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

No need to shout

Absolutely no problem with your message, OP, but I dislike the way you're saying it. I appreciate you're trying to be protective, but you're coming across as quite aggressive and arrogant. Not everyone knows about horses and they're simply trying to be friendly by feeding them. It's well-intentioned even while it's inappropriate and sometimes dangerous. I'm guessing we move in different circles because I haven't seen any hype about horses on social media as mentioned in your OP.

To protect your horse you need to act using signs and double fences if they are in a field near a public area. It's your responsibility to look after your animal, not anyone else's. And yes, I've seen you say these precautions (signs etc) happen already. I have to say, I live in the countryside and I think I've seen a sign once ever, double-fencing (for horses) never. So it's not as common as you say, and certainly doesn't happen everywhere.

Education is another tool and I guess it's what you're trying to achieve here? Again I agree it's your responsibility as the animal's owner, but if you could lose the attitude please! Work with people instead of the scolding and the scorn.

I genuinely didn’t know how dangerous it was to feed horses grass from the side of the gate (not that it’s something I’ve ever made a habit of as in the back of my mind there is something about a horse can’t eat lots of long grass: this is more than likely a load of sh#t I’ve picked up wrong and ran with). Also I’ve never fed a horse apples etc. do people go out their way to bring apples?

I would however be much more likely to pet a horse when walking the dog if it was at the fence looking interested in me saying hi (as I do with all animals which I’m sure makes me look crazy😂) if a horse did ever bite me then it would be no one’s fault other than my own. It never crossed my mind people might take issue with that until I seen this post so going forward I might just stick to the hi and keep it moving

Well, I have learnt a couple of things so thank you to certain posters. I was taught how to feed grass to horses by the owners, it wasn't a big thing back when I was a young lass. Has grass changed that much over the past 40 years or just horse knowledge improved?

Always knew not to feed anything apart from grass (now I won't do that either).
Always knew that laminitis was foot and grass related but couldn't work it out. Someone said it was insulin (equine diabetes) and the penny dropped.
Never heard/read about starvation paddocks, not even from horse owners. Always thought it was down to crap owners. Now I know they exist.
Never realised about the pecking order at the gates, never experienced it personally but seen it at riding schools etc, but it does make sense.

Once again, thank you to the posters who are explaining it clearly.

@Namechangenumber1

I'm glad most people don't mind if I give their horse a pet. I have actually been bitten by a grumpy donkey once for petting his nose, I didn't get annoyed or kick off with the owner, as it was my own bloody stupid fault. I'd give up a finger to pet his nose again though. Maybe I'm just daft, I got bitten by a wild hare a few years ago that I fussed, foolishly assuming because it hadn't ran away that it was fine with me being there. I was also in the (very) local papers for fussing an animal at the zoo that very nearly took a finger or two off. Reading this back, I think maybe I'm just a liability.

you may or may not be a liability but you sound like you love animals so maybe you should rethink how you react to them,

You are presuming that animals respond to human gestures the same way humans do. the animal in the zoo that nearly took your fingers off did it because it was terrified and stressed by what you thought was a gesture of love. Ditto the wild hare - you stressed him out of his mind by presuming he would love to be stroked like a human baby.

I think dealing with animals properly really stretches us out of our usual way of thinking "everyone needs a hug" kind of thing. Actually most animals really don't need anything that feeds our narrative.

OP well done for raising this. the replies have been extraordinary. In the face of evidence that horses will suffer and even die, still there is an expectation that they are there for the delight of the public however it manifests. it has been an eye-opener.

@Marynotsocontrary

Absolutely no problem with your message, OP, but I dislike the way you're saying it. I appreciate you're trying to be protective, but you're coming across as quite aggressive and arrogant. Not everyone knows about horses and they're simply trying to be friendly by feeding them. It's well-intentioned even while it's inappropriate and sometimes dangerous. I'm guessing we move in different circles because I haven't seen any hype about horses on social media as mentioned in your OP.

