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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask you not to feed horses you don’t know

105 replies

lastqueenofscotland · 13/05/2020 16:26

With the weather improving and the government giving us the green light to travel to other places. If you are off walking around where horses are kept please don’t feed them without the permission of the owner.

Some horses have laminitis and you feeding them treats can cause this to flare up and in some cases cause them to need to be put to sleep.
Some things you feed them could disagree with them, horses can’t be sick, this could literally kill them.
Horses can be territorial around food and incredibly aggressive. This is dangerous for you or if they decide they are jealous of their field mate getting fed and decide to beat them up.

Please please please just leave other people’s animals alone unless you’ve permission from the owners.

OP posts:

SarahAndQuack · 13/05/2020 16:28

This always completely bemuses me. I know people do it (and feed almost any other animals too), but why?!

Clymene · 13/05/2020 16:28

There are donkeys near me who the farmer has had to move because families were literally queuing up to feed them

People are fucking idiots and treat livestock like a petting zoo.

Sparklingbrook · 13/05/2020 16:30

It would never occur to me to feed horses. It's a really strange thing to do.

zscaler · 13/05/2020 16:32

YANBU. My mum once caught someone in the act of feeding her horse entire scones 🙄🙄🙄 it’s such an irresponsible thing to do!

Lostvoiced · 13/05/2020 16:35

I will admit, I did this when I was a grubby little urchin child.

There were 3 horses in a field not too far from my house. They were not well taken care of. Me and my sisters used to go down there and clean their field (we took a car battery among other things out of the muck!). And we'd also bring carrots and lettuce down to them when we could.
I really hope we didn't do them any harm!
I do believe they eventually got taken away because of their bad conditions, and I certainly know better now- but I do feel a little guilty!

As an adult, I know different. There are horse owners around here (different area to where I grew up) who have to beg on the local Facebook for people to stop feeding their horses.

Winterwoollies · 13/05/2020 16:43

A friend’s old pony was fed all sorts of shit by families that they’d find just sitting in their paddock, which incidentally, was nowhere near a footpath. I happened countless times. They always got so arsey when told to piss off out of private property!

It’s the same in the New Forest.

Why do people think rules don’t apply to them and why does common sense not seem to feature in these dummies’ heads? They’d be the first to complain when a wild mare protective of her foal (rightly) boots their precious little angel in the head. 🙄

Springersrock · 13/05/2020 16:50

YANBU

I feel like I’m always banging on about this, but yes, please don’t feed other people’s horses - even if it is just a handful of grass picked from around the gateway.

At our yard we’ve had to move all the horses back into their winter fields as they’re harder for the public to get to.

It’s a massive pain in the arse as they can’t live out 24/7 as there isn’t enough grass and it’s costing a fortune as we have to put hay out. Plus the fields aren’t being rested ready for next winter.

Original poster

lastqueenofscotland · 13/05/2020 16:52

I used to keep two ex racehorses on the edge of a town near a lot of housing and has to build an electric fence within and electric fence within a post and rail to stop people trying to feed them ham sandwiches, cakes and all sorts of shit.
One of them was such a fat shit (contrary to the wiry TB stereotype) and would think nothing of mugging you for some food, and if you thought a post and rail would stop that equine Zeppelin who in his racing days used to plough through chase fences at 20mph.

My ex MIL once overheard someone in a pub whinging that the horses fencing had been changed so they couldn’t take their grand daughter over to feed them and saying what a snob the owner must be. I’m not, I don’t want your kid flattened!

OP posts:

Pippapotomus · 13/05/2020 17:00

We used to have this. My horse started getting aggressive as she was constantly looking for food on people. We put in a second fence, but then had people climb over the first fence to walk up to the second. I had a complaint that someone got electric shocked on the 2nd fence (they should never have crossed the first one) and another that they had been bitten. People think they're entitled to do what they want.

I'm now at a lovely yard with several large dogs who love to bark at people roaming about.

SemperIdem · 13/05/2020 17:05

People who do this have absolutely no concept of how much danger they are potentially putting themselves or others in.

It’s like herbivore = absolutely no threat whatsoever regardless of MASSIVE SIZE. Or that herbivores can’t be aggressive. It only means they won’t eat you, not that they can’t or won’t seriously injure you.

