Gypsy ponies - WWYD

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On one of my work sites, it must be about 10ha there are a fair number of tethered and loose (within poor fencing) ponies. The last 3 weeks there has been a pony shut in an old stable on site, with boards nailed across where the top door would be.

I happened to speak to the guy who owns it the other day when I was working, and asked him about it. Apparently it is a trotter, and is too fit to be tethered as just runs around in circles the whole time. He told me it came from a riding school so thought it would be used to being in a stable. He told me he takes it out every other day and lunges it before being it back it again, I was a bit saddened by this. :o

Now, rightly or wrongly, each time I go past I take a handful of juicy grass to the pony, this is practically a public site, used by a lot of dog walkers etc.

But what would you do?

I think there would be some HHOers who woudl be shocked I dare intervene and feed the pony grass, and others who would be on the phone to the RSPCA. I'm just curious. I'm not happy to see a pony kept like this, but it is quite obviously fed and watered, and many of the tethered ones are also given hay - although they're not all owned by the same guy.
 
Does the pony have water, hay, food?? Is the stable mucked out?
Not ideal i grant you, but lots of horses are kept in 24/7.
 
Unless I have read this wrong the horse is boarded in and gets let out every other day, what would I do not sure but would try to get WHW to intervene or somebody.

Whether it gets fed and watered or not that is a cruel and abnormal way to keep any animal.
I am not surprised it runs round and round when stuck on a tether it must be going off its rocker being kept like that.
 
Probably best to let a welfare group check them, the boarded up one I bet has his nuts on?

But if they are watered and fed then probably no problem. Just boarded one doesnt sound so good ??
 
Id report it, new laws have come in on horses being able to display natural behaviours. Being locked in a dark stable isnt enabling the horse to show natural behaviour so Rspca or such like will make sure the owner improves the animals quality of life or they will seize it if he makes no improvements.
 
With all do respect, some trotters are complete nutters. The boards are probably there to prevent it coming over. If it's bought out everyday, it's hardly shut away and forgotten about. And, it's not uncommon for trotters to not tether properly - a lot will trot round in circles and not settle.

As far as I could read along the lines - all horses are fed, hayed and watered, the stabled horse is let out everyday almost [whether lunging/driven and/or hand led out]. Worse things going on in the world.

If it was a post saying how they are all severely underweight/ridden with worms/etc, then I'd say different obviously. But, however it may not seem 'BHS standard', it's hardly a major cause for concern - if they're all happy and healthy. Plenty worse is happening in 'normal' yards.
 
IWillIfIWant said:
Id report it, new laws have come in on horses being able to display natural behaviours. Being locked in a dark stable isnt enabling the horse to show natural behaviour so Rspca or such like will make sure the owner improves the animals quality of life or they will seize it if he makes no improvements.
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I do admire your trust in The RSPCA but i doubt very much this will happen!
A hell of a lot of horses are kept in 24/7, and many with very little exercise,
Not ideal at all, but unless the animal is starved standing knee deep in s hit, the RSPCA wont do much!
I have often used a grill to stop a pony from attempting to jump out of a stable!
 
Plenty of horses can be complete nutters my dad has pointers and some of them when fit to race are lets say highly strung,we do not board them in to their stables however.

If it is entire then it is up to the owner to make arrangements to have somewhere to keep it so it can lead a semi normal life, it says it only gets out every other day probably why its trying to come over the top.

Are there horses being treated worse than this one yes of course there are but it does not make it acceptable, and it always baffles me why when horses that are owned by certain groups of people we seem to make allowances for how they are kept.

Can you imagine if a novice owner posted on here saying they had boarded their horse in and only let it out every other day :eek:
If the owner of this horse cannot manage it when fit maybe they should not have it I find it hard to believe it can be any worse than a racing fit tb, and plenty of people manage these without going to such extremes.
 