To protect your horse you need to act using signs and double fences if they are in a field near a public area. It's your responsibility to look after your animal, not anyone else's. And yes, I've seen you say these precautions (signs etc) happen already. I have to say, I live in the countryside and I think I've seen a sign once ever, double-fencing (for horses) never. So it's not as common as you say, and certainly doesn't happen everywhere.

Education is another tool and I guess it's what you're trying to achieve here? Again I agree it's your responsibility as the animal's owner, but if you could lose the attitude please! Work with people instead of the scolding and the scorn.

Jesus wept.

It’s not an attitude, it’s sheer frustration at the ignorance of people. Just look at some of the replies in this thread! In the first page someone is suggesting children should be allowed to feed handfuls of grass to other peoples horses because it might be the only interaction their children get with horses. It’s unbelievable entitlement like that which causes accidents and illnesses in horses. If you’ve ever seen a death from colic or a horse chronically ill with laminitis, you’d understand the frustration. It’s horrific

And like I said, I’ve taken responsibility for my horse thank you very much. We had double fencing, CCTV, electric fencing, hundreds of signs. We STILL found food in the field. We STILL caught people in the field. So seriously, what do you expect me to do in this situation?

I don’t know what other people near you do, but you directly told me what I need to do to keep my horse safe. So I’m telling you, I’ve done all those things already, what do you suggest I do now?

You summed up the problem in your first paragraph- ‘they’re trying to be friendly by feeding them’. Not everyone knows what horses can/can’t eat and that’s ok, I wouldn’t expect people to know that! But nobody should be feeding other peoples horses ANYTHING. AT ALL. Whether they innocently think the horse can eat it or not is irrelevant. I know dogs like chicken but I wouldn’t approach someone’s dog in a garden and feed it chicken through the fence. I know children like chocolate but that doesn’t mean it’s ok to feed other peoples children chocolate purely because they like it. Could you imagine if someone started randomly feeding your children sweets and said they thought it was ok because children like sweets? It would be completely unacceptable.

It’s sheer entitlement to think you have the right to feed someone else’s animal, at all. If believing that makes me arrogant then I’m happy being arrogant

@WhoKnowsProbsNotMe

I genuinely didn’t know how dangerous it was to feed horses grass from the side of the gate (not that it’s something I’ve ever made a habit of as in the back of my mind there is something about a horse can’t eat lots of long grass: this is more than likely a load of sh#t I’ve picked up wrong and ran with). Also I’ve never fed a horse apples etc. do people go out their way to bring apples?

I would however be much more likely to pet a horse when walking the dog if it was at the fence looking interested in me saying hi (as I do with all animals which I’m sure makes me look crazy😂) if a horse did ever bite me then it would be no one’s fault other than my own. It never crossed my mind people might take issue with that until I seen this post so going forward I might just stick to the hi and keep it moving

You sound great! I’ve no problem with people petting my horse as long as like you they understand the risk that they might get nibbled a bit, but as long as they’re ok with that risk (and not going to cause a big fuss about it and complain to me if it happens) then people like you would be welcome to pet my horse in the field anytime

I like most people love animals but i would never dream of feeding somebody else’s horse or cat as for one it could have allergies and you could be doing more worse than good.

@Pixiedust1234

Well, I have learnt a couple of things so thank you to certain posters. I was taught how to feed grass to horses by the owners, it wasn't a big thing back when I was a young lass. Has grass changed that much over the past 40 years or just horse knowledge improved?

Always knew not to feed anything apart from grass (now I won't do that either).
Always knew that laminitis was foot and grass related but couldn't work it out. Someone said it was insulin (equine diabetes) and the penny dropped.
Never heard/read about starvation paddocks, not even from horse owners. Always thought it was down to crap owners. Now I know they exist.
Never realised about the pecking order at the gates, never experienced it personally but seen it at riding schools etc, but it does make sense.

Once again, thank you to the posters who are explaining it clearly.

