To ask people to tell everyone they know NOT TO FEED HORSES THAT DON’T BELONG TO THEM

[YeahBabyYeahYeah]

I won’t post the article as it made me cry and may be more triggering for others, but the most beautiful pony is in the papers today. He died because someone ignored “do not feed” signs and fed him a fucking potato.

Why oh why do some people (who in this case clearly know fuck-all about horses if they are feeding them whole potatoes) think it is OK to feed other people’s animals without their permission?

AIBU to think there should be more awareness about this, especially with more people going for walks at the moment. It is never OK to feed a horse unless the owner tells you it is OK and approves the food.

Yanbu.

Signs only really work for the hard of thinking people giving food that in small quantities is harmless to the majority of healthy horses. I say that because you don't need to be from a horsey background to figure out it's not your horse and you haven't been given permission to feed it. Also, even if you're feeding one carrot to a horse that can eat them in moderation, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that other people might also be doing the same, so overall the horse is still getting a potentially fatal quantity.

We aren't in a popular tourist area, and luckily people can only reach them over a small section of fence. I've tried all sorts of signs, from polite explanations, wording it from the individual horses POV to appeal to families with the specific reasons they can't be fed, the BHS signs, begging signs pleading with people not to, signs referencing the horse no longer down the road because the public killed it, and it still only stops those that have never really thought about it. The entitled take them down or ignore them, or haven't even seen them because they were trespassing and approached from a different direction. And then argue no matter how nicely you explain.

I've been relatively lucky compared to many since the lockdown tourism began. One laminitis prone pony that's had to stay in most of summer unless we were supervising because stupid twats kept removing her muzzle. One colic due to several carrier bags of apples, thank fuck caught in time, an otherwise healthy horse and a lot of luck so it was just an incredibly painful night for the horse, a sleepless one for me and a nice emergency vet bill.
One very elderly horse with kidney failure costing a fortune in blood tests because it's impossible to judge whether he's going downhill or just suffering the natural consequences of being fed loads of shit. And if I increase the drugs when it's just food I'm shortening his life. But of course even when I catch people and explain that I'm just a stuck up horsey bitch, and I shouldn't upset people by telling them he's terminally ill.

Other local horses have had permanent damage done, or have been killed. It's beyond heartbreaking when we lose them anyway, but knowing your horse died a slow and agonising death alone is a whole different world of pain.

Huge problem round here. Also huge problem with significant numbers of complete and utter of idiots, those who are stupid, selfish and ignorant. Lockdown and working from home has just given these people more time to spend causing havoc in the countryside whilst they are “exercising” and “enjoying the countryside”- AKA doing their best to cause as much destruction, damage to the places the they have come to “enjoy” and inconvenience those who work and live there as hey possibly can. Actually, I think they are beyond ignorant, they are just despicable human beings. I have been so annoyed by some, I genuinely think oxygen is wasted on them. I am cross today due to recent incidents, on the background of a truly awful spring and early summer.

I resorted to double electric fencing, higher (cattle voltage) with all required signage and warnings, including not feeding animals etc. Quite a few take no notice but was jolly cheered today to see one of the fuckwits trying to do exactly what they aren’t supposed to do get a nice big shock- I know that is perhaps not nice, but I really am fed up. Although, any thoughts that I may have been unreasonable to be a little chuffed at his discomfort were dispelled when he came to hurl abuse at me. I called the police. Again.

It sounds awful, but I hope the people that fed him saw what they did, and even though they didn’t have the decency to go and help or say what they’d done, I hope they’re traumatised. And even if they didn’t witness it I’m sure they’ll know. It’s been all over Facebook locally and people are horrified/livid.

We have people rocking up with carrots to our field, I think people are so bored at the moment that they think of it as entertainment our old mare had choke last year eating her food and had to get the vet out. If she'd choked on a carrot the passers-by wouldn't have had a clue what to do and she'd have died like this lovely grey.

@Honeyroar

It sounds awful, but I hope the people that fed him saw what they did, and even though they didn’t have the decency to go and help or say what they’d done, I hope they’re traumatised. And even if they didn’t witness it I’m sure they’ll know. It’s been all over Facebook locally and people are horrified/livid.

Im sure, judging by some of the posts here if they're anything like that, they'll console themselves with thinking it's the privileged, posh horse owners fault for not providing a list of items and the potential concequences of feeding them because they weren't to know and can't be expected to know about horses, despite the fact they want to feed one, and that oh well, they got their bit of enjoyment out of it. And how selfish, nasty and entitled the owner is for posting such a thing and upsetting them with the concequences of their own actions.

