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.

[thosetalesofunexpected]

Hi Op
Obviously the Signs in Horses feed need to state clearly why Either Horse owners Does not want horses fed or why only Certain foods are only Allowed Permitted
Too.!

Are there any ways to.discourage the General public from feeding potentially Poisonous foods to horses then? Such as fines etc?

If there is by the Law Gov?
Then clearly this would Need to be stated Clearly on fields horses signs !
If there isn't fines etc to deter the public from this potentially detrimental practice of giving any kinds of food to horses then why is this case so then?.

There obviously needs to be a official ongoing Campaign then to highlight this particular issue to relevant bodies who can create for change to happen in right direction !
😕

[sanityisamyth]

Just found this on Google. Poor owners.

[WinterIsGone]

We walk past a field with horses most days. I notice that there's sometimes a empty plastic bag from carrots blowing along the footpath. So not only is someone feeding them, but it seems they are littering as well.

[Ginfordinner]

This is a huge problem around here too.

And where I live. There are regular posts on local Facebook pages asking people not to feed horses. Also posts to turn over sheep if they find them on their back.

[JamieLeeCurtains]

Local twats are still feeding bread to swans and ducks at our local pond, despite signs saying not to as it's bad for the birds ...

... And despite the very obvious rat problem that they are now creating. The bloody things are running out of bushes to snatch dropped bread crumbs. These same rats will now over-breed and destroy the local bird populations.

And yet still the twats throw their dangerous mouldy bread to the beautiful water birds because 'it's fun for the children'.

They (the adults) need prosecuting for endangering animal welfare, especially the horse feeders, and where there are warning signs.

[BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou]

One of my regular walks goes past some stables. I so often see people feeding the horses and they don’t take kindly to having the signs pointed out to them. The family I saw on Sunday were trying to interest one of the ponies in some haribos FFS.

I love a velvety horsey nose but would NEVER feed ANY animal I didn’t have permission to.

[Frodont]

Obviously the Signs in Horses feed need to state clearly why Either Horse owners Does not want horses fed or why only Certain foods are only Allowed Permitted
Too.!

No they don't. Do house owners put signs on their garden fence explaining why its bad to feed their dogs?

JUST DONT DO IT

[Lexilooo]

It isn't just about the potential for unsolicited treats to injure the horse it is the risk to those feeding the horses too.


Horses have really big teeth and powerful jaws. It is very easy for them to cause awful injuries, often by mistake rather than due to ill temper. A small child feeding a "friendly" pony a treat could easily lose a finger.


Then there are their feet, they can kick, or strike out in a second, and kick injuries can be fatal. They can kick to the rear, side and front. Again they might not intend to hurt but especially when food is around they can get possessive/demanding.


If they tread on your toes in soft footwear you can lose a toe.


I am happy for people to make a fuss of my horse when we are out and about but approaching horses in the field is really dangerous (even well behaved placid horses) taking food treats into a horse field (or feeding at the fence) makes the danger even greater. We have a yard rule not to take food into the fields, and that is for experienced horse owners who can read the signals. Things can get very dangerous very quickly.


These people feeding horses will be quick to sue if they get injured.

[user1471538283]

Where there are horses locally the owner has two big signs saying to not feed them. I think people think they are being kind but that's us transmitting our love of treats. Animals do not need treats. They need the diet they need. Poor little soul.

[Belleende]

Can I check one thing. A few weeks ago we stopped to say hello to some horses. Owner was in the field we were on path alongside field. I didn't notice immediately but my 3 yo held up some grass she had picked from the field the horse was in. I stopped her when I noticed but owner didn't seem to mind. Is feeding them the grass in their own field ok or still verboten

[ChikiTIKI]

Same thing happens with cats

[Frodont]

@Belleende

Can I check one thing. A few weeks ago we stopped to say hello to some horses. Owner was in the field we were on path alongside field. I didn't notice immediately but my 3 yo held up some grass she had picked from the field the horse was in. I stopped her when I noticed but owner didn't seem to mind. Is feeding them the grass in their own field ok or still verboten

It probably won't hurt them but its a bit stupid as she could easily get bitten. Also it can make them bargy and grabby for food. Just tell her no.

[YeahBabyYeahYeah]

I think clearly most people here were aware, and the couple who weren’t were very polite about learning it, but the awful stories being shared show that there does need to be more awareness. You’re not being kind, you’re being selfish!!

I have written to my local paper and the paper up north that published the article I read to suggest that they run something on not feeding horses. Twats will always be twats, but at least better education might prevent the kindly intentioned but ignorant!

I completely agree that it should be taught to young children in schools too, then they might tell their parents not to do it

[Iwantacookie]

Maybe this is something that could be explained at farms etc. Often the child just sits on the horse but maybe the people working there could give some information.
I dont understand why people wont just not feed animals that arent theirs. I do think some of these people would be the type to poke a sleeping lion though

[stablefeet]

@Baycob

But actually most people don’t know. They think they are doing something kind. There is even an advert from the government here saying “feed the birds, being kind to nature is being kind to yourself”.

