250 Starving horses in Bridgend

amymay said:
They are brilliant - and their credentials beyond reproach :)
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This.
I'm a member and have been supporting them in a small way through my riding club as the chairwoman is a big supporter. I guarantee they are the best people to be involved and I have 100% faith in them :)

I'm possibly going to pop to the tack shop in Llantrisant tomorrow; it makes me very sad indeed to think that it's to buy things for my own (spoilt brat ;)) of a gypsy cob when there are these poor things suffering nearby :( As I understand it, the SWHP are asking that people do not go looking for them at the moment so there's nothing I can do on that front, but thank you for highlighting this, Llwyncwn, I shall be keeping an eye on it and getting in contact with my riding club's chairwoman to see if there's anything I can do. They have known about these horses for a while and are trying o sort something out: http://www.swhp.co.uk/reports-09-01-11
 
After speaking at some length with the local policestation and officers, it seems that every time the police get them corralled into somewhere - they break out again. Most likely as from the photos we've seen, they are on scrub land.

South Wales is a land of GREEN, all these horses need is a decent field to be put in temporarilly while the police and RSPCA start proceedings.

Surely there is someone local, who, if nothing else, wants the mantle of local do-gooder and hero and would let them go on their land??

*HRT has 14 acres of land in Laleston for auction that is properly fenced - i wonder if anyone can source the owners?

And lastly I feel similar laws should exist for horses as stray dogs. However bleak the prospect these horses should be impounded for 7 days then lots of the people who seem to want them would get the chance to rehome them and if not, put them down.
 
Kitsune said:
After speaking at some length with the local policestation and officers, it seems that every time the police get them corralled into somewhere - they break out again. Most likely as from the photos we've seen, they are on scrub land.

South Wales is a land of GREEN, all these horses need is a decent field to be put in temporarilly while the police and RSPCA start proceedings.

Surely there is someone local, who, if nothing else, wants the mantle of local do-gooder and hero and would let them go on their land??

*HRT has 14 acres of land in Laleston for auction that is properly fenced - i wonder if anyone can source the owners?

And lastly I feel similar laws should exist for horses as stray dogs. However bleak the prospect these horses should be impounded for 7 days then lots of the people who seem to want them would get the chance to rehome them and if not, put them down.
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i know some of the fields that these horses spent the summer on are practiacally EMPTY, except for a few odd ones that were left behind. this is SUBSTANTIAL acreage and as far as i know,secure. why are they not returned here??? yes, they need hay there are the fields have no grazing left, but thet are SAFE.
the owner is fully aware of these fields that he rents near Ewenny as this is where most of the foals were born and spent the summer!!!
this needs not to be happening but he is clearly thinking of himself and his £££!
an utter disgrace to Welsh Gypsy Horse breeders.
 
i meant, why dont the OWNER move them in his lorry to the other fields he rents, most of which are still practically empty again today. its unnecessary for them to be loose when this land is begging empty! he knows it so why doesnt he move them?
 
Who is able to offer a proper defination of how the law actually stands? I believe from previous forum threads that, for the law to be able to act, the horses have to be seen to be without food and water (not sure for how long), neither do I understand how far gone the animal has to be, as per a vets report, to be deemed needing rescue.

While most people would like to help/fields/money, I would think that doing this, without the backing of the law could lead a: to prosecution for theft b: the horse would be returned and no better off.

I am not defending the law, I would just like someone who is properly informed to lay out the legal position.
 
Luci07 said:
Who is able to offer a proper defination of how the law actually stands? I believe from previous forum threads that, for the law to be able to act, the horses have to be seen to be without food and water (not sure for how long), neither do I understand how far gone the animal has to be, as per a vets report, to be deemed needing rescue.
While most people would like to help/fields/money, I would think that doing this, without the backing of the law could lead a: to prosecution for theft b: the horse would be returned and no better off.
I am not defending the law, I would just like someone who is properly informed to lay out the legal position.
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This is the biggest problem - red-tape!!!

a quote from HAPPA "if anyone is feeding the horses then they have not been abandoned or neglected (even if it isnt the owner looking after them!)" to which i replied "so basically,if people stop helping to keep the horses alive,only then will the authorites help?". unfortunately YES!

WHW is actively involved in this case but also in a restricted situation at present.

Bridgend Council and DEFRA have been aware of the carcasses for WEEKS, have been onsite and as far as i was aware last night, it still hadnt been removed. (sorry to say i couldnt face seeing it myself).

