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 read? I’ve already said we’ve tried educating the local community and it’s made no difference. Like I said (several times now) I’m not expecting anyone to have any knowledge of the countryside. I’m expecting people to use common sense and not ignore the multiple signs, double fencing, electric fencing and barb wire. that’s not knowledge, that’s just common sense and decency.

People being interested in them is fine. I have no issue with that. People getting involved in any way with them by feeding them is not ok.

‘’You can be furious about it or you can find something to do - either prevention by keeping horses away from public paths etc, or helping to increase awareness.’’

as I and many other horse owners have said, we’ve tried that, it doesn’t deter. What do you expect us to do? Keep our horses locked away in stables because the general public can’t be trusted not to be complete idiots?

‘As the parent of young children, I have a lot of things to attend to and googling 'should I feed a horse in a field' is not likely to make it to the top of the list any time soon’

again, can you read? I’ve said several times I don’t expect anyone to google or research or educate themselves on anything to do with horses. I expect people to use common sense not to feed other people’s animals, and if they don’t have that there’s plenty of signs, barbed wire, electric fencing, double fencing, hedging to deter them. I don’t have to google whether or not it’s ok to go and feed random children in the park sweeties, because common sense tells me that’s not a acceptable thing to do. Not sure why anyone would have to google or educate themselves on that, whether it’s people or animals.

You can be furious about it or you can find something to do - either prevention by keeping horses away from public paths etc, or helping to increase awareness. As the parent of young children, I have a lot of things to attend to and googling 'should I feed a horse in a field' is not likely to make it to the top of the list any time soon.

Did you actually bother to read ANY of the OP? She very clearly states all the things she's done.

As the parent of young children, use your common sense and don't feed things you don't own! No googling required. How happy would you be with multiple strangers feeding your children random stuff? I know horses aren't children but the principle is exactly the same.

This is a good suggestion

Many people (myself included, before seeing it on MN) have no idea it's harmful to feed a horse and mean no harm

I totally understand that, but if you saw multiple signs like that along the fencing, barbed wire, electric fencing and other obvious deferents, you would know not to feed them wouldn’t you? Unfortunately some people see these things and ignore it and feed them anyway x

I do understand that, but would you ignore polite signs asking you not to feed horses?

If their owner politely asked you not to feed them, would you argue with them, tell them to fuck off and call them a stuck up cunt?

Would you climb over locked gates, throw food over double fences and trespass on private property?

Because that’s the problem.

Not knowing but then taking the information on board is one thing. The kind of behaviours some of us are experiencing is entirely another.

I have signs up, double fencing and electric and a very clearly marked right of way through my field. I still found someone trying to feed my cob mare a fucking ham sandwich because, apparently, 'she looked hungry'. So this meant none of the signs applied. It was just an excuse to do what he wanted, ie feed a horse. It's a basic lack of manners - you don't own them, they are nothing to do with you, you have no rights, so don't feed them, no matter how much of a thrill you get from it. And having kids with you doesn't mean all bets are off because it makes your kids happy. Making your kids happy is not my responsibility. Everyone on here talking about education can clearly read and write so READ the fucking signs and rein in your fucking entitlement! And if I sound angry, its because one of my ponies nearly died three weeks ago, because people who ignored the signs and ignored ME when they met me in the field, thought it made no difference for their kids to take rotting grass clippings from the compost heap of the holiday cottage they were staying and feed him. That's hardly a lack of fucking education, is it? So again, if you read the signs and do it anyway, its not because horse owners haven't done enough to educate you, it because you feel entitled to do what someone has asked you not to do with their animals. And yet people on this site go crazy if a dog pisses on their tires!

I'm afraid OP that the general public can be really dumb and inconsiderate. I'm with you I wouldn't feed someone else's animal, but a lot of people do (people do it all the time with cats who may be on special diets, or feed them milk when they are actually lactose intolerant, but they think they're being kind!). I don't have any suggestions though it sounds like you've already tried a lot. I didn't know the danger to horses to be fair until I read a thread on it a previous year so at least these mumsnet threads educate a few of us on it (although I'm not someone who would have fed them anyway!)

@Thoroughbred5 @alloalloallo

If I saw a sign, I would certainly follow the guidance. I'm sorry to hear that many don't. Can see how frustrating that must be

@krustykittens

I'm really sorry your pony and you went through that, I hope he's doing ok now.

Been there with an EMS Shetland that needed a grazing muzzle so he could go out in the field that people kept removing so they could shove him full of carrots and worse. Despite signs. He also got a sunburned nose because the muzzle was UV protection too.
Poor bugger spent the entire summer in a barn in the end because people wouldn't leave him alone, even after the treatment for the inevitable laminitis (which topped £1k and meant my insurance rocketed)
He now lives with a friend in the middle of nowhere as a companion to her horse and because he's managed properly and other people don't interfere, he's been fine ever since.

So yeah, owners like us get angry when someone else's want leads to pain, suffering and costs money when it could be prevented by not being an entitled idiot.

I recently witnessed a middle aged woman do a sulky child pouty face when a dog owner politely asked her not to feed a jelly sweet to an elderly dog, who she'd literally just told us had had 3 teeth removed at the vets that week.

Some people seem to have a compulsion to express themselves via feeding animals and take it as a personal slight when asked not to. Totally fucking mental.

