You gave the woman behind us an easment and she has sold part of it to some people who built a rodeo arena can you stop the rodeo traffic?

Answer 1

It depends on whether you restricted the rights in the easement when you gave it to her, whether it is written or oral, and whether she paid anything in return for the rights.

You would typically want to document these sort of things rather carefully, using specific, selected terms to limit things you don't want done.

For example, "a right of way [ten feet] [fifty feet] wide, and the right to pass and repass over the way [on foot, on horseback, in non-motorized vehicles, in pleasure vehicles, including commercial vehicles] for the purpose(s) of

# [farming] [limited to agriculture]

# [forestry] [not including removal of maple sap]

# [laying and maintaining utilities] [only if buried]

# [non-motorized recreation] [not including fishing][including walking of horses] [bicycling]

# [recreational activities] [not including hunting or shooting weapons] [not including any activity likely to disturb or harass the animals]

# [only during the time the ground is frozen solid] [only during daylight hours]

# [improvement of the way for use of bicycles] [all permitted vehicles] [such improvements with prior written approval of grantor]

# [provided grantee maintains the surface and drainage]

# [for the personal use of grantee and its guests]

# [which rights shall terminate immediately upon transfer of the served property], [after forty years], [after one year], [after 60 days]"

etc

The best you might hope for, after the fact, is that the new owners understand your concerns and are willing to negotiate rather than take their chances in a lawsuit that limits or eliminates their enjoyment.