TCJpart82 Balloons

HOT AIR BALLOONS:

...are we getting in a froth about hot air balloons or is it all hot air?

 
Recently letters have been appearing in magazines regarding balloons scaring horses when they land nearby, a number of horses have been injured during their flight from this perceived danger.   

Of course they are scared!  

Balloons 'sneak' up on you, they silently hover above, noislessly drifting until the pilot needs to land, then the blowers start puffing, and this can be the first you'll notice of these huge things, when they're right above you and there's no chance of evasion tactics, you are just forced to deal with it the best you can.

Having spoken to a balloon pilot this morning for Bristol, I learn that they look out for horses and livestock when they need to land and avoid them where possible.  Switching their hot air burners to 'quiet' too, approaching with short bursts of noise so the animals can become acclimatised during approach, and hopefully not be too scared.

But huge colourful strange sounding objects floating low over our houses and fields is going to be scary to most horses like it or not, and there's not a great deal a horse owner can do about it either, except remain calm and try to enjoy the view.

Speaking to pilots and being helpful might be useful too, they'll remember where your horses are and be extra vigilant, remember if you keep your horse in or near a wooded area the chances are the pilot can't see them from the air, but then he wont be landing on trees either, so you'll be ok.  We have a power line (which I hate and would like to bury underground as soon as we can afford it), but this means a balloon won't ditch in our field, a big phew!










Sunday Morning: 7.15am:  (slight wind, already 27degrees)

This morning I was in the yard giving the boys their breakfasts, it was shortly before 7.30am, I was sweeping totally unaware of the very large approaching object right above our heads.   






When I herd a strange blowing noise, very loud and very close.  My brain didn't make the connection, in fact it suggested I ignore it, and the boys were still munching thier breakfaste so what was there to worry about?  Then another sound, this time much closer, and I ran to the cottage to see a huge red Virgin hot air balloon hovering above my roof!  About 10 feet above and no more too! Blasting away at it's blowers to land in the field over the road. Lisa (Boob-Tube)'s land.

Tom & Henry decided although not terrified they weren't taking any chances so pranced out into the field and watched as the second balloon as it appeared from behind the trees.  Lisa's horses were watching too, trotting up and down the fenceline as far from the 'foe' as possible, but ok.

We often get balloons pass close over us here, because we are surrounded by farmers arable land and these make great places to land.  Then they have to get the recovery trailers to the downed baskets and deflated canopies and a bus has to take the joy-riders home.

Once the dismantled kit is on the trailer they drive out of the field with as little damage to any crop possible, the pilot is very aware of the crop as property and misses it where possible.  The old arrangement is to buy the landowner a bottle of whisky if his land is used, and this still holds true today, we suggested a bottle of JD since I may have consumed the last bottle!                                                             

This time the trailer got stuck and John was asked to tow them out of the field in his Landrover, which he was more than happy to do.  Our thinking is?  They know where we live now, know Boob-Tube and I keep horses here, and having spoken to the pilots about horses...conclusion, they'll be extra careful now they know horses are here.

  

Phew!

 ...of course if I'd been riding that would have been a different matter, but we wont dwell on the what-ifs!