Help Humphrey

I have no idea what's going on here.

But one thing keeps on being repeated that makes me nervous,
"there must be more to this".

Sound just like the time those children were seized by social services from their parents because of the allegations of satanic abuse.
All the time you heard,
"there must be more to this, the authorities can be trusted".

I think it's time people realised that all the authorities work for themselves and the people they employ. Not those they help.

The horse to me looks thin. But this thread has appeared the day after a poster here was desperate to get some help for a horse and she had been trying for two years to get the authorities to do something.
 
tabithakat64 said:
Terrible, poor girl, the RSPCA in whatever guise are clueless and abuse the kindness of people who donate to them by needlessly targeting people who have done nothing wrong rather than helping animals in need.
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Shall I repeat again? The SSPCA are NOTHING to do with the RSPCA. It's the equivalent of trying to say the NSPCC are the same as Red Cross.

Different charities. Neither have anything to do with each other.
 
I have stated before that there are two sides to every story.
But I am very concerned about the fact that it would appear that any of us could be the victim of the action of a welfare charity which has the power to remove a horse from our ownership and care without any prior warning at all especially in the circumstances in which this was done when a child was riding it.
The charity has to date made no public comment at all to explain the reasons for its action.
I would ask the charity concerned to make a public statement on the action they have taken without any further delay or otherwise return the horse to it's owner.

If this horse was mine then my legal team would have been instructed to take action through the courts for the immediate return of the horse and also instructed to make a claim for damages and distress caused against the welfare organisation concerned.
I would be asking the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to bring the vet(s) concerned before their disciplinary committee.
I would be asking the charities commission to investigate the action taken by the charity concerned.

There may be a very good reason why a welfare charity has taken this action but they must be seen to be accountable.
 
Well said Peter. I'm quite amazed that they could seize a horse and keep it in these circumstances. I know it's obviously different in Scotland, but I've struggled to get help for horses in much worse condition than this. In England I think the most that would happen would be for the owner to be given a bit of a warning chat, some advice, and follow up visiting.
 
SSPCA really do seem to pick and choose what horses they will or will not help, there were countless reports made about underweight horses at our yard by people walking by/other horse owners at local yards but nothing done,owner of the underweight horses worked at the SSPCA officers mothers riding school, which people have been reporting for years.
 
PeterNatt said:
I have stated before that there are two sides to every story.
But I am very concerned about the fact that it would appear that any of us could be the victim of the action of a welfare charity which has the power to remove a horse from our ownership and