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

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:

Hmm the brandy idea isn't bad but I'm 17 so won't quite work hahah :p I will say the same sort of story when I speak to the headmistress of the primary school and I may speak to the people at the local shop :)

I better practise being dramatic :)
 
I havent read all the replies but think the "beware of bull" sign is a good idea. Also could you lock the gate and run a strand of electric tape above the fence including the gate, that way unless you are there to unlock and switch off no real way in?
 
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?

Its within your rights to SEND the vet bill. Its equally within their rights to not pay it!
 
I have the same problem too! I am beside a very busy footpath which has ramblers and dog walkers as well as locals from the village.

I've always had to put 'please do not feed, thankyou' signs up. One woman was caught feeding the ponies dog biscuits and two girls were pulling loads of long grass and putting it in a bucket that they had taken from the paddock and feeding two overweight laminitics bucketful after bucketful - I asked them nicely not to, explaining how it could make them ill, as I understand what being a pony mad girl is like, only to find that they carried on as soon as my back was turned. They got a rollicking after that.


I've currently got my laminitic sectioned right off from any public, and go along to find people have thrown food over. I really do despair!
 
electrify the fencing and the gate from the mains. don't tell them it's on and put it on strong setting so that they get the shock of their life if they even TRY to feed the horses. also put a combination lock on the gate
 
I've got my own land which adjoins a road. When I had my old boy (laminitic/cushings), I'd gone up the field one Sunday morning (vets call-outs always happen at weekends, middle of the night or bank holidays) and found him just standing, very tucked up and miserable, struggling to breathe. His nostrils were just a slit and his eyes had swollen up so he could hardly see, and his face and neck were all swelled up and puffy.

I managed to get him back down to the yard and rang the vet as an emergency. He came out and said it was anaphylactic shock and he'd picked up somethign that had given him an allergy. He injected him and all was well.

Much later, I went up the field to try and find out what had done it, and found a piece of hamburger bread with some relish on it, half eaten. So I reckon what had happened was that someone had thrown a half eaten hamburger or whatever over the field hedge on, say, Saturday night late on their way back from the nearest town, and Guzzle had picked it up an eaten it, and this is what had done it.

Nothing like this had ever happened before, or since, thank goodness. But it just goes to show what can happen.
 
You could fence off the area inside the gate with electric fencing to stop the horses going up to the gate.

These people wouln't want you randomly walking into their house and feeding their pets with whatever you happen to have in your pocket, so they shouldn't do the same.

If all else fails - confront these people and tell them how it isn't good for te horses (colic, for example)

Hope this helps.
 
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