Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

FFS DONT feed horses in fields !!

358 replies

Thoroughbred5 · 07/05/2023 19:42

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Original poster
Thoroughbred5 · 07/05/2023 21:26

OKwhatsNext · 07/05/2023 21:23

Really sorry @Newuser82 although i haven't done it this year. But I will knock it on the head.

Thanks for highlighting the issue op. I have no experience with horses (obviously) and common sense told me no food but the grass thing is my naivety. Lesson learned!

you sound great honestly, you didnt realise it was wrong but now you do and you're stopping it. Honestly I wish more people were like you! most people just tell you to fuck off when you try to explain to them, or you get called a posh twat or that their kids just want to feed the horse and who I do I think I am to stop them?! you sound great x

OP posts:
TheOriginalEmu · 07/05/2023 21:27

Veryverycalmnow · 07/05/2023 21:24

Justin remembered, I was told when I was little, on a guided countryside walk, that horses enjoy polo mints. I never fed any horses mints since then, but I am guessing this is a complete no no. Horses are beautiful animals but I don't tend to get close as they're massive!

My horses LOVE mints. The trouble is they love them so much if passers-by were to feed them mints even once or twice there’s a decent chance they would then try to mug anyone who passed by, on the off chance they had mints. This is a problem if they were to hurt someone inadvertently, and also could result in them pushing down a fence and going for a wander of hurting themselves on the fence. So that’s why we keep mints strictly for training purposes 😂

mindutopia · 07/05/2023 21:28

TheGirlWhoLived · 07/05/2023 20:52

I have a question… I know not to feed horses- what is the etiquette around talking to them/stroking them/ letting them walk up to the fence and let your child see them etc etc. could you tell me in complete layman’s terms. I really want to do the right thing, so it best just to ignore they exist completely? Or is it ok to give them a bit of attention but absolutely no touching or if they seem particularly friendly is it ok to stroke them on the nose.

I think it’s probably okay to approach and look at any horse, assuming you aren’t traipsing across someone’s property to do it.

But I think it’s always sensible to not handle other people’s horses unless you have permission because you never quite know how they’ll react. One of mine probably would never get close enough for you to touch him, but the other is very friendly and will approach anyone.

The first time he ever saw my ds though (who was 4 at the time), he came up to us (we were on the other side of the fence at a safe distance as I’m cautious with my dc around the horses). He came to my ds to have a sniff but then ds moved and I think because of his size, he looked more like an animal than a person, and my horse swung his back around and kicked at him. All was fine obviously because we weren’t close enough for it to be a danger, but someone being silly and hanging their toddler over the fence would have been kicked right in the face.

I would think of horses as being like dogs. If you were out on a walk and you saw a random dog with no person to ask if it was okay to touch them, you wouldn’t go at them to handle them as dog could be really reactive and unsafe. A horse can equally be reactive but their size means they can very easily injure you without even trying.

OP, I feel you. We have a footpath that runs through a field but we keep the horses in the next field. People would very obviously have to be walking across where they shouldn’t to get to them, but it still really worries me that they might try. Thinking about putting up signs I have one horse with a serious issue with choke. He can’t have anything that isn’t the consistency of mash or else he chokes. I worry an apple would probably kill him. 😔

TheOriginalEmu · 07/05/2023 21:28

Thoroughbred5 · 07/05/2023 21:26

you sound great honestly, you didnt realise it was wrong but now you do and you're stopping it. Honestly I wish more people were like you! most people just tell you to fuck off when you try to explain to them, or you get called a posh twat or that their kids just want to feed the horse and who I do I think I am to stop them?! you sound great x

Show quote history

Totally agree! People make mistakes, as long as we learn from them and are willing to listen it’s fine. It’s the people who pigheadedly ignore you that are the problem.

TheGirlWhoLived · 07/05/2023 21:31

Thanks very much! I think I’ll give it a wide berth. I don’t really care for dogs much so no problems there 😂

Scandimama · 07/05/2023 21:32

are the signs clear and polite and explain why not to feed the horses? I’d focus on communication/education here.

