Worried about horses in fields near me

orlao

http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/contact-us

If you are really worried WHW are probably the best to contact.

But to answer the rest of your post - I'm speaking as a long time horse owner, mainly of native breeds rather than TBs who prefers for them to live out 24/7 all year - please remember that most horses do better outside rather than in.

Hardy types don't need rugging, they have double coats that allow the rain to run off the top while the undercoat insulates them. In snowy weather you will see ponies with unmelted snow on their backs, that's how well insulated they are. Nor do they need vast quantities of food, in fact most pony owners spend a lot of time struggling to keep them on the right side of obese for the sake of their health. Fat ponies get a horrible disease called laminitis that is agonising for the horse and can be fatal. It's also very bad for them to be fat for all the same reasons as it is for humans. On that note, please do not feed other peoples animals ever - apart from the weight issues, it can cause fighting in the field (when you could easily get kicked or squashed if you get caught up in it) and it also teaches horses to bite others looking for treats.

In an ideal world every field would have a man made shelter - mine only ever use theirs in the summer if the flies are bad though - but many councils don't allow them. Natural shelter like trees, hedges, walls or even a dip in the ground are just as acceptable to horses and as long as they have full manes and tails they will just turn their behinds into the wind and wait it out.

Horses living out shouldn't be groomed in winter, the grease in their coats is part of their waterproofing. Sadly that means that you have to leave the mud on too and when they have their long winter coat they do look very scruffy. And they do like to graze on thistles and pick up burrs and the like in their manes and tails which are the bane of my life removing the matts they cause. 5 minutes after I have spent an hour removing thistle heads they are back in the long grass and look like they haven't been touched in months...Odd cuts and nicks are pretty normal too - they shouldn't be swollen or weeping but scuffles in the field are part of being in a herd and horses do like to scratch on fences. Someone once told me that horses are born looking to find an imaginative and expensive way to injure themselves and there have been times that I've seen their point. I had a young Welsh cob that actually impaled himself on a branch. I still don't know how.

I do think that small paddocks should be poo picked regularly for worm management and maximising grazing but in larger fields it isn't quite as essential. Often horses will spend a lot of time resting (or begging from passers by ) in one area which will be muddier and used as a midden but the rest of the field will be relatively clear. Also many field kept horses are retired, too young to work, recovering from an injury or like mine, roughed off every winter because it's not worth the effort required for both of us to have them clipped, rugged and shod when I could only ride on odd weekends due to bad weather and short days as I work full time during the week. There is no fun in riding in driving rain, fog or on ice so I don't. You won't see me much during the week because I'm doing them at 5am and 6pm with a late night check at 10pm.

I'm not saying that you're wrong btw just that not all horses in fields are neglected. One of the easier ways to check is too have a quick look at their feet - if an owner has the farrier to have their hooves trimmed every 6 weeks it's fair to assume that they do care for their animals so they should look something like this



rather than this

fierystormcloud

FANTASTIC help! ^^^^^^^ Thank you! :T

I do feel a bit better about them now. Whether I will tell someone, I am not sure yet, but I will go check on them a few more times. Check the hooves etc.

Oh BTW, when we feed them apples, we always throw them one each and make sure they each get it, and don't trample each other, but if you think it's best left...... then maybe we should stop....?

Dozey_crow

There is an organisation called hope for hotses that may be able to help....

paddy's_mum

It is recommended that apples and similar things be cut into smaller pieces. It is not unknown for horses to choke on a whole apple which slips down the gullet and blocks the windpipe!

Bless you for your concern.

jrtfan

Another thing worth bearing in mind with feeding apples etc is that it might be safe enough for a horse to have one or two, but too many could potentially cause colic. You say that other people bring apples and carrots for the horses as well so there is a chance the horses might be eating a couple of lbs of apples each day. I'm not a Vet or anything to do with veterinary medicine but I did used to spend school holidays as a stable hand many years ago and something I learned was that horses don't burp, so anything that can lead to them developing 'wind' can become distressing for the animal or in the worst scenario, it can even cause a torsion somewhere inside the intestines and lead to death. There's a bit of info on the following links, if you fancy reading up a bit more about it:

http://horses.about.com/od/feedingyourhorse/a/What-Not-To-Feed-A-Horse.htm

http://www.understanding-horse-nutrition.com/equine-colic.html

I've called the RSPCA more than once after feeling concerned about horses in similar circumstances to those which you've described. They haven't fed back go me afterwards so I don't know if they sent somebody out to check, even. They have been struggling to find rescue places in certain areas of the country (we're in Kent, where the problem of abandoned horses has been particularly bad in the Medway and Gravesham areas) so I think others on this thread are giving you good advice by suggesting other organisations you could try contacting instead.

