I think that in this case it is a stud so the horses are not probably being ridden. The complaint seems to be of animals spooking in the field/stable and probably charging around doing themselves a mischief so the high visiblity jacket scenario is not relevant,
Saying that, the absolute stupidity of some riders on country roads still astounds me. Many have taken up the banner of high vis. but many sadly, haven't and usually cars are the main problem!
I was once walking our 14 stone dog near Cottesmore. The dog never barked at horses and was sitting at my side on a lead/harness whilst I waited for a rider to pass. The horse took one look at my silent, obedient dog and threw it's rider. The rider proceeded to give me abuse. The horse once caught repeated this twice. All the time Harrier's were flying with no effect. The horse threw the rider as it was scared of my silent dog. There will be people who would love to blame the MOD as it's easier to do that than admit their animals are the problem. Maybe not this case but possibly others.
If the lady in question is a stud owner, she will have youngstock and probably a fair few of the horses will not have time to acclimatise as they maybe visiting horses coming in for covering... Silly place to have a stud. A compromise could be reached.
Last edited by El Mirador; 8th Jun 2008 at 09:05.