Woman given restraining order for ‘feeding horse’..

[Stath]

There are frequent threads on MN about idiotic behaviour by the public when it comes to other people’s animals.
I’m very pleased to read that this woman has been taken to court although I wonder if she’d have been made to pay vets’ costs/compensation if her acts had killed or made the horse require treatment?
Not sure this will serve as a deterrent to many people though who have the mindset of ‘a carrot/potato/handful of grass won’t do any harm’ but it’ll hopefully do some good.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gran-hit-restraining-order-feeding-25493927

Horses, to be totally honest and as gorgeous and amazing they are, are a bit of a shit design. @nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut

A horse or pony can get laminitis so might be on restricted grazing. Grass turns into sugar causing all sorts of problems so the horse will be on a strict schedule of grazing/paddock sown with low sugar varieties.

Leaning over a fence to give a handful of grass to the poor pony who’s on muddy ground could be the tipping point of fucking that animal’s digestive system right up. Especially if multiple people do that each day.

Plus grass outside the fence may be sprayed or have ragwort or dog crap on.

There’s also the behavioural aspect of feeding horses too. It can lead to dangerous barging, mobbing and arsehole behaviour.
Imagine the damage a 420kg beast could do (especially combined with its paddock mates) charging at a person because they associate human=treat.

Hope that helps

@Stath

Horses, to be totally honest and as gorgeous and amazing they are, are a bit of a shit design. *@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut*

A horse or pony can get laminitis so might be on restricted grazing. Grass turns into sugar causing all sorts of problems so the horse will be on a strict schedule of grazing/paddock sown with low sugar varieties.

Leaning over a fence to give a handful of grass to the poor pony who’s on muddy ground could be the tipping point of fucking that animal’s digestive system right up. Especially if multiple people do that each day.

Plus grass outside the fence may be sprayed or have ragwort or dog crap on.

There’s also the behavioural aspect of feeding horses too. It can lead to dangerous barging, mobbing and arsehole behaviour.
Imagine the damage a 420kg beast could do (especially combined with its paddock mates) charging at a person because they associate human=treat.

Hope that helps

Agree they are a shit design. As a pp mentioned uopthread they cannot vomit as the required valves that allow for reverse expulsion are not reversible. (I am sure there is a tech explanation, but that is mine). That's crap that you cannot vomit out stuff you should not have eaten.

Also if they lie down too long their internal organs can get crushed.

I have also spent nigths walking my Connemara pony who was a greedy fucker who would eat too much of the stuff he was allowed to have. Plus once when someone thiought it was a good idea to throw rotting ice berg lettuces into his yard

Also their legs are spindly as shit looks mournfully at horse with tendon injury

But I agree that some of the snippy responses on here are perhaps typical of the attitudes of "country folk" that keep horses and the general disdain to townies
It's not about snippy country folk who dislike townies.
It's about considerate people with half an ounce of common sense vs inconsiderate people who think animals and the countryside is there for their own entertainment to use as they please.

It's not rocket science to leave other people's animals alone, whether that's farm animals or pets.

Does that mean if they are lying down something is wrong? Because I drive past a horse on a grass verge to work and he's been lying down in the same place since last night? Still there at 10 this morning. I thought he was just sleeping. Didn't realise they shouldn't lie down for long. Do you think I ought to check on him?

If he's been lying down in the same place without moving for 18 hours he's probably not at all well, if alive.

Some horses lie down more often than others but if the horse has been lying there the whole time rather than having been up, mooched about then eventually gone to lie back down in a preferred spot then there is certainly something wrong if, as a pp has said, it is indeed still alive. Do you know who owns the horse?

He's alive, his head was up. He watches the cars go past. I don't know who owns him(or her) never seen anyone there.

If I stop, how will I know if he is OK?

I don't know, he might have been up then just laid back down in the same place. I'll look on my way past at lunchtime but not sure what to do if he is still down. Do horses have microchips to find out who the owner is?

If you stop he'll probably get up. I thought you meant lying flat out. If lying with head up it's more likely he's been up and down again. Horses are meant to be chipped but if you mean this one is tethered at the roadside as opposed to being in a field which I think you might be on re reading, it likely belongs to a traveller and probably won't be.

He's probably tethered so can't wander. Does he have access to water?

So it would be more likely to lay down in the same spot.

I can't see a bucket but tbf I haven't really looked.

He is tethered with a padded thing round his neck I think. I'll stop and see if he gets up. Bit nervous of going too near though.

