Zuuuggg...Trespassing Issues

Long story short...
We have a neighbor who also owns several horses. I have met her once, when her horses got out and headed in our direction. I helped her catch them and take them home, and that was that. I few weeks later, she showed up and gave my fiancé a card with her name, phone #, email, and Facebook info. I was honestly glad to have missed her visit. No offense, but I like to keep to myself, and she didn't strike me as the type of person that I wanted to go out and ride with. (Just a general judge of character) Needless to say, I never added her on FB...

Anyways, this was back in the fall.

Just today... as I'm walking to the barn... I see her riding on our property!!!! I went into the barn, and called my fiancé. (He is more of the people person, I am the horse person.) It is, after all, his parents property. In the meantime, I stood and watched her walk her horse along our fence lines, and stop at the top of the hill behind his parent's house. It was pretty obvious that she was looking over the property. (Creepy) Then, to top it off, she disappeared into the forest behind the house, and left on the trails that I spent hours painstakingly clearing off!! And around that time my fiancé showed up, though a little late. ;)

So anyway... The family is in agreement that she should NOT be riding this close to our horses and home, especially without our permission. The woods where are trails are have at least one no trespassing sign, which is pretty large. One of the two trail heads also has a chain across the entrance, and the other is open but not cleared off yet.

Would you guys be so miffed to have someone riding on your property? I am very agitated about it... I personally don't want to have strange horses on our property if I can help it, especially so close to our house!! Also a lady that I do not know, and didn't get that great of a first impression of!!

We discussed it tonight, and are going to get another chain for the other trailhead. We are also going to get more No Tresspassing Signs. (I will probably go overboard with those...). If there anything else you would do?
What if she doesn't take the hint, and comes back??

I would be miffed as well!

I think if it happens again, since you are not the people person, have your fiance have a friendly chat with her about private property.

Absolutely. I wont allow anyone on our property without permission. They have no business snooping around on what isnt theirs.

She seemed to know where she was going so it makes me wonder how mant times this lady has ridden on your property?
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I agree!! She seemed to know right where the entrance to the trails was behind the house!! My guess is she entered the woods on a side road that is closer to her place. I probably caught her as she was heading back. (On my nice new trails... uggghh!!!)

I'm honestly lucky that I even saw her. It was just a coincidence that we happened to be home on a Friday during the day, normally everyone is at school/work.

I woulda waved and said hello, try being a little neighborly. Maybe she has land you can ride on and "poof" you both now have double the space to ride. I wouldnt aim a no trespassing sign at my neighbors. Especially when it isnt even your land. And the actual owners don't seem to care. Maybe She knows the actual land owners.

The land owners are very much in agreement that she had no place riding so close to our horses/their house. If she had been a friendly neighbor and asked, then they might feel differently. Happening upon her snooping at 12:30 on a Friday made me very uncomfortable.

The liability of her and her horse being on this property would stop me, plus, I am not that fond of people to begin with, and would not appreciate her being on the property at all.

If they are willing to, the landowners that is, have them send her a letter, and also contact the sheriff to go and tell her that she is trespassing and not to come back on the property.

If she does, as long as those things have been done, she can be arrested.

That is a very good point about liability!! Thank you for posting. I think that our first plan is to post new signs, and then see what happens. If it happens again, then my fiancé or his parents can take the needed next step. What irks me, is that she had to ride a long ways through the woods to get to our horses. Sheesh, call me polite, but I have "friendly neighborly permission" to ride on our neighbors adjoining property. If I didn't have their permission, I wouldn't be on their land!!

Put up a fence.

I live next door to a boarding facility that openly advertises their clients can ride for miles behind their facility (it's all privately owned property, none of which is the boarding facilities). I didn't say anything, just put up a nice wire fence surrounding my property, so the astonished folks moved over to ride on my neighbor's property, who promptly fenced off his land.

The rather irritated boarding facility has had to amend their website as to providing acres of open riding.

Really stupid thing is both the neighbor and I would have been ok with people riding on it as long as they signed a waiver and ASKED!

While a boarding facility is over the line, I think you guys are being a bit extreme about a neighbor riding through the woods. At least in VA a ride at own risk , this is an equine facility sign releases you from liability. We have pretty good equine liability laws here.
Yes as land owners you have every right to exclude or allow any one you want. But I think you guys are being a bit extreme. All my neighbors have 10 to 15 acre lots. One rides a dirt bike, one a 4 wheeler, a few have horses. We all left gaps in fences and suddenly each of us have about 100 acres to wonder around on. I don't think any one ever asked anyone for permission, As a mariner that was frequently gone I kinda liked having someone wander by the house to check on things, It's part of being neighborly. Yeh some neighbors are funny, some are nosey. Smile and wave take her some donuts. Is she really hurting anything ?