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Original poster

STOP FEEDING HORSES THAT ARE NOT YOURS

956 replies

Pineapplechickenpizza · 18/04/2022 21:25

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 fieldsSad

OP posts:
fairylightsandwaxmelts · 19/04/2022 14:27

The simple thing from this is don't feed animals that aren't yours. Would you go into a field with cows, feed them and try to get onto one to go for a ride? Nope. Treat horses the same as cows.

But people DO try and fuss cows and many cows (around here anyway) are very friendly and will actively come over to you and stick their heads through gates/over walls for some fuss.

I said (way upthread) about the cows here that are taken in for milking along a road. Traffic is stopped while the cows are moved, but if you don't close your window, you'll get a cow shoving their head in for a fuss on their way past Grin

Marynotsocontrary · 19/04/2022 14:27

Asking people not to feed other peoples' pets is a health issue.
Asking people not to touch other peoples' pets is a safety issue.

Absolutely, and I for one have absolutely no problems following instructions to ensure my family's safety and animal safety.

Unfortunately, this thread has been less about asking and informing, and more about haranguing the 'ignorant'.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 19/04/2022 14:28

You might accept the risk, and that's terrific. Others won't be so happy when their darling child is barged over by a gang of shetlands mugging them for treats!

You're right (and it's always the Shetlands Grin). But those people are stupid and you can't protect against stupid, sadly!

Polkadotties · 19/04/2022 14:29

@fairylightsandwaxmelts

You might accept the risk, and that's terrific. Others won't be so happy when their darling child is barged over by a gang of shetlands mugging them for treats!

You're right (and it's always the Shetlands Grin). But those people are stupid and you can't protect against stupid, sadly!

They are called Shitlands for a reason Grin
LuckySantangelo35 · 19/04/2022 14:40

@AProperStinging

Well no, you were on about how some children don’t have the luxury of having pets and being near horses so therefore they should be allowed to feed them

DoraSpenlow · 19/04/2022 14:43

It's different because you want to own a horse. A horse isn't a cow, it's a pet. You don't need it, you want it. You want it even if you can't look after it. Tough, be responsible

You really, really don't get it do you @BettyBag.

The OP is trying to be responsible - asking strangers not to feed her horses - but the public just ignore because they want to feed/talk to the nice horsey.

She is trying to get the message across to those who no nothing about horses that it is not a good idea. Several here have said they now understand the reasons why.

DoraSpenlow · 19/04/2022 14:44

*know.

Maverickess · 19/04/2022 14:55

[quote lameasahorse]@Maverickess there still is danger as I am sure you know if the mud gets too deep, even if it is a small part of the field. Farmers do what they can to reduce muddy gateways. There is lots of advice out there.[/quote]
I'm not sure I understand the relevance to this comment, but for my horse the piles of his shit I pick up are deeper should he stand in one than any gateway/hard standing areas of high traffic that happen when it rains. That and the fact he's unshod now and I manage the land appropriately and it's well drained - though it was still described as a 'sea of mud' by a 'concerned' member of the public I can only assume because it didn't resemble a bowling green.

Worldwide2 · 19/04/2022 14:59

I have to say reading this thread I find it baffling so many people are arguing about feeding someone else's animal. Can you imagine people feeing other people's dogs, there would be outrage and quite rightly so. Didn't realise so many people were like this.

lameasahorse · 19/04/2022 15:03

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

AllOfUsAreDead · 19/04/2022 15:07

@DoraSpenlow

It's different because you want to own a horse. A horse isn't a cow, it's a pet. You don't need it, you want it. You want it even if you can't look after it. Tough, be responsible

You really, really don't get it do you @BettyBag.

The OP is trying to be responsible - asking strangers not to feed her horses - but the public just ignore because they want to feed/talk to the nice horsey.

She is trying to get the message across to those who no nothing about horses that it is not a good idea. Several here have said they now understand the reasons why.

Don't waste your time, she'll never get it. It's too complex. Smile Just another one that will wail and scream at being told no.
alphabetsoup1980 · 19/04/2022 15:08

[quote AProperStinging]@ForeverLooking

i paid for them, pay for them and look after them every day, spent the money and time breeding them and keep them healthy and happy. They have a happy and healthy life and I don't want them to suffer from colic, laminitis, choke or poisoning from people feeding them shite over the fence which would cause them terrible pain and possible death. I didn't buy them to entertain the neighbourhood kids. They are on private land and I'm not a zoo. You want to feed and look after a horse, invest and buy your own, or at the very least ask. Or pay and visit a farm park where the animals ARE there for your entertainment.
I wouldn't stroll into your garden because my kids thought it looked nice and I fancied a look round or a pick of your flowers because some kids don't get to see flowers often. Look by all means. Don't feed other people's animals.

