STOP FEEDING HORSES THAT ARE NOT YOURS

[Pineapplechickenpizza]

Unbelievable that this is still a problem after all the hype on social media and the news but unfortunately it is.

Why do people think it’s acceptable to feed an animal that isn’t there’s? I don’t care if it’s an apple or carrot or just a few blades of grass. They’re not your horses- DONT FEED THEM ANYTHING.

If you feed horses in fields that are not yours, honestly, why do you do it?? Do you realise how your ignorance could make someones horse unwell?

Dreading summer holidays when more people are out for walks and think it’s acceptable to feed the horses in the fields

VeryLongBeeeeep I was talking about petting animals in my first paragraph. Attention and some fuss, not feeding.

Pineapplechickenpizza I don’t need to read over 10 pages to comment on something I’ve seen earlier in the thread.

I said I’m frightened of horses so don’t get anywhere near them, not sure what your comments are about ‘stay back if you don’t know what you’re doing’. If you’re trying to educate people who are inclined to pet your horse then your attitude and rudeness isn’t the way to go.

@AllThingsServeTheBeam

So you’re not able to walk past a field with horses without having to go over and pet them. Are you an adult? What right do you have to touch another persons pet? You do know that just because the horse is looking at you, doesn’t mean you have to pet it? Do you go up to peoples fences and pet their dog through the fence? Probably not because that would be a very strange thing to do. Exact same with horses. It’s not yours so don’t touch it.

You didn’t answer me question, would you know what to do if a herd fight broke out? What gives you the right to put someone else’s horse in a situation that could start a fight among the horses and potentially end in a serious injury for the horse? Do you actually care about horses at all or is it just for yourself that you feel you have the right to pet them and don’t care that you could cause them to become injured?

If you have permission, sure go ahead. If not- it’s not your pet. If you want to pet a horse go and buy one. It’s pure entitlement to feel you have the right to pet someone else’s horse without their permission.

When I kept horses I had no issue with people patting them or giving them a fuss.

There was a teenage boy and his Mum who used to come to see them. He had autism and one day one of my horses put his head over the gate (quiet country lane) and that was it the Mum said - he was obsessed with my horse.

They never fed them. Just stood there and my horse would lean his head on the boys shoulder and he'd just stroke his face.

Said horse was very big but incredibly gentle and to see him make the young boy so happy was lovely.

@ArcheryAnnie I think you are totally right - excellent post.

@Pineapplechickenpizza agree! My daughters pony has more of the darn stuff than a shop 😂😂 she’s into the bluebell too, but luckily just about any colour suits a black pony (or so I’m told) 😜

[quote Pineapplechickenpizza]@AllThingsServeTheBeam

So you’re not able to walk past a field with horses without having to go over and pet them. Are you an adult? What right do you have to touch another persons pet? You do know that just because the horse is looking at you, doesn’t mean you have to pet it? Do you go up to peoples fences and pet their dog through the fence? Probably not because that would be a very strange thing to do. Exact same with horses. It’s not yours so don’t touch it.

You didn’t answer me question, would you know what to do if a herd fight broke out? What gives you the right to put someone else’s horse in a situation that could start a fight among the horses and potentially end in a serious injury for the horse? Do you actually care about horses at all or is it just for yourself that you feel you have the right to pet them and don’t care that you could cause them to become injured?

If you have permission, sure go ahead. If not- it’s not your pet. If you want to pet a horse go and buy one. It’s pure entitlement to feel you have the right to pet someone else’s horse without their permission.[/quote]
Can you read? I need to walk through a field and they come up to me. So when they approach I raise my hands and sometimes the black one carries on so yes I make contact.

@GodspeedJune

VeryLongBeeeeep I was talking about petting animals in my first paragraph. Attention and some fuss, not feeding.

Pineapplechickenpizza I don’t need to read over 10 pages to comment on something I’ve seen earlier in the thread.

I said I’m frightened of horses so don’t get anywhere near them, not sure what your comments are about ‘stay back if you don’t know what you’re doing’. If you’re trying to educate people who are inclined to pet your horse then your attitude and rudeness isn’t the way to go.

