Horse in neighbours back garden -illegal?

[riverrock]

Well just as the title says, this can not be legal right?

I swear it's true, tofu.

When he first told me, I literally wet myself laughing and this was long before I had children. He really didn't get why it was so funny.
Was just normal in his family.

really didn't get why it was so funny.

Cause everyone has a brick chicken...

sorry i'm only coming back to this thread now.
Ok first off that video

How big is this horse approximately?

I have come back to this thread to find it has taken a bizarre turn into propping chickens up on bricks. I was helpless with laughter when I read that, thank you.

Horses don't need to be stabled particularly in the summer but in winter they do. My sisters horses stay out all summer (with blankets if it's chilly). 60 foot isn't very big for a horse but if it's exercised and fed, then it won't kill it.

Shouldn't be permenantly tethered though esp. from its neck - I recently read this : here

No, I agree, I missed that bit :( Permanent tethering is horrible

I'm sure there are regulations. My friend wanted a micropig, but discovered you have to have some kind of licence. if you are worried about the horse's welfare, call the RSPCA/ SSPCA- they will check it out, and will probably be up to speed on any regulations

A horse doesn't need to be in in the winter ours live out with no rugs at all but they are designed for it. You say it has no food - grass is it's food they are grazing animals it may well not need any extra hard food or hay and the size of patch could be ok for a short period. Some of ours don't mind living alone most stick with the herd but a few take themselves off.
If you are worried about it's welfare don't bother with the RSPCA they are useless try the ILPH or google your local BHS representative.

The tethering bit is a concern. Shelter isn't necessary, depending on what breed type it is. It would be easier to judge if we knew it's size, type etc.

Pigs, sheep etc require a license to move them about, there are restrictions due to disease control. Horses do not, they are not covered by those regulations.

OP pop a pic of horse in yard on your profile if you can

Thanks for all this advice. Haven't a clue what type
of horse it is tbh but it can easily rest its head on our 5ft
tall garden wall.

It does look well fed and seems very calm.

Yep, a photo would be very helpful, if that's possible.

Dh took a photo of the horse this morning from the upstairs bedroom but
my house is very recognisable in the picture.
He took the photo because i was thinking of going to
our local stables to see if any horses had gone missing.
Neighbour seems to replace a dog every month
How they manage to do this i don't know.

Few questions then...

How high is the horse's back in relation to the 5' wall?
Does it have long hair on it's legs?
Does it's back look fairly straight, or does it dip down a lot in the middle?
Is there a hollow above it's eyes?

ummm,apart from welfare concerns (tethering is especially nasty) it may well be against the rental agreement,you could contact the landlord or letting agent if you know who it is.

i brought my horse home to my parents back garden once (for the afternoon),i rode her from the stables 3.5 miles away,i was 12,you should have seen the look on my friends faces when i came riding down the street

Its chin rests level with my wall iykwim
it doesn't have to stretch to look over.
No hair on its legs at all. Its a brown horse with a small
white patch between its eyes.

Ok its back is straight and from its knees down its legs are
darker than the rest of its coat.

So it's back is higher than your 5' wall? Sounds like it is over 15hh, so the garden will only be suitable as very temporary grazing. And it's not a cob, unless it's legs have been clipped out.

Combined with it being tethered round it's neck, I'd probably ring the ILPH in the morning.

I'd phone. And tell them the horse appeared overnight.

It arrived last week and even though they have a side entrance
They walked the horse in through the house to put it out into the back garden.
But it disappeared the next day and arrived back at 11pm
on tuesday night.
No its back is a little bit lower than the wall.
When i'm in my garden i can just see its head & some of its neck.

The horse sounds very nice but I probably wouldn't like it next door to me.

About 14hh or thereabouts then. Still far too big for a 60' garden. They might just have lost their livery or something like that. But I'd still report it to ILPH.

Is the horse in distress? If it is in a garden with a 5ft fence, shelter is not necessary.
Yes it is tethered, but is probably under constant surveillance. If it doesnt look thin, or have open sores or feet like turkish slippers, then it is in all probability, fine.
As other posters have said, it could be there for any number of reasons. It could be laminitic, and in a restricted space to literally keep it alive. It may have an injury that requires it have its movement restricted.
There are many many horses in the world who spend 23+ hours a day standing in stables. It has room to move about. grass to eat. It could well be being fed or watered at times that you arent around, as long as water is offered enough to satisfy the horse, it doesnt need to be permanently available. When it disappeared, it could have been being exercised, or have been taken somewhere else to graze.
There are no laws regarding horses in gardens, (goats and farm livestock are covered by defra, accommodation has to have a defra approved holding license) and unless this animal is visibly suffering, then is there really any need to report it? Maybe you could speak politely to your neighbours and express an interest in the circumstances, in a non accusatory way, and see what you find out.

Slightly off topic but when I went on a riding holiday in Ireland, you could tie your horses up in the field at the back of the pub while you went in for a Guinness. It was ace :)