Absolute IDIOTS!!!!

well done you!! my old YO would confront these people too, doing exactly the same thing, towing behind a transit where the horse would be cantering to keep up as they drove so fast. If they tripped they were inevitably badly hurt. But if that happened they were just shot (and in a recent case, the body of the horse dumped in the lane - such nice people)

And it's nothing like the same thing as the gypsy tradition training a horse to trot behind a horse drawn living wagon, that goes at a pace they can safely keep up with, usually Mum pulling the wagon, this is just lazy uncaring cruelty.

OH confronted the same characters over other cruelty when driving a very young colt and was thumped in the face good and proper for his troubles. So I applaud you for taking a stand. And there is a point in terms of cruelty when despite ones own fear for personal safety, you just have to do something.
 
Lea840, just wanted to echo what everyone else has said: RESPECT TO YOU! I have tears in my eyes for those poor ponies. 'Having to get used to' that sort of treatment is beyond sad.

Please let us know if you find out any more about what happened to the ponies.

^^ I cried too. Clearly not human beings - should be shot.
 
Feel very proud of your actions. Behaviour like this is despicable and I hope that the police will pursue a prosecution, not that any sentence is likely to stop people who have no conscience. If only more people would do what you did. As others have said, R-E-S-P-E-C-T in bucketloads! :D
 
Christ ! Some people are unbelievable !! The sad fact is I would be willing to bet that if it went to court they would skip bail anyway...
If only in such circumstances they would take the horses off them staright-away.
Big respect OP for confronting them.
 
Thank God for people like you, how very brave of you!! You were lucky to escape with just verbal abuse though. :O

Are the police going to get back to you? Bloody hope whichever animal welfare officer it is who sees them has the balls to do something about it.

I take my hat off to you!!
 
Well done u - it must have taken some courage to do what you did so i take my hat off to u:D Same treatment should be given to these idiots but mmmm.... maybe an express train x
 
I cannot believe the appalling and cruel behaviour of some people. That has made my blood boil!

I bet they'd love to be tied to the back of a moving vehicle and forced to keep up at speed! I just hope those poor horse get taken from them. Well done for confronting them, that must have taken some guts, as they were clearly devoid of any compassion or respect towards another person or species!
 
*takes hat off *

I think you are lucky to be alive, and wondered about you stopping your own vehicle by way of a blockade. I'm glad it also survived what could have been a very messy situation. Well done and I hope all your efforts were worth it. My blood is merely simmering now from 'grabbing shotgun and opening fire' rage from reading your post.

That kid wants terminating, too. It'll just carry on the pikeygenes...
 
Total respect to you, not many people would have been so brave in the face of these types. Very glad you were there for the poor ponies.
 
I wasn't condoning it in any way! Sadly, and whilst trying to be politically correct and not saying too much, these types treat their horses this way and think nothing of it. Either the horses learn quickly to conform or they get dragged, they learn to be ridden with a rope through the mouth or they get beaten. Whether they are insured or not it is out and out abuse, unfortunately the powers that be seem unwilling (or too scared?) to take action to stop this sort of treatment from this group!

This sounds like just because it goes on we should accept it???

OP good on you I would hopefully have done the same. Let us know if you hear the outcome:)
 
Urgh, that's absolutley terrible. I'm glad that you interveened(very brave!) and that the horses have been taken off these *****.
 
You own a large fleet? Tell the boys (and girls) what happened with these 'characters' and to keep an eye out. Chances are, the morons with the ponies wouldn't risk any retribution - they have too much to lose.

Yeah having a large fleet of very distinctive vehicles gets you noticed around the North West :)

Don't worry the word has gone around rather quickly along with a full description of the 3 men involved and the two poor horses! I'm not one for violence... but in some cases what goes around comes around and hopefully what those poor ponies have suffered will come back on them 10 fold!

I will keep you updated as soon as I hear back from the Police... fingers crossed it will be a positive outcome and the ponies will be resting somewhere safe this evening...

Oh and the CCTV is now on record at the back of my place, checked and double checked... just in case lol
 
This sounds like just because it goes on we should accept it???

I'm not quite sure where I am supposed to have implied that or how you even read that into what I had written. Anybody who thinks these things (and worse) don't go on all the time in that fraternity is sadly mistaken. As I said, the powers that be don't take action. Perhaps we should all arrive en masse at Stow and Appleby and tell them we don't accept it, do you think they will listen?
 
I'm not quite sure where I am supposed to have implied that or how you even read that into what I had written. Anybody who thinks these things (and worse) don't go on all the time in that fraternity is sadly mistaken. As I said, the powers that be don't take action. Perhaps we should all arrive en masse at Stow and Appleby and tell them we don't accept it, do you think they will listen?

Possibly not but things are being tightened up at these places (albeit slowly) but if we all said no use saying anything or doing anything cause it won't change then we may as well roll over and die.
 
Possibly not but things are being tightened up at these places (albeit slowly) but if we all said no use saying anything or doing anything cause it won't change then we may as well roll over and die.