I noticed recently a thread on our local FB page about a lovely little horse in the village, which whenever I drive past, always seems to have someone stopped there. People on FB were pointing out it shouldn't be fed. And after numerous messages, a new person joined - obviously not reading the notice in the field or the FB message above - saying how she loved to take her DD to feed it! So even with all that, people still don't notice the message!

my friend had goats, a herd of pedigree nubian goats, beautiful creatures. Some one dumped their hedge clippings into their paddock. Killed 27 out of the 30 of them. They were yew, very poison even to goats. People think goats can eat anything but they cant. I spent the day with her trying to save them, pouring mineral oil down their throats to try and make them sick ( Thats what the vet told us to try, but not tp hold out much hope ). Due to goats having many stomachs it didnt work and one by one they died wild eyed and foaming at the mouth. It was heart breaking. All because some one didnt want to pay to have their garden waste removed.

Not awful at all @Honeyroar, I hope they do.
Unfortunately there's every possibility they won't be bothered, most arseholes feed them in the first place because they consider their personal enjoyment more important than the horses welfare and don't seem to understand horses are someone's beloved pet, and instead believe they are either a public amenity or just property the rich stuck up owner can buy a replacement for.

When one was killed locally by the public feeding it people on Facebook were still trying to justify why it was ok to feed them, or why we shouldn't keep them near the public etc. A few days after it died I was approached by a local woman asking where it had gone, and even after I told her she still argued that her bag of vegetable scraps was fine to feed mine.

The lady who’s pony it was has a picture on her Facebook page of her field fence with a sign saying please don’t feed the horses surrounded by bits of potato. The potato that killed Lightening. She’s absolutely distraught. It’s heartbreaking.

While we’re on the subject- rabbits have very similar digestive systems to horses, so your pet rabbits shouldn’t be fed carrots, potatoes or grass cuttings either.

@TrainspottingWelsh that seems to be the biggest issue doesn't it? That people can't take "No." for an answer.

You ask them politely and at best you get a list of "reasons" why it's OK for them to be doing what they're doing. At worst you get called a cunt and told to fuck off.

Such terrible stories!
Just wanted to add that people are still feeding hedgehogs unsuitable food that is killing them.
The only supplemental food they need from us is cat food (Tesco’s kitten biscuits are ideal).
Bird food, milk, bread, suet, meal worms are basically poison - mealworms give them metabolic bone disease, a painful and incurable condition.
Please follow @hedgehogcabin on Twitter and look up her website. This lady singlehandedly runs a hedgehog hospital and has extraordinary knowledge of all things 🦔

To the poster asking what’s the best way of walking through a field of horses with a dog; my advice is find another route. Unknown horses are risky especially around dogs, if one takes fright you could both get kicked or bitten. I grew up around horses and still wouldn’t walk through a field of them even if a footpath goes through it. Same with cattle, I’d rather find an alternative route or double back.

As for signs, I agree you shouldn’t have to put them up and people should be sensible enough not to feed your pet. And of course people should notice the signs and obey them. But unfortunately (as this thread has demonstrated) many people ignore signs. No idea why, they just do. It’s annoying and sad but you can’t trust everyone. That’s why I’d go for 2 fences and triple wire electric fencing on the outer one (with lots of warning signs about the danger of the voltage!) and have the fences/hedges as high as possible to keep the horses safe.

This thread makes me so sad and angry. I'm really glad my horses are off the road. Realising one person living in a house adjoining their field was feeding them carrots, I had a polite chat about appropriate quantities (and the dangers of lawn clippings)(2x Cushings + 1 native in the field), and he took it on board with no fuss. There are a few walkers/bikers that come through, but so far, it's been ok. I feel for those who have to live in constant worry that passers-by might feed them inappropriately (even while I'm conscious that I did similar when younger: at least I stopped when made aware of the dangers).

Not only can horses/ponies not be sick, they can't even belch. So fermenting food (like grass clippings) will create gas in the stomach/gut. The horse can blow up like a balloon which you can imagine is a painful way to go.
Everything that goes into a horse's mouth has to be able to pass safely through the digestive system and out the other end.

We're so lucky our fields are set back out of sight so as yet we've had no problems. However, just before Christmas our fat little arse of a Shetland broke into our hay field in the middle of the night and gorged himself on grass. Close to £4k in vets bills and several nights in hospital, and that is grass in one of our own grazing fields. Same Shetland also took exception to me leading him alongside my elderly mare the other day for NO reason and tried to kick her, resulting in two idiot ponies throwing themselves around me like lunatics. I was fine as I had hold of both their head ends but if they were loose I'd have run for cover. These are two ponies I know extremely well and that I had headcollars on. I personally dislike poopicking whilst a herd is in the same field as me, because once one comes for a scratch, others get jealous and the aggression starts. They are dangerous animals and I too sadly know of owners who have been killed by a stray hoof to the head, either by an excited bronk or aimed at another horse.

