[waterhouse]

Our scariest riding experience involved the people you'd have thought were the most sympathetic.  We were on an a marked sunken bridle way hi-viz'd like lighthouses.  The shoot was driving birds across the path to the guns less than 50m away on lower ground.  We were seen in plenty of time and they were waiting for us to pass when a couple of birds flew over.  Plonker on the end swings round and fires both barrels.  We went down the path like express trains: would have been nice to give them an earful but spotted that the local hunt field master was one of the guns and doing it for us.

My chap got used to shotguns after that: we once lined-out next to a bird scarer cannon and he merely jumped sideways when it went off

[shetlandpaul]

were they not to close to a public right of way. i hope the hunt master did give the guy a good telling off.

[waterhouse]

At the time I was so livid (reaction from surviving a high speed dash down what is locally called the death track) that I researched the legal position.  It turned out that per se shooting across a bridle way wasn't illegal though their proximity to a nearby public road could have been.  However the shoot was legally required to have a written health & safety policy with documented safety procedures and training and to have conducted a risk assessment.  The penalties for not having this are very substantial so all these people had been trained and were fully aware of what they were doing.

[RUSTYME]

never had the problem of cars doing that to me on a horse , as my back is buggered and won't allow me to ride . But I walk 6 miles a day everyday , along a country road and I have actually been clipped no end of times by cars cutting the corners and going way to fast . I have been lucky and only had a few bruises , not so lucky for the cars when I spot them outside the local shop in the village. They are nearly always very expensive new cars .... that now have very big dents in the rear wings and the doors or if it's too busy, they have deep scratches all along one side of some very expensive paintwork .... more than one way to skin a cat .
 Most people who use the road are really good , some are complete arseholes . The arseholes that come too close to me now get the threat of me tossing a horse shoe through the windscreen , always carry one just in case !!!
Very few come anywhere near me now , they even slow down smile and wave ..... result ....

cheers

Russ

[Hardfeather]

...that I researched the legal position.  It turned out that per se shooting across a bridle way wasn't illegal though their proximity to a nearby public road could have been.  However the shoot was legally required to have a written health & safety policy with documented safety procedures and training and to have conducted a risk assessment.  The penalties for not having this are very substantial so all these people had been trained and were fully aware of what they were doing.

Don't get me wrong...I agree that this should be the case, but I feel strongly that horse-owners/riders/drivers should be similarly covered to be on the road with horses.

[shetlandpaul]

yes i agree. a horse could do a lot of damage. rusty thats terrible that you have been hit by cars so many times. no wonder you carry a horseshoe. pity you did not note there reg plates and report them. you could be suffering from shock after all those hits. were theres blame etc. it would help feed your animals anyway. iused to ride a bike until i was totalled by a car i could never feel safe on it afterwards.

[Hermit]

There is a horsey family moving in to the croft next to the school,you know them. Perhaps you can join up and walk together with them till your daughters confidence is back.They are well in with the horse clubs etc so may even get some lessons. I think they also have something to do with arranging the farrier coming up from Orkney( No we dont have a farrier in Shetland folks , if anyone wants a job) I am sure I have heard that the farrier did a block booking for the westside at their old house. So with any luck a local farrier visit!!!!

[shetlandpaul]

hermit please pm and let us know.

[Hardfeather]

I may be wrong, but I thought the woman who does the saddlery and leatherwork (Journeyman Leather) was a farrier.

[RUSTYME]

it is very hard to read a number plate while I am leaping up a hedge bank to save my life mate .... but round here you see the same cars all the time , so I know the car and the faces of the people. Reporting would do absolutely nothing , no witnesses no broken bones ,etc etc .... had that from the horses mouth ie plod !!! So I sort it out myself . Caving in the rear wing of a nice posh car effectively writes it off , and the scratches down the paintwork would cost an absolute fortune to re spray these days.
So if nothing else I get retribution !!! So far it is one car with deep scratches and two with unfixable dents.
 I have been clipped about half a dozen times now . Mainly just the door mirrors clipping my arm , which is bad enough . I am scared that one day I may get caught in something and have my arm ripped off or something, but most give me a wide birth now . The highly visible horse shoe did the trick . I actually wave it at them like I am about to throw a quoit through their screen , wish I could take a picture of their faces  !!!
 
cheers

[Hermit]

Angus , she is only qualified to do her own horses, there are a few like that, she is not allowed to touch other folks.

[faith0504]

hi how do you manage on shetland with no farrier do you do your own?  

[Hardfeather]

Angus , she is only qualified to do her own horses, there are a few like that, she is not allowed to touch other folks.

I see.

[Hermit]

The horse clubs arrange a farrier to come up from Orkney or one from Perth! Everyone who needs their horses shoeing has to help pay for the trip/stay and have to have a box cause they only do a few stops around the island and everyone has to be there. If you lose a shoe tough till next time tough. Rasping down of unshods are done by more experienced folk and there is usually someone on hand to do the Shetlands.My OH rasped my two and I rode in the boots, but I dont have horses any more. A few folk that have businesses with horses have gone and got themselves qualified to shoe but only their own as I said earlier. We had a blacksmith / farrier a few years ago that did horses relutantly, he prefered to be a blacksmith, his daughter now works his forge making bird baths and pokers. Same for equine dentists, they have to arranged and pampered well so they come back. The vet will only do feet when somebody has been reported to the SSPCA for neglect which is on the increase since the pony sales crashed last year and lots of ponies not sold and stuck on the island.You cant give a shetland away now. So if anybody wants to be a part time farrier, Shetland is your place.(Not enough business for full time)

[shetlandpaul]

hermit is correct. with the new scale of charges for regestering with the stud book its very bad news for the shetland. most folks trim there own shetlands up here. when a good filly foal will only get a couple of hundred and the reg and chipping and passport costs more than that it really is worrying for the colts and lesser fillies.