Dont know what to do

C

cyrilsmum

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 February 2005
Messages
53
Visit site
We have two ponies on our DIY yard, they have not been out of their stables since November, the girl that owns them appears to be stupid and thinks its ok to only feed them once a day and muck them out every 3 days or so. We now feed them if we find them with out food. She doesn't drive and relies on lifts to the yard and doesn't turn up at all if she can't get a lift. She doesn't want help and gets stroppy if help is offered and often complains to the yard owner that we are spying on her. Before they came to our yard they were kept in an old pig sty, so are much better off in stables. there is turn out available and people to turn out but she would rather they never went out. I cannot understand how someone can treat horses like this. We dont want to cause the yard owner any trouble by reporting this, and while we are keeping an eye on them at least they are not being left hungry, but I could cry sometimes when I look in their stables. What would you do?
 
I'd do nothing...it's the YO's business...stay well clear.
S
smile.gif
 
Speak to YO, as she is responsible as livery owner.
I would rather cause trouble then leave them in their own shite.
You have to weight up what is most important... people's feelings or animal welfare..
 
Speak to the Yard owner - under the new animal welfare laws she has the responsibility to ensure their welfare. If she fails to act then speak to the ILPH and let them get involved. They will act and not reveal who called them out.
 
Why isn't the yard owner pulling her finger out and doing something about this? She has a duty of care towards the animals, so it shouldn't need you to report these horses. She ought to be leaning on the owner to care for them properly, or else caring for them herself and billing the owner (and chasing through the courts if necessary).
 
Talk all the time to the yard owner, but he's an old farmer in poor health (heart attack last year) so don't want to stress him too much. He just says as we are keeping an eye on them at least they are fed and watered and if we put too much pressure on she may just disappear with them and God knows what will happen to them. I wish I could afford to buy them, but I some times struggle to afford mine.
 
That's a catch 22 situation. I would still press him to try and sort her out though, and bill her for whatever food they've needed. I know it's not remotely the same but years ago at uni me and my flatmate had a hamster each, she used to forget to feed hers so I'd do it. One day she "caught" me cleaning his cage out and went off it, saying she was capable, she could look after her own pet perfectly well, blah blah blah. So I stopped looking after him and a few weeks later she asked me to check him as she hadn't seen him for a while - he was dead in his bed. The poor little guy was thin as a rake and hadn't a single seed left in his cage anywhere. Needless to say she felt awful (and so did I)! I know it's a fine line but sometimes I think you just have to do what's right.
blush.gif
 
Why can't someone else bo**ock her! Everyone knows horses need cleaning out at least once a day, hay twice and some exercise. I think a lot of you need to form a group and try making some threats of reporting her if she doesn't sort out proper care. If she does't drive she can't disappear too far away with them, point out that if she tries leaving you'll inform every yard in the area of the situation and no-one else will take her on. Don't turn a blind eye, start making life a bit unpleasant for her until she bucks her ideas up.
 
Must admit this was some years ago, but I had a share at a yard and there was a horse there owned by a teenager, he was a lovely horse. She got interested in boys and the horse got forgotten about. Parents not into horses just paid the bills.
To cut a long story short the yard manager would bung in hay and water do the odd muck out and put it in the field each day. When we queried her why she was doing this when the girl never came up, she said that at least the horse was being looked after, if she complained to the girl and chucked her off the yard god knows what would have happned to the horse. Suppose as the bills were paid and the horse not ill that was OK?
Think if it was me I would make a quiet call to the ILPH though.
 
Unless there was a medical reason for the horses to be kept in, I as a YO, would probably turn the horses out for a few hours a day at least, muck out their stable and charge her for it.

She would then either have to pull her finger out, pay her livery bill and see to her horses or be kicked off. The welfare of the horses MUST be priority.

Obviously you YO isn't capable of tending to the horses directly. Is there a YM at the yard?
 
I'm afraid I would just get the ILPH in. They will be discreet but something needs to be done. There are some horses near me that live in disgusting conditions and I report them on a regular basis - the ILPH have to attend if a report is received.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top