Do not feed the horses means DO NOT FEED THE HORSES!!!

I think my next plan of action is too tell the local primary school and ask the headmistress to make an announcement in the assembly as the path is a main route to the school, I'll also speak to the lollipop lady at the crossing by the gate to ask people not to feed them if they do.

As for everyone else, we have cctv which covers teh gate and I'm tempted to report the repeat offenders to someone.
 
You cannot assume everybody can read, so perhaps a sign saying
"My horse has been very sick. By vets orders, please do not feed my horse as it could potentially kill him/her"
Then have a picture, maybe of someone feeding a horse with a big cross through it to show its not acceptable.
Maybe that could help? :)
 
Speak to the lollipop lady and lie through your teeth! Tell her all about the man that went in the field to feed them and was attacked by the horses and kicked in the head, or the huge vet bill you have just had for the one that was poisoned by what someone gave it and was seriously ill. Just start a rumour that will make people think and it will soon get round the locals! We have a problem with people just thinking they can go anywhere they want, I've told dog walkers about the cows in the next field killing an old man's dog, about one of my ponies attacking a dog that went too close and was picked up by it's back and thrown across the field, told walkers they are trespassing and in a field with dangerous stallions (my colts would love that bit!) and that if anything happened it would be their own fault. I have also just put in a mains electric fence running at 10000 volts, right up to a stile and with a sign alongside, loved the man who was allowing his little girls to grab and play with the rope and can't wait for him to do it when it is on, they were so lucky as we were working on the fence but it gives a real sting! I'm also looking forward to all the loose dogs getting a shock as they run under the fence in the hope that they will be kept under control in future rather than running about around the horses or chasing the geese. Good luck with it, you just need to make it as difficult and unpleasant as possible for them to get to your horses.
 
boxers said:
I know it would be time consuming, but could you leaflet the houses in the immediate area? Just a small notice exploaining why they should not be fed certain things and what the consequences (for the horses) would be. The people feeding them are most likely animal lovers who don't know they're doing any harm.

If you can't do the leafletting, what about laying in wait and just telling them.
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I would LOVE to do this-trouble is, it's a hugely residential area and I keep seeing different people, some of whom now think I am mental, aggressive and will kill them-all true, get the hell away from my horse!

Raych said:
Try and catch them in the act and confront them
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Done this so many times and been argued with! By people who have clearly only ever seen horses in pictures in books-clueless! And people who say 'Oh, I used to ride, it's OK'. Feeding bags of carrots to a laminitic pony who is obese-yeah, it's fine! And one kid at the yard got told to ****** off by an adult when she politely said not to feed the ponies, please. Nice.


I reckon a sign saying horse is allergic to (most veg/mints) and threatening the vets' bill!

This is my absolute pet hate about being on a yard where the gen pop can go into the field on the footpath. I told a bunch of 'tourists' last week that the mares were all horribly vicious.:p
 
I'd lock the gate, so that no=one can get into he field and then put electric fencing all round the boundary far enough away from the fence that the horses cannot reach the hands with food in them.
It certainly is very annoying. I used to have a mare who could not digest cereals AT ALL, they made her very ill. I caught an elderly man, walking his dog and feeding the horses on loaves of bread. I could not make him understand that it was dangerous for the mare, it made me very cross.
 
Could you add a note to your gate that says the horses have mange/fleas/ringworm/mad horse disease/equine influenza all of which are transmittable to humans so please don't feed or touch them and anyone who has is advised to immediately seek medical advice?
 
I once got to my field for evening yard to find my Welsh Section B holding 2 worried looking kids hostage in the corner of the field... Turns out that they had been sneaking into the field to feed him and his mate for quite a while, he was normally kept in a fat pen, but this day he'd escaped and he apparantly ran off his mate, ate all the treats and flat out refused to believe there were no more. Of course he didn't hurt them, but for a little man he can be quite intimidating whhen we wants. They had ignored a sign on the gate too.
 
jodie3 said:
Could you add a note to your gate that says the horses have mange/fleas/ringworm/mad horse disease/equine influenza all of which are transmittable to humans so please don't feed or touch them and anyone who has is advised to immediately seek medical advice?
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I love this idea :D May steal it myself if we have this problem again (not been a problem here for a few years thank goodness)
 
One of my fields was opposite the local village hall. I ended up putting a huge laminated sign up saying 'do not feed these horses, they are all on strict diets, too much food or the wrong type of food will make them very ill and could kill'.

I also made an inner cordon of electric fence and wrapped barbed wire round the gate.

Once a week there was an auction and there were always loads of kids hanging around. I got talking to some of them and said if we (me and D) were there and they asked they could come in and stroke them. It was a bit annoying answering the same questions over and over again and telling them not to walk behind them etc. But on the other hand they knew that no one should feed them or be in the field so whenever anyone did about half a dozen would tear down to our house and grass them up - perhaps you could try getting the enemy onside.

One offender was a woman who served snacks and burgers at ghe village hall filling up the sec A with burger baps, she said she had rescued ponies in the past - yeah well if you know about horses you will know the last thing to feed an elderly overweight pony is high carb white bread buns. I gave her a very long lecture
 
If you have CCTV on the gate I would have a sign with something along the lines of...

"This premesis is covered by CCTV, Should you feed the horses and they become ill please expect the vet bill on your next visit"



I once had someone feed my boy at his first yard, no matter how much I asked her to not feed him (and I explained he was overweight and about lammi) I would always get a nasty comment and she would continue. One day I caught her feeding him and I went up to her and said
"If you will insist on feeding him can I have your address please as I WILL be sending YOU the vet bill when he is under veterinary treatment due to YOUR ignorance!"


