FFS DONT feed horses in fields !!

[Thoroughbred5]

Honestly it blows my mind that this is still a problem but it is. Just wanted to post since it’s coming into nicer weather and more people will be out and about.

caught 3 separate families over the weekend feeding my horse treats when he was out in his field. I spoke to each and 2 were clearly annoyed but did stop, the third just threw their apples and other treats into the field anyway. We have signs, CCTV, double fencing, we have everything. Every summer is the bloody same- people feeding the horses.

DONT feed other people’s horses or ponies. Firstly, nobody is entitled to feed another persons animal. Secondly, you have no idea what that horses specific diet is. Would you be happy to pay for my horses laminitis bill? Or colic? And honestly, it’s best not to feed handfuls of grass either. It doesn’t matter that the horse is in a field full of grass. Feeding horses by hand in the field can cause jealousy amongst the herd and can cause horses to become nippy and bolshy towards people at fences and gates

It’s only may and already it’s a problem. I love the summer but I’m fed up of worrying if my horse is safe in his own field. Anyone else in the same position? And if your reading this and you’re one of the people who feed other people’s horses, please just fucking stop

Can you get an inner fence to keep your horse safe?

Yeah I’ve got that already, double fencing. Doesn’t really stop people unfortunately- we’ve had people climbing over/ under and going into the field anyway, or just throwing stuff over. It’s absolutely crazy!

Electric fencing close to where they climb through and electric inner fence and a nice big sign telling them so. So bloody rude.

A sign that says "keep your distance, I bite"?

I would have thrown the third lot's food back at them.

Fucking idiots. And I hate the fact you have to give people a reason so they can judge if it’s good reason or not- they bite, special diet…. Blah blah blah. Simple fact horses next to a footpath can’t eat fifty carrots a day.

Electric outer fencing sounds like a plan to me. Preferably without warning signs, other than 'don't feed the animals' and 'private property' though, sadly, that's probably not allowed.

I can never figure out why people do this. Why do they feel entitled to feed someone else’s animal?!? I wouldn’t go up to their dog and feed it randomly so so t feed my horse!! Sorry OP, I’ve no suggestions - I just empathise with your problem.

I’ve just seen the first of the social media posts about a dog attack where several ewes and lambs have been killed / severely injured. It’s really simple - don’t feed animals you know nothing about and keep your dog on a lead.

I think I'd get some of those screw in electric fence hook things but put them on the inside of your first fence (in no man's land, if you see what I mean) as high up as you can. Maybe even actually as a strand directly above the top rail, if you can.

Most of the sort of people who don't 'get it' are also very nervous of electric fence so it would put the majority off. I doubt you'd even need to have an energiser on it, just a line of tape with the yellow warning signs on would limit it and keep the cost a bit lower. Prob get some secondhand tape as well as you don't need to actually contain the horses so it doesn't have to be tip top.

You shouldn't have to, of course!

Are you not able to put a sign up that says "respectfully - please do not feed my horses. You don't know thier dietary requirements, so if you do feed them, you are a fucking idiot and may kill my horses"

@Malarandras people might not feed someone’s dog but they do feel entitled to just stick their hands out to grab them or pet them. They then wonder why dogs have no manners…usually because they meet too many people with no manners

A friend of a friend got bitten recently feeding a random horse a mint. Needed stitches and a tetanus shot.

Not sure why they would have decided it was a good idea in the first place to be honest.

Wow, I know not to feed horses food but I am guilty of maybe allowing the kids to give grass. Really sorry OP, I didn't know it causes so many problems so will genuinely stop. Hope your horses are OK

Put up a sign saying you have an electric fence, without actually spending the money to put up the fence. Sounds like these people are dumb enough that they won't know what an electric fence looks like.

Couple of years ago someone fed a whole roast dinner ( some sort of ready, cook it all together meal on a foil tray which was also left in the field) to a pony. Poor thing became terribly ill, vet had to operate, huge bill. Luckily the pony survived, just. The stupidity of some people baffles me.

Extra strand of wire and some of these signs.
https://www.safety-label.co.uk/products/danger-of-death-electrical-sign?currency=GBP&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2Pn63_Lj_gIVGYjVCh3UDwPcEAQYBSABEgKro_D_BwE

I caught a woman leaving a carrier bag full of left over bread rolls ‘for the animals’ in local woodland. It beggars belief that people can be so stupid. I had to explain that deer, squirrels, hedgehogs etc don’t typically eat white bread and it would only attract rats.

I hear you, OP. We have a holiday cottage nearby and quite a few of their guests seem to think I run a petting zoo. I have signs up and electric fencing and asked the latest guests who had very excitable children not to feed them when I met them out on a walk and I bothered my arse to explain why, and yet lo and behold, I now have an emergency vet bill after my herd were fed grass clippings. My vet has advised I turn them out with a Llama - apparently the males are evil and they spit!

I knew a situation where a man kept tipping his lawn mower clippings into a pony fuel and nearly killing the pony. And many times have had to stop idiotic people feeding my ponies. Just leave other peoples animals alone

I see these sorts of posts all the time and just cannot believe there are people that do this🤯

I know absolutely nothing about horses, and love giving my children new experiences… but CHRIST, you can’t just go and feed other people’s animals!

It’s one of the reasons my laminitic is on livery that is more expensive than I can afford, so she has a paddock
that can’t be accessed by the public as she has to wear a grazing muzzle all year round and people try to take it off/feed her.

I have been on yards where they were near a road/footpath etc and it was a nightmare so I had to move. This one at least they would have to break and enter which hasn’t happened yet which keeps her safe.

I do cringe though that my 5 year old
self used to feed other people’s horses. I was horse mad and didn’t know better.

Find some really “nice” pictures of pedal bones sinking through the sole after laminitis and make them into family friendly signs?

This definitely sounds like a "You" problem.
You've identified that people do this and you are aware of the potential harm to your horses health so by not taking action you are knowingly putting your horses in danger.

Now, I am not one for victim blaming which this very much sounds like but I am one for practical based solutions and that's what you need I'm afraid OP.

Once you've worked it out if you could inform the rest of the horse owners as this gets brought up each year so is clearly a country wide issue.

The problem is that entitled people feel it is ok to ignore signs, electric fencing and double fencing to trespass and feed other people's animals. The only sure fire solution to stop our animals from being killed is 24 hour armed guards.