Don't worry about 'reporting' something which turns out not to be neglect - it's better to have an offended owner than to risk an animal suffering, and horses need access to clean fresh water so I think this fact alone gives anyone grounds for concern.

Good on you, for caring x

ripplyuk

Perhaps you could take some photos and send them to WHW or Redwings? They could then see if there is any cause for concern. I've kept horses all my life, most of them outside all year round. The 'finer' types generally are stabled at night only. It's tempting to think of them like humans and imagine they'd rather be tucked up in a cosy stable but almost always, they prefer to be out.

Field shelters aren't always possible. For many native breeds, they aren't necessary either. Horses tend to only use them in summer with the flies.

Orlao has given great advice. The feet are the best place to start. Neglectful owners rarely bother with regular hoof trimming. However it can be very difficult for a non horsey person to know if they're overgrown or not. So I would definitely ask a charity/experienced person to check. Other than that, if the ponies are a good body weight, they're probably fine.

orlao

fierystormcloud wrote: »

Oh BTW, when we feed them apples, we always throw them one each and make sure they each get it, and don't trample each other, but if you think it's best left...... then maybe we should stop....?

Ok I'll admit that I'm a bit touchy about people feeding mine due to some of the weird and wonderful things mine have been given over the years - how about a McDonalds quarter pounder? And the muppet horse ate it! And we do get people coming along treating the field like a petting zoo and being most aggrieved when asked not to feed but they are also the first to complain when they get bitten, their child gets knocked over or their dog gets kicked...we also have one that will pin people in a hedge demanding (definitely not asking nicely!) a treat who has only learnt that behaviour by being handfed. The problem his owner has now is that he can't be grazed on land that has a Public Right Of Way so that restricts where she can keep him because he generates so many complaints and she would be liable for any injuries he caused. These issues are as well as the previously mentioned risks of illness and injury so my preference is that nobody but me feeds mine anything and I rarely if ever handfeed.

You're probably not doing any harm but really, they aren't your animals so you shouldn't interfere with them in anyway - I'm not having a go honestly and I'm sure that nobody would mind you giving them a pet or a neck scratch over the gate - or in the case of one of mine you would be presented with a large behind and invited to scratch that for as long as you wish In fact he will wiggle around until you get the best part for an scritch.

fierystormcloud

UPDATE!

I have now contacted an Equine Welfare Sanctuary in my county, and have given them the details of the horses, and where they are.

I told them that I don't want to get anyone into trouble, and I may well be wrong, but the horses just looked a bit 'dishevelled,' and that they didn't have any shelter at all to go under or into, and I was a bit concerned.

They said they would go look, and would deal with it if the horses 'are' being neglected.

Thanks so much to everyone for your help and reassurance.

teddysmum

fierystormcloud wrote: »

UPDATE!

I have now contacted an Equine Welfare Sanctuary in my county, and have given them the details of the horses, and where they are.

I told them that I don't want to get anyone into trouble, and I may well be wrong, but the horses just looked a bit 'dishevelled,' and that they didn't have any shelter at all to go under or into, and I was a bit concerned.

They said they would go look, and would deal with it if the horses 'are' being neglected.

Thanks so much to everyone for your help and reassurance.

If the animals are neglected, then don't feel afraid that someone may get into trouble.


I just hope they don't have to go via the RSPCA, after the experience of some people on a dog forum I use.


These people were horse owners, knew what was wrong and reported the animals to the RSPCA; even offering a forever home, if needed.


Unfortunately, the RSPCA policy seems to be to give notice to the possible offender (in this case a notice was left on the gate), giving them time to remove the evidence. The poor creatures, in question, disappeared overnight and were not seen again.