does this sound right to anyone?

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marmite

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A girl who works on our yard has a lovely boy who she has on working livery so she can pay for him.
But due to him having arthiritis they have had to stop him been used in the school as he is so sore and stiff he falls over alot.
She now has to move him to another yard where she is just going to hack him a bit.
Now the thing that worries me is this girl who is lovley to add has a heart of gold and loves her boy,is very short on money and although she loves him she cant afford to buy him any feed at all he only gets haylege twice a day.
And he is rather underweight now to me it seems odd somebody would buy a known underweight arthritic horse without having the funds to feed it and give it minor pain refief.
I know she loves him and does everything she can for him but why have a horse if you cant financially afford to look after its needs.

It really makes me wonder.
 
Is a bag of hard feed really that expensive!? It's one horse...I don't think our feed for 2 costs more than £20 a month
 
I know well here you can get a huge bag of mollichop and hard feed for about 12 quid and that lasted me ages for jacob and one sachet of bute a day its really not that much.
Its another reason the YO wants him off the yard he looks so underweight and as its a riding school and people pass through everyday it looks bad on her business.

The only thing that annoys me is the fact she cant afford to feed her horse or give him bute but she manages to always have ciggarettes and goes drinking.
 
Maybe the girl didn't realise how much it would cost if he became ill (it's easy to underestimate the cost of keeping horses). Or maybe she's been advised to keep him quite lean to minimise the weight on his arthriticy joints?
If he's young, perhaps she doesn't want to bute him as it can cause liver problems long term?
I don't know....it's a shame that there isn't the equivalent of the PDSA for horse owners in financial trouble.
Hope the situation improves.
S
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She is exactly the sort of person that GTs is always harping on about!! And I agree. People like this who can't even afford the basics for a horse just should NOT have one.
 
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The only thing that annoys me is the fact she cant afford to feed her horse or give him bute but she manages to always have ciggarettes and goes drinking.

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Well she cant love him as much as you say then.
 
He is not young and everyone on the yard rages about him needed weight on including the YO who sneeks him feeds just little ones when she can and i cant imagine a vet advising to keep a horse to the weight where its ribs and hips stick out.
 
She does in her own way but i think she forgets he needs to eat more than she needs to smoke she is a lovely girl just young.
 
Have you said anything to her about how she is not looking after her horse properly?

If she wont give her horse Bute that he needs and feed that he needs but can supply herself with drink etc then I dont see how she is so lovely.

Horse ownership is more than just loving the horse, if you cant care for it you shouldnt own it. She can obviously afford him if she can smoke and drink, she just has her priorities wrong.

why not talk to her and suggest if she isnt going to look after him then find someone who will.
 
The cigarettes and drinking thing put a different perspective on it...doesn't it
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If he's not just lean but thin, perhaps if someone reported her to the BHS welfare rep or similar, it would wake her up to his needs?
If she does 'love her boy' then maybe someone needs to tell her the harsh truth.
Good luck
S
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If i do talk to her it will have to be soon she is moving him next week and im worried for him.

I just dont think its my place to say anything and plus she works on our yard so if i say anything and upset her i still have to work with her and im still on trial so i dont want to ruin my chances of been kept on.
 
It sounds like a difficult position to be in. When she moves him, do you think things will improve for him (is there more grass or anything?)
If there are horsey people at the new yard, they'll probably tell her that he's too thin, so she'll realise?
I always agonise over things like this so sympathise with you.
S
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well i think we all know im not best with words i might have a quiet word with my boss and see if she can try again she is better than me im just too blunt i cant help it sometimes things come out quite harsh when i have the best intentions.
 
Sounds a bit odd to me? I think someone should report her, you shouldnt be allowed to have a horse if its not being looked after properly! Maybe the rspca or bhs should be told, then at least they can check him over etc
 
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it's a shame that there isn't the equivalent of the PDSA for horse owners in financial trouble.

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when i was at high school there was a girl whos mum couldnt afford treatment for her welshi cob - the pdsa helped her out. i dont know the whole facts or even remember what was up with the mare but i just remember thinking why have a horse if you cant affordvets fees!?

its a sad story, things like this make me mad - when they can go out smoking and drinking....
 
Why would anyone buy a "known underweight arthritic horse" to keep it on working livery? Poor horsey, I want to give him cuddles (and a warm stable, big dinner and a lovely flat field).
 
I'd be tempted to call out the local BHS welfare person...they can be really tactful and could just set it up as if they were 'visiting' the yard to advertise BHS membership or something.
Years ago, someone reported me to the BHS welfare rep...(cos I'd sprayed a graze with turquoise spray and some non-horsey person thought it was paint
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) and he was completely charming - I wasn't offended at all.
Fingers crossed for you and this horse.
S
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Might be young and might be nice but sounds as though she has her priorities wrong - smoking when she has no funds to pay for feed? You didn't say how old she was? I can understand horse being on haylage - if he really has to - but unless its big bale, small bale are V. expensive. Gosh I feel so sorry for the horse. I really budget myself - went O/D and decided to pay it all back as soon as posible so tightened belt. But horses still have thier 5* diet even though I could economise and buy cheaper feed (but its flase economy in the end). What does the YO really think about it - Maybe she should say something or would you think the horse would be whisked away somewhere where he could deteriorate. Such a shame, what the girl wants is somewhere to turn him away so he can put on a bit of wieght through grazing.
 
exactly why my boss has decided he wont work he could manage about an hours hack a day mainly walk so he is not earning his keep so therefore as my boss is running a company he cant stay.

He has only been there for a few months and i have been told that he has dropped weight since he came we dont have any other underweight horses on the yard.
 
Well luckily the animal welfare bill have come in to force now to protect animals especially from people like this girl.

I wouldn't hesitate to pick up the phone and report her.

If she can affor F'ing fags, she can afford a packet of bute 16p per day, a bag of feed £6.00 per fortnight, and a bag of chaff the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
she is 18 and he gets haylege as a part of the livery they have to provide there own feed thats the only reason he gets fed anything at all.

The more i have talked to you guys the less i am liking her tbh i thought it was jsut me been a bit of a wuss as i like mine full of food and healthy.

I think she needs some serious advice on how to feed a horse personally i dont know why she dosent see if there is a nice person who wants a plod on loan who will buy him feed and give him bute.
 
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actually thats a good point is it annonymous who calls them as i would be in serious trouble if this ever got out.

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Yep.
 
Riding schools and the horses used in the school are inspected once a year by the local authorities inspector and a vet to ensure they are fit and safe for the job.

The animal welfare act has now come in to force.

If you have any concerns about the welfare of this horse then simply contact the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) who have a nationwide network of inspectors (many of which are ex-police mounted officers). They will be only to pleased to inspect the horse in question.

www.ilph.org.uk
 
I'm hopeless at things like this because I'm hopeless at being tactful. I do think it is best that someone says something to her tho, and the fact she can smoke and drink but not feed her poor horse makes me mad!
 
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