Dry hay and no water overnight???

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MrsNorris

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Was at yard last night 7:30 (I'm always the last there, small DIY yard, no-one lives on site) and saw one horse didn't have a drop of water left, so I filled it up.
Horse is owned by a complete novice and is on dry hay so I thought I was doing the owner a favour.

Saw owner at 7:30 this morning and he basically gave me a mouthful and told me never to do it again! :confused:

I tried to explain about colic etc, but he is one of these people who thinks he knows best and just won't take any advise. He says the horse had water at 5pm yesterday and that, as far as he's concerned, he doesn't need an more until the following morning. :eek:

I got a bit cross and told him to go home and google it, and that it is actually a welfare issue to leave a horse without water for 12 hours, espacially on dry hay, but he said he could do what he likes with his own horse which, of course, is true.

Should I just butt out and let him get on with it?

I just feel so sorry for the poor horse :(
 
Unless you have a YO you can report to, leave well alone! Not worth the hassel or possible agro.

Yes hearts in the right place but i get fed up when people think they are doing the right thing ie more hay, when my horse is supposed to be on a limited diet, or once when she was about to go to the RVC for a op and on starvation!
 
Would not interfere with feeding but water is a different matter. Maybe ask him why he thinks it is alrigh? but actually, I would mention it to the YO. Legally, the horse would fall under his/her responsibility and this seems an idiotic and little thing which could cause great harm to the horse.
 
hollybear said:
Was at yard last night 7:30 (I'm always the last there, small DIY yard, no-one lives on site) and saw one horse didn't have a drop of water left, so I filled it up.
Horse is owned by a complete novice and is on dry hay so I thought I was doing the owner a favour.

Saw owner at 7:30 this morning and he basically gave me a mouthful and told me never to do it again! :confused:

I tried to explain about colic etc, but he is one of these people who thinks he knows best and just won't take any advise. He says the horse had water at 5pm yesterday and that, as far as he's concerned, he doesn't need an more until the following morning. :eek:

I got a bit cross and told him to go home and google it, and that it is actually a welfare issue to leave a horse without water for 12 hours, espacially on dry hay, but he said he could do what he likes with his own horse which, of course, is true.

Should I just butt out and let him get on with it?

I just feel so sorry for the poor horse :(
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Defra has a link to the horse welfare act.... There is a really good guide in there for novice horse owners... Print it and give to the owner, explain that it is your duty as a concerned bystander to point this out to him and you will have no choice but to draw it to the attention of the RSPCA if he doesn't give his horse access to water at all times.


People like that really make me want to be violent :mad:
 
Your YO has a duty of care, report it to them, and if they do nothing try the bhs welfare department, they should come out and explain firstly that a horse needs water and second that the YO has a duty of care.
 
Thanks for the replies :)
Think I may try and direct him to that thread and the links, its all I can do really I suppose.
He does such daft things with this poor horse, usually I just leave him too it, but this is just too much as far as I'm concerned. Poor horse is only a baby too. :(

dianchi said:
Unless you have a YO you can report to, leave well alone! Not worth the hassel or possible agro.

Yes hearts in the right place but i get fed up when people think they are doing the right thing ie more hay, when my horse is supposed to be on a limited diet, or once when she was about to go to the RVC for a op and on starvation!
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Wouldn't dream of feeding someones horse unless specifically asked to, mine is also on a permanent diet so can see where you're coming from, but I think water is another matter altogether. Only looked in his stable last night as horse was making so much noise kicking his empty water bucket. He drank loads whilst I was still there, so must have been pretty thirsty even then.
 
I'd be concerned that the horse was so thirsty it drank the water almost immediately. Is there a problem with the supply in the field?

And yes, I would keep putting water in the stable if the horse was without. It's a basic requirement, and right.
 
Luci07 said:
Would not interfere with feeding but water is a different matter. Maybe ask him why he thinks it is alrigh? but actually, I would mention it to the YO. Legally, the horse would fall under his/her responsibility and this seems an idiotic and little thing which could cause great harm to the horse.
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This is a job for the YO it comes under their duty of care failing that I would be thinking of the BHS or WHW its not acceptable.
 
hollybear said:
Think I may try and direct him to that thread and the links, its all I can do really I suppose.
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No you can do more, and you have a moral duty to do more.

This is animal cruelty and you need to act. Speak to the YO and if they won't intervene then report it to the BHS or WHW, just as you would if he was starving the horse.
 
I'm at a place that in the winter, as it is now, horses are turned out all day with no access to water. Frozen supply and the same when it snows. I have been told horses get their water from frost and snow like wild horses.

Mine all have access to warmed water all day and they drink loads when the weather is like this. I've said my peace over and over. I'm not taking out water to their horses. It's not my responsibility. If I put water out and they colic, I'm in the firing line. Darned in you do darned if you don't.

It's laughable only because excuse given is that "it's what the wild horses do." The excuse du jour for being lazy. Talking about wild horses and turning out an Unclipped horse in 500-700 grams of rugs, with a pile of haylage, and 4 shoes on a horse that's ridden 10 times a year. But yeah, use the wild horse card concerning water. Oh and in summer time on "hot" days she carries extra water out to a field with an auto waterer. As they say, you can't fix stupid.

Terri
 
Terri that is quite a different situation to the one the OP is talking about. And this horse seems very desparate for a drink.

