Re: [RC] Angry in the mountains of Idaho! - Barbara McCrary
Is the road you ride on a public
right-of-way? If so, these people have no legal right to harass you about
riding there. As many of the responders suggest, it would be better not to
acknowledge their opposition or anger. Don't get into an argument or put
yourself in a defensive mode. Could you smile sweetly, wave your hand, say
good morning, and continue riding, as if you had every right in the world to do
so? If I were your neighbor, I would stop bring them free firewood,
too. He can hardly avoid plowing the road, but he could surely stop giving
them the firewood. As for WHY they might be so angry, as someone stated,
they may have something to hide.....a pot farm, perhaps?
I am SO angry right now! I
went riding in our ?neighborhood? which is a mountainous, farm area. It
is so hard riding in all the deep, crusty snow right now that I like to ride
on snow covered roads instead of in the pastures. I have permission from
a man that lives in the area to ride on his property. He lives on a
private (although it is deeded public access) road that is a dead end.
There is one house back in the woods before you get to his house. You
cannot even see the house. His house is next and at the end of the road. He
has 350 acres with a dirt road that winds through his property that he
plows. It is great to ride on in weather like this. You see deer,
elk and all sorts of creatures. The people in the first house (a 90 year
old woman and her daughter and a man who lives there, are absolutely
territorial and nutso.) They even put up a sign after seeing me last time that
said ?No horses or riders?. I have told them before that I have permission to
ride on the second property and the owner of the second property has also told
them. Today I was riding down the road and passed the woman and her
daughter and gave them a friendly hello, continued up the road and ran into
Mr. Newton, the owner of the second property. I spoke to him for about
ten minutes and he reiterated that I have permission and that if the other
people say anything to me, I should tell them I am riding up to his
house. On my way back (after one of those absolutely wonderful winter
rides), riding past the crazy people?s drive, the daughter immediately started
yelling at me. I tried to reason with her that I had permission,
but she told me I was a big liar. She grabbed my horse?s reins and I told her
?not to touch him?. I told her that I had just spoken again to Mr.
Newton and that he had again given me his permission to ride on his property.
Over her screaming I told her that I never ride on her property. I was keeping
my cool, but she was still going crazy and ended up wacking my horse on the
rump with a newspaper. Fortunately this was at the end of our ride and
he was tired and did not over react. I ended up just leaving and
riding home. On the way home a car roared up next to me and the man
inside started screaming at me. Again I said talk to Mr. Newton and see
that he gave me permission. He then told me that If I rode on that road
again with my horse that the horse would never come out of there and finished
by saying ?and that?s a threat!?. After he left I was so mad I started
crying. I am so tired of the crazies around here. I watch where I
ride and I don?t take my dogs with me anymore because the lady across the road
yells about the leash law. I only like to take them with me when I ride
up into the hills because of the bears.
When I got home, I called Mr.
Newton and he told me that these people are so nutso that they even had him
arrested for trespassing when he rode 100 feet onto one of their roads with
his 4 wheeler. - And he had been plowing their drive and bringing them
wood for free. When he told me that, I decided to call the sheriff and
see what I should do. Guess what ? nothing! Can?t charge them with
assault since it was my horse she hit ? even though I was on him and could
have been hurt. They couldn?t even do anything about the threat since it
was against my horse and not me. I told the sheriff, that if I don?t
come home some day he will know where to look. I am so angry that I want
to go riding there every day and take my husband along although I probably
won?t go there. The sheriff told me next time I should pull out my cell phone
and call them while it is happening. But why should I bother if they
won?t do anything? This is an absolutely wonderful place to ride and
train with hills and a big meadow and I am just so angry
