| Title: | Equine Notes Conference |
| Notice: | Topics List=4, Horses 4Sale/Wanted=150, Equip 4Sale/Wanted=151 |
| Moderator: | MTADMS::COBURN IO |
| Created: | Tue Feb 11 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Thu Jun 05 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 2080 |
| Total number of notes: | 22383 |
Hi all, I'd like to start a new subject. It is sort of fuzzy in my
mind right now, but I"d like to know what types of zoning/bylaw
problems you as horse owners/stable operators/riding instructors/
breeders etc... run into from your towns. Also state what efforts
might have been put in place to assist the horsemen in your area?
I live in Stow where the town seems to always be at odds with the
local horse owners yelling "wrong zoning" or something similar. A
couple of the farms got together and went to court in regards to
their individual zoning for running their boarding/lesson
establishment. The first round was lost to them, the second was won,
and set a precedent (not sure how widespread however...)
The town is very unsupportive of this type of endeavor. They are
against riding and commercial enterprise being associated together
in ANY way. They did lose, but it won't stop them from going after
the next individual down the road.... I believe the ONLY problems
arose when a complaint was filed by a neighbor who cited a
potential problem area...other farms that have been in existence for
quite some time on residential property have never been approached.
Marianne
Input...
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 940.1 | Weston: Yuppies vs. Horses | CIMNET::BUSHMAN | Thu May 11 1989 12:26 | 37 | |
Hi, Marianne,
I know that my home town, Weston, has been going through some growing
pains in the last year or two, as far as the horse/zoning issue is
concerned. Evidently it started with one long-time horse owner in
town keeping 11 horses on her 2 acres. There were several complaints
from the neighbors, etc. This got some of the anti-horse activists
mobilized. One new Weston homeowner was at the forefront, and she
claimed that when she bought her home, the neighbor's horse was away
at summer camp, so she had no idea that her tennis court abutted a
dirty, smelly barn...
She had little knowledge on horse management, so she went to U Mass
and gathered booklets on barn upkeep, etc. She then took her gathering
forces and went to the town with her demands. Included in these were
removing manure from the premises ATLEAST once every 24 hours; no barn,
fence, etc. within 200 feet of property lines; posted warnings about
danger; all fences being of certain (excessive) height, thicknesses, etc.
And the list went on...
The town has already successfully squelched any commercial horse
establishment about 6 years ago when the dairy on Rt. 30 was converted
to Weston Riding School - this must operate as a non-profit
organization, all proceeds being used to fund their handicapped riding
program. So all the fighting is solely about private barns.
Now the enraged horse-owners in town have banded together into an
official committee to stand up for their themselves. I am glad that I
am not directly involved because there are some big guns on either
side! The issues are still being discussed, but for the moment it is
siding with the anti-horse people, in that if there is a complaint
about your horse/barn/fencing you will be required to meet the new
guidelines, but if noone complains, you can carry on as before!
- Kate
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| 940.2 | No problems yet... | SCIVAX::HARRIS | Fri May 12 1989 13:19 | 13 | |
Before we built our barn (in Stow also) we asked the town if there
were any regulations. They just said that the manure pile had to
be a certain distance from the well. We built the barn 30 feet
from the property line (the minimum distance in Stow) and the fence
is about 20 feet from the line. I could have never met the regulations
in Weston in my 2.5 acres. (How do you dispose of manure every 24
hours anyway?) I dump the manure on the other side of my property
so it's nowhere near our house or anyone else's. I try to keep the
barn and paddock clean to cut down on the fly population. This will be our
first summer with horses at home and I'm hoping there won't be any
complaints.
-Andrea-
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| 940.3 | Last chapter not done yet... | CIMNET::BUSHMAN | Fri May 12 1989 14:02 | 7 | |
I should add that many of her demands were thrown out, including the
one about removing manure every 24 hours. However several still stand,
and they put many existing barns in "violation". I really think that
the horse owners are safe for a while, unless they find themselves
living next to an unusual neighbor. Also, as I understand it, the whole
situation is not totally resolved yet.
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| 940.4 | Sudbury | MED::D_SMITH | Fri May 12 1989 15:41 | 7 | |
We were allowed three horses on 3 acres only because the prior owner
had a permit 8 years ago for three horses on five acres. The town
of Sudbury just issued a new one under a new resident name. Also
they state no more than two cords of manure on the premises at one
time. No complaints yet. Let's hope it stays that way! Dave'
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