I could not be less interested in feeding or looking at any horses.

I don't treat large, intelligent mammals as playthings for my own amusement, and I don't think that having lots of money makes it ok to do so either.

It's very telling how many financial references you made in just that one post.[/quote]
Spot on!!!

IamaBluebird · 19/04/2022 15:10

I know nothing about horses so when walking through fields , I just admire them from a distance. This seems the best idea to me, if they approach I just keep moving.
I once saw a family have a picnic, then pop the picnic blanket over the pony for their child to sit on. I assumed it was their pony till the owner appeared and told them how much of a risk they were taking and never to do it again.

AProperStinging · 19/04/2022 15:22

[quote LuckySantangelo35]@AProperStinging

Well no, you were on about how some children don’t have the luxury of having pets and being near horses so therefore they should be allowed to feed them[/quote]
No, I wasn't.

I don't think that, and I didn't say that, or anything even remotely resembling that.

I don't think that children should be allowed to feed animals. I don't even know why anyone would want their children to stick their hands into animals' mouths. I didn't say that some children don't have the luxury of having pets.

You have clearly mixed me up with another poster.

It would be quite nice of you to acknowledge that and apologise for deliberately specifically calling me out for something I never said.

LuckySantangelo35 · 19/04/2022 15:28

@AProperStinging

When previous posters said that their horses don’t exist to bring joy to random children who want to feed them you questioned that - asking what do they exist for, and can they only bring joy to their owners etc. Which suggests to me that you think that children and others should have access to these animals even if they don’t want them, if feeling them would bring some joy to the person doing it

derxa · 19/04/2022 15:31

The message is simple. Leave other people's livestock alone. And shut the fucking gate.

TheOrigRights · 19/04/2022 15:36

@derxa

The message is simple. Leave other people's livestock alone. And shut the fucking gate.
I try to (leave them alone I mean, I always shut gates), but sometimes they approach me as I run through the fields (with public right of way) where they are living (stored? grazing?...dunno the right word).

I'm a bit nervous of horses tbh (big heads) so I try to just keep myself to myself.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 19/04/2022 15:42

@derxa

The message is simple. Leave other people's livestock alone. And shut the fucking gate.
Absolutely.

But it's not always possible to ignore them completely when they actively approach you, nudge against you and solicit attention.

Polkadotties · 19/04/2022 15:45

Leave gates open if you found it open

ArcheryAnnie · 19/04/2022 15:47

I don't think horses, or any other potentially dangerous animal, should be kept in fields where there is a right of way running through it. There's just too much chance of something going wrong.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 19/04/2022 15:49

@derxa

The message is simple. Leave other people's livestock alone. And shut the fucking gate.
But a horse sometimes doesn't give you that option.
fairylightsandwaxmelts · 19/04/2022 15:49

@ArcheryAnnie

I don't think horses, or any other potentially dangerous animal, should be kept in fields where there is a right of way running through it. There's just too much chance of something going wrong.
In an ideal world, I'd agree.

But farmers aren't allowed to block rights of way and there aren't enough suitable fields without rights of way where livestock and horses can be kept.

ArcheryAnnie · 19/04/2022 15:50

I'd argue that if it has a right of way running through it, then it isn't a suitable field, fairylightsandwaxmelts.

TheOrigRights · 19/04/2022 15:56

@ArcheryAnnie

I don't think horses, or any other potentially dangerous animal, should be kept in fields where there is a right of way running through it. There's just too much chance of something going wrong.
and this situation maybe explains why the public behave as they do. I'm not talking about feeding, but interacting with them.

Whether it's right or wrong I don't know, but I think you can understand why people might stroke a horse in a field that they are freely allowed to walk through. I assume that if a horse is in a field that I'm allowed to run through then it's one that the owners are confident is of a predictable nature.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 19/04/2022 15:56

@ArcheryAnnie

I'd argue that if it has a right of way running through it, then it isn't a suitable field, fairylightsandwaxmelts.
This