For Removing a Hazard?

[StephieSlade]

Was heading down to the beach last night and our horses were scared of a red tarpaulin in the bush next to the bridle path. Walked up that way this morning and removed it and put it in the bin, only to be yelled at saying that I shouldn't have removed a kids den. There were plenty of other bushes around that field where the kids could have made their den, which wouldn't have caused problems with the bridle path 🙈🙈🙈!

Why would someone let kids build a den on a bridle path? YANBU

It wasn't on the path
It was in the bushes on the side

Dens in public outdoor spaces should be made of natural material otherwise I'd class it as litter. YANBU

I'd just assume it was rubbish that someone had dumped. The dens in our local wood are made with sticks and things, not bright red plastic.

Your photograph in no way resembles a 'den'. It just looks like fly-tipped plastic.

If it was in the bushes and not actually on the path then YABU. Is it not better to try and expose your horses and get them used to something as innocuous as a bit of tarpaulin?

Who yelled at you?

It’s dumped plastic, even if some kids sat under it for a bit, it’s still dumped plastic. Also the side of the bridle path is a stupid place for a den.

Horses are prey animals so asking them to overcome their instinct to run from anything that moves/rustles that might be ready to ambush and kill them is almost impossible. Even police horses have to have a certain temperament before intense training.

So much better and easier to teach children (and apparently some adults) to be more aware of other living creatures and their needs/instincts, all animals ( wildlife or farm or domesticated animals). It was also next to a bridle path which is a right of way for horses not a childrens personal play area.

OP - it was dumped plastic, I would have removed it too.

It's not really teaching children to respect their environment is it, allowing them to dump plastic in the bushes!! Perhaps someone could educate them to gather up wood etc and make their own den.
I would have chucked it in the bin as well!!

I'm assuming that the guy who yelled at me was one of the kids parents 😕😕.

A bit of plastic tarpaulin on public land is not 'a den'. Fine to let kids build a den from plastic junk in their own garden but not in the bushes on a bridle path. When I was a kid tents made of old sheets or a plastic tablecloth draped over broken deckchairs or an old clothes airer etc were regular fixture when we were playing with friends in the garden, but if we were playing in the woods/field behind our houses any dens were made (very badly) from branches and stuff like that.

I agree removing plastic crap and putting it in the bin. If the horse is as flighty as that I'm not sure if public pathways are suitable for it at present. Would it of been as scared if it was a child in a red jacket playing in a den. After all bridleways are open to walkers, cyclists, mobility scooters as well as horses.

She's not normally particularly spooky, and wouldn't spook at a child (she was a riding school horse before I got her). I think that it was mainly the wind making the tarpaulin make loud rustling noises that spooked her. The horses would have more than likely looked at it with 'goggle eyes' and kind of banana'd around it if it wasn't windy, but as it was rustling they were trying to turn round and backing up towards a ditch. I do find people littering anywhere is really annoying though, whether I'm riding or not.