I love horses but you wouldn’t catch me jumping into a field with a few in to feed them “all”, ever.

starfishmummy · 13/05/2020 17:18

YANBU

Someone near us has had a horse die....
And is desperately posting on all the local groups asking people to stop feeding their other horses. I

CruCru · 13/05/2020 17:32

The problem is that people don’t realise how different horses are from the other animals (including humans) they know. The idea of an animal getting fat (or sick) from a few carrots sounds ludicrous but I understand that some horses can get fat on not a whole lot.

LadyLeucadia · 13/05/2020 17:35

YANBU

Dragongirl10 · 13/05/2020 17:37

Op two words....electric fencing.....!

opticaldelusion · 13/05/2020 17:37

I like the idea of 'knowing' a horse. Like you've been introduced at a drinks party.

quarantinevibes · 13/05/2020 17:39

YANBU. Absolutely can not stand people feeding animals that are not theirs. It’s so rude and irresponsible!! My friends cat died a few weeks ago as one of the neighbours put some flea treatment on it (cat has never had fleas she has a few pedigrees, live fairly “rural” so allowed to roam) the consequences can be devastating.

FelicityBeedle · 13/05/2020 17:41

I admit I have fed a local horse a tiny handful of grass, truthfully just to get them to come over to the gate. I’ve never entered the field of fed them anything else though. I won’t do it again

Soontobe60 · 13/05/2020 17:41

Actually I think it’s the owner’s responsibility to make sure their animals are safe, and if that means having a double fence then that’s what they should do.

bridgetreilly · 13/05/2020 17:45

Seriously.

If you want to take your kid or grandkid to feed some animals take them to a petting zoo or theme park farm. Don't just start feeding random animals! You wouldn't start feeding other peoples pets in their homes, why would you start feeding their larger animals in fields?

Clymene · 13/05/2020 17:48

@Soontobe60 - the animals are safe. They're fenced in a field which is secure. It is a complete pain in the arse (not to mention expensive) to keep putting up electric fencing because some people have no respect for livestock.

Do you go and feed random dogs or cats? No? Well then don't feed horses.

mycatsbetterthanyours · 13/05/2020 17:53

I'm a very, bruised example, of the consequence of idiots feeding horses. I was chased by a horse, who assumed because I was a human I would have food for it. I was on a public footpath through a field and totally ignoring, as we do, livestock grazing. I had to fling myself over a gate to escape and royally fucked up my shoulder in the process. Totally ignoring the fact that my flinging over the fence, a la SAS style, was pretty cool, it bloody hurt.

AndNoneForGretchenWieners · 13/05/2020 17:55

A local news site has reported a sad case where signs saying not to feed the horses in the field have been ignored, and one poor horse was found dead. These horses have grazed in the same field, on the corner of a main road, for years (there have always been horses there since I can remember, obviously not the same ones but it's not a new grazing patch) and this hasn't happened before.

Chickoletta · 13/05/2020 18:04

I have 3 native ponies who are prone to laminitis. At this time of year, we keep them in a smaller field with not too much to eat as overeating could kill them. Unfortunately, this field backs onto some gardens. Most of the residents have been there for years, know us and are brilliant. A new woman has recently moved in and I know that she’s feeding them as they stand looking over the fence by her garden and have even started to push the fence down!

I spoke to her last week (very nicely) and explained the situation and she became abusive and told me that my horses are neglected. I pointed out that my husband is an equine specialist vet and she said ‘So what?’. So infuriating. The other day she put a bucket of water over the fence for them because they ‘didn’t have any and looked thirsty’ - they have an automatic refilling trough which is connected to the mains!

I can’t move the horses as the other fields have too much grass so it’s really bloody annoying and I don’t know what to do. Think I will block the bottom of her garden in with 8ft high fence panels. This would spoil her beautiful sea view - ha!

SallyWD · 13/05/2020 18:04

We feed a horse near us only because once we were admiring her and the owner came out and yelled "I see you didn't bother to bring her an apple!".

thetemptationofchocolate · 13/05/2020 18:05

I've got a horse here who I never ever feed directly from my hands. This is because he would probably take my hand as well as the food (he has Issues). It's my constant nightmare that someone will allow their child to feed him something and there will be a horrible injury.

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