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

I don't know what a neddie is. Is it a donkey?

A racehorse

Now you have fully addressed the ‘neddie’ issue, @Vanessasbag, how about the point people have made about people ignoring and even tearing down the signs that are, according to horse owners here, pretty common on horse fields?

That's awful behavior, I am not defending those people at all!

Had you gone back a few pages of this thread, you’d see that most of us with horses have put up signs.

I’ve put up several signs over the years - they’re ignored. I’ve politely spoken to people when I’ve caught them doing it and been told to fuck off. I’ve put up to extra electric fences to keep my horses away from the gates and people climb over the gate.

It’s really not difficult. If it’s not yours, leave it alone.

Unfortunately it’s so common ☹️ I can appreciate why at first people might think signs are a good idea but honestly they don’t work. I have a friend who’s horse was in a double fenced field with over 10 signs saying don’t feed the horses, your kindness can kill etc, and yet she still caught someone lifting their child over the fences to feed the pony a toffee apple. It’s awful 😔

It doesn’t matter though if you explain politely, simply, at length or in hieroglyphics! People still seem to feel that their or their child’s happy experience feeding a horse, trumps that animal’s welfare and health requirements. If only a pleasant polite sign would deter people from feeding someone else’s animal, then we would all use that means surely?

@Vanessasbag why don't you take on board what people on this thread are saying instead of getting defensive? There have been dozens of examples of signs getting ignored, people arguing, trespassing etc.

I agree! I grew up with my own horses so when I visited my friend who has a field nearby with a horse in it, it seemed second nature to visit him with a carrot, sliced lengthwise of course.
I didn't know I was such an evil, murderous piece of shit asshole so thanks MN for enlightening me.

@Fulfordfluff , you should have known better. Feeding sliced carrots to your own horse is your business. Feeding anything to a horse you don't own is out of order.

Isn't it a good thing that you now know that doing it could cause harm to the horses?

It doesn’t make sense to me how people cannot grasp that feeding someone else’s dog or cat without their permission is frowned upon, but feeding someone’s donkey or horse is fair game!

Times move on don’t they, as do animal care practices.

Just in case anyone is in any doubt there are many legitimate reasons why you should not feed a stranger’s horse:

~ the horse may have a restricted diet owing to a health condition such as laminitis amd carrots and apples are full of sugar

~ you cannot possibly know, as a passing stranger, how many other strangers have passed by and had the same idea as you and fed the horse, leading to the horse bloating and colicking from over-consumption. This can, and has, led to death!

~ the horse is unknown to you and could bite, or kick you or swing its head and hit you

~ if there is more than one horse in the field, all of them gathering at the gate for titbits can lead to competition between them leading to injuries

~ hand-feeding is not encouraged in some horses who become overly pushy in response to it and you don’t know or not if the owner of the horse is trying to retrain and discourage this behaviour. Owing to their size, a horse can become unintentionally dangerous by constantly pushing on the owner expecting treats. It can alao make them distracted and unfocused in training. Finally, behaviourally, in the wild, a horse rarely gives up their food to another horse, and if humans constantly do this, a horse may occasionally come to perceive humans as weak and become dangerous towards them. It doesn’t happen in all horses but it can happen in
some.

For all the above reasons, please leave horses and donkeys alone to graze in peace, and admire them from afar!

Forgot one other point:

-carrots sliced the wrong way can cause choking

It very obviously doesn't mean exactly the same though - who would leave their child alone in a field for example? Yes they love them very much but to compare it to someone's child when you don't treat them anywhere near the same, is silly.

I didn't say that? And also I said I completely agree that people should feed people's animals! I just said your horse is not equal to a child and you know that by the way you treat and care for them. People supervise and care for their children 24/7. Horses are cared for but left alone and unsupervised around uneducated people, and then people are surprised that people feed them and are acting as though it is the same as feeding someone's actual child. Put signage and keep and educate people.

They are important to you but they're different. Just as you treat your horse differently to your dog, they are not the same and they're certainly not the same as a child.

No they're not because people have to take cautions to keep them safe, just as people have to with their horses. My dog isn't coming into contact with random strangers who could feed him. I know not to feed a horse but lots of people don't know, so you need signs and ideally if your horse has a special diet or allergies perhaps a paddock that isn't on a public footpath because (shocker) you can't trust people!

People do educate and put signage up and people duly ignore it.

How do you suggest we keep our horses if not in a field with horse companions ( which is the best way to keep them btw in case you are suggesting it’s not) ?

No one can sit in a field and supervise 24/7. I can see my horses from my bedroom window but even I can’t supervise them every minute of every day!

Comparing a child to a horse is completely irrelevant to the point. The relative or innate “value” doesn’t matter does it? The point is if you take on responsibility for keeping a pet mouse you want it to be kept safely and no one feeding it unsuitable things.

As it happens, horses live a long time so can be part of a family for 20 years or more so they can be of course valued like children by their owners.

Ah, the mn habit of ranking all living creatures rears its head again

Horses < children and dogs but (probably) > cats
Dogs < children but > cats and definately > hamsters
Cats < dogs but think they are > humans (adult and child)

Is that about right? Suspect team cat may be along to point out my errors 😂

Did you even read the first post?

We have signs, CCTV, double fencing, we have everything. Every summer is the bloody same- people feeding the horses.

Have you not read the thread and seen multiple horse owners saying their signage just gets ripped down?
People clearly aren't uneducated, they're entitled. Regardless of signs, it doesn't take an education to refrain from feeding animals that don't belong to you, unless you have the owners permission.

Also, it IS the same as feeding someone else's child crap without permission. Horse owners are responsible for the horses wellbeing, just as parents are responsible for their child's wellbeing.

Anyone who thinks putting signs up is going to work after reading even a few posts on this thread is seriously hard of thinking. It doesn't work. There are always people who think their precious poppets pleasure is the only thing that matters. There used to be a herd of nearly 20 Shetland ponies near us. Until covid not many people walked that way. So many idiots went into the field and fed them during the first lockdown they became dangerous and the owner had to get rid of them and for the older ones that did mean they were shot.

Cats rule 🐱

It would be equivalent to people chucking food over your fence when your dog is in the back garden.

The rankings are:

Cats
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Everything else

Sincerely, Crappy Sack's cat 🐈