Does anyone know anything about horses??

I have no knowledge what's so ever about them and I seem to have aquired a couple of stray horses in the field opposite my house. One of them is tethered and is caught up in the Brambles, there is six foot fences between the horses and I. I am not sure how to get into the fields. Nobody has been near them for over 3 weeks!!!

Shouldn't they have some shelter or food? They seem really stressed out! I called the RSPCA, but they went to the wrong field and reported back to me about four totally different horses. I will call them again this morning. Meanwhile I have been giving them carrots as that is the only thing I know that horses eat. When I spoke to the RSPCA they said that they were probably Gypsy stock... If they have been abandoned...What will happen to them??

I am really worried about them...any advice would be appreciated as I have a feeling that some of you much keep horses as well as dogs.

Thanks Sally

They should really have access to a shelter and definitely access to water and grazing or hay. Do they look thin and dull? It could be that someone is feeding them and you haven't noticed.

But if you are at all worried about them or if you feel they have been abandoned, then keep phoning the RSPCA and take them to the field. Maybe your local authority could help too. Or phone the International League for the Protection of Horses and ask them for their advice, I'm sure they'd be willing to help and could suggest what action you could take. Their phone number is: 01953 498682.

Good luck and let us know how you/they get on.

Kate & Loki
(It's snowing again! )

If they are Traveller stock and I would think that was very likely, they could be left for ages without anyone looking at them. If the horses are intended for trotting/racing they will take a bit more care with them. If not, they are a commodity that will be sold (usually to the knackers yard) when they need finance. Kate is right, the League is probably your best bet.

Leigh

Thanks for your advice. The RSPCA inspector has just been and has confirmed that they are Cobs, he said that they are hardy horses and will be fine with no shelter. He was not impressed with the way that the horse was tethered and that if the horse was to injure itself then he could prosecute the owners. He has checked them over and said that they are a good weight and do not seem to be suffering. He said that the male is probably tethered so that they do not get any unwanted foals. As for the owners, he has left a note and asked them to get in contact with the RSPCA. If nothing is resolved in the next couple of days I think that I will call the league as they might be able do something.

I'll keep you informed of the progress.

Good news. It sounds like they are doing OK and Leigh is right, they are probably gypsy horses - which would explain why they were tethered, but up to weight etc.

If you continue to have worries, then by all means call the ILPH - their prime concern will be for the horses, so I'm sure they won't mind the call. And if they do, let me know and I'll stop my membership!

What I don't think anyone has asked is have they got access to clean water? This is just as important for horses as all other animals. Also has the field got a good covering of grass? As they are cobs they should hold their weight fairly easily and unless it gets cold they can almost live on fresh air! (Well mine seems to anyway!)

Anyway i hope they get sorted out soon.

Tracy

Clean water is essential, mine drink about 5-6 bucketfulls a day each......someone must be carrying a lot of buckets to this field?
Grass at this time of year is nutrtionally inadaquate for most horses/ponies ( unless the horse has a lot of native blood in it)...are they coloured ponies?
It is essential that the RSPCA or ILPH are made to investigate this at once. Please put your foot down & insist they come out. Why not get in touch with the owner of the field & see what they know about the situation.

Thanks for your help. Just to give you an update. The RSPCA succesfully got in touch with the owners of the horses. They said that the reason that one was tethered was because the field that he owns has a broken fence and that they the horse keep getting out onto the road. The police insisted that he had to tether the horse until the fence was mended. The owner has been to the field and has taken the horses to another field. My feeling is that he thought the owner of the field opposite my house had complain and not that I just wanted to make sure that the horse was ok. They didn't have any water (the RSPCA said that they would get enough moisture from the grass). I would have prefered for them to stay in the field where I could keep an eye on them. Now I don't know where they are and whether they will be ok.

I feel a bit disappointed about the outcome. It seems all the RSPCA has done is frightened them into moving the horses on to somewhere where noone can see them. Shame as I would have tried my best to look after them, even if it was just giving them fresh water and the occasional carrot.

Thanks again for your help.
Sally

wow....that just shows the sort of ignorance I would expect from the RSPCA.........he has obviously NO IDEA how much fresh water a horse drinks!

I have had similar problems with the SSPCA, (when I stayed in Scotland). They seem to have very little knowledge of the care of horses and other equines, this seems to be related to where the inspector is based - inner city/town inspectors know less.

I'm sure the horses will be ok. There are hundreds of concerned individuals like you (and me) who keep on top of the RSPCA about these things. We have alot of Gypsy horses in the area I live in. Personally I would like to see some kind of licensing sytem put in place (like the old dog licensing) as there are far too many irresponsible owners out there.

