noises and stuff going on around them. What can stall this desensitisation though is poor handling by their human, horses can feed of human emotion and I’ve seen plenty of nervous horses made nervous by their nervous owner/rider. It’s often a vicious circle.

My horses had a trampoline complete with all the neighbourhood kids on it for years when the kids were younger - I called it the toddler cage, it was a good place to keep them in a safe place out of the way if I was leading big horses around the yard. The horses were a bit surprised by screaming, giggling, bouncing kids to begin with, but they soon got used to it. I try and get my horses used to all manner of things that might spook them - as a result of the activities I do with them they can now parade down a high street waving flags in front of a cheering crowd while motorbikes ride past and helicopters fly overhead. (One of them is still suspicious of pigs and donkeys though!)

Cutting the grass, having oil deliveries, and kids playing in the garden sound like normal things. I’d carry on doing them.

Tell him to move his pony. What a cheek

As others have said, the horse needs a companion, something like a bombproof old Shetland who costs little to keep but isn't phased by anything. And regular exposure to the sights and sounds to become used to them (and actually being able to see what's making the noise might help with that)

All these responses seem very helpful to put him in his place. Maybe turn the tables on him and tell him if he doesn't take better care of his horse you will report him to the RSPCA.

Ffs, he's being ridiculous. Surely he has other fields he could put his nervous pony in where it wouldn't be bothered by such perfectly normal noise like lawn mowing and playing on a swing?

YANBU, not in the slightest.

I’d tell him to fuck of that the noise from your garden is not excessive and if it’s a real problem for his horse then he needs to move his horse so it’s not near anyone’s garden. He’s a bully who is used to getting his own way with his employees until they quit and then he gets to do it all over again. He hasn’t a leg to stand on legally, I’d get a camera mounted for your garden so you have have footage of his unreasonable behaviour and proof you are not having nightly raves 🤣.

You are doing him a favour de-sensitising his daughter's pony. If it can't cope with daily noise how will his daughter be safe out hacking or at shows? Our youngsters were grazed next to busy roads which made traffic proofing much easier.
It's more likely his impatient aggressive attitude that makes the pony nervous.

You could warn him about any undue noises like the tankers, renovations, stuff like that. Even sticking a note through the door if you are going to mow would be very kind if not at all necessary. Other normal garden noises you are just going to have to say

‘We’re allowed to make normal noises in our garden. Please stop coming over and telling us we can’t’.

He can threaten legal proceedings but I don’t believe he has a leg to stand on, you cannot trust someone call his bluff however he sounds the sort that would become petty ie storing manure on your border etc. I would try to reach a comprimise of no noise on school days between 9-3 (ie when your child is at school), and after this he may need to move his pony (ffs) on the other side of his garden / field.

however sounds like the pony is well loved just hope he doesn’t get stressed with the pony.

I would love to say to him you and your pony are stressing me out!

You have one garden ........and are entitled to use it as you see fit . He has one horse and lots more options as to where he can put it .
I would be telling him EXACTLY where to put it .....and his complaints !!!!!!

If he’s only keeping one pony on its own then that is not good and probably contributing to it being stressed. It doesn’t sound like you’re being excessively noisy, but he needs to move the pony to somewhere quieter if it’s getting upset living there. What he’s doing is just cruel by the sound of it.

Unfortunately we can't move our garden but you can move your pony