RC: BRAND INSPECTION IN CALIFORNIA (long)

[Lif Strand <fasterhorses@gilanet.com>]

Our neighbor loves the open range law.  He has maybe 3 paddocks (small), 
about a dozen critters - horses, donkeys & mules - and no fence at all 
around his property.  He just turns them loose & they roam on private land 
(some of our unfenced acreage and other peoples' deeded land) and on BLM 
land, which is all leased out to one local rancher.  If *we*, however, turn 
out our horses on the same land, he threatens us.  Says our horses get in 
his garden & he'll "do whatever he has to do" to get rid of them (he has a 
violent temper & nasty reputation around here).  I have faced him down, but 
nevertheless we don't turn our horses out - I don't want to risk their good 
attitude & trust on a jerk like him.

HOWEVER - when his critters start rubbing on our fence, or the mules try 
crawling under (they do!), I get out the old BB gun.  I figure I have the 
last laugh - he's an outfitter, and maybe I can make his critters gun 
shy.  Someday when  I'm feeling really ornery, when we receive our annual 
livestock count form from the county, I am going to list his dozen critters 
as animals grazing on our land.  Then the county will bill him for personal 
property tax!  Lif

____________
Lif & Paul Strand   STRAND ENTERPRISES   http://www.fasterhorses.com
   Arabian Horses for Distance Riding
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