Sadly crap owners do sometimes exist too i appreciate how hard it must be though for people who are unsure about horses to tell the difference between a horse being neglected and a horse being starved of grazing because it has lami.

I’m glad you’ve learned about it from this thread though

About your question regarding grass- I think it’s probably a combination of a change in the way horses are kept nowadays and also an increase in education about it. Unfortunately certain breeds of horses are the equivalent of labs and will eat and eat and eat and eat until they’re unwell- it’s a hard balancing act between giving them enough grazing but not allowing them to gorge themselves into illness!

Exactly.
A lot of native ponies -your welshes, shetlands, new forests etc. don't need lush green grazing. They are "good doers". Think of their native environments -mountains, hills, moors. My Welsh could get fat on thin air. She doesn't need acres of smooth spring grass (as much as the hog would love it). Feeding horses can be complex. We weigh our feeds for some, we have a whiteboard written up with schedules and amounts. I've had some picky eaters, some I've struggled to keep weight on. Why did I pick this to love doing .

Does that mean it’s ok for a random child free adult who doesn’t get much contact with kids to come up to your toddler in the playground, give them a cuddle and hand them a bag of haribo?

Completely ridiculous comparison. It’s important that people (mostly animal owners) are aware of best practice in terms of animal welfare but why is it that so many people who own animals are such miserable human beings in general?

I said already I understand your point, OP, but stop shouting at people who are getting it wrong please.

Title in caps, part of OP in caps = shouting
"Unbelievable that this is still a problem" = you fools
talking about people's ignorance...

All in your OP

That is an attitude, whatever you say. Fair enough, you're frustrated, I can understand that. I know you wamt to protect your horses, I just think you're going about it the wrong way on here. Education shouldn't be about telling people how stupid and entitled they're being.

Other horse owners upthread have found that double fencing, biting signs etc have helped them and they've recommended it. I don't know why it's not working for you. I would have thought it would have helped somewhat at least.

I find the comparison with feeding children a bit ridiculous too, mainly because a child is not a horse. Young children are very heavily supervised. Older children are taught not to accept sweets from strangers. On the other hand, children's books (certainly older ones) have farm scenes where horses are happily fed apples by hand...lots to do on the education front, I fear.

@Marynotsocontrary

I said already I understand your point, OP, but stop shouting at people who are getting it wrong please.

Title in caps, part of OP in caps = shouting
"Unbelievable that this is still a problem" = you fools
talking about people's ignorance...

All in your OP

That is an attitude, whatever you say. Fair enough, you're frustrated, I can understand that. I know you wamt to protect your horses, I just think you're going about it the wrong way on here. Education shouldn't be about telling people how stupid and entitled they're being.

Other horse owners upthread have found that double fencing, biting signs etc have helped them and they've recommended it. I don't know why it's not working for you. I would have thought it would have helped somewhat at least.

I find the comparison with feeding children a bit ridiculous too, mainly because a child is not a horse. Young children are very heavily supervised. Older children are taught not to accept sweets from strangers. On the other hand, children's books (certainly older ones) have farm scenes where horses are happily fed apples by hand...lots to do on the education front, I fear.

There’s also several posts with people saying double fences, electric fences, signs etc didn’t work for them.

You didn’t answer my question. You said multiple times it is my responsibility to keep my horses safe. So how do I do that when people climb under the fences and feed them regardless of signs and fences? You made a big deal about it being my responsibility and nobody else’s, so how do you suggest I keep them safe when people are so entitled that they feed and interact with the horses regardless of what measures we take?

Feeding someone else’s child is the exact same as feeding someone else’s horse. Both is completely wrong and inappropriate and if it’s not your child then you don’t feed them anything, even if it’s something that children like such as chocolate. It’s the same as feeding other peoples horses.

How would you feel if you had a dog and it was in the garden but people insisted on putting treats through the fence because they thought the dog liked it? It’s not acceptable at all and it absolutely is entitled to think you have the right to feed someone else’s animal. And it absolutely is unbelievable that it still happens.