There has been a lot of new, sudden developments in the last few days - HAYLAGE was delivered to the largest group of horses (approx 150) and im very plesed to say they were very very happy eating it and i got close to see and touch some of them. the winter coat IS covering the condition of them, but only one i touched would need to be removed as its bodyscore was 1-2, the other few i touched were fair condition. but them few was just a tiny number of the hundreds.
another group of 2-3 yr olds were near a railway line, no hay to them and if they had to leave to search for food,there is a high risk of them getting onto the very busy line (notedly there is also new wire along one side of the railway in recent weeks!!! but not where the horses are now, only where they had been!!!)

if anyone can help with re-homing, transporting, donations or fundraising, then please go to either facebook page and under discussions it will give you all your contact details.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Society-for-the-Welfare-of-Horses-and-Ponies
and
http://www.facebook.com/againstneglectandabandonment

There are also initial discussions to operate a national group/page as this is an ongoing welfare issue of horses and it will aim to provide support and information to other people in this situation and also to join forces to push for changes under the Animal Welfare Act and the powers within it, so its going to be a long road.
 
I hope the fundraising is going to the right place and NOT to facilitate this person getting back fat, well fed horses, to sell on ....
 
the fundraising is for help to pay for any animals that would be siezed!! if they would not have any intention of returning said animals to said owner!
i stated what was advertised on the RESCUE WEBSITE, IF this should come to full surrender or sieze, the need to have such facilities in place PRIOR to the event will make things quicker and more efficient in removing the horses to safety. it was not bashing a stick with demands!

an un-biased report by H+C based on local factual knowledge cant be far wrong :)

i note the council are STILL liaising with the 'owner of the fields' to try to remove the dead horse - a lot of liasing over 10 WEEKS, what about environmental concerns and acting on it???
 
The SWHP have been dealing with this owner for 15 years and have taken in many of their horses that have been neglected, abandoned or injured. just in October around the Ryder Cup 10 colts were taken in, even though they were already full. These were seen by the RSPCA and deemed to be fine, but the SWHP discovered that they all had lung infections, black teeth from being taken away from their mothers too soon, and various other problems. All aged between 4-6 months! This 'owner' denied they were his so the SWHP took them in.
They are a small charity, they have about 250 horses in their ownership, how do people expect them to just double the horses they care for in one week. The case is much bigger than it seems with an estimated 1800 horses within this dealers 'ownership' almost all without passports.
Many organisations do not want to take this case as the case is too big (and horses are an expensive animal to try and care for). I am a strong supporter of the SWHP nad have been for years and I support that they will be doing the very best to try and come to a solution for this problem, and instead of doubting them, why not check out their website www.swhp.co.uk - you cannot fake a charity number and you could probably assume that out of their last 10 cases, at least 3 were in connection with this dealer. Progress in this area is always going to be slow but it is being made!
 
katieb@home > well said.

can i also state that SWHP were providing hay to these horses BEFORE it hit the public so widely and they have not even been siezed or surrendered, just to help keep these animals alive! the only concern is to the horses that need adequate food, treatment and care - no matter what charity or rescue actually helps it!

any donations made to any rescue is ultimately used to pay for the upkeep of the animals within its care.

to twist any angle of out of this in regards to donations is abhorrent.
 
Oh Calm down JM2K, asking questions regarding where OUR money is going to go is completely acceptable thank you and any rescue worth its salt, would be happy for its benefactors to ask such a question as I am very sure SWHP are...
 
I agree with katieb and jmk2. The SWHP is a well established and professional organisation and have a very good reputation within the Equine Welfare sector, working closely with the police, vets and other national organisations. I guess because they are not widely known then people might be wary, particularly as there are some so-called 'rescue centres' that perhaps aren't run as well as you'd hope. If you visit the SWHP website, or know anything about them then you will know that their main concern is always the welfare of the animal. Any money donated to the SWHP will not be used frivolously; looking at the number of cases they have taken in this winter, the veterinary treatment required and the feed and hay bills (as mentioned previously, they also feed hay to a large number of animals not in their immediate care), they need and deserve every penny they can get.
 
Thanks for that well written and informative post HRN4U.

However local people will more than likely donate to help THESE horses, these are people who may not usually donate to charity but are moved by the plight they see on their doorstep.

What I am trying to get over is people may not be happy to donate and then find out the problem isn't even solved and they continue to see this cruelty on their doorstep! Which will make them even less likely to ever donate again - people like to see the fruits of their donations!
 
Thank you Kitsune for your kind comments - it was my first post here so I'm glad I started on a positive note. I'm afraid you are right when you say the problem might still be on people's doorsteps even if these poor horses, and others like them around the country are helped. As we all know, there are too many owners who do not have the commitment, knowledge and/or resources to look after animals, so unless they can be stopped from keeping horses (or any other animal) then there will always be problems like this. I suppose that is why the SWHP and other charities like them have been working tirelessly for tens of years, to help feed and care for as many as they can but knowing that, sadly their work will never be done. As we all know, there will always be irresponsible, unreliable and sometimes cruel people out there taking on the 'care' of animals and equally, charities relying on our donations to help look after the sick and neglected.
 
Oh yes I definitely get that part, I just worry that the locals might donate towards these horses, find the problem isn't *really* solved (albeit because of bone fide reasons, within the law and red tape that these organisations have to operate) and then turn against the people trying to help, saying "Well hang on, I donated to help these horses and here they still are - or here *more* are etc".

Hope that makes sense!