Dont get too close
Even friendly horses can hurt you, especially while getting up

If you can't see a water bucket then call the rspca and say there is a horse that appears to have been lying down for 18+ hours and looks like it has no access to water. They are meant to respond of an animal does not have water. (Even if it turns out it does it will hopefully get them there)

@Hoppinggreen

Dont get too close Even friendly horses can hurt you, especially while getting up

This (rubs sore wrist from broken arm)

@Kikkomam

Horses are the only animals people feel they can feed. People don't randomly feed people's dogs, despite not being specifically told that they mustn't. It's weird

Horses definitely bear the brunt of it but people also feed other animals. My dog has specific intolerances and it's not uncommon for me to have to jump in on a walk as someone walks up to him, treat in hand. Even though he's by me on a lead. Not frequently but enough that I am now on the alert for it.

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut

I don't generally go near horses as I'm a bit wary of them, certainly not close enough to feed them but why is feeding them grass bad? Don't they eat grass anyway?

When horses graze they can only nibble a small amount at a time, and they have to chew it. Same with hay.

A pile of grass clippings is already starting to ferment, they can eat huge amounts very quickly without much chewing, and will then have a stomach full of sugar rich grass clippings, fermenting fast in their gut.

Horses have to be restricted on lush new spring grass for the same reason.

Also: horses are unable to vomit, so if they do eat something that their system objects to, they can’t expel it.

@Sundancerintherain she was repeatedly asked by the horses owner to not feed him. She reported the horse to the RSPCA and harassed the owner. It was on APILN yesterday. She sounds like a piece of work.

Hold on, is grass not ok??

If I was feeding a horse or doing something untoward out of ignorance and someone confronted me shouting and swearing, I'd probably kick off in retaliation. But if people are nice and explain why something shouldn't be done without getting arsey, I would imagine even the most ignorant townie might see sense.

If you had a child who was allergic to nuts, and someone in the park gave them a snickers without telling you. Would you pop over and calmly explain that the snickers is about to cause your child's throat to swell up and for them to go into anaphylaxis shock. Or would you panic and shout something like "what the fuck do you think you're doing!?" before rushing them to the hospital.

It's the same kind of premise. If it's not your animal, don't put things in its mouth, this really shouldn't need any explanation or reasoning.

@Fireatseaparks

Hold on, is grass not ok??

A handful of grass is unlikely to do any harm, except (as I've said more than once) it would encourage the horse to run to the fence for treats and could end up fighting others. Best just not to feed other people's animals at all.

Ok I stopped and he didn't get up but looks like he's moved from where he was this morning. I was brave and went over to him. He sort of looked like he was going to get up but then didn't. He doesn't seem distressed at all, had a snuffle at my pockets and was content enough to be stroked. There is water there in a bucket. Bit dirty but he does have water.

Is that OK? Should have thought to take a picture.

@Fireatseaparks

Hold on, is grass not ok??

Nothing is ok without the owners permission

@THisbackwithavengeance

I read the news report and it is clear that the culprit has certain "issues".

I have to admit that I used to pick handfuls of grass to feed a particularly mournful looking horse that I used to walk past. But no carrots, polos or mars bars so hopefully no colic or damage was caused. I won't do it again.

But I agree that some of the snippy responses on here are perhaps typical of the attitudes of "country folk" that keep horses and the general disdain to townies. If I was feeding a horse or doing something untoward out of ignorance and someone confronted me shouting and swearing, I'd probably kick off in retaliation. But if people are nice and explain why something shouldn't be done without getting arsey, I would imagine even the most ignorant townie might see sense.

Just a thought...

If I were to explain every issue, illness, behavioural problem and condition in the kind of detail people seem to want (even just on here) about what can be dangerous to a horse and why, I'd be here all night quite honestly. The times I've tried to ask people not to feed mine, I think I've only been asked why, seriously a handful of times, the rest of the time I've been told to go away (in various bad language) mind my own business (I'll just remind it's my horse here), stop being precious and stuck up and told they'll do what they want. Still me dealing with the sick horseand sorting our the behaviour issues though isn't it, and the owner paying the vet bills - not so keen to be involved then. So perhaps if 'townies' want to actually learn they could start by cutting the attitude and listening rather than dishing out abuse when asked not to do something by 'country folk' with their horses. I'll talk all day long about my horse, to anyone who'll listen, believe me! I'm not your 'stereotypical' (not that there is truly such a thing anyway) horse owner, I'm a min wage worker who goes without other things so I can have mine, he was given to me to look after many years ago in return for riding him, with a small financial contribution. And to be quite honest, why, when there are signs up asking people not to feed the horses, should I have to take time after time explaining horse management to people who have already ignored those signs? And who just tell me to fuck off anyway because they've written me off as a precious, posh 'country type' rather than just not wanting to see my horse get sick or deal with the behaviour that other people hand feeding causes.

The 'attitudes' are not all one sided.