She soon stopped.
 
i have the same problem and people thinking grazing muzzles are cruel -_-. Its more cruel taking the muzzle off and having her being obese! Its kids that feed mine so i'd feel bad for electricuting the fence. Once i found an empty bag of carrots next to the gate, i wouldnt put it past the kids to have fed her the lot!:mad:
 
Could you get some anti- vandal grease for underside of fence posts? Not the tops so to lessen the risk of it getting on the horses. Other than that all I can think of is big signs, electric fencing and maybe borrowing an aggressive horse if you can. Best of luck
 
sorry haven't read the whole thread, but have a friend who put a sign on her gate which read:
Beware of the Bull. Can't see the Bull? Be Afraid. Be very afraid.
 
I don't have this problem as my Shetland doesn't take to kindly to people shoving things at him so will chase kids or run from adults! But I bet the threat of a vets bill will deter people!

Also I'm liking the idea of putting a sign about a bull hehe:p x
 
ive thought about having some doggie chocolate buttons decanted into a regular chocolate buttons bag and feeding repeat offenders dogs chocolate without asking if its ok to do so

(dog choc so as not to make the dogs ill, but the owner wouldnt know i wasnt poisoning his/her dog, if you see what i mean...seeing as they dont seem to care about throwing cabbage leaves and rubbish like that in with my horses, stuff that could make them ill)

and maybe some red sweeties with e numbers in for the kiddies. i mean, fairs fair :D
 
get a dummy cctv camera on ebay with a sign. Stick it in full view with a sign saying something to the effect of "Do not feed the horses, doing so may cause them serious harm as they are on strictly controlled diets. Any people caught doing so will be prosecuted. CCTV is in operation." Very rude and mean, I know. But I would rather a rude sign that worked :p
 
We had this problem with young kids coming over and feeding over the gate. We put a sign up telling them not to feed etc etc, but they continued. One day I caught them doing it so went over, they were Polish, didnt understand a word of the sign! So got a Polish man at work to write a new sign in their language, and it done the trick!
 
We had the same problem on the farm where I was growing up Dad made a wood sign saying " KEEP OUT Adders nearest hospital Stevenage" It worked a treat.
 
The sad thing is, if any of these relentless morons do get kicked in the head or have their fingers bitten off it's the owner who will be liable. I know of several cases where this has happened over the years and it just makes me absolutely furious.
 
AndreaB71 said:
Be careful of putting up electric fence without appropriate warning signs. You could find yourself breaking the law.
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The fence isn't electrocuted, everytime we do we get the battery stolen and after 3 batteries we are fed up and have stopped elctrocuting it.

I was wondering if one of the horses got ill from the feeding usch as getting laminitis or colic could we find teh culprit and send them the vet bill? Is this within our rights?
 
It would be difficult to prove beyond doubt that it was due to the people feeding the horses that they got sick.

I only put the warning about the fence as there were so many suggestions to put electric tape up with no signs.
 
I would do the CCTV sign, and also a sign that legal action will be taken to recover vets bills for overfeeding of horses by tresspassers. I
I would be so angry!
 
I used to have terrible problems including a hefty vets bill for 2 shetlands drunk on cider...

I moved the ponies away for a while and when everyone asked where they were I said that I had to move them and was contemplating shooting them because people kept feeding them and making them ill.

If anyone sayd anything just tell them that its getting to the point where all the treats are making or horse ill and you will probably have to shoot him/her. Tell them you can see no other option and that you are heart broken that people will not listen when you tell them your horse is ill. Make it sound very dramatic and gorey. Also spread rumours about a "case" where some one had to pay all the costs after they kept treating a pony that was ill and had to be shot. Oh and make the "costs" involved very high and preferably the parents of a child that was feeding etc etc. Again make it as Mills and Boon as you can.
 
Gosh didn't realise so many people were in the same boat!

I have tried electric fencing but people decided to throw their whole cauliflowers over instead!!!!

I shall be watching this thread with interest.

x
 
The rumours thing isn't a bad idea. My old pony who was also out in that field got sold recently so if people ask where he is I'll say he became very ill with people feeding him and he is in the horse hospital being treated I am just worried this one may become ill as well and I won't be able to pay the vets bill for two so we will have him put down! That will stop them :D
 
Kokopelli said:
The rumours thing isn't a bad idea. My old pony who was also out in that field got sold recently so if people ask where he is I'll say he became very ill with people feeding him and he is in the horse hospital being treated I am just worried this one may become ill as well and I won't be able to pay the vets bill for two so we will have him put down! That will stop them :D
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Go for it. I had several young children in tears but it did the trick. Its very rare that I catch people feeding them now. The longer residing folk also let the newer folk know that feeding the ponies is a big no no and they are only allowed to pat them over the fence not feed them! Also helps that my electric fence is wired into the mains (yes I have signs!) and it really hurts if you accidentally touch it! ;)

Works a treat just make sure its really gorey with lots of blood and stuff... Beef up your story as much as you dare and be very blunt (ie shoot, not put to sleep, use the word "it" for your horse not "him or her"). Be harsh with it and make it sound terrible. If there are any local shops get talking in there and the pub too. Go in order a brandy and look glum and sad then come out with your "story" of how you are going to have to kill your horse... :cool:
 
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