Venting

Jessey

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2004
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Suffolk, UK
Saturday evening I was just getting ready to feed the horses when they all disappeared in a bit of a hurry....odd! So I followed them around the corner and there is 2 people trespassing on my neighbours land, they say sorry but they just want to see the horses, I point out its private land and they eventually wander off just about as slowly as humanly possible. All this time the little boys are running around noses to the ground clearly checking for any food that has been thrown in the field :mad:

Sunday I get back from riding to find a carrier bag of carrots and bread hung on the fence at my neighbours gateway, the same distinct carrier bag the people from Saturday had :mad:

Why should I have to deal with colic or laminitis because they think they have some right to trespass and feed my bloody animals :( Its worse since my neighbours tenant moved away with her horses as he now just leaves the gate open (so its easy for him to drive in and out) and people see it as an invite, I've caught several people in there over the past few weeks. I already have an electric fence 1.5m inside of the post and rail, which is I guess why they are throwing the food over, encouraging them to eat out of the sand :(
 
I want to post a pleading message on our town facebook page, but I'm not sure it won't just draw more attention to the horses
 
Oh how bloody vexing:mad:
I know these people do not mean any harm - and in their own way like the horses but it is no help at all is it?! I too would be angry. I don't know as you say if posting on fb might make it worse by drawing unwanted attention. Hmmm.
 
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I think if you word it right, pointing out why it's so dangerous for the horses, then it's a good idea. You don't have to put in where your horses are so I can't see how it will draw more attention to them & if people know why they shouldn't feed them it might help more than yours.
 
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This is a real bug-bear of mine.... you wouldn't feed a stranger's dog or child, yet horses seem to be fair game :rolleyes: Even double electric-fencing won't work because even though they might not be able to touch, they can still lob food. Grrrr :mad:
 
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This is a real bug-bear of mine.... you wouldn't feed a stranger's dog or child, yet horses seem to be fair game :rolleyes: Even double electric-fencing won't work because even though they might not be able to touch, they can still lob food. Grrrr :mad:
They look at me like I'm the bitch when I point out they are trespassing on private land, I am 100% sure if I let myself into their back garden and just hung out looking at something of theirs they would get pissy in about 2 seconds flat :mad:
 
If you see them again follow them home and try it!
Great idea carthorse, I’d love to see their reaction.
I’d be beyond angry, however, I think trying to educate them is probably the best route forward, either that or ask your neighbour if you can set up some kind of deterrent, big signs saying cctv in operation, trespassers will be shot! Oops I mean prosecuted.
 
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we had a lot of this when we rented a field opposite the house in the middle of the village. Everyone thought they had a god given right to feed stuff to our horses and donkeys. The donkeys turned into horrible brats, kicking, fighting. In the end we have to block off the front bit of the field where folks could reach them as the rest had a very thick hedge. When you asked people polite not to some of them were very rude.
 
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I would pin the notice on the fence where they are standing.
If you can I would fence off temporarily where they are standing and lobbing over the fence. If it's too far for them to throw food they will give up trying after a few weeks and you could probably then take the fence down.
I had to do this at one point. My temporary fence was 40ft inside the main field fence. If I found anyone in the field I could then give them a piece of my mind.
 
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My neighbour does shoot in there a lot, training his gun dogs, if he found them in there he's see them off. I'll put the notice on the fence where they are going, hopefully that will put them off. I just wish the neighbour would just start shutting the gate again, or we'll have a dozen caravans in there before we know it!

Fencing off half the field is possible, I'd just rather not, it's the area with good shelter from the trees of course.
 
I feel your pain, I had this problem before I moved here. People seem to think that horses in a field are public property. We had a man who worked near by who liked feeding the horses, I asked him multiple times over the years not to feed them. Once I was driving down to see the horses and he was walking down the road to them, he saw me coming and jumped and hid in a bush!
 
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I feel your pain, I had this problem before I moved here. People seem to think that horses in a field are public property. We had a man who worked near by who liked feeding the horses, I asked him multiple times over the years not to feed them. Once I was driving down to see the horses and he was walking down the road to them, he saw me coming and jumped and hid in a bush!

That's ridiculous isn't it?!!! It's one thing going to see someone elses horses but why oh why do they have to feed them???:rolleyes:
 
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I think it’s a shame folk are so ignorant but I always liked Popularfurball’s approach which was to put a wee note up saying ‘this is silver, she had these conditions and while she would love a carrot or two, it doesn’t agree with her and could make her really poorly. While it’s lovely that you would like to feed some treats, please be assured that the owner loves her to death and provides as much as she is able to handle healthwise
 
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I have a mate who brings her kids to see flipo periodically and she always comes laden with a bag of apples, bag of carrots and bag of pears. She hands them over and I give flipo maybe one or two items and thank her for the remainder which will get eaten. The first time I did this she was like ‘you not giving them all?! We go to feed the horses next to my parents house and we generally give them all the apples and carrots I have.’
I guess from their perspective it’s doing no harm, carrots and apples are healthy items and do no harm. They just don’t realise being non horsey and want to entice them over for a pat (another thing that irritates me, I hate folk who pat horses) I just think a kindly approach explaining and educating is the best way to try. Those who ignore it, are the type who would ignore the ‘don’t feed the horses’ poster aswell.
 
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I have a mate who brings her kids to see flipo periodically and she always comes laden with a bag of apples, bag of carrots and bag of pears. She hands them over and I give flipo maybe one or two items and thank her for the remainder which will get eaten. The first time I did this she was like ‘you not giving them all?! We go to feed the horses next to my parents house and we generally give them all the apples and carrots I have.’
I guess from their perspective it’s doing no harm, carrots and apples are healthy items and do no harm. They just don’t realise being non horsey and want to entice them over for a pat (another thing that irritates me, I hate folk who pat horses) I just think a kindly approach explaining and educating is the best way to try. Those who ignore it, are the type who would ignore the ‘don’t feed the horses’ poster aswell.
I already have a nice sign on my gate asking for them not to be fed and explaining why, but I still had to fence the horses 12ft back from the gate as people ignore it and are just now going into next doors to do it (I have put a sign on the fence now). Bread and whole carrots are the favorite things for people to feed horses here apparently :(

I am always happy to introduce people to them when I am around, there was a nice family last weekend who were politely admiring from the road, so I invited them to come and say hi, the 2 little boys were about 4-6 and gave my little boys huge hugs, they also had a baby probably 8-10 months who they plonked bum in the dirt and she giggled when Hank stuffed his face in her lap, I love seeing that, I remember being that kid who just desperately wanted to be around horses so I always try to accommodate people, in a controlled, supervised manner I have zero issue with it. I probably do it a couple of times a week.
 
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