Agree, but I have not implied that we should ignore or accept it at any point so am not sure why you are quoting my posts when you make these comments.
 
hch4971
It's that written word again I think:) When you replied with this>>>>

You are being naive! This will be the usual way they move the horses from place to place, when they cannot be bothered walking alongside them or have no access to a trailer, these type of horses are quick learners and conditioned to go along with what is asked without arguing, they will know only too well the consequences of not.

It reads like you are saying 'why are we bothering? they are conditioned so accept it.

After reading you later replies maybe this is not what you were saying??

Sorry if it wasn't but that's the way I read it:)
 
hch4971
It's that written word again I think:) When you replied with this>>>>



It reads like you are saying 'why are we bothering? they are conditioned so accept it.

After reading you later replies maybe this is not what you were saying??

Sorry if it wasn't but that's the way I read it:)

Ah, I think you may not have been the only one in that case!

I was responding to citymare's comment 'What on earth why they trying to achieve - maybe it was just for some sick sort of ***** fun.' and was trying to point out that this is 'just' what they do. I suppose that is the problem with having to be politically correct and not writing what I wanted to write!

The conditioning bit is aimed at the fact of who had the ponies, can you imagine doing any of that to a 'normal' persons horse, the animal would go ballistic (mine would anyway!), think I will just shut up and go to bed now!!
 
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Ah, I think you may not have been the only one in that case!

I was responding to citymare's comment 'What on earth why they trying to achieve - maybe it was just for some sick sort of ***** fun.' and was trying to point out that this is 'just' what they do. I suppose that is the problem with having to be politically correct and not writing what I wanted to write!

The conditioning bit is aimed at the fact of who had the ponies, can you imagine doing any of that to a 'normal' persons horse, the animal would go ballistic (mine would anyway!), think I will just shut up and go to bed now!!

Nooooo!!! don't go to or I will be left talking to myself:rolleyes::D
 
the local travellers told us when we challenged them about hammering 18 month olds down tarmac roads and breaking them in barely over a year old that ' they are stronger than the horses at that age (think 4 or 5 large blokes) and they dont then give them any trouble'. You only had to look into the horses eyes to see the dull broken look in them, no spark or fight left.

Rather a sad long way from the true gypsy horsemen.
 
the local travellers told us when we challenged them about hammering 18 month olds down tarmac roads and breaking them in barely over a year old that ' they are stronger than the horses at that age (think 4 or 5 large blokes) and they dont then give them any trouble'. You only had to look into the horses eyes to see the dull broken look in them, no spark or fight left.

Rather a sad long way from the true gypsy horsemen.

It must make them very proud, being able to bully a baby like that without it fighting back. I have wondered if, when these ponies are bought by 'conventional' horse people, they continue to behave in the same manner or if they rebel when they realise the fearful part of their life is over, can anyone enlighten me?
 
It must make them very proud, being able to bully a baby like that without it fighting back. I have wondered if, when these ponies are bought by 'conventional' horse people, they continue to behave in the same manner or if they rebel when they realise the fearful part of their life is over, can anyone enlighten me?


I have a trotter/hackney cross, bought from travellers and yes he does do anything asked of him...doesn't fight back or have much of an opinion on anything! If he worries about something you only have to tell him to "stand up" and he does, wouldn't dare move! In on way it's quite handy,BUT I would like to see a bit more personality from him!! He is, brilliant in traffic though and introducing new things is easy in a way as he just puts up with whatever...!
 
This kind of 'training' and handling of horses goes back way past the Victorian era when horses were just transport, just like cars and lorries today. It was a commercial business, and the faster you got the horse working and obedient, the faster it could start earning a living.

It was barbaric then and given that horses are no longer required to be put into that kind of commercial work, it is cruelty beyond description.

These kinds of methods and practices are really the root of where the modern natural training methods came from, as people saw these barbaric and inhumane methods being used and developed alternative, kinder, more effective methods of training.

Well done to the OP, clearly your Police training gave you the restraint that the rest of us probably could not have shown, but it strikes me as no coincidence this sort of thing is going on, given your location and the fact that the trading season is just starting.

These people are not Gypsies, they are just freeloading cruel and inhumane b'stards. :mad:
 
I have a trotter/hackney cross, bought from travellers and yes he does do anything asked of him...doesn't fight back or have much of an opinion on anything! If he worries about something you only have to tell him to "stand up" and he does, wouldn't dare move! In on way it's quite handy,BUT I would like to see a bit more personality from him!! He is, brilliant in traffic though and introducing new things is easy in a way as he just puts up with whatever...!

I can see how it would be very useful but it is still quite sad in a way. I also often wonder if ours, the ones that can be difficult in certain situations and appear that they would fight to the death rather than pass that scary gate or whatever, would just give in and accept that they were going to do as they were told. I find it so sad that they (people) miss out on all the pleasure of knowing a horse's personality and having it's love and respect. Getting a bit fluffy there but it is just so blurdy sad!
 
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