To not move my fence?

[compulsiveliar2019]

About a months ago I move my horses into a new paddock on a small farm. On the farm are 3 cottages. The cottages all have a small private garden but also use of a larger communal garden. In one of the cottages there is a family with 2 young boys.

The communal garden sides onto my paddock. There’s kids swings ect in the garden and is clearly where the kids hang out. The younger one is not hers school age but probably not far off. The older one is in school.

My issue is that the kids are left unsupervised in the garden for blocks of time. They are clearly interested in my horses and constantly stand on the fences, shouting at the horses and generally make a nuisance of themselves. I have now had to padlock the gates so they can’t just walk into the field. They are also very rude. The little one when asked to get down off the fence he was standing on replied “ you can’t tell me what to do you don’t live here”. Followed up by “go away you don’t live here” and “hahaha you don’t live here, your bad”. All silly stuff but at that age I would never have spoken to any adult like that ever!
Yesterday I was trying to fill up the horses water trough. The tap is on the far side of the garden from the paddock. I connected to he hose up and turned it on and walked back to the trough so I could clean and fill it. Just after I had got to the trough the littlest one goes and turns the tap of and shouts “you can’t have any water you don’t live here” and runs off laughing.

This type of thing is happening every day. I’m also repeatedly finding balls and toys in the field with the horses that have clearly been kicked or thrown in. I have now stopped giving them back. At first I thought it was a mistake so kindly put them back in the garden for them. Then when it didn’t stop I went and had a word with the parents along with returning all the things that were in my field. They promptly handed them back to the kids (saying “boys will be boys”, and low and behold they are in the field again next day.

I have now had to put electric fencing up in the paddock to keep the horses away from where the children can see them or throw things at them. I really don’t want to have to move the horses because it’s close to home and has good riding. It’s otherwise a great deal.

The parents have got cross because one of the kids (funny enough the little one) has touched my fence and got a shock (shock will hurt but won’t do any damage). He apparently ran off screaming to his mum and the mum has got really cross and wants the fence removed.

The fence is about 10metres into the field which the children are not supposed to be in. There is no way they can have touched my fence without being somewhere they shouldn’t. AIBU to tell her no the fence stays and to keep better control of her kids?

I love the idea of using the unused strip of land for a much heap, your field needs mucking out ASAP

*muck

Will have a look into cameras if I have any more trouble.

The horses don't need the full field at the moment as the grass is long and they really don't need any more food! So they would not have the full field anyway! In fact there is about 50m of field at the other end that they are not using too so we are not short on space but it does give me some peace of mind that they are safe.
The fence wasn't set up to get the children it was to keep horses in. I didn't actually think the kids would get zapped because I didn't realise they were going into the field I thought they were just standing on the post and rail fencing!

Tell her to get lost - keep the fence! The kids sound like absolute horrors. The sad fact is that there are way too many kids who speak to adults in this way now. There are no consequences for most so the do and say whatever they want!

Defo do the Skittlesandbeer muck heap idea!

Don't move your fence. My boys are around horses and know how to behave. As long as you have clear notices up you are perfectly legal to have them up. You don't want your horses eating something they shouldn't or possibly knocking a neighbours fence 😊

They sound like a nightmare but that's not the issue.

If the children get into the field and touch the fence they will get a short, sharp sting. Now they know what it will do they will not touch it again.

If the electric fence is not there and the children are continually disobedient they will break into a field with large, unpredictable animals - which they might well provoke - and get their silly heads kicked off.

The fence is there for their protection.

Def poo pick onto that strip! Right by the post & rail fence!! Hopefully the flies will be enough to keep the brats away 😁

I am afraid I would not keep my horses there the fence has not stopped them, they could injure your horses. Children with parents like this are often nasty I would not leave mine there.

Kids much more likely to come to harm going into the field and bothering the horses. YANBU

Looks like your fence worked its magic with the first zap. Excellent. Good for you.

Brats/little shit/electrocute him - what a lovely way to talk about a preschool child, who is only behaving the way his parents have allowed him to.

