# And now I hate someone today!



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

As I was leaving today, I was passing a 3/4 mile long section of my fenceline that borders a busy state highway. Thank goodness I am an obsessive fence scanner, because I may have otherwise missed a 6 section length (approximately 60 feet) of my fenceline that some jerk plowed down overnight without bothering to let us know. 

I can't believe someone would be so reckless out here...we all have big ranches in this area and most of us run horses, cattle, or both. The section that was hit is along a 3/4 mile stretch of our border fence, and that is where our horses graze the most right now. It is a miracle none of the 13 horses that were pastured there at the time got out. We've had that happen before, it sadly ended with my lead gelding being killed in a truck collision. Last night I only had 7 horses stalled, one is at the vet, the rest are safe and sound. Phew, dodged a bad one. 

I like my horses, donkeys, dogs and cats better than most people anymore.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Well, you can take satisfaction in knowing it probably did a lot more damage to their vehicle than it did to your fence. You got lucky, the offender didn't...


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

simi-steading said:


> Well, you can take satisfaction in knowing it probably did a lot more damage to their vehicle than it did to your fence. You got lucky, the offender didn't...


I hope it totalled their car. With prejudice.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

All that person needs is a horse/cow education, or you need to put up a sign. Not all horses NEED fencing, I'll find a link that makes a general statement in agreement shortly.  

Seriously, I'd be furious, the person that hit your fence wasn't just annoying it could have been ugly.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Amixed herd that has wild caught Mustangs and ex-racehorses need fencing. I promise


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## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

Eeks! That would scare the dickens out of me as well! We have a BLM wild caught mustang as well, but he is probably the only one of our three that wouldn't go anywhere, knock on wood, such a lazy beast that he is. 
Our other 2, an appy-quarter horse mare and an appy gelding, I don't know... fairly certain my mare would book it for what she deems greener pastures, no matter how green hers is. She s the one that as you bring in hay, you can't leave the gate even a bit open, as she will leave. Just because she can. Brat.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Yes, mine leave if given half a chance. They have all proven it and I trust none!! We have racehorses across the road and a practice track w/starting gates. Every time they start training on the gates, my off the track TB's go crazy running, and several of mine are almost 20. They know that sound though, and every time they will take off in play when they hear the gates and see the horses running across the way Goofballs I don't doubt they would go visit the neighbor horses if the opportunity arose.


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## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

Makes you wonder how bad life must be, lol... not. I know mine have it good. She just evidently is a true believer of that saying about grass on the other side of the fence!  
That would be too funny to see with the starting gate going and the long-retireds getting keyed up.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

aoconnor1 said:


> Amixed herd that has wild caught Mustangs and ex-racehorses need fencing. I promise


I was being facetious...


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## harvestmoon1964 (Apr 24, 2014)

LOL...my "wild caught mustangs" are less likely to go anyplace than the domestic bred horses. They conserve energy and know when they have a good thing. When a moose broke down our fences, we found the mustangs IN the pasture. The rest of the nitwits were running pellmell all over the place.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

It's all good Irish Pixie! I laughed when I read that, my guys have good food and fairly good grass usually, but my horses never think it's quite as yummy as the neighbors stuff!


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I board, and my horses are in the front field at the farm. There's a row of white pines along most of the road, the rest is a big gate. I keep that gate locked for a reason. And to get to my normal gate, you need to go thru an area that I've fenced in cuz I have one that, given the opportunity, will escape. B4 I put that fence up, I'd have people go thru my field and accidentally let my brat out.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I gave up the lease on a sweet little pasture along the TransCanada highway because I got tired of midnight calls from the RCMP letting me know that some dummy's car was sitting in the middle of the pasture and my cows were on the side of the highway.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

wr said:


> I gave up the lease on a sweet little pasture along the TransCanada highway because I got tired of midnight calls from the RCMP letting me know that some dummy's car was sitting in the middle of the pasture and my cows were on the side of the highway.


We have been here for a bit over 3 years, never had one problem on the almost mile of fence line we have that borders that road. The person is so busted that busted up the fence though, all car parts have the serial number and vin. That way if there is a wreck, the fallen off parts can be easily replaced to that specific make and model, even if it is a specialty one. The car that trashed our fenced left behind several large and small parts, two of which had everything the police needed to find the car/driver.

One Tijuana my horses got out, the sheriffs came along and I gave them my phone number. After that, it doesn't matter if it's a horse, donkey, cow, whatever, they call me. I am so uptight about my fences, and they know that, that they tell me they don't think they are my animals, but could I go get them anyways and keep them safe until the police arrive and find the owners


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## fols (Nov 5, 2008)

We had a 16 year old kid go through our front fence years ago. His front plate came off, so we would have found him anyway. BUT - his father and the boy knocked on our door at 9pm to inform us. His father said his son would pay for it, help us fix it, whatever we needed. And he did! 
The father called us after his son helped us a couple of times to make sure he did what we needed. We need more parents like that!


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## TRAILRIDER (Apr 16, 2007)

So glad you were observant. People have no idea what they are doing and what damage they can do. 
In our town, about a year ago a drunk driver took out a portion of fence along a busy road. At a boarding stable : ( Two horses were hit and killed in the middle of the night. I don't believe the drunk driver was caught (apparently someone witnessed him driving crazy). You couldn't drive over that spot without seeing it for months. just a horrible tragedy. Glad yours are safe. Here in the Lex KY area the big farms have double fences, but a car could take out both the inner and outer fence too.


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## CountryMom22 (Nov 27, 2014)

Any chance you can get the driver to pay damages if he's caught? It's a shame that his mistake will cost you time and money. Thank God no horses escaped or harmed.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

CountryMom22 said:


> Any chance you can get the driver to pay damages if he's caught? It's a shame that his mistake will cost you time and money. Thank God no horses escaped or harmed.


I don't know. I had to sign a statement that I would prosecute the person if the police caught them. I guess that would entail seeking restitution for the cost of repairs, but since I already have everything necessary to fix/build fencing here, it cost me nothing but calling in my rannch manager on his day off to repair it. 

I am shocked none of my horses left, it is a miracle really. A gaping 60 foot long stretch of open space at my place, at any other time, would have been a "get out of jail free" card!


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

in Owasso the state road contractor left open the pasture to the polo mares paddock and the chaos that resulted killed 6 good brood mares and destroyed many cars and 
injured 2.


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## bronc (Jul 17, 2013)

Had somebody run through our fence 2 weeks ago. That wasn't the worst part... they ran smack into our 30' power pole and snapped it in two. Lucky it didn't kill 'em. No power during the first sleet/snow storm of the season. Good times. Fortunately didn't have any stock in that pasture at the time.


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

If someone crashes through fencing, do the cops go to the land owner to tell them so the land owner can charge the car owner for damage or are you out of luck??
Here, we have fencing offset 40-50ft from the side of the road, for this exact reason. Some even put up concrete so they crash into those and not their fence.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Not here. I went to the cops to file a report...


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