what gun to use near horses

[al4x]

If a horse was to run thru a fence would the shooter be responsible.

 

If he were in the next field is it his fault that the horse is over sensitive and daft enough to damage itself

 

 

simply put yes if you were shooting close to them and the owner deemed it an issue. Bearing in mind the income they provide the average farmer its best unless you own the land to be careful about them. 0 times out of 10 the farmer will side with the horsey type and stop you shooting if there is a conflict

[rimmie]

hi i have just been given permission to shoot 15 arce of land that has a lot of pigeon,rabbits and foxes on it but has horses in the corner of the field that dont like the noise so what is the best hushpower to get to do the job a 410 or a 12

 

thanks springer

what you shooting mate? if its pigeons etc.. then a modded shotgun as you say but if its rabbits then use a air gun or if you can a rimfire thats the quietest way

Edited March 10, 2011 by rimmie

[Mr_Logic]

Al4x, you would not be liable if the horse did something stupid and you had not been negligent. Just think of other scenarios - i walk my dog on a lead past a horse field. Horse hates dogs and jumps a fence badly, breaks leg, put down. Who's liable then? Not the dog and not the walker. How is it different? It's not, just another case of a horse being a moron, which sadly they do a lot - ours sure does anyway!

 

If you are not shooting too close there is no issue anyway. I shoot round a lot of horses, they spook and then they settle down. No major issue with supersonic calibrrs either.

[al4x]

If you are shooting in a field with horses in and send one through the fence then you would have caused the accident so if the owner knew and decided to follow it up you would be liable. If you walk a dog past outside the field then of course you have no liability but if the dog is off the lead and runs in the field and chases the horse through the fence you would.

The main issue is if its your land then fine, if not then you need to make sure its ok to shoot round them. I have and we have also used centrefires in the same fields at times with no issues but a lot depends on the individual horse. Usually its fine unless the owners find out but if the farmer is charging livery fees most owners would have a problem with it. Usually we just shoot the fields over the winter at night when the horses are in, you have to remember the horses usually pay to be there you don't so you can guess when the **** hits the fan who will win

[Catweazle]

I have a 12g Mossberg Hushpower, not as quiet as the single shot guns with the longer moderator. It handles like a drainpipe but it's reasonably effective if you can get used to aiming above your target. Hushpower claim that it is inaudible above background noise at 300yds, I don't know if that's true, but it's significantly quieter, making more of a loud hiss than the normal boom.

 

The Mossberg is drilled and tapped for a scope rail so I've bought a picatinny kit and am looking for a red dot or holographic sight and a comb raiser for it, to help me overcome the problem of the huge moderator blocking my view of the target.

[Ian750]

The subject of horses keeps coming up on here and I continue to be amazed at the 'stupid animal' opinion. All it takes is a tiny bit of thought, the horse is a flight animal that most large breeds are easily capable of reaching 35mph in about eight strides, what do people really think it's going to do if you startle it??? Added to the fact that we tend to keep them in relatively confined spaces compared to living in the wild, they're going to reach the end of most paddocks pretty damn quick at that speed and probably feel threatened. The good thing is most horses will get used to the noise very quickly once they realise it's not a threat, therefore the very worst thing you can do is fire a shot and then stand there staring at the horse to see what it does, you have just become a threat to the horse. Millions of years of evolution have caused this behaviour and I'm sorry to say it isn't going to be undone just because we want to shoot bunnies in the next field. As I've said before, I shoot in the same field as my own horses without issue, I just ignore them and go about my shooting in a relaxed manner, they cotton on pretty quick. I am very fortunate though that they are my horses on my land, so I don't need to worry about the bunny hugging idiot horse owner, of which unfortunately there are a few! Another point to consider is the value, even a half decent riding club standard eventer or dressage horse in this economic climate will be worth at least £6000, I wouldn't be too chuffed if in my opinion someone was putting it in danger. The bottom line is, make sure the owners are ok with you shooting, whether you think it's ok or not.