I wonder how long it is turned out for and what access it has to water when turned out.
 
amymay said:
I'd be concerned that the horse was so thirsty it drank the water almost immediately. Is there a problem with the supply in the field?

And yes, I would keep putting water in the stable if the horse was without. It's a basic requirement, and right.
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Hmmmmm..possible, tho horse is in same field as mine and mine's not drinking as soon as he comes in or drinking more than normal, but I will check the troughs just in case.
This horse comes in at 5ish and has a big net of dry hay, he's usually eaten nearly all of it by the time I come down to hay mine at 7:30.
If he's not getting much water in his bucket it could account for him being thirsty so early.
Will mention it to YO and see if she can sort it out and will keep an eye on it. Can't bear the thought of him having to go 12 hours without water, its just not fair.
 
I think our trough is probably frozen this morning, but I know that every other time I ahve checked it, they have broken the ice first! :)
 
Equilibrium Ireland said:
It's laughable only because excuse given is that "it's what the wild horses do." The excuse du jour for being lazy. . As they say, you can't fix stupid.

Terri
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One of the best posts I've read in ages. Amen to that!

OP tell YO, print out the welfare act and give to this dip stick, also print out an article on kidney damage in horses for him, finally on this one I wouldn't be sticking my oar in on this one, I'd be sticking it in, waving it around and smacking the prat over the head with it. It's absolutely disgraceful and a clear case of abuse and neglect. He may be one of those stupid idiots who believes its a way to 'bond' with their horses and establish themselves as the boss and provider... Or he hay just be a cruel and ignorant idiot... But you HAVE to. Interfere on this one, you just have to.
 
The_Snow_Queen said:
One of the best posts I've read in ages. Amen to that!

OP tell YO, print out the welfare act and give to this dip stick, also print out an article on kidney damage in horses for him, finally on this one I wouldn't be sticking my oar in on this one, I'd be sticking it in, waving it around and smacking the prat over the head with it. It's absolutely disgraceful and a clear case of abuse and neglect. He may be one of those stupid idiots who believes its a way to 'bond' with their horses and establish themselves as the boss and provider... Or he hay just be a cruel and ignorant idiot... But you HAVE to. Interfere on this one, you just have to.
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Agree 100% this isn't a case where quietly dropping hints or making suggestions is acceptable.
 
Well when I see horses licking metal plates because that melts first and coming in and guzzling down a bucket of water I think that tells me they're quite thirsty.

Terri
 
amymay said:
I'd be concerned that the horse was so thirsty it drank the water almost immediately. Is there a problem with the supply in the field?

And yes, I would keep putting water in the stable if the horse was without. It's a basic requirement, and right.
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This was my first thought - why is horse drinking that much in 2 hours? Is the water trough frozen over?
 
I would not only continue to fill up its water, but I would telling him that I would continue to fill the water if the horse had none, and suggest that if he has a problem with it, that he goes and complains to the yard owner.
 
mcnaughty said:
This was my first thought - why is horse drinking that much in 2 hours? Is the water trough frozen over?
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I would put money on this man not actually filling the water bucket when he says he is. Even frozen troughs aren't THAT frozen at the moment. My troughs were frozen this morning, but I'm confident that my ponies could have broken it if they'd wanted to - they broken much thicker ice than that before (I do break the ice, but they're not rushing to drink). Today they'll freeze before this evening, but prior to today the troughs are liquid again in the afternoon.

Agree with the suggestion that you tell this idiot in no uncertain terms that you will continue to put water into the stable if the horse needs it and that if he has a problem, see the YO or better still, tell him to contact his vet to ask what problems putting water in there would cause...

Only caveat is that I would be wary of someone so defensive. Have interfered with a case like this in the past (a pony locked in a stable in the hottest summer for years, it was July 2003). I lowered water in a bucket into the stable and also reported it to EMW, who had loaned the pony to them. Water containers were stolen from my field (opposite) and the trough turned over so my ponies had no water (although the people involved were a bit thick - the ponies had access to a large pond at the time).
 
Is he possibly doing it on purpose? You say its a young horse, so maybe he has figured that dehydrated it is easier to handle?

Either way, its ridiculous to leave a horse withouth water. Mine used to have 2 large Tubtrugs a night. and would usually have about half of them.
 
dianchi said:
Yes hearts in the right place but i get fed up when people think they are doing the right thing ie more hay, when my horse is supposed to be on a limited diet, or once when she was about to go to the RVC for a op and on starvation!
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Very different to giving a horse water!

I'd be pissy if horse or food were mucked around with, but water, I'd be graterul and peed off with myself that there had not been enough!

If for medical reasons, then a note on stable will do no harm.

Water troughs frozen have never stopped my lot. They tend to have huffed a hole through continuously and I pull out chunks, and mostly around here hasn't been cold enough to freeze pipes long enough for horse to empty trough. Is he actually giving any water to this horse when it comes in?

I'd be reporting if he makes no move to change behaviour. Be careful doing this though as you don't want your own horse in danger. If on a yard with YO I'd be reporting to them. Do you have contracts? We had ones which stated basic welfare needs had to be met.
 
PandorasJar said:
I'd be more inclined to say that the horse didn't drink a trug in 2 hours because it was never filled up by the owner.
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Possibly. Either way, I think we all (or most of us anyway) agree that the horse should most definitely be supplied with water.

OP please update us when you can.
 
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