Annoying horse and if so who too?
There’s a lovely walk near to home. It’s along some woods then around the edge of a livery yard via a public footpath and back.
I have been walking DC in the pram, toddler DC and my well behaved on lead dog on this particular route.
The route through the farm is a public footpath. I’ve checked and it’s maintained by the council with signs.
On one side is a row of bushes, then a wire fence with a road behind. On the other a fence with horses behind. The path is about a prams width so just enough space to get through but not enough space to give the horses a wide berth.
The field was always empty previously but the owners of the livery yard have recently started using this field for 3 very large (upwards of 16hh at least) and aggressive horses. They gallop the fence line every single time I walk past bucking and kicking out at me on the other side of the fence. More annoyingly they have started lunging over the fence to bite (at the dog I think, who is terrified!) and this morning I had to duck to avoid them for a third time! There’s also a curious yearling in there who is also kicking out at the fence and sticking it’s head over the fence right in the pram/my face/dogs face and I can’t get far enough away from it due to the width of the path. My dog is petrified of it and I had to hold him by the face to get past, he’s grown up with horses but it’s touching him at times.
It’s really annoying me. The owner livery yard does not care, I’ve mentioned it twice now. He isn’t horsey himself and is more of a farmer who rents the stables and land than a yard manager. He can see the horses from his house so I presume has noticed it and hasn’t moved them. I have had horses myself up until my 30s so it’s not like I’m clueless but they don’t back off despite the horsey growl (if you know you know!)
I don’t want to have to discipline, be bothered by or train someone else’s animal on my walk either, not my job. I wouldn’t walk in the field with them but I’m not actually in a field I’m on a path!
DH says I’m being a busy body complaining about horses in a field and to walk another way
but it puts another mile on my walk through a really boggy field to get round!
Do I just need to get over this or can and should I complain to the council or someone? My own horse died 2 years ago not ever bothering a single soul in the 15 years I owned her so maybe I’m just being miserable and need to accept all horses aren’t as nice 