I went for a walk the other day and saw a really cute cat. I didnt feed it because it’s not my animal and I don’t have the right to do that. Even if I fed it something I thought cats liked, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s entitled to think you have the right to feed something to someone else’s animal. I admired it and thought aw what a cute cat and then left it. Why is it too much to ask for people to do that to horses?

And interestingly enough, the well intentioned people won’t be around when their kindness makes the horse seriously unwell. Could you imagine trying to get them to pay the vet bill for the illness they caused? Suddenly they wouldn’t want anything to do with the horse

@Tilltheend99

Does that mean it’s ok for a random child free adult who doesn’t get much contact with kids to come up to your toddler in the playground, give them a cuddle and hand them a bag of haribo?

Completely ridiculous comparison. It’s important that people (mostly animal owners) are aware of best practice in terms of animal welfare but why is it that so many people who own animals are such miserable human beings in general?

‘Miserable human beings’

Not sure what part of expecting people to leave horses that they don’t own alone makes me a miserable human being. I don’t want my horse to become unwell. I don’t want someone petting the horse to get bitten or kicked if a herd fight breaks out. What part of that is miserable?

Find a field no one can get to
Stop keeping horses
You will never be able to control peoples behaviour 100%

@Marynotsocontrary

Absolutely no problem with your message, OP, but I dislike the way you're saying it. I appreciate you're trying to be protective, but you're coming across as quite aggressive and arrogant. Not everyone knows about horses and they're simply trying to be friendly by feeding them. It's well-intentioned even while it's inappropriate and sometimes dangerous. I'm guessing we move in different circles because I haven't seen any hype about horses on social media as mentioned in your OP.

To protect your horse you need to act using signs and double fences if they are in a field near a public area. It's your responsibility to look after your animal, not anyone else's. And yes, I've seen you say these precautions (signs etc) happen already. I have to say, I live in the countryside and I think I've seen a sign once ever, double-fencing (for horses) never. So it's not as common as you say, and certainly doesn't happen everywhere.

Education is another tool and I guess it's what you're trying to achieve here? Again I agree it's your responsibility as the animal's owner, but if you could lose the attitude please! Work with people instead of the scolding and the scorn.

I agree with you @Marynotsocontrary. I live on the edge of countryside and I don’t think I’ve ever seen double fencing, ever, on any walk along public foot paths. I’ve seen an electric fence once, and a sign once, but that’s it,

I don’t feed horses or other wild animals, not ever. But I haven’t seen a single thing on my social media about it so I can’t say that it’s a well known fact.

Without bringing politics onto an unrelated thread I think from Brexit and COVID it’s very clear that a significant chunk of people are either a) unaware and/or stupid b) don’t give a shit about others c) don’t want to hear things that may prevent them from doing activities they enjoy. Therefore it’s up to horse owners to take every possible precaution to restrict access - you can’t rely on others knowing, listening and/or caring. I know it shouldn’t be that way but unfortunately it is.

Feeding someone else’s child is the exact same as feeding someone else’s horse.
It's really, really not. Any threat or injury to a child is considered far more seriously than an injury to an animal, however expensive or beloved. Surely you know this?

So how do I do that when people climb under the fences and feed them regardless of signs and fences?
I guess you need better fences if the ones you have are proving inadequate.

My neighbour likes to feed my cat, but she asked first. She offered him a treat stick but apparently he looked at her sadly so she knocked on to ask if she can give him a treat and what he likes
I don't mind at all because she asked, this week he is on air dried Tesco finest wafer thin ham because "toothless needs easy to eat stuff"

If I was out riding and someone said "can my child pet your horse/feed them an apple?"
Yeah sure! I'll tell you their name and how old they are and anything you want to know
Just don't randomly throw food in

@SpidersAreShitheads I live near country lanes and if there's a horse in the field they run up to you, never once seen a sign to not feed or stroke them

@Marynotsocontrary

Feeding someone else’s child is the exact same as feeding someone else’s horse. It's really, really not. Any threat or injury to a child is considered far more seriously than an injury to an animal, however expensive or beloved. Surely you know this?

