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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask people not to feed my horses?

53 replies

Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:01

That's it really. I have signs up explaining that one has a medical condition and that treats such and carrots, polos and apples could kill. But it's the holidays and families are walking past more often and just can't ignore it. Even grabbing a bit of greenery and offering it over the fence... it could be a poisonous plant. The thing is, my horses love a bit of a fuss, there is no need to wave the remains of your sarnies about to get to meet them. It's no different to offering food over a garden fence to a dog, but people just don't see it in the same way. If I didn't have the signs I could kind of understand it.
I'm not running a fucking petting zoo.

OP posts:
Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:01

I meant they just ignore it. I wish we had an edit button for ranty days.

OP posts:
Seeyounexttue · 10/08/2018 18:03

One of our fences borders a public footpath - I ended up installing electric fencing a few feet inside the perimeter so the horses can't reach. It sucks, but despite signs etc people just wouldn't stop feeding them!

MsOliphant · 10/08/2018 18:05

Electric fence.

You will always get people that think their whim to feed an animal trumps any consideration for its welfare. People are dicks.

Spudlet · 10/08/2018 18:07

Absolutely you are not! Bloody numpties.

You might have to stick a line of electric fencing inside the main fence though to create a gap... or better yet, a line of electric tape along the top rail, attached to the strongest power supply available. It's fine so long as you put warning signs up.

MsOliphant · 10/08/2018 18:08

There was a thread a little while back where someone had dumped bags of GRASS CUTTINGS in the field for the horses to eat. When questioned, they acted like they'd tried to do the owner of the horses a favour!

LucyFox · 10/08/2018 18:14

Can you put up a double fence so a second one about 1m inside the current one which would make it much harder for people to interact? Or keep your horses away from the bit of field where the public can get to?

Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:14

God, who saw that awful article about the foal killed by grass cuttings dumped in the field? I'd be murderous.
I have a horrible feeling that if I put up electric fence inside the perimeter they'd probably lob the food over it. Without outing myself - there are other animals in the field next door that get that treatment.

Unfortunately, due to me renting the place and not being able to do mains electric fencing, and various lovely bushes along the fence line, electric fence on the actual fence won't work.
It will take me years to get the hawthorne to cover the whole thing!

OP posts:
Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:15

To answer another question - my fields aren't big enough to fence off a huge chunk and waste grazing in order to keep the horses away from the public. I need to use the whole field.

OP posts:
Spudlet · 10/08/2018 18:17

Really? They'd chuck food over?! That's ridiculous!

Maybe you could swap your signs for ones saying they bite, with pictures of some real nasty horse bite injuries. My friend had her finger degloved, but I don't have a picture of it, unfortunately (she is fine now, I hasten to add!).

MsOliphant · 10/08/2018 18:17

You could have signs saying they will bite? Or have a disease. Might put people off.

RossPoldarksFloozie · 10/08/2018 18:17

I have electric fences inside the walls of the fields since one well meaning idiot fed 3 of my horses grass cuttings 3 years ago. They actually brought a huge bag of grass cuttings. That year was fun at the vet school 😭

Spudlet · 10/08/2018 18:17

I don't disbelieve you btw, just... people! Bloody hell!

Dixiechickonhols · 10/08/2018 18:22

The horse near us (and right near a primary school) has a sign on the fence saying please do not feed the horse you are killing him with kindness.

Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:22

I have quite a long sign saying about the illness and that the horses could bite small fingers. To no avail. I think I'm just ranting, it's a case of more signs... cultivate thorny bushes... or move. Sigh.

OP posts:
Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:23

Then after the other thread here I did another sign about fussing not feeding and kindness could kill. People just think they know better. There must be Mumsnet mums who are among the feeders who blight our lives.

OP posts:
catinboots9 · 10/08/2018 18:24

Electric fence inside the fence

Wrongwayup · 10/08/2018 18:26

I have a double fence. Idiots still throw carrots over

Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:26

Imagine a nice wooden boundary fence and at intervals along it there are hawthorne bushes and some small trees. Meaning that electric fence would have to lose me rather a lot of my two small paddocks and it would be difficult to make it effective.
Don't even go there on energisers being stolen in this area mind you, that's another limiting factor. Grin

OP posts:
catinboots9 · 10/08/2018 18:26

Or yellow/black danger tape in the outside of the fence. Bigger, scarier signs..

HAZARD WARNING.

etc etc

Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:28

I like that idea Cat!

OP posts:
Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:28

Could I have a pic of that degloved finger to laminate and stick on the fence maybe? They'd still chuck it over wouldn't they...

OP posts:
SideOrderofSprouts · 10/08/2018 18:32

People seem to
Believe it is their right to feed other people’s animals.

You have my sympathy op. We get the same problem with our horses

My sil used to have an ex race horse. One night a drunk man climbed into
The field to try and ride him. He nearly got killed.

popocatepetals · 10/08/2018 18:33

A friend of mine had a similar problem. His horses' field backed onto the back fence of a large garden and the people were always chucking grass clippings over. There were also loads of plants that might have been poisonous growing within reach of the horses.

So he put up an electric fence a couple of metres in, and then neighbour complained because their kids got electric shocks from it when they went round to get their football back.

So he paid loads of money for a post and rail fence to be put up inside the field instead, leaving a strip between that and the garden fence.

And what did the CF neighbours do? They took their own boundary fences down and extended their garden right up to his fence again, pinching his land.

The court case is ongoing...

derxa · 10/08/2018 18:42

I have great sympathy. We have three horses in a paddock but they are well away from the public. My problem is dog walkers and sheep worrying. The trouble is that people have no idea about how to behave around animals.

Frouby · 10/08/2018 18:48

The one thing that worked for us was having a sign up saying the ponies were on diets and shouldn't have treats as we don't know how much they were getting, but if you leave your treats in a bag at the gate we will allocate them accordingly.

Some of the stuff left is bonkers. Stale bread, rotten windfall apples, veg peelings, half bags of salad etc. But at least we can dispose of it (usually to the chickens) and they walk away having 'fed' the ponies.

And the foxes usually in the winter.

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