OKwhatsNext · 07/05/2023 21:33

🤗

Modda · 07/05/2023 21:38

A women in my village feeds them sugar cubes despite being asked not to. She says they like it.

EverestMilton · 07/05/2023 21:39

Jobsharenightmare · 07/05/2023 20:53

Had this exact conversation with my husband today. He said it was illogical not to be able to offer horses grass if they are eating it. I could not reason with him. The sign needs to say because it was cause X. Then he'd stop.

God these threads give me hives.....Three reasons, one you don't know if the grass is safe. I've just sprayed my adjoining fields while it all looks normal I know it's toxic for the next two weeks. Secondly I really don't want to test my public liability insurance if you get your fingers bitten. Thirdly they are property which simplest terms doesn't belong to you so leave them alone!! It's like picking up a stranger's coat in the pub and trying it on just because it looks nice. You just wouldn't do it would you??? Best case I'm pissed because it's my coat and you haven't asked, worst case you ruin the expensive coat and it can never be worn again.

Zoologydragon · 07/05/2023 21:40

BarkyMatherson · 07/05/2023 20:45

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

I did thia. I also printed and laminated a double sided "idiots guide to laminitis" type of thing and attached to the gate/fence at intervals along with a sign asking nicely not to feed.

I posted in the village (and surrounding villages!) FB groups explaining the situation to.

@Thoroughbred5 I feel your pain. I rescued 3 foals (long story) 7 years ago. They were triple fenced with an extra one forming a pen around the gateway. They had signs up. People were still getting in with them....it drove me insane!!

They were living with my little old EMS pony and my rescue big girl with...erm... behavioural issues around strangers.

I still have the (un)foals and my big girl.....I still occasionally have issues with people but it has become a lot less now thank god!!!

Original poster
Thoroughbred5 · 07/05/2023 21:47

solidarity to the other horse owners going through the same problem 😞

possibly one of the stupidest thing ive ever seen was a family in the field where the horses were happily grazing and minding their own business, and the father picked up his toddler daughter and tried to lift and place her onto the horses back whilst the mum was taking a photograph.

that horse was a 16hh retired racehorse mare who was an absolute nutter. I'm an experienced rider and she put me in an ambulance 4 times in less than a fortnight. She was later retired because she was a complete psycho. Happy to graze and a very pretty field ornament, loved to be petted and groomed and fussed, but would kill you if you tried to mount her.

you can imagine how fast I ran to stop that toddler being placed on her back. I had never, ever imagined people could be so stupid. Of course they had no idea of the horses history, but WHY would you even think its acceptable to place your toddler onto an unknown horse?!

OP posts:
k1233 · 07/05/2023 21:49

Arightoldcarryabag · 07/05/2023 20:46

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.

I believe it's illegal to electrify the ground between the outer and inner fences, but it would certainly be an effective deterrent, especially if hooked up to cattle level zapping. Also would handily stop dogs.

k1233 · 07/05/2023 22:03

I'll add re handling, approaching or patting an unknown horse - my boy is lovely and smoochy with me. Good manners, knows to behave himself. If I go away for a week and he's fed by someone else, he gets rude, walks over people, barges past etc He's a solid boy, ex racer, prone to being demonstrative if told off, oh and loves to nibble but gets carried away and bites. Not safe for inexperienced horse people to handle. A hoof to the head because you can't read body language is a strong possibility.

ttcat37 · 07/05/2023 22:07

The guy that lived next to my horse’s field used to chuck his grass cuttings over into the field. Asked him not to, he was really put out and said “but it’s much more convenient”. Horse died of colic

Tinkerbyebye · 07/05/2023 22:10

Arightoldcarryabag · 07/05/2023 20:46

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.

Re read the post

WildFlowerBees · 07/05/2023 22:11

Also the dickheads that take off fly masks. Great, thank you now my sweetitch pony has been bitten and we start the cycle again. People really do need to mind their own business, yes they are magnificent and look so cuddly but being bitten by one isn't fun.

