Following on from children with neglected ponies....

[FinellaGlen]

...what would you do in this siutation? I see a woman every day when I am out walking my dog. She has a horse whom she has has abandonned on a livery yard. The livery yard doesn't charge her much for the horse's keep but, in return, it is not treated very well i.e. it gets no turnout in winter except into a miniscule pen with up to 4 other horses (when I say minsicule I mean that there is barely room for them to all turn round and bullying in there is rife because they can't possibly get away from each other). I don't believe that it is fed correctly and I have seen with my own eyes that it is sometimes denied water. It is never, ever groomed and its feet are neglected.

Every few weeks I ask about the horse, who is a lovely chap despite everything he has to endure and she says that she is "thinking" of going to see him. This "thinking" never translates into action. I have even given her the phone numbers for two decent livery yards and she has been to see one of them but then done nothing. It is not my horse and I cannot force her to do anything but it preys on my mind all the time and I am finding it difficult to keep a civil tongue in my head when I see this woman now

 

[donablue]

i would for one tell her i couldnt keep my mouth shut.if this horse is getting ill treated i would be inclined to report it.. its not the horses fault that the owner isnt going and the livery yo if she is getting small contributions then its up to them to look after it properly..
if i knew were this poor horse is then i would go and get it. i certainly would have something to say . as its in the horses intrest. to live a happy comfy life .

 

[pixiebee]

experienced pretty much the same thing, unless something is said now this is likely to go on and on for months and months possibly years. The problem being that if you report it, you may upset some people and have the hassle from them (are you on the same yard?) but you need to assess how bad this horse is being treated against the possible come back onto you. If it were me (and it has been before) I would get a small circle of you to get together and discuss it, report it all together then you have backup and support!

 

[FinellaGlen]

I agree with you both but I am really not sure how to help this poor horse. I was on this yard previously and my horse was treated a lot better than this woman's but still not well enough so I left. I can't go back because I had to "steal" my horse to get it off the yard due to the YO's threatening attitude.

Who could I report it to? If I thought that someone would help the horse I would report it but I don't honestly think that the RSPCA, for example, would think that the horse was being treated badly enough to warrant any action. There are a lot of other horses on the yard in question - some are treated ok and others are left to rot but they are hidden away and the YO is very clever when it comes to concealing her neglect and poor management. I have seen the yard inspected and you wouldn't believe the lengths she went to to present a good impression.

 

[vennessa]

If the horse is being neglected as it sounds it is then something will be done if reported. What condition are the feet in? The RSPCA have powers if a horses feet are neglected. What part of the country are you in? You may be better talking to formally ILPH or Redwings or another local charity. It is not fair on the horse to carry on with the life described. Why doesn't the owner sell it or loan it out? She obviously doesn't want it.
If you report it, it is confidential.
Also have you asked the owner why she doesn't go? It may be a place to start.
If the Y.O. has agreed the contribution to care for the horse then the care is down to the YO no matter how small the contribution.
I do understand your position and it is not a nice one to be in but you may be the horses only voice.
Please do, do something

 

[kerilli]

well, if you know her well enough, i think i'd start having a chat and then start very tentatively with an apology, so you're on the back foot for a start, and she doesn't feel got at.
i'd say something like "i'm really really sorry to be poking my nose in, and i know it shouldn't be anyone else's business, but i can't help really worrying about your poor horse. i don't think you can possibly know that he really isn't being treated well, the people at the yard aren't feeding him properly, aren't always giving him water, he's not being turned out, his feet are a mess, and i feel so sorry for him, i know he's not mine but he really needs someone to go there and make sure he's being well treated, cos he's such a lovely lad, he's so sweet..."
because you've apologised first, i think she's less likely to be offended that you're saying something... just my twopenneth' worth.
best of luck. poor horse.
YO needs naming and shaming imho. don't forget that a certain relatively high profile person quite a few years ago, with top eventers in one yard being treated like kings, had starving-to-death horses in another yard round the back.

 

[GoJo]

i'm inclined to agree with kerelli tbh. say someting to her but be very diplomatic so you dont get her back up straight away. maybe offer to help her find a new home/loaner/sharer for him if she doesnt want him anymore.

 

[FinellaGlen]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I am still pondering the best course of action. I would love to help this horse but I think that it is going to be harder than it might seem because of the type of people with whom I'm dealing. They have a lot to lose if the way they treat this horse came out in the open. There is a little bit more to the case than I can say on an open forum but I will keep on trying to help.