Il shut you in the dark for 47hrs out of 48 and see how happy you feel!!!! As it came from a riding school i doubt it is entire and quite frankly if he cant offer the horse a suitable home then sell it or find someone that can. There are much worse things going on..... look up tennessee walking horses and soring on youtube.....but turning a blind eye or saying its fed and watered isnt going to change the unsuitable situation for the horse. The Rspca or such like could offer the owner a better strategy of caring for this horse which would improve its quality of life and if a phone call expressing concern does this for that horse its definately worth it.
 
Must admit it doesn't sound ideal but does the horse have a good bed, feed, hay and water? If this is the case then I can't see the problem. Most if not all racers live in this style to protect them from themselves mostly.
 
Most racers only get out every other day and are boarded in really, which racing yard is this.

Even horses that have very little turn out tend to live on busy yards they can see out and watch what is going on and are tended to several times a day, does not sound like the case for this horse.

Racers even when kept in are ridden most days and have alot of contact with grooms and handlers so not really the same and contrary to popular belief lots are actually turned out for short periods as it is recognised it helps keep them sane.
 
I have seen plenty of TB stallions kept in 24/7 , beautiful animals, off their heads with boredom, weaving so badly they are almost dancing on the spot, with such bad manners most people wouldnt want to go near them ! But thats all right, because they were owned by responsible "proper" horse people!
Anyway thats beyond the point, if the op can say apart from being shut in this horse is being cared for, although as i said before its not ideal, i dont see what anyone can do!
Maybe someone can step up, offer some dosh and give it a better home!
 
I actually have a copy of the laws which are learnt and used by the Rspca and it clearly states that a horse has to be able to show natural behaviours, this is now LAW and the Rspca have to enforce this as does all other animal rescue orgs. The Rspca will issue the owner with a form clearly showing the areas of the horses care which is acceptable and areas they must change or improve, if this isnt done on the Rspcas next visit they will get a warning notice and any further visits where improvements are not made a vet is called in to assess the animals health, both physical and mental. If the vet deems the horse unhealthy it is seized.
 
A horse shut in the dark constantly is acceptable??I don't think so. Of course race horses aren't shut in the dark, and they are trained and exercised, there's no comparison.
There's no reason why a trotter should be anymore of a nutter than any horse, it's the way it's kept that's sending it mad..poor horse
 
xxMozlarxx said:
A horse shut in the dark constantly is acceptable??I don't think so. Of course race horses aren't shut in the dark, and they are trained and exercised, there's no comparison.
There's no reason why a trotter should be anymore of a nutter than any horse, it's the way it's kept that's sending it mad..poor horse
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100% right. Here here.
 
I'm not debating that at all, but when every other horse is able to be kept out, with one kept in....then I'd be more inclined to think about there is a very valid reason behind that.

My horse spends a lot of time stabled, he gets taken out almost everyday, either let out for a little while in the school/long reined round the bridleways/taken for grazing inhand. He enjoys being in, more than he does out whether other people wish to believe that or not. He's worth far too much to be stressing round the field! He gets mucked out twice daily, is on a bed comfier than my own, has ad-lib hay, mineral licks and 2 feeds a day [which most would probably consider rocket fuel]. Feel free to call the RSPCA on me if you so wish.
He is however, the most laid back, happy person you'll find. Keeping them stabled, contrary to belief, doesn't always make them bored/sharp/ill mannered horses. As far as race yards are getting called on...try some show yards for the worst culprits!


But anyway. This is going off topic and I won't post again as it's a rather predictable thread in terms of responses and opinions. I never normally post.

Going back to the original question. I've said what I'd do...nothing really other than observe if all's ok in every other aspect.

But feel free to ring, air your concern, then you won't be left wondering what to do and it won't be your call. :)
 
I am not saying the op will be able to do that much but Fii by your own admission keeping them in all the time sends them off their trolley and is not good for their mental health.

Most sensible horse people from any walk of life would recognise this and not many horses are actually boarded in and only let out every other day.

As for one of the equine agencies doing something about it I think it is the luck of the draw which inspector you get which agency you ring and how pushed they are at the time, but I have seen them take action in these circumstances, so I would ring one of them probably not the rspca though.

