Another What Would You Do

[PuzzledPonyLover]

I have an elderly pony who may be showing the first signs of a metabolic disorder. Waiting on bloods.
Yesterday I shut off an area of grazing and put ad-lib forage at the top of the field.
Today I arrive to find someone has taken part of the fence down and my herd is eating lush green grass.

Well obviously you need to make it clear that your changes are for medical reasons assuming that you are keeping your horses somewhere that allows you to fence bits off . Not sure what else you can do other than find a track system livery and move .

I don’t know who the trespasser is to make it clear, perhaps they will read it here?

you need to find out why this was done.

did someone think they were fenced off by mistake or were they going mental being in that area alone trying to get to the rest of the herd, or did others need access through your section to the bigger field and they escaped and that was that. Or maybe someone is just ignorant and let them out for a laugh.

only once you find out the reason can you address it.

Private yard, all my horses, all together when I left and when I returned. Just in the wrong place due to my fence having been removed.

Are you certain it was a trespasser/person who let them out, or is there any chance the ponies broke out themselves? When I last had a laminitic one on starvation grazing I was astounded at her jailbreaking capabilities, she and her tubby pony mates once got through two sets of electric tape, one traditional post and rail fence and one garden panelled fence to break into next door's garden and eat their lawn and plants 🫢 🫢 🫢. That was an expensive night's work! We ended up creating a track type system for them with a maze of electric fencing plus concrete reinforced post and rail at the boundaries to try and keep them where they were supposed to be!

If there's no way it was Houdini ponies, then I'd definitely look at security, put visible cameras and padlocks everywhere?

Are you sure it isn't Houdini ponies or anyone else at the yard? If you think it is a random feeling sorry for the poor ponies who aren't in the field with the lush grass then you need to try educating them. I'd stick up laminated posters very clearly telling people why you are restricting their grazing and how dangerous lami is. I'd also put up posts on any relevant local village FB groups saying what has happened and why it is dangerous.

Lots of stupid people (like my FIL) think that their (lack of) knowledge trumps the decisions of the owners so being unequivocal about the dangers to the pony is a must.

my friend had a note left on her gate once stating "they will steal all the fencing if she didnt stop starving her horses" or words to that effect... it was 2 lami prone sec A's on a track with daily soaked hay... She put a camera up a couple of days later and put signs up to say so.
These people exist!!

Can you get a solar camera?

I do have solar powered cameras on the yard but had hoped to avoid them on the grazing. I have a long thin 5 acres so my WiFi doesn’t reach. Perhaps I need to get proper power laid on, but that would be expensive.
Definitely not Houdini ponies, I have owned one of those but this has clearly been tampered with. Not the first time either.