In general what you want to look for in future is a good source of clean water (not a stream as this may be polluted/sand based - sand will give horses collic), a good supply of grazing or hay, shelter - even if this is only big trees in the field or a good hedgerow they can stand in behind, if they are tethered (a practice I totally diagree with) then it should be on a reasonable length of rope attached to a leather headcollar (which will break if the horse get's in trouble)- not a neck strap and definately not a chain(as they can embedd themsleves in the horses neck/face). Also as far as the horse itself is concerned it should have a good covering of fat - you shouldn't be able to see the ribs or hips, it's coat should not look dull or "staring" (standing out - trying to keep warm - like the hairs on your arms do when you're cold), it should have bright eyes, be attentive and interested in what's going on and have a clean nose (not all snotty). If they are of gypsy stock then the likely hood is their feet won't be in very good condition but be on the look out for them turning up at the ends like pixie slippers - this means they are overgrown and will be causing discomfort. For your own safety never apporach any strange horse (do as I say not as I do I'm afraid - been around horses all my life) and really you shouldn't feed them either - although apples or carrots shouldn't do any harm. You never know whether that horse is ill or has been and he/she may have certain diet requirements or allergies which you might exacerbate. In general my advice would be to contact the ILPH (International league for the Protection of Horses) they have volunteer inspectors all over the country and will be happy to help. So if you are at all worried just call but try and give them some indication of your concerns (from the type of information above) and remember just because you haven't seen anyone around them doesn't mean they haven't been attended to - I check mine twice a day between 6am and 7am and between 7pm and 8pm and quite often no one sees me.

If you want any more advice please do contact me, but rest assured where ever those horses end up there will be someone like you and me to keep an eye on them.

Kirsty

HI Sally

I spent a huge part of my childhood and teens keepng an eye on gypsy ponies, who were all tethered at the time.

Recently we had some "gypsies" break a fence and leave 2 coloured cobs near the local council-owned land by the local sewage plant. They were very thirsty and I kept an eye on them (Jeven though I wasn't living close by) and we went to the sewage plant offices to ask for water.

Whilst watering the cobs, a car drew up with a middle aged bloke in an an old lady, and when I asked if they knew anything about the horses they denied all knowledge. Yet both animals responded to the car by whickering and were obviously excited. The old lady in the car was muttering about "interfering busybodies"....neither of them had any comprehension as to why I was concerned.

I believe that most horses kept tethered or dumped on land by gypsies are partially dehydrated, these particular animals were always really pleased to see the water coming.....I have seen some very sad sights o ver the years and a few good and knowledgeable gypsy owners, but they are very very few and far between.

One way of testing for dehydration with a large animal like a horse is to gently pinch the skin on the neck....if it springs back quickly then the animal is healthy, if it goes back slowly then it shows dehydration.

Sorry I have rambled a bit, your post brought back a lot of memories, I wish you all the best.

LIndsay

Dear Sally

If he horses are stil there, in the same conditions, please e-mail me as soon as possible. Whether they are cobs or not, in this weather they need a good supply of hay to keep them warm and shelter ideally. They might not look skiny as their winter coats might have grown thick because of the cold.

The ILPH would come out and take a look.

Pleas mail me
Regards

Sofia

I just stand amazed that the RSPCA could think horses get enough moisture from grass!! ;( Gypsy horses-or I should say old Romany horses were very well looked after, in fact a good Romany was better at curing things than many a vet! But, I guess those days have changed.....the old Romanys are few and far between. Although a common practice to tether horses out, they were well cared for, and usually they were teathered on the side of a country lane (impossible these days!) where they forraged for all the good herbs etc. Usually this was by a leather collar round the horses neck. Getting back to the horses in question, I would make a formal complaint regarding the action taken by the RSPCA. Even if the animals appeared well fed, they should have water too. A lot of horses winter out well, providing they have good quality food and shelter. As mentioned, this can be a good hedge or a man made shelter-although I find with the latter they stand against it, rather than in it! Unfourtunatly, with the law as it stands today, both Police and other groups have their hands tied as to what action they can legally take, and at what point of sickness the animal is decided to be suffering enough for action to be taken. Which is why, I suppose, the RSPCA had to leave the note, which I gather is standard proceedure. It does not help when they get to court with magistrates returning animals back to the care of those who have abused them because the animals have not been in 'to bad a state'. It's disheartening and demoralising for all concerned. A good point on the horizon is that hopefully teathering will soon be made illegal. It can be difficult to know what to do right in all cases, if you saw a fat pony kept on a bare patch would you be concerned? Especially if it could not walk well? Would you offer it food? In this case, it could well be the pony is on a very limited diet due to suffering with lamanitus, a very painful hoof ailment. It would not be unusual to see this pony 'forced' to do gentel led exercise, or to be held in a running stream. But, if you contacted the various groups that deal with cruelty, and this was investigated, I doubt if anyone -including the owner- would be to bothered, as they would be genuine. But, feeding the pony in those circumstances could prove dire, as could giving a horse that has not had water for a few days a bucketfull or two of cold water....
I praise anyone who stands up for animal care, and if they think things are wrong somewhere, then report them. This is the best way forward, and it shouldn't matter if they are a 'big' name in their world, or just an ordinary pet owner. Animals should not be made to suffer.