Nothing may be done at all but maybe you may make life a little more bearable for this horse and that must be worth a least a phone call other than that you will just have to observe from a distance.

I would be slightly concerned if the weather warms up and the top is still boarded up because of overheating, the op has done the right thing by being friendly as this will allow you to keep an eye on them without looking like you are interfering.
 
IWillIfIWant said:
I actually have a copy of the laws which are learnt and used by the Rspca and it clearly states that a horse has to be able to show natural behaviours, this is now LAW and the Rspca have to enforce this as does all other animal rescue orgs. The Rspca will issue the owner with a form clearly showing the areas of the horses care which is acceptable and areas they must change or improve, if this isnt done on the Rspcas next visit they will get a warning notice and any further visits where improvements are not made a vet is called in to assess the animals health, both physical and mental. If the vet deems the horse unhealthy it is seized.
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You may believe that the RSPCA have to enforce this, but they rarely do, they rarely get there butts together to help horses in dire need of help, i have read countless accounts on here in the last six months where the RSPCA have NOT done their job!!

OP, if you do come back to this thread, can you confirm that the stable is in darkness??
 
Am I missing something here? The issue isn't about whether the horse is kept in...I can quite believe your horse is happier in...it's the fact it's boarded in at the top that's the issue??
 
ChristmasSparkles said:
I'm not debating that at all, but when every other horse is able to be kept out, with one kept in....then I'd be more inclined to think about there is a very valid reason behind that.

My horse spends a lot of time stabled, he gets taken out almost everyday, either let out for a little while in the school/long reined round the bridleways/taken for grazing inhand. He enjoys being in, more than he does out whether other people wish to believe that or not. He's worth far too much to be stressing round the field! He gets mucked out twice daily, is on a bed comfier than my own, has ad-lib hay, mineral licks and 2 feeds a day [which most would probably consider rocket fuel]. Feel free to call the RSPCA on me if you so wish.
He is however, the most laid back, happy person you'll find. Keeping them stabled, contrary to belief, doesn't always make them bored/sharp/ill mannered horses. As far as race yards are getting called on...try some show yards for the worst culprits!


But anyway. This is going off topic and I won't post again as it's a rather predictable thread in terms of responses and opinions. I never normally post.

Going back to the original question. I've said what I'd do...nothing really other than observe if all's ok in every other aspect.

But feel free to ring, air your concern, then you won't be left wondering what to do and it won't be your call. :)
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I dont think how you are describing your horses care or stabling really compares to how this horse is being kept..... Do tell me..is your horse free to look over his stable door or do you have it boarded over at the top??? Hmmmmmmmm!!!
 
ChristmasSparkles said:
I'm not debating that at all, but when every other horse is able to be kept out, with one kept in....then I'd be more inclined to think about there is a very valid reason behind that.

My horse spends a lot of time stabled, he gets taken out almost everyday, either let out for a little while in the school/long reined round the bridleways/taken for grazing inhand. He enjoys being in, more than he does out whether other people wish to believe that or not. He's worth far too much to be stressing round the field! He gets mucked out twice daily, is on a bed comfier than my own, has ad-lib hay, mineral licks and 2 feeds a day [which most would probably consider rocket fuel]. Feel free to call the RSPCA on me if you so wish.
He is however, the most laid back, happy person you'll find. Keeping them stabled, contrary to belief, doesn't always make them bored/sharp/ill mannered horses. As far as race yards are getting called on...try some show yards for the worst culprits!


But anyway. This is going off topic and I won't post again as it's a rather predictable thread in terms of responses and opinions. I never normally post.

Going back to the original question. I've said what I'd do...nothing really other than observe if all's ok in every other aspect.

But feel free to ring, air your concern, then you won't be left wondering what to do and it won't be your call. :)
Click to expand...



Trinity Fox said:
I am not saying the op will be able to do that much but Fii by your own admission keeping them in all the time sends them off their trolley and is not good for their mental health.

Most sensible horse people from any walk of life would recognise this and not many horses are actually boarded in and only let out every other day.

