Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Rules and Regulations
You have certain obligations as a landowner and a horse owner. As far as protecting other
people, animals, and property from your horses, one of your main responsibilities is to in-
stall and maintain good fences. Look ahead to anticipate what potential problems are likely
to occur, because you could be held liable for all results of your negligence. For example,
a loose horse could kill or injure a human or animal, could cause a human or animal to in-
jure himself, could infect other horses with disease, could become involved in an unwanted
breeding, or could inflict damage to buildings, fields, plants, or yards. If you have a stal-
lion, you must be absolutely sure the animal is under control at all times—a stallion is po-
tentially too dangerous to risk him running loose.
Usually a state statute covers fence laws. Situations not specifically covered by law may
be determined by court decisions or by conjecture. Often, state laws say that a person has
the duty to fence animals in, and his neighbors do not have the responsibility to fence them
out. Some open-range states require landowners to fence out free-roaming livestock.
If you share a division fence with a neighbor and the fence is put on the property bound-
ary, state law will usually dictate whether you share the cost of installation. Adjoining
owners usually cannot legally force one another to erect a fence of a particular height or
materials. Imagine if you were not a horse-owning neighbor. Would you want to install a
6-foot horse fence? Once a boundary fence is built, depending on your laws, you might be
required to maintain the half of the fence to your right as you stand on your property at
the midpoint of the fence facing the division line, and your neighbor would be required to
maintain the half of the fence to his right as he stands on his property at the midpoint of
the fence facing the division line. If you can't come to an agreement with a neighbor on
the type of fence or cost sharing, if you set the fence 2 to 6 inches inside the property line,
it will become your fence and your responsibility. Note, however, that once so placed, in
many states, the fence becomes, over time, the boundary between the properties. Although
we all hope that good fences make good neighbors, it is always a wise idea to put any
fence agreements with your neighbors in writing. This is especially important if you put
up a perimeter buffer zone or double fence. To prevent problems in the future, draw up a
simple memorandum with a drawing that indicates the property boundary in relation to the
fence(s).
Pole barn specifications worksheet
BUILDING DIMENSIONS
Length __________________________ ft. (to outside of wall framing)
