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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

574 replies

YeahBabyYeahYeah · 19/01/2021 15:09

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.

OP posts:
TheSandman · 20/01/2021 23:14

While we're on the subject of feeding animals and them associating any passing human with food. Around here tourists have taken to feeding the wild deer which is pretty stupid given that the buggers are armed.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/deery-me-police-warning-tourists-11728869

www.scotsman.com/news/anger-deer-fed-irn-bru-and-crisps-highlands-1513411

Original poster
YeahBabyYeahYeah · 20/01/2021 23:51

@Maverickess thank you, I don’t know if you can share the link on here, it probably isn’t allowed, but if you get the time to PM me with it when you have it, I would like to donate too.

OP posts:
Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel · 20/01/2021 23:53

@Isadora2007 oh shut up. This message needs posting. If it saves just one horse.

Maverickess · 21/01/2021 01:14

[quote YeahBabyYeahYeah]@Maverickess thank you, I don’t know if you can share the link on here, it probably isn’t allowed, but if you get the time to PM me with it when you have it, I would like to donate too.[/quote]
I would have included the link but the tablet is being uncooperative! I'll see if my phone will play ball.

purplecorkheart · 21/01/2021 01:36

Strangely enough I had an argument recently about this. I pass a field attached to someones house on my walks. They sometimes have their horses 2 in it. The horses pop their heads over the fence when you pass. A lady ( who often I pass at the fence) stopped me one day and gave out to me that I never brought them any "treats". She could not understand my point that I knew nothing about horses other than you never give them cut grass and that colic was very serious for them (and that is based on Mallory Towers) and that I was not going to risk hurting them by treating them.

whereismormonjesus · 21/01/2021 02:15

Oh I’ve just seen his picture.

What a beautiful boy Sad

If I had a horse paddock joining onto a public path I’d be putting a bloody big sign up and also installing cameras in a tree to name and shame the twats who ignore it.

whereismormonjesus · 21/01/2021 02:20

This thread reminds me, there was a pony field literally a metre away from the back entrance (which was most commonly used as it connected to the playground) to my DD’s primary school. All that separated the horses from the school gate was a shitty wooden fence and a concrete path about a metre in width. The ponies were all obese because parents would bring food to give them when picking their kids up so that they could give their little darlings a treat by letting them feed the ponies. I always thought the owner was daft to keep them there, but really, people should have enough common fucking decency to not feed them in the first place Angry

Maverickess · 21/01/2021 02:37

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

JustCuriousToday · 21/01/2021 02:50

God 20 years me and my dad used to go and feed the horses some chopped up apples every Sunday, obviously we didn't know any better and I hope I didn't kill any of those sweet animals but it's definitely not something I'd do now, I hope people do stop now that there's more awareness being raised.

soggyandwet · 21/01/2021 04:43

Ive occasionally fed the horses down the road but we pick some of the grass at the edge of the field as you can reach it through the fence and offer that since they could eat it anyway. Horse owners, is that ok or not ?

WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 21/01/2021 04:49

@Isadora2007

YABU as this was amply covered in the first lockdown for some reason. Sorry.
Oh jog on.

Clearly not 'amply' enough as another pony has died!

And YOU are not the thread police.

PeggyHill · 21/01/2021 04:50

I think there needs to be a new advertising campaign about how to behave in the countryside and how to behave around large animals such as horses, cows etc.

I think a lot of people genuinely don't know what damage they are doing, and then get uppity when someone puts a sign up. Maybe a govt ad campaign would help these people understand.

I'm not sure who would pay for this ad campaign... Blush major flaw in my plan lol

Soubriquet · 21/01/2021 05:34

@soggyandwet

Ive occasionally fed the horses down the road but we pick some of the grass at the edge of the field as you can reach it through the fence and offer that since they could eat it anyway. Horse owners, is that ok or not ?
No!!

It’s been said time and time ago.

Not your animal, don’t feed it!

Unless the owner is there and says yes, don’t feed any animal

WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 21/01/2021 05:37

@Frodont

Oh fof goodness sake! It's not a matter of having to charm people round to your way of thinking! Just don't do it!

Do you want to stop people doing it, or do you want to be right?

Most people think they're being kind & 'treating' the pony...if you've never had one, you'd never imagine an apple or a carrot would make a huge animal unwell.

A nice note saying 'please don't feed me,I'll get sick or worse!' Is more effective than a 'DONT feed the horse'. That won't stop malicious OR nice people (lots of nice people will think you're being mean, not letting them have an apple'.

WhataMissMap · 21/01/2021 06:18

I caught a woman and her children feeding our horses carrots and windfalls.
When I remonstrated with her she responded “Well you can see they are starving, they are gobbling them up.”

Sinful8 · 21/01/2021 06:20

@YeahBabyYeahYeah

Yes, much as I could, and do, get equally wound up about people feeding wildlife, a horse is clearly someone else’s animal. Nobody would justify walking to someone’s house throwing random food into the garden for their dog, so why do people think they can do it to a horse in a field? They’re not swings in the public park for entertaining children for free.

@Beaniecats you must be so sad, he looked beautiful. If you know the owner, I hope she is able to take a tiny bit of comfort in how many people are saddened by her loss and angry about its needlessness.