So yes please don't feed horses you don't have express permission to feed and for the love of God don't get in the field with them. No animal is completely safe, and even the little ones can do enough damage to kill a human.

Used to work on a very famous stud farm. Spent a lot of time with ex racehorses as well as my own.

Wouldn't walk on a field of horses I don't know. They're unpredictable, and with a dog definitely not. No way.

Please, please leave horses be. Managing those with health conditions is not easy. So glad my pony was on private land away from paths. He was hugely fat and a native - he had a grazing muzzle on to limit his field chomping whilst allowing him exercise and socialise outside. It was on to help his health and prevent him getting laminitis....I'm sure others would think it cruel.

But if you're not a horse owner, why would you feed a horse, no matter how 'educated' you think you are?

I'm not looking for an argument or wanting to excuse any individual act but as a non horse owner I think it's because it is somehow thought of as a 'nice' thing to do. A friendly and giving act.

Carrying on doing it after you have been asked, or read a sign that says not to, is rude and stupid.

Personally I have never done it (horses scare the crap out of me; they Are HUGE) and, as I said up thread, had to recently educate my son out of feeding a neighbour's.

I'm a city dwelling but regular countryside going gal, and have never owned a horse. I've gone riding a few times, but not for a decade or so.

Is me passing by a horse on the edge of field and pulling a handful of grass and feeding it a big no-no? I wouldn't dream of feeding it anything else (although I've only just learned that potatoes and carrots are dangerous to horses).

If it isn't yours, don't feed it or touch it. If you want to spend time with horses get your own or volunteer with the RDA.

Is me passing by a horse on the edge of field and pulling a handful of grass and feeding it a big no-no? I wouldn't dream of feeding it anything else

Aside from the fact that it's not your animal, there's a risk of inadvertently grabbing a poisonous species in with the grass. Some are obvious (I hope no-one would be dim enough to add a handful of foxgloves for instance); others not so obvious.

Just don't do it! Just look at it if you want. Then move on!

Eh? Of course I wouldn’t feed another person’s child without permission. However, I did take my child to feed the ducks when they were little and I did allow them to feed a carrot to the pony in the field round the corner from us. I don’t do that now as I know not to. People don’t feed carrots to horses because they want to cause harm; they do it because they think it is a nice thing for their kids to do and they don’t know any better. If you put a sign up explaining why it is not a good idea then the majority of people won’t feed the horse and will know not to do it again. Result! Stop being so bloody minded. Put a sign up in the interests of educating people and protecting your animals. Most people are reasonable and will take the message on board.

Giving people reasons doesn't work. I once put a note through the door of someone bordering my mare's field to explain why she shouldn't be tipping cauliflower over the fence (brassicas can kill horses), and to ask her very nicely not to feed them again. She carried on.
Didn't stop until I called her gardener over one day and said 'can you tell your customer that since she has ignored my polite request to not feed my horse, I'm assuming she is happy to accept liability for the vet bill when the stuff she's feeding makes her ill'.

Had people there complaining that they couldn't reach her cos I had put the internal fence so far back from the footpath. 'We can't feed her from here!' 'Yes I know. That's the point'.
'But the children like feeding her'
'Buy them a horse then'.

Someone else messed around with her loose in the field and made her so headshy and aggressive she was nigh on impossible to catch and took to charging at people with her teeth bared. It took months of patience, retraining and nearly getting mown down to get her able to be handled around her head again, and to have her once more behave safely around my children.

Every time you interact with a horse you teach it something. If you don't know what you're doing, you are likely to teach it stuff which is dangerous to its owner, who will be unaware of what has happened until the horse reacts badly to something it'd normally be fine with. Just leave other people's property alone fgs.
That poor lady and her poor beautiful boy.

I honestly think part of it is that people assume horse owners are rich. In reality, many, and certainly all the ones I know, do very ordinary jobs, and just don't do the things other people do. Fewer holidays, new clothes, nights out etc. A fat little native that lives out, runs off fresh air and isn't shod costs less than a few new clothes a month and a half decent couple of weeks away as a family per year to keep, but people think it's a rich person's hobby, they therefore perceive the 'please don't do that 'as coming from a place of intended superiority.

they do it because they think it is a nice thing for their kids to do and they don’t know any better

I just don't understand the mindset that you can go and feed someone's pet to entertain your children. The horse belongs to someone, you aren't being kind or helpful or loving or giving or any other word used on here. You are being presumptuous, rude and entitled.

My sister has horses and has had to double fence their field to keep people back. She’s challenged plenty of people who just can’t see the issue even when she asks them if they would like it if she kept stopping by their house and giving their kids sweets.

Unless they are your animals you don’t feed them. End of.