Before I bought my place it had been sitting in a natural state for years. The pond had been created, stocked, and left to fend for itself. My property is surrounded by properties of horse owners. I guess that the horse owners liked riding up the valley to my place and then around the lake and let their horses drink from the lake. The first time I looked at my place there was LOTS of horse manure and torn up ground from the horses. The fencing had be cut in several places to make it easier for the horse owners to ride around the vacant ranch.
I bought the place, mended all of the fences, posted No Trepassing signs, and talked to all of the immediate neighbors. One neighbor told me that another neighbor down the valley typically road his horse and carried wire cutters (I guess a renegade of sorts).
So I spread the word that the property was off limits until further notice. It hasn't made me the most popular land owner. Every time I see a neighbor out and about I stop and introduce my self and explain what I am doing with the ranch (managing the lake to improve fishing and improving the property). One neighbor made the comment that "Everyone has always used the pond, it's sort of a community pond." I decided that I'd had enough of explaining my self. So I just told him the ranch had been up for sale, anyone could have bought it, heck the could have all pooled their resources and bought it together if they wanted to keep it a "community pond." But they didn't, I bought it.
And now there's a new sheriff in town...
jeez, I think I've been watching too many Westerns lately.