I suppose because a dog is a house is more obviously being cared for

A horse in a feild in the middle of a stormy january looks a lot more sorry for itself and not as obviously cared for

Sinful8 · 21/01/2021 06:24

"If people genuinely want to do something kind for a horse, how about donating to a horse charity, or actually slowing down when they pass one on the road, because that's a real issue too"

Maybe if people genuinely cared for horses they wouldn't take them down a road? Because that's a real issue too.

Eaumyword · 21/01/2021 06:28

Unfortunately British bridlepaths are rarely accessible without being forced to use roads to get to them.

Cherrysoup · 21/01/2021 06:45

@soggyandwet No! Don’t hand feed someone else!s horse-what if it then expects people to feed it and bites? What if the edge of the field has been sprayed? Not your animal, don’t feed it.

Ylfa · 21/01/2021 08:17

@Sinful8

"If people genuinely want to do something kind for a horse, how about donating to a horse charity, or actually slowing down when they pass one on the road, because that's a real issue too"

Maybe if people genuinely cared for horses they wouldn't take them down a road? Because that's a real issue too.

Lols. What do you propose? One type of road user at a time? Cars on a Tuesday, bicycles on Thursday, pedestrians on Sunday, tractors on Wednesday, horses on Monday, motorcycles on Friday, SUVs on Saturday?
hellocherry5 · 21/01/2021 08:37

@Sinful8

"If people genuinely want to do something kind for a horse, how about donating to a horse charity, or actually slowing down when they pass one on the road, because that's a real issue too"

Maybe if people genuinely cared for horses they wouldn't take them down a road? Because that's a real issue too.

How do you propose we get to the bridleways, if not by using roads?
Frodont · 21/01/2021 09:00

@Sinful8

"If people genuinely want to do something kind for a horse, how about donating to a horse charity, or actually slowing down when they pass one on the road, because that's a real issue too"

Maybe if people genuinely cared for horses they wouldn't take them down a road? Because that's a real issue too.

I like riding my horse on the road. He's good in traffic, it's not as muddy. I prefer it to some of the bridle paths at the moment as there are loads of dog walkers and thick mud. As horses are perfectly legally allowed to be ridden on roads, it's just tough if a driver has to slow down on a bend for me. Tbh, most drivers, particularly delivery drivers where I live, are really thoughtful and drive slowly past. It's only the odd person who revs the engine/sounds horn/drives pst at 70mph. I console myself by remembering I am chilling outside on my lovely horse and they are stuck inside a car, full of spite and anger.
Springersrock · 21/01/2021 09:12

@Sinful8

"If people genuinely want to do something kind for a horse, how about donating to a horse charity, or actually slowing down when they pass one on the road, because that's a real issue too"

Maybe if people genuinely cared for horses they wouldn't take them down a road? Because that's a real issue too.

God, not this again Hmm

It’s perfectly legal for horses to be on the road. Drivers are expected to behave appropriately around them whether they like it or not.

We are very lucky at our yard as we have direct access onto a bridleway, but it’s not common. We still have to use roads - crossing them, when one bridleway ends and you need to use a road to get to another one.

Tbh, given the increase in cyclists and dog walkers at the moment, our bridleway has become a bit of a no-go area for horses

CleanQueen123 · 21/01/2021 09:12

@Sinful8 we have no choice. I'd never ride on the road if I didn't have to. Unfortunately it's a 15 minute ride down the road to get to the forest where I am.

The farm was there long before the roads and houses were. When it was built it had fields all around. Now we're effectively "locked in" by a main road, two housing areas, and a sports centre.

Backinthebox · 21/01/2021 09:15

@PeggyHill

I think there needs to be a new advertising campaign about how to behave in the countryside and how to behave around large animals such as horses, cows etc.

I think a lot of people genuinely don't know what damage they are doing, and then get uppity when someone puts a sign up. Maybe a govt ad campaign would help these people understand.

I'm not sure who would pay for this ad campaign... Blush major flaw in my plan lol

You mean like the Countryside Code? It’s out there, and most of the occupants and regular users of the countryside are aware of it. Bodies like the British Horse Society, National Farmers’ Union, Ramblers’ Association, and various other groups publicise it. It’s a difficult one to get out to everyone though - how would you do it? A public service announcement on the TV? People would complain about it being a waste of money and possibly patronising. Adverts in the press? Already been done. Not sure how else you would get the messages to those who need to hear it.

In the meantime, on my Facebook feed, since the start of Covid, I’ve seen threads detailing the following:
Sheep being bitten and killed by dogs
Horses being bitten in their fields by dogs
Numerous chicken attacks (and kills) by dogs
Sheep being chased and herded till the die of terror or suffocating- no dog bite needed here!
Wild rare birds numbers declining due to walkers and their dogs walking all over their nesting grounds more than usual (and yes, there were signs up asking people not to do this.)
Several cases of horses dying due to being fed inappropriately
Sheep, cows and horses being let out of fields onto the road because people have left gates open
Sheep cows and horses eating rubbish, including poo bags, and dying
Crops being destroyed by walkers
Farm accesses being blocked by people leaving cars in them while walking

The countryside is being used as a playground during Covid, because it is free and it is allowable. But little thought is applied to using it by many of these people. The suggestions that signs and/or extra fencing needs to be put up are not really fair on the people who live and work in the countryside. What is actually needed is all round education of society that ‘if it’s not yours, don’t touch it unless the owner permits it. And if the owner does permit it, do it respectfully and make some attempt to inform yourself as to the correct way first.’ That applies to all circumstances, not just horses or the countryside, and would solve a lot of problems.

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