Maybe you should read the previous comments to see that I’m not being rude but that your comment has already been politely answered several times.

You said that you don’t understand why we wouldn’t want them to give joy to strangers in the way that your dogs bring joy to strangers. That’s why I explained that horses are unsurprisingly more dangerous than dogs and that a single kick can be deadly. You’re disregarding that and implying horse owners are just possessive of their horses- nobody has a problem with people looking or getting joy from watching their horse, but I have a problem with people being too close when they don’t know what they are doing and could cause an accident. So yeah, stay back if you don’t know what you’re doing.

To compare a horse to someone petting your dog is just absurd. I don’t want my horse to become injured and I also don’t want people to be injured by horses. As if said several times but you won’t know unless you bother to RTFT, I have no issue with people petting my horse when I’m there and can ensure everyone is safe.

If you speak to folks in person as you do on here, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do it on purpose to wind you up.

Urgh there are some really entitled people on here (looking at you @AProperStinging )

If you want your child to experience some joy interacting with an animal….here’s an idea…put your hand in your pocket and fork out for a ticket to an open farm or petting zoo or something.

Horse owners make loads of sacrifices to have their animals and keep them well - financial sacrifices, time sacrifices etc. Why should their pet’s health be compromised so that your child can have five minutes pleasure feeding them an apple?!

Honestly so entitled and selfish and stupid!

I think I’m in the minority here but my family have had horses for several generations and we never stopped people in the village feeding them a handful of grass. Admittedly it’s a small place so there wouldn’t have been enough people feeding grass for it to cause a problem, and we knew most people that walked past. The pony that had laminitis wasn’t kept in the grass field so I guess that wasn’t an issue.

I don’t have any involvement with the horses now as an adult but my school friends used to love being given a carrot to feed to the horses or stop to give them a stroke on the way past the field.

I previously wouldn’t have thought anything of stopping to give a horse a scratch or a handful of grass if it’s hung over the fence struggling to reach it, but having read this thread I won’t do it any more. I think my experience as a child is probably not representative of most horse owners and I hadn’t really considered that before.

@lameasahorse if you're concerned call the World Horse Welfare. I've had to do this for 2 horses in a very small paddock no space no grass, owner gave them hay every 3-4 days. WHW were brilliant where the RSPCA were rubbish. People don't realise how much space a horse needs guidance is 1.5 acres per horse some people think that's plenty for 3 horses.

Some horse owners are as bad as the idiots mindlessly feeding others animals. Welfare of horses really needs a good looking at but sadly laws are lax in that regard.

Honestly this thread is bizarre.

We explain why it’s dangerous to feed horses. We explain several times why it can be dangerous to approach horses and it’s best safety-wise to avoid them unless you have permission to pet them.

But people still don’t like it us horse people clearly know nothing about how dangerous an accident with horses can be! We are so entitled and rude for getting frustrated at having to say several times that people should leave animals that don’t belong to them alone we are rude for getting frustrated at saying several times that it’s a safety thing and not just about being weirdly possessive us horse riders are just so entitled

@GodspeedJune

If you speak to folks in person as you do on here, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do it on purpose to wind you up.

Thankfully not because in person I don’t have to say the same thing 10 times to people who won’t RTFT

I’ve read the first couple of pages of the thread and found the ‘he’s mine, I pay for him, no-one else should get joy from him’ posts odd. I have dogs and it’s lovely when they have attention from strangers, brightening someone’s day with something so innocuous. It’s weird to be possessive about your pets, they are sentient beings in their own rights, not possessions.

I don’t have a problem with people making a fuss of my horses particularly.

I do have a problem with people trespassing to get to them, climbing over and damaging locked gates and fencing, ripping down signs and electric fencing, which I then have to pay £££ to repair, and leaves my horses at risk of getting out and putting themselves and others in danger.

My old lady loves a fuss and will stand patiently for hours while people stroke her, she’ll blow you kisses and bow (arthritic legs allowing). And that’s fine, I have no problem with people making a fuss of her.

