Cruelty case reported in H&H: should age be a mitigating factor?

Veterinary treatment has advanced at a dramatic rate. When I first started with horses in London it was rare to see a horse over 12 years old. Now you see them at 36 years old. Veterinary treatment and horses now being used mainly for recreational purposes has resulted in their life expectancy being much longer than 50 years ago. However, I am sometimes appalled at the lack of knowledge that some horse owners have and their belief in treatments which are now completely outdated.
 
Pinkvboots said:
I have dreams about my first horse being at a place where I have forgotten to go and see to her, she has been dead for nearly 20 years but when I wake up I have a second or 2 where I am in a complete panic that she hasn't been fed or mucked out.

It's a horrible feeling😪
Click to expand...
I still occasionally have dreams that my old horse hasn’t actually died, and he’s just neglected in my parents’ back garden. He’s been dead 9 years and would be 20 by now but in my dreams he’s exactly the same only skin and bone from neglect.

I agree, it’s a horrible dream but it’s also the only dream where I can strongly smell him again so there’s a bittersweet element.
 
PeterNatt said:
Veterinary treatment has advanced at a dramatic rate. When I first started with horses in London it was rare to see a horse over 12 years old. Now you see them at 36 years old. Veterinary treatment and horses now being used mainly for recreational purposes has resulted in their life expectancy being much longer than 50 years ago. However, I am sometimes appalled at the lack of knowledge that some horse owners have and their belief in treatments which are now completely outdated.
Click to expand...

Makes no difference to feeding a horse so it’s ribs and hips don’t stick out or not letting it wallow knee deep in mud or 💩.

This isn’t purely about age.
But could be due to failing MH or neurological disease associated with age.
 
PeterNatt said:
I believe that some of the issues is because some members of the older generation have never bothered to update their skills or knowledge.
Click to expand...
Surely the. basics which these horses weren’t getting are the same though!
It’s not like you need a high tec device to muck out suddenly.

Edited! Sorry I wrote this without reading the rest of the replies!
 
Cruelty cases in the UK usually involve the lack/withholding of basic needs such as food, water, space, foot care, ventilation etc, and horse owners have been aware of these needs for centuries. The horses that are seized sometimes also have injuries that may be the result of the owner not following modern veterinary thinking, but those horses also generally have their basic needs not met too (so will be thin, dehydrated etc). Starvation seems to be a common theme, and basic common sense and empathy tells most humans when a horse isn't being fed enough, and most will respond by giving more food.
 
didn't anyone notice? surely if there was a 70yo with a lot of horses in your neighbourhood you would keep an eye out either to prevent this or to make sure they were coping OK.
If for any reason you had doubts or they were difficult getting a welfare check would be an idea.
 
paddy555 said:
didn't anyone notice? surely if there was a 70yo with a lot of horses in your neighbourhood you would keep an eye out either to prevent this or to make sure they were coping OK.
If for any reason you had doubts or they were difficult getting a welfare check would be an idea.
Click to expand...
At least one of them had been shut in a shed for >2yrs, so if they were all shut away and there were no immediate neighbours then maybe the locals didn't realise there were any horses there. Or the neighbours knew, but weren't horsey so thought it was ok they were kept in, and they presumably wouldn't have been able to see the state of the horses/sheds. Some people also have no interest in things outside of their own life, or would rather not 'get involved'.

There are plenty of farms round here where the barns are well away from any roads, so unless trespassing no one other than the farmer would know the state of any animals in said barns.
 
SilverLinings said:
At least one of them had been shut in a shed for >2yrs, so if they were all shut away and there were no immediate neighbours then maybe the locals didn't realise there were any horses there. Or the neighbours knew, but weren't horsey so thought it was ok they were kept in, and they presumably wouldn't have been able to see the state of the horses/sheds. Some people also have no interest in things outside of their own life, or would rather not 'get involved'.

There are plenty of farms round here where the barns are well away from any roads, so unless trespassing no one other than the farmer would know the state of any animals in said barns.
Click to expand...
there were 10 horses. There is no background info but I doubt anyone acquired 10 horses without it being known in the neighbourhood. Surely she would have been known as a horse person/owner.
Sometimes older people with a hoard do get into difficulties. I remember one I took from someone (with her agreement) who was in very poor condition, I had been keeping an eye on the horse for a while and it needed getting out of the situation. That owner had been a well respected horse owner and things and their health just got too much.

On another there were ponies with no food (kept out) they were getting poorer and poorer. I found a friend of the elderly owner who clearly couldn't cope, pointed out the problem and they found a way to sort some hay out.

I'm not condoning older people neglecting horses but it has happened before and perhaps we (horse people) should be keeping an eye open in our neighbourhood.
There are a lot of bright 70 yo's as we know from this forum but there are some older long time horse keepers who just get into difficulties with no one to help and they can see no way out. Dementia and can't cope come into it but they don't realise. What seems logical to a younger person ie call it a day as you can't cope doesn't.

I remember a few years ago a well known horse owner/public figure where this happened, they were prosecuted. It didn't make sense. I didn't know them but they explained to me how easy it was to get into difficulty and not to see a way out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TGM
Lois Lame said:
I don't really understand that comment. It sounds like one generation blaming another.
Click to expand...
I am sixty six and I agree that their are some older people who are just not interested in change. I went to a health care lecture with a colleague with up date on a subject, she is a about five years older than me. She wrote copious notes in long hand, I am dyslexic so my notes are a flow chart with key words, I expected that we would be making changes based on the updated information, but nope. She was frightened of change, and perhaps having to think a bit more.
For some people admitting things to change is admitting they are doing something wrong, and no ones ideas are better than what they have been doing for the last thirty years. Keeping animals takes planning, also as you get older accepting change, and having insight in to the future, sometimes its seems easier just like red bill, shove them to the back of the drawer. They need help but their vision of themselves means they are unlikely to accept help, and this happens with younger owners as well but I think peer and social pressure unless they are isolated, make it a bit easier to help them to make ajustments. Livery yards can be a nest of vipers, but they can also be a place where owners can see different methods, and get feedback.
There are enough programmes about hoarding on TV to realise people have problems letting go of no longer used itemsIt, and they are classes as normal families, having things makes us feel good about oursleves. Once you become isolated from social contacts I think its easier to justify animal hoarding.
 
khalswitz said:
I still occasionally have dreams that my old horse hasn’t actually died, and he’s just neglected in my parents’ back garden. He’s been dead 9 years and would be 20 by now but in my dreams he’s exactly the same only skin and bone from neglect.

I agree, it’s a horrible dream but it’s also the only dream where I can strongly smell him again so there’s a bittersweet element.
Click to expand...
It's horrible isn't it my dreams have been so real and I have felt really traumatised when I wake up, thing is when I had her she was my only horse and she literally wanted for nothing.

I remember a yard I ran for some really lovely people had a top show producer at their yard for lessons, my horse was stabled next to there's and she looked over into my stable and couldn't believe how big and white my shavings bed was, she did actually say I would sleep on that and I can't believe what it takes to keep it that clean.

I was very proud but I was taught by a very strict horsewoman I worked for years ago how to maintain a perfect shavings bed, I've always kept her standards and am a bit ocd with it but I couldn't be any other way.

I still had the horrible dreams though and felt an absolute feeling of failure and panic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top