Remind the parents that the fence is there for the safety of their unruly children.

Lockheart
Electric fences are not even close to being in the same league as mantraps

If it's on private land, with the landowners permission, and properly earthed

The children should stay in their garden

This did make me laugh, The whole thread is an eye-opener.
I can’t really comment on the thread as I’m a lifelong animal free London gal. But I had this image of country raised children being free to play all day in the great outdoors, wandering through fields and playing in hay-bales, having famous five type adventures (nosey little trespassers they were!)
But is actually Electric fences, no-go areas and “Children must stay in their gardens”
So much for my naively romantic ideas of country life and freedom.

Put a sign on the fence to remind them but leave the fence there. Having been stung by it once they will probably leave it alone from now on.

Balls etc. that end up in your paddock should be thrown back into theirs to prevent them sneaking into your paddock to try to retrieve them. Also, if they are kickable it's more than likely to have been kicked over by accident. When my kids were that age approximately one kick in three went over one of the neighbours' fences. I think you should charitably assume they have gotten into your field by accident.

Also, aren't horses supposed to be clever? I don't know much about them, but I would think if the horses are bothered by the children they will move away from the side of the paddock by their garden of their own accord? That's what cats would do, anyway. And if they are regularly harassed by the children in the play area, they will learn to wander away from that side when the children come out? I can't think the children could do anything to actually hurt the horses from a distance of 10m, anyway. The older one mighy be able to lob a tennis ball that far, but tennis balls are pretty harmless.

This sounds like it is probably more annoying to you than to the horses.

make sure that you pour a bucket of water down where your earthing rod is. This should help to give it more of a jolt :D

Tiger animals are both dangerous and valuable. You don't wander into their fields any more than a city dweller would wander into random houses if the door isn't locked.

We live in the countryside. The children don't touch electric fences. They know not to go near animals without permission too. Actually, they all touched an electric fence once to see what would happen. They only did it once then goaded their friends to try it

Imagine if the little darlings get into the field and get trampled or kicked by a horse? YANBU, the parents should be supervising their offspring and not allowing them to torment animals!

I assume it's battery powered not mains? Mains hurts like hell but battery is really not a massive drama
You clearly do not understand how electric fences work. Battery or mains has no bearing on the shock they give you. They deliver a high voltage shock but with almost no current, (watt-less current). The shock is painful but will not harm anyone. They are perfectly legal in agricultural situations.

Note: You donot just hookup the fence to the mains supply!

But I had this image of country raised children being free to play all day in the great outdoors, wandering through fields and playing in hay-bales,
It can be like that but rule 1 is don't enter a field of it contains livestock or crops. Anyone who is "country" raised (as opposed to "incomer"), generally speaking knows this.

TowelNumber42
Yes - it was a lighthearted comment as the whole thread offered a picture of rural life which is not usually presented - I obviously read too much Famous Five and Black Beauty as a child and didn’t adjust my concepts as an adult!
I think I’d best stay in town.
Good luck Op.

@SirGawain errr yes I I do know how electric fencing works! I've used it to fence animals for years!

Mains does give more of a whacking shot than a leisure battery does. I know many a horse that will walk through a battery powered fence but never a mains.

And yes I know both a legal. I've used both

@compulsiveliar2019 as a parent of four, two are 6&7, animal mad kids, I would kick their arses if A) they were rude to 'you' or another adult like that, B) threw anything into a horses field, repeatedly and C) turned off the water as you were using it! I'd be mortified if someone approached me and outlined all the ways in which these kids have made a nuisance of themselves, and if my kid still defied your requests and had a belt from your electric fence I'd laugh. It's serve them right. My point is, I would never allow, or expect, my kids to behave like that because I've instilled common courtesy and manners into them.
The way I see it your problem is not the children, it's the parents and their view of their 'little darlings'
I'd go and get a bill from your vet for the removal of a rubber ball or some such foreign object that 'may or may not' have been ingested by one of the horses and present the mum with that. As an example of what you'd be hitting her with if she doesn't drill some sense into her demon spawn. I hate entitled idiots.