It's always nice to debate with someone who can have a level headed dicussion :)
 
Yes I undestand what you are saying - it's a really tricky situation and up to the local authorities to sort out. I suppose people who are horselovers and donate money and see that it is actually helping prevent starvation will be appreciative of the work being done down there. There are bound to be people who find the horses and no doubt the owner(s) a real nuisance and just want rid of them all. I would hope that the people in that area won't blame the SWHP, if for all the reasons you mention above, the animals remain. As I have mentioned previously, the SWHP do a great job but the scale of this problem is not something they will be able to tackle on their own and I am sure they will be working alongside other organisations and local authorities.
 
Well put Horseandrugs4u, I can understand peoples frustrations that they are trying to help but see no benefits, and I again believe that the SWHP are doing all they can to try and help the horses in need of care. The other issue that they are dealing with is that the owner keeps moving them as sson as he hears wind that they will be seized. And then it is a race against time to find them before its too late.

Also we must remember that there are other cruelty cases going on in the smaller sense where it might just be one or two that are in need of help, but because of the increased pressure of the press and supporters focusing on these large groups of horses, others are slipping through the net. This dealer is not the only one out there and with a reported 40 horses currently occupying the SWHP in need of care, they are already bursting at the seams, and as mentioned in previous thread they have taken some of the worst from this dealer in the last few months. They can only do what is possible and practical. What use would they be if they took in many of the sickly ones and then went bankrupt? Where wouild the horses and ponies go then?
 
I agree katieb, it must be so frustrating for all involved in trying to help these horses and ponies. It seems incredible that there are so many owned by one person or is it a case of multiple owners who all close ranks and don't own up to anything? These people seem to find it very easy to dodge their responsibilities and push the law to the limit, so bravo to those who are trying to do something about it. I hope people feel confident to donate, knowing their money will be used wisely to help the Bridgend horses as well as the ones currently being looked after by the SWHP and the cases they will undoubtedly have to deal with in the future.
 
the current situation of these horses have improved slightly, but only since the massive appeal to the media to provoke action from the investigating authorities and the alleged owner.
this worked, albeit on a half effort! half of the horses have been given hay, although i have yet to see water, and their shelter can only be given as derelict, unsafe ruins! the remaining horses in the other groups have NOT been given any....yet these are the horses which now seem to be forgotten!! i dont know if the media have been shown all the groups of horses but i can assure everyone this situation is far from resolved, depsite the attempt to try to dampen the heated profile. i know people who personally have images and video from just 2 days ago,still showing very poor conditioned horses out there in fields with no hay and water - yet its being widely reported all the horses are safe - an utter lie.
one truth is the majority of the horses are now contained in a number of fields by fencing off what has been public open-land for over 25 years, so they are at least safe from anymore being hit on the roads or killed by a train again! but why were they left to roam, unsecure in the first place and these deaths to happen,and continue to happen???
the owner has been monitored by RSPCA and WHW, as well as the council and Defra for months, many horses have died through this period, and the horses are being 'monitored' - is this acceptable?
surely ACTION to commence prosecution based on the undeniable facts of neglect (over 5 deaths??).

also, stallions are also running in with the groups so the likelyhood of conceptions of the mares will be happening AND a lot of these mares are pregnant - if the owner cannot cope with the condition he is in now, how the hell are they going to cope when the foals are born, mares are lactating, even now in their latter weeks of pregnancy they need to be receiving at least half decent grass/hay - instead they get scrub and dead reeds.

i dontate regularly to charities, whether it is for an urgent appeal or managing their daily overheads, i dont care! i let them use whatever money i donate to whatever their needs are at the time. the people who run charities (may i add smaller,independent welfares and not the high societies who pay their MD more than the PM!) do so with much dedication and they do it for the love of the animals, not to make money or line their pockets and im glad most people will understand that!
 
i know people who personally have images and video from just 2 days ago,still showing very poor conditioned horses out there in fields with no hay and water - yet its being widely reported all the horses are safe - an utter lie
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It has been documented (in the press) that the youngsters who are separate from the 'main herd' are indeed poor and have yet to be given any hay. So, I'm afraid you are not correct.

I'm keeping an eye on updates - and continue to hope that the RSPCA will eventually pull their finger out.
 
amymay said:
It has been documented (in the press) that the youngsters who are separate from the 'main herd' are indeed poor and have yet to be given any hay. So, I'm afraid you are not correct.

I'm keeping an eye on updates - and continue to hope that the RSPCA will eventually pull their finger out.
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It's more likely going to be red tape, and the finances that hold up anything rather than them not pulling their finger out!! When you think that the amersham conviction regarding over 100 horses cost I believe 4 million over the course of the case, you can imagine the potential cost of this situation, plus it's not localised to this area, it is the same across the country in various pockets!
 
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It's more likely going to be red tape, and the finances that hold up anything rather than them not pulling their finger out!!
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Sorry I simply don't agree. The RSPCA are notorious for leavnig things until it's too late. Amersham being a case in point!
 
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