As for one of the equine agencies doing something about it I think it is the luck of the draw which inspector you get which agency you ring and how pushed they are at the time, but I have seen them take action in these circumstances, so I would ring one of them probably not the rspca though.

Nothing may be done at all but maybe you may make life a little more bearable for this horse and that must be worth a least a phone call other than that you will just have to observe from a distance.

I would be slightly concerned if the weather warms up and the top is still boarded up because of overheating, the op has done the right thing by being friendly as this will allow you to keep an eye on them without looking like you are interfering.
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I think C S put it quite well!! :)
And i do undersdtand everyones concerns , but put it into perspective, the stallions i talked about where kept like that for years, this pony i believe hasnt been there for very long, kept in because it cant be tethered, not allowed to roam free because the fencing is unsafe, boarded in because it may jump out of the stable, lets just hope it is a temporary situation!
And until op responds we dont know if the stable is dark, it may have a window! :)
 
I feel it's a case of can't handle the horse properly and have no idea what to do with him so lock him away. Your best bet is the BHS Welfare Officer. when we had a problem with starving ponies in a field they were the only ones interested.

As for stallions being locked away well we had a yard with ex racing tb stallions in and they all went out everyday. if you don't have the facilities or the handling skills you shouldn't have a horse.
 
Im not going to comment on how the horse is kept as I feel that my opinion would be of the minority here.
However, those who say a horse kept in cannot be happy is crazy! My horse has been a handful ever since we've had him. When out in the field he walks the fenceline until he is brought in and stresses so much he loses weight. We decided enough was enough and he's spent the last 6 months in his stable. He is not ridden everyday (shock horror!). BUT, he has become the most gentle, calm horse he's ever been.
So sometimes, yes, some horses are better off staying in and those owners certainly shouldn't be judged due to this!
 
Loopypony said:
Im not going to comment on how the horse is kept as I feel that my opinion would be of the minority here.
However, those who say a horse kept in cannot be happy is crazy! My horse has been a handful ever since we've had him. When out in the field he walks the fenceline until he is brought in and stresses so much he loses weight. We decided enough was enough and he's spent the last 6 months in his stable. He is not ridden everyday (shock horror!). BUT, he has become the most gentle, calm horse he's ever been.
So sometimes, yes, some horses are better off staying in and those owners certainly shouldn't be judged due to this!
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Is your horse locked away with little daylight. Have you ever seen a study on for example humans who have access to very little day light? I am sure your horse has access to plenty of daylight but sounds like the other horse doesn't.
 
I didn't even read boarded in to mean no daylight. Perhaps OP will clarify for me when they come back?

I assumed boarded in meant unable to put head out, but with gaps for light. Just like the grills that go up on the tops of doors for horses which bite :confused:

It isn't how I would chose to keep my horse, but equally it sounds basically well cared for. I doubt very much WHW or RSPCA would give a fig (rightly) as it is hayed, watered, exercised etc. They would probably decide they had bigger fish to fry so to speak.
 
Years ago the RSPCA were phoned about a young foal being kep in a storage container, totally enclosed with only a small ventilation grill at the top. It was a boiling hot summer and I honestly don't know how the poor thing survived. It had filthy bedding, dirty water and little food that I could see. The RSPCA did nothing as far as I was aware, the pony wasn't removed or conditions changed.

I doubt that anything will be done with this horse as although it is far from ideal how it is being kept, if is had food, water and a clean bed, then it is a lot better off than many welfare cases. Worth a welfare agency giving the owner advice though.
 
If op means shut in and no natural Light, it is sad and even unacceptable. A recent case in my area has seen a local charity educate, persuade and pester the stallions owner who kept the top door shut and horse never goes out. Now the top door is open and although nothing else has changed the horse can see other life for the first time in years. I would definitely get someone involved to get this board off the top door.
If it is able to see out as your taking it grass would suggest than as others say not stricly a welfare issue if fed and watered. I hope you can still make sugesstions to improve this horses life.
 
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