I think what would be better is putting a sign up saying please don’t feed my horse XYZ because it will make my horse sick. If Lots of people feed my horse and it can get horsey diabetes ( laminitis). Why don’t you call him over instead, his name is X, and give him a big pat! Alternatively, you could write a sign advising people that your horse bites or kicks.

These signs that just say DO NOT FEED THE HORSES, seem passive aggressive and make people more likely to try to do the opposite! You catch more bees with honey than vinegar!

My signs are very clear about one pony being on a special diet, please don't feed anything not even grass and that "your kindness can kill" - and still I had to yell across the field yesterday to stop some people feeding them. They were about 3 ft from a sign!!

[Dontbetardy]

@Isadora2007

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

I’m on MN most days or every other day. I don’t recall seeing any such posts.

[SuperHighway]

It's simple, you just never feed other people's animals (or children!) without their permission. You don't know what allergies or special diets they might have. that's it in a nutshell. The number of people who give my dog treats when we're on our local common is ridiculous. Occasionally they ask, and I say no she has a special diet (she doesn't) but often they just feed her. It's making her disobedient as she runs up to everyone now expecting a treat.

Also, we live in an apartment with a shared garden. One of the neighbours scattered grapes out on the lawn the other day. Thank god I found them before my dog did. Even one or two can be fatal for dogs. I thought it was someone trying to poison my dog, but it turns out the neighbour didn't know they're toxic (even though he says he's had dogs in the past).

The poor pony, it's just so sad. If threads like this educate even one person then it's worth posting time and time again.

[maxelly]

@Belleende

Can I check one thing. A few weeks ago we stopped to say hello to some horses. Owner was in the field we were on path alongside field. I didn't notice immediately but my 3 yo held up some grass she had picked from the field the horse was in. I stopped her when I noticed but owner didn't seem to mind. Is feeding them the grass in their own field ok or still verboten

I would prefer you didn't, Belleende, not without permission from the owner. Fresh picked grass won't hurt the horses in the same way as potatos or grass clippings so I am not saying it was dreadfully wrong of you to have done it, but any kind of feeding from passers-by just encourages the kind of behaviour I am trying to discourage in my horses, plus even though mine are gentle and well trained if there are a number of them competing for the food they may get bargey/nippy with one another and could accidentally hurt your DD. If the owner was right there I would have shouted to her and asked if she minded and if she said it was OK, go ahead. Otherwise just encourage your DD to chat to the ponies but from a safe distance. I do the same with any strange dogs or really any animals, it's a good message for DC to learn not to touch strange animals and certainly not to feed without permission and contrary to many people's opinion I feel this makes them more confident around animals as they know the animals they are allowed to interact with are safe and will avoid any nasty or scary accidents happening...

[UmmH]

Crumbs, I had no idea potatoes were poisonous to horses. Not that I was planning to feed one to a horse, but good to know anyway. Are there any other toxic foods for certain animals we should know about?

I know that rats shouldn't eat apple pips, so be careful if you are feeding apples to your pet rats.

[maxelly]

@UmmH

Crumbs, I had no idea potatoes were poisonous to horses. Not that I was planning to feed one to a horse, but good to know anyway. Are there any other toxic foods for certain animals we should know about?

I know that rats shouldn't eat apple pips, so be careful if you are feeding apples to your pet rats.

Guinea pigs can't eat onions, garlic, leeks or anything from the allium family, or mushrooms. But really, how often do you encounter a wild guinea pig to feed?! Obviously dogs and cats should not have chocolate, and most birds should not have bread or rice as it swells in their stomachs.

But I think really the simple takeaway from this thread is don't feed any strange or wild animal, at all, full stop. If the owner is around you can ask if they mind you feeding and if so what. If it's your own pet obviously that's different but hopefully you already know then what it can eat or not!

[SpilltheTea]

People are thick as shit. Why they think they can feed others animals is beyond me. You wouldn't randomly feed someone else's child.

[mediciempire]

can you stroke horses you come across? i don't but sometimes i think i'd like to but i don't know if it would upset them or if they'd bite.

[Frodont]

This pony choked on the potato. Choked to death. Poor wee boy

[stablefeet]

Personally I don't mind people stroking mine over the fence. However the fact that other people feed them makes them less safe than they should be because they are going to seek out food in approaching hands. Also I don't think it's a great idea in the pandemic, I don't want to pick up Covid from them.

[Frodont]

@mediciempire

can you stroke horses you come across? i don't but sometimes i think i'd like to but i don't know if it would upset them or if they'd bite.

They might bite. They might do what one of my horses does, which is get so wound up they gallop away, doing a massive back kick as they go. That could kill you easily.