My other pony is a little shy so will tend to stay away from people.

However, if either of them think the other is getting something good then shyness and dodgy legs go out the window and they will kick the crap out of each other (and anyone else caught in the crossfire)

I have issues with people feeding them, despite perfectly polite and clear signs asking them not to. We have to keep on top of our oldies weight due to her arthritis and the other is prone to colic.

I pay ££ for our oldies pain relief, her special shoes, her supplements and her regular vet check up so that she can enjoy her very much deserved retirement for as long as possible.

I also have to pay for the emergency vet when she’s been fed something unsuitable and has choke or colic, or when they’ve been fighting and one is injured because someone has tried to give them treats.

So yes, they are my property - it’s pretty simple really - not yours? Leave it alone!

It is not entitled to ask people not to feed my horses. We have several very clear, very polite signs up along the gate and fences so not knowing is no excuse - and we’ve tried all different types of wording from the blunt “no feeding” to “my name is Dobbin, please don’t feed me I may get sick” and they still get ignored - or even ripped down

@MoodyMooToo

Urgh hate horses, apart from as a steak. If you don’t want your horse fed then put signs up. It happens with any friendly animal, other people will feed it.

@MoodyMooToo

“Apart form as a steak” ? Wtf? You absolute weirdo

[quote Iamclearlyamug]@Pineapplechickenpizza agree! My daughters pony has more of the darn stuff than a shop 😂😂 she’s into the bluebell too, but luckily just about any colour suits a black pony (or so I’m told) 😜[/quote]
Brilliant😂😂😂 Yes I definitely agree, anything would look good on a black pony!

Your username describes exactly how I feel everytime I hand over my bank card to pay for yet another matchy matchy set

The thing is, most dogs can't kill you with a casual action. A kick at a fly or at a person who is in the wrong place because they don't know better can kill or seriously injure someone. Hell, I've seen people climbing fences in flip flops to pet the ponies. If you get stepped on, you're going to be injured.

Mine was a greedy git and he was big. He'd easily knock someone over to get to treats before one of the others. We had him behind a big hedge with electric fencing and people complained that they were getting prickled by the hedge or zapped by the fence (despite signs)

The scariest thing I've ever seen was a family lifting a tiny tot up to sit on my yard owner's unstarted two year old. Dread to think what would have happened if we hadn't spotted them!

And all of this was on private land, down a lane with a locked gate. People used to just climb over like they were visiting the park and not a private residence!

What is it with people feeding horses? Would they be OK if someone fed Felix a different brand of kippos🐈‍⬛

Petting and feeding other people’s animals without owner permission or supervision is such a stupid thing to do, I don’t understand it at all. They need a good hard kick with both barrels.

I have also caught members of the public undoing grazing muzzles and removing fly masks. Horses are not blinded by fly masks and can see perfectly well

[quote lameasahorse]@Maverickess gateways become muddy, no one is talking about that. I am talking about things like the 3 horses kept in a very muddy field near me. Virtually the whole field is mud when it rains.
And the RSPCA do nothing. They agree conditions are not ideal but say they can do nothing.
The choice is not between a lush field and a field full of mud.
I do feel sorry for the horse in a starvation paddock. We just kept sheep in well-grazed fields, we didn't put them in a field with zero grass at all and artificially feed them.
Anyway just use electric fences, it is what farmers have to do. Oh and don't hunt on famers land with livestock. They do lose animals through this and the hunt don't give a shit.[/quote]
Guess you missed the bit where I said about the electric fence and that he's going for the longer grass - as opposed to the shorter (or to term it your way well grazed) grass (ie - not zero) in his paddock in your haste to slap me down? 🤷🏼‍♀️
And I don't hunt - do you assume I do because I know about horses? My horse is retired and can't be ridden but even when he could I didn't hunt full stop or ride on farm land that I wasn't allowed to - some of us have respect for other people's property.

I just don't understand how anybody doesn't realise how ill a horse can get from colic, and how massive an animal they are.