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

[lastqueenofscotland]

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.

Thank you for posting this OP. At least three horses in our area have had to be pts because of fucking morons feeding them.

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.

really?! You're a twat .

Electric fence them! The public are absolute wankshafts.

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.

How does this work? Is it also my responsibility to put a double fence around my house, so people know not to trespass?

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.

What an idiotic statement. The moronic public think nothing of shinning over her very secure post and rail fence (complete with signs saying ‘do not feed the horses’) to stuff her horses full of leftover picnic shite, what makes you think a second fence would stop them?

The public aren’t allowed to think ‘brilliant, fair game’ just because they aren’t literally physically prevented from accessing a horse. They just need to not be stupid, interfering, dangerous, entitled twats.

Oh jeez!!

I didn't realise this - obv I've never fed horses proper food but on some of my walks I pick grass up by their fence just to give them some & get a pet/cuddle.

I will stop, sorry!!

To the poster saying I should need two fences, I ended up with three!! And one of the locals complained!

And as I say one of mine was a great big hulk of horse, if someone picked a bit of grass even that could probably be enough to wind him up if he saw his mate getting it instead.

You wouldn’t go up to a dog in a pub and feed them without asking, even a dog biscuit so why a horse.

@bridgetreilly I'm not against petting zoos or farms by any means, but I actually think they might be a reason why some people think it's acceptable to interfere with animals in fields. Children who have been raised visiting petting farms where they can feed and stroke sheep and cows and ponies aren't necessarily going to realise that animals in the fields are any different. I'm not against petting farms, they're a good thing and educational for children, but parents (and the petting farms themselves) need to make sure children understand the difference between animals at a petting farm and animals in the fields.

Oh my god this is horrific. I take my stepson down to feed the horse on a small holding near us a carrot now and again, I'm really upset I just never thought about it like that. We just thought we were doing something nice. Never again!

I didn't know this if I'm honest. We have a play area where horses pop their head over and I've fed them a few carrots once. I won't do it again but I couldn't resist at the time they're such lovely animals.

Thanks for posting this, and thanks to the later posters who have read and realised they shouldn’t feed horses they come across.

Feeding horses the wrong foods can kill them or make them seriously ill. Too many apples and carrots, even too much grass, can cause massive problems. And you might think you’re only giving one carrot etc, but you don’t know what the last person who came past the field gave them, or how sensitive that particular horse is to sugars.

A handful of grass from the verge can cause a fight between horses in the field, teach them to mug and threaten and bite humans for food, and encourages them to hang around the fence begging so they’re more likely to be fed by the next person.

If you like horses, sponsor a pony for a charity, and when lockdown is over think about volunteering a bit of time. Or go to a riding school and learn to ride and care for them in a safe environment. They are wonderful (if poorly designed!) animals who can bring a lot of joy. But please don’t feed horses who aren’t yours

I actually think that the Government needs to say something about this.
I’m tired of hearing about farm animals suffering due to the stupidity of walkers , during Covid.
No one should be feeding any farmed animal for any reason.
I think fines should be it in place. It’s almost like people are treating farm animals like a petting zoo.

No one would think of going for a walk and randomly feed someone’s dog or cat .

And yes, I lost a one year old puppy to such stupidity.

This is the bane of my life at the moment.

I have a hybrid pony x Labrador, who will literally eat himself to death and thinks unsuitable human food is the best sort of food. He now seems to have developed a radar for people approaching the fence and him dashing across the field to frisk them is the fastest he moves all day.
I have to work him hard all summer anyway to keep him at a sensible weight, he is a classic laminitis risk, and has had colic previously after forging himself. He has no off switch.

We have multiple posters and signs up on fence posts where people come to feed them, there is no way people are (in this instance) doing it not knowing. People just don’t give a shit.

We’ve had people tearing down the signs, people running away when they see us approach (adults not kids, and I’m walking towards them smiling, hoping to politely but firmly tell them to stop), or get verbally abusive if you politely explain why you have put the signs there and why you don’t want them feeding them.

This week we have had an older man empty a large carrier bag full of bread, oranges and limes (WTF?!?!) into the field and hurl abusive at a neighbour who asked him not to. I’ve also found three avocado stones in the field which terrifies me as obviously huge choking risk.

I have no idea where the sense of entitlement comes from. I get it if you genuinely don’t know any better. But if it’s clearly signed, and explained why and you’re then asked to stop, I just don’t understand how people have the audacity to think they’re in the right and get aggressive.

at avocado stones

Lawn clippings and fruit and veg destined for the compost or even food still in its plastic wrapper and given to horses, ponies or donkeys can kill them. As the op pointed out, horses do not have the vomit reflex so once the lawn clippings etc get eaten they start to heat up and ferment which can cause colic so severe, a horse dies in acute pain and distress. Please spread the word, thank you op for starting this thread.

Honestly, what a lot of drama!
People have walked past their local field and fed a horse a carrot for donkey's years (pun intended).
I did it as a child, I now do It with my children. The owner of the horse by me has a sign on the fence saying it likes apples and carrots and her favourites is pears. The horse looks in fine fettle and has been in that field for two years now enjoying a treat from passers by without obvious incident.
The simplest of pleasures in these dark days when kids are away from grandparents, friends, school, friends, trips to the cinema...and people still want to make out it's something horrible. If you're feeding a horse a cake, yes you're an idiot. But a carrot or apple...let's get a grip.

@Mustfly If the owner has given permission to feed their horse, fine (although it seems unwise to give the public carte blanche to feed a horse unlimited sugary fruits, but that's up to them). But it's rude to feed an animal without the owner's permission. Even in lockdown, that's an important principle that children need to learn, that they can't just feed someone else's animal without asking, no matter how much pleasure it gives them. The world doesn't revolve around children's pleasure.

@Mustfly clearly you know nothing about horses, you don't touch or feed what doesn't belong to you!

@Mustfly little different but if you came along did that to my pony and then the next 20 families she would probably be dead. Saying simple pleasures during these dark times. Well I’ll tell you what if my pony dies because of that I’ll be having more than a dark time. I already have my pony double fenced and have now had to also put a sign on my gate saying if you leave this gate open, I am counting on you as being liable so the vet bill if my horse escapes. That vet bill could run to thousands and thousands if a car hits her. Even colic from your so called innocent feeding could cost up to ten grand. If your children want to feed a pony, buy them a piny to feed don’t feed mine.

A few years ago I did this. But I picked some grass from inside their paddock and gave it to the only horse that was in there. He was grazing there anyway and was in a terrible tangle with his rug. Fields are not near any houses so not like I could knock on the door. I 'made friends' by giving him some of the grass then went in to untangle the rug from his leg. I don't think I did wrong to be honest...

These people the no ing it is okay to feed my pony, can I ask you something. Is it okay for me to come and give each of your children a massive tub of ice cream, the big bag of haribo and some coke to wash it all down with in the space of an afternoon behind your back.....???

Mustfly you obviously don’t know anything about horses. If the owner has given permission then obviously it’s fine, but feeding other people’s horses can and does kill them. They can not vomit if something disagrees with them, this causes colic which is often fatal.

Please do not feed my horse.