Unless you are fortunate to live on a 500 acre ranch, you probably have to deal frequently with nearby neighbors. Sometimes that can be challenging.
We live in a community with a very active HOA and strict covenants. This has its pluses and minuses. It's nice to live amongst well kept homes and uncluttered lots. But like many such covenanted communities, we have our share of feuding, fines, and lawsuits. Most of us play well with others, but it only takes a few people to cause grief for everyone. Oddly, we even have some homeowners who do not like horses. Why would anyone who does not like horses buy a home in an equestrian neighborhood? They should be living in a condo in the city.
Fortunately, we are in the good graces of our HOA and the AC (Architectural Committee). We followed the covenants closely when we built our barn and they were delighted with the result. But I worried when I recently purchased my horse trailer. There is a lot of strife in our neighborhood over trailers, tractors, and implements that are not properly parked and screened. However, because this is an equestrian neighborhood, horse trailers are expected to be here. We don't have to build a huge fence around them, but we do have to park them as discreetly as possible, preferably behind a home or barn so that they are not visible from the street.
Being good citizens, we had a special parking pad created for the horse trailer. It fits nicely right behind our house which hides the trailer from the street. I went one step further to please our neighbors. Rather than choosing red paint to match my truck, I had the trailer painted in a color that most closely matches the house. Afterall, it will spend more time parked next to the house than hitched to the truck. It worked out nicely and the AC committee was quick to approve our plans. Here is how it turned out:
The trailer; discreetly parked and camouflaged.
Happy horse owner. Happy HOA.