SconeCreamAndJam · 07/05/2023 22:11

You should try living in the New Forest - people think that the words National Park actually mean it’s a petting zoo.

I’ve personally had to explain to someone why feeding their breakfast cereal to a forest pony isn’t appropriate.

Each and every pony, donkey, cow, pig and sheep on the forest are owned by commoners who have the right to turn their animals out on the forest to graze. They are known as the Architects of the Forest because their grazing has created and continues to maintain its unique environment.

Tourists want to touch, feed and even put their children on them - us locals are just waiting for the first child or adult to be seriously hurt, despite all the signage asking them not to touch or feed them.

AppleDumplingWithCustard · 07/05/2023 22:35

Who on earth are the 17% who think OP is being unreasonable? 🤷‍♀️

olivechuu · 07/05/2023 22:40

AppleDumplingWithCustard · 07/05/2023 22:35

Who on earth are the 17% who think OP is being unreasonable? 🤷‍♀️

The weirdos who make taking inappropriate snacks to feed other peoples animals into a ‘fun day out’ with their DC 😅

AcrossthePond55 · 07/05/2023 22:45

A neighbour has planted cactus between a small irrigation canal and her pasture fence to stop people from feeding and/or enticing her horses over to 'pet'.

You'd think the signs and the canal would be a deterrent, but no.

JMSA · 07/05/2023 22:46

That's so annoying, OP. I can remember feeding some horses carrots and grass when I was little, and there was a field of them where we were camping. I honestly thought I was doing such a good turn! But that was in the 80s and we're better educated on these things now. I wouldn't feed bread to ducks these days either.
Actually, I wouldn't have ignored your sign as a child anyway. Some people are entitled arseholes and are thinking of their own enjoyment, rather than the well-being of the horses.

SallyWD · 07/05/2023 22:52

I never fed horses until once I was walking past a field near my house with a horse in, with my young children. The owner of the horse shouted "You always stop and look at my horse but you never bother to bring him an apple!". He seemed genuinely pissed off! So after that we always took an apple for the horse. There are another couple of horses nearby with a different owner and again, she encourages local kids to feed them. For someone like me who knows nothing about horses you can see how we're getting mixed messages here! However I will never feed a horse unless the owners have suggested it.

DonnaBanana · 07/05/2023 23:13

Firstly, nobody is entitled to feed another persons animal

You and others here speak as if people only feed animals because they get a kick out of it, but it might be misplaced generosity. If you put up a sign definitely put the reason on it so people don’t mistakenly feel sorry for the horse and feed it anyway.

youveturnedupwelldone · 07/05/2023 23:15

Totally agree. What's worse is when the horses join in. One of mine was an expert at making her best face at anyone who passed and fluttering her eyelids, accepting treats like someone was giving her an Oscar so people gave her more.

Maverickess · 07/05/2023 23:21

Arightoldcarryabag · 07/05/2023 20:46

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.

It's not a 'you' problem at all, OP has already said she's got inner fencing/signs etc, she's got the practical solutions and it's still happening, I agree that other solutions are a good idea and someone may suggest something that she hadn't thought of, but, the problem is not OP, it's the people feeding the horses despite the very clear signs and indications that they shouldn't and in all honesty I'm fed up to the back teeth of people shifting the blame and responsibilities away from the people causing the problem in the first place, onto those trying to prevent the problem and dealing with the concequences.

OP isn't putting her horses in danger, the people feeding them are, they are deliberately harming them - they have the information and clear discouragement and yet people are still feeding them - I'm afraid these days I will be responding harshly to anyone I catch feeding my horse and his field mates - they have all the information (the signs are there to read, the gate locked and an inner fence that is electrified) and they're choosing to potentially harm the horse when they choose to feed it anyway.

On another general note, I wonder where an owner would stand pursuing damages/costs caused by feeding when there's signage and deterrents up?