Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
bigsighall · 10/08/2018 18:50

I feel your pain. I actually saw a boy of about 6 reach through my electric fence to stroke the horse!!! I shouted at the parents ‘she bites!!!!’ (She doesn’t) and they looked daggers at me. I mean really, you wouldn’t let your child run up to a 6’ tall dog and stroke it!!!!
I have found sandwiches, sweets and loads of apple cores in my field. We had 3 vet call outs for colic last year. Most of the stuff is lobbed right into the middle of the field. It’s so irresponsible

MsOliphant · 10/08/2018 18:52

People were asked to stop feeding the ducks and geese in the local park bread once. There was a warden there and he was explaining in a really lovely manner about how it can make them ill, they don't really need to be fed at all but if you want to, please feed peas etc...

This woman said 'but they like bread' and just shrugged.

Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 18:56

It's grim isn't it? Some useful ideas here, so thank you for replying. I like the idea of somewhere to leave the treats, the other "animals" next door can eat just about anything so they could have them!

OP posts:
IceCreamFace · 10/08/2018 18:58

YANBU of course. I'm sure they would complain if you fed their child a vodka red bull because "you love kids and wanted to give them a treat"

britnay · 10/08/2018 19:01

How about putting up a sign saying that your horse has ringworm and it is very contagious for people?

ScrambledSmegs · 10/08/2018 19:02

I'm not surprised. There's a field with miniature donkeys in a smaller paddock near to where I live. Loads of signs up saying not to feed them, it could kill them. Doesn't seem to stop people trying to feed them any old rubbish Hmm.

Also, I recently went to a park that had a small area with animals - guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens etc. A sign on a large empty cage informed us that the turkeys had to be moved away from the public because adults had been screaming 'gobble gobble' at them constantly, they were being fed crap and the poor things had become very ill. People can be such twats around animals.

MsOliphant · 10/08/2018 19:04

I do remember as a child my grandma used to take us to feed local horses sugarlumps Blush I was only about six but I feel awful about that now.

Gogreen · 10/08/2018 19:08

I’d change the signs to something threatening, these horses are in quarantine as they show aggression to humans, please keep well clear and hands away!

ScrambledSmegs · 10/08/2018 19:08

MsOliphant a friend at the local stables used to give her pony (stabled there) Polo mints. Even then I was a bit Confused but she said it was never more than 2 a day so absolutely fine. I

Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 19:13

MsOpliphant a lot of us did things as kids that we wouldn't do now. Smile

OP posts:
Spudlet · 10/08/2018 19:17

I used to ride at an innercity stables which was also a city farm, and had small paddocks on the edge of a park. Someone was caught trying to feed one of the horses chicken nuggets Confused

HarrietSchulenberg · 10/08/2018 19:23

I blame Red Rum for the Polo mints thing as they were, apparently, his favourite treat.

A field near me used to have a brilliant sign up about not feeding the horses. It named them both and stated that the big, brown (bay) one was a thug and would bully the cute, grey pony when food was offered. It called him a "big, bullying bastard" which always made me smile as I imagined outraged parents hauling their tots away from the sweary sign and evil horse. I used to stop to chat to them both (no, I never fed them) and they both seemed very placid together and good companions so I suspect the sign was a deterrent.

catinboots9 · 10/08/2018 19:54

This is the tape you need, with some huge warning signs

To ask people not to feed my horses?
Original poster
Flyme21 · 10/08/2018 20:04

Cheers cat!

OP posts:
catinboots9 · 10/08/2018 22:25

Maybe at school drop-off/pick-up wander round in a hazmat suit for a few days Grin

Word will soon get around

Spilledmycoffee · 10/08/2018 22:43

I've always taken local horses a carrot or passed them some nice looking grass from just out of their reach. Never if there's a sign saying not to though.

Sounds like I shouldn't be doing that at all though! I honestly never realised it was a problem, so I won't anymore

UpstartCrow · 10/08/2018 22:47

Try a sign that says 'animals are unpredictable and may bite' and add a caveat that you are not responsible for injuries.

SeaToSki · 10/08/2018 22:52

If you have animals next door that can eat the treats. Right in front of the horse field, put a container out with a sign above it saying

WARNING
Horses infected with tuberculosis
DO NOT FEED or TOUCH

If you brought treats to share with our animals
please leave them here
as our goats (etc) would love them

SeaToSki · 10/08/2018 22:53

BTW. How do you get strike through to work, I have tried loads of times and it just prints the dashes. Sorry for the derailment

TooHappyToBeSad · 10/08/2018 22:56

YANBU to say it but YABU to think people will listen.

We lost our old girl a couple of years ago when people emptied their clippings over the fence ever day. We didn't realize they were doing it as they waited til we'd left for the day.

Moved the rest to a new location with no neighbours or footpaths but do realize we were very lucky to find this place.

Pebblespony · 10/08/2018 22:56

I feel your pain. I have two friendly small ponies near a football field. Loads of kids and families. Now that apples are ripening in neighbours field, I've had to move them.

ploppymoodypants · 10/08/2018 22:57

Spilledmycoffee - to be fair your choice of treats is pretty responsible as treats go. I sometimes give my pony and carrot or apple.

However to a laminitis pony (of which there are many, many, many) they are v high in sugar and could trigger an attack, which at best is costly at the vets and causes pain and Lameness and no riding for months, and at worse kills. (It’s a bit like diabetes in humans. You offer someone a chocolate. Which seems like a nice thing, but potentially v harmful to someone with diabetes).

If a horse is in a paddock with not much grass, 9/10 it is done for the horses welfare. It’s unbelievable how much sugar is in grass and and carrot.

Bubblysqueak · 10/08/2018 23:06

Our neighbors are having the same problem, so the put up electric fences , which people then took down and led on the ground so they could step over as it was stopping them reaching the ponies well duh

SteamTrainsRealAleandOpenFires · 11/08/2018 00:05

Possible options:-

  1. Put enlarged pictures of de-gloved fingers/hands on your fences, as a warning & you that take no responsibility for injuries sustained.

  2. Set up really good CCTV cameras (with sound), with loudspeakers warning "not to feed the horses/various livestock" on a 24 hour loop. So you can then put on fARSEbook, TWATer & youtube asking for info about the CFs/horse killers & then claim for vets fees etc.

  3. You start selling small bags of horse food for 5£.

  4. Those who have fields backing on to peoples' gardens dig a small trench (mud bank on your side of trench btw, as that means you own the trench), fill with water and let wildlife colonise...mossies will love it!, though I doubt the CFs will. evil Grin

  5. The NFU (National Farmer Union) might have some useful info on how to protect you, family & business.

coffee88 · 11/08/2018 00:15

On the other hand the dickhead horse owners who own the field at the bottom of my ggarden tied their electric fence directly onto my fence- a post and rail fence not a garden fencing panel- that the children could easily touch from their own garden and let their horses lean over and eat from my vegetable garden!