So how do I do that when people climb under the fences and feed them regardless of signs and fences?
I guess you need better fences if the ones you have are proving inadequate.

I don’t have children and probably never will (long boring story for another thread) so my horse is my child. ‘Considered’ is subjective. An injury to my horse is the equivalent of an injury to my child since that’s basically what he is. He is as important to me as someone else’s child is to them. Surely you know that not everyone has children and that for some people their animals are just as important?

And anyway it’s actually irrelevant- the principle is the same. You wouldn’t feed a random child chocolate just because you think children like chocolate, because it’s not your child. So why would people feed a horse that isn’t there’s. Same principal.

Also you’re doing a fantastic job at victim blaming. Why can’t you just admit that the person is in the wrong for ignoring all the signs and fencing and going into a field that isn’t there’s or for feeding a horse that isn’t there’s.

If someone is determined enough to get into a field that they will climb over fences and gates, there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Instead of forcing horse owners to put up 10 foot fences with no gaps so people physically can’t get in, why can’t we just expect people to stay out in the first place.

Like I said in my previous comment- they wouldn’t be around when there’s a big vet bill to pay because of their ignorance and entitlement. Funny that eh

@MrOllivander

My neighbour likes to feed my cat, but she asked first. She offered him a treat stick but apparently he looked at her sadly so she knocked on to ask if she can give him a treat and what he likes I don't mind at all because she asked, this week he is on air dried Tesco finest wafer thin ham because "toothless needs easy to eat stuff"

If I was out riding and someone said "can my child pet your horse/feed them an apple?"
Yeah sure! I'll tell you their name and how old they are and anything you want to know
Just don't randomly throw food in

Exactly!

If someone asks then 9 times out of 10 it’s fine! If someone asked to feed or pet my horse I would be absolutely fine with it (as long as the horses health allowed it- and I would always politely explain if not)

As long as people ask then it’s fine it’s when people just have the entitlement to feed an animal that isn’t theirs, that’s the frustrating part.

"Unbelievable that this is still a problem after all the hype on social media and the news but unfortunately it is."
I would never feed a horse that isn't mine, but I have to say I've not seen a word about this on social media or the news. What hype?

I've not seen any hype either, then again I would not keep animals if I did not have the facilities to keep them secure in the first place, lastly then again I usually switch off when some one starts shouting Like OPs title as it's just stands out as look at me I'm attention seeking or disturbed, not the way to get your point across.

@ImplementingTheDennisSystem

"Unbelievable that this is still a problem after all the hype on social media and the news but unfortunately it is." I would never feed a horse that isn't mine, but I have to say I've not seen a word about this on social media or the news. What hype?

Same, I’ve never heard anything about this so I’ve found the thread very educational (not that I was going around feeding them, I’d just say hi)

It sounds like something that should be taught! If kids learned this they’d tell their parents.

The comments about how you wouldn’t give food to a child not your own were amusing though as when I was a kid people (especially older, grandparent age) absolutely would. So I can see where the assumption that they are there for feeding comes from. I’ve always been too scared of them to feed them myself, but growing up on Enid Blighton books and the like it was commonplace and never mentioned any risks to the poor horses. So I think a lot of people aren’t entitled (the grass pickers), they just genuinely didn’t know and are probably feeling quite horrified.I didn’t know, am very glad I was always too scared and now I do now I will share info that as the occasion arises.

The sandwich etc feeders are stupid idiots, no excuse for that.

Widespread education via social media would be very useful

I have seen nothing on sm about this
Also who and how many people are actually doing this to your horse?
In honesty it can’t be that many.
So if it is laminitis or they are really so delicate - Maybe it’s time to move where they graze?

( In full disclosure I have had and showed horses all my life and a few polo mints, half an apple or a handful of grass occasionally harmed none of them.)