@Maverickess

Thank you, and I am so sorry for what your shettie went through. I am so paranoid now - I work from home and I check on the ponies up to 10 times a day. I don't want to leave the house to go out for any significant length of time. I loath humanity right now and no longer have a friendly disposition toward anyone I meet on my land. The holiday makers come every year and believe you me, I am counting down the days until they come back. In the meantime, I am putting up fencing and creating a path that leads from one gate to another in my field and putting in hedgerow. I don't want to have to keep them locked up all summer to protect them from the public but I will be making accessing my land more difficult. That is the knock on effect when the public make people feel their land is disrespected and their animals are not safe in their fields.

@Beowulfa

I know what you mean but it seems to be much more common now. I'm 50 and raised in the countryside where we were told not to feed other people's animals or touch them without permission, as much for your safety as for the animals. It was as much a part of our manners as saying please and thank you. But it doesn't seem to be taught anymore and people see so many animals out and about now as public property. We have a rescue French Bulldog who went through horrific physical abuse and is very frightened of strangers including children. I have given up on taking her out in our local town as people rush her and crowd her and refuse to listen when I ask them to leave her alone. They don't care they are terrifying her! If kids are involved I get told I am a cow for not letting the kids have fun, "they are only kids!". I only walk her on my own land now, no multitasking on trips to the vets, its car, vet, home. One woman actually grabbed her from behind when my daughter waited with her outside a supermarket for me! When my daughter pulled her away and explained she was fear aggressive due to abuse, the woman tried to pull her from my daughters arms while explaining her boyfriend ran a rescue and so she knew all about handling abused dogs! People are so disconnected now they see animals as only something to facilitate their joy, without any wants or needs of their own, or even just a different perspective on the same situation.

I stopped a family feeding my horse and they ended up reporting me to the rspca. I absolutely know it was them.

People have a weird sense of entitlement about horses. This family were genuinely furious that I told them not to feed my horse their vegetable peelings. They kept saying 'but my children love horses'. I said, well I love the big house down the road but that doesn't mean I can just let myself in.

@Pineda What was the complaint?!

There's a small holding with horses on near me and they have a long, well worded notice that explains why you shouldn't feed the horses. It's very polite and explanatory and was really interesting to me, as I had no idea you shouldn't feed horses (not that I was as I am quite scared of them). Can you do something like that? Most people don't know about animals, and why would they? So if you're able to offer an explanation that might help.

There is horses kept in a field near where I work. I twice had to stop the same man dumping his grass cuttings into the horses field. Told me it was a treat for the horses.

They do it in the New Forest too. Feeding the ponies is breaking bylaws, still get tourists complaining about the horses following them and nipping at them after feeding them.

I’ve tried all different signs.

Polite, short and to the point, longer more educational ones, one that was quite long and had a lot more information on it.

All were ignored - several were just ripped off the gate and fence and thrown into the field.

The ones we have up at the moment were downloaded from BHS.

I honestly, don’t think some people want to be educated. They just want to feed a horse/sheep/cow/whatever the animal
may be. There’s seems to be a weird entitlement with other peoples livestock/horses. I’m forever being asked by randoms I barely know if their children can ride DD’s pony and who then get shitty when I say no.

@krustykittens

Thank you. I'm just glad he pulled through and is fine now. Not a typical shitland, which went against him really because he loved kids and was gentle and friendly, didn't nip or bite and would stand and be fussed all day. Especially when he learned people would take the muzzle off and he could stuff himself stupid! Lucky it was 'only' laminitis and not colic as well I suppose.

I hope your measures work and you can relax a bit.

I don't know what the answer is really, it seems to be an extension of a society that is so individualistic and hot on their 'rights' but not so hot on their responsibility.
Like I've said in a pp, anyone I catch now I will have a very dim view of because of the measures I have in place and the signs detailing that feeding them could make them ill. To me if they're still doing it despite that then they're deliberately trying to harm my horse (not to mention trespassing because you have to be on private land to get close enough) and I'll react accordingly.

@Thoroughbred5 its fucking infuriating how some posters are still clinging to the idea that unless you have 24 hour armed guards on your animals then they are fair game to be fed any old crap.
My cousin has had massive problems with field trespassers feeding her horses.
Personally I had posters defending the actions of an entitled bloke who threw treats at my labrador- after I had told him not to because my boy has massive stomach problems and is on a prescription diet. Apparently I was being nasty for having a go at him because he was " only being nice " ddog then had the shits for 48 hours and had to go back on probiotic powders .

I hear you. I like hiking but walking through a field with horses in is a nightmare because they associate random humans with treats and get stroppy if you haven't any.

Or perhaps "I love kids, that's why I like to give them vodka"

Then call the parents stuck up cunts if they spoil your fun and stop you from getting their five year old pissed.

I had no idea about grass clippings, but have never attempted to feed them to a horse!
Our neighbours have horses and have very kindly said DD can go and see them whenever she wants, but we still only go when we see them there too, just feels to intrusive to walk up their drive to see the horses. I just can't get my head around people climbing over fences etc to access them. In what world is that normal acceptable behavior?

I also live in the new forest and the ponies are constantly harassed by tourists who ignore the many signs saying stay away do not feed etc... it's such a shame because we have been put in a scary position a few times when they have chased us to see if we had any food. Just leave the bloody things alone in peace, and those who have mentioned it are right you just get abuse shouted back at you if you dare to tell them what they are doing is dangerous.
But I care more for the animals than them so I will continue to tell them and be prepared for the inevitable abuse that follows.

@Thoroughbred5
My toddler was fine, she's 8 now and still a little wary around horses which is understandable. But yes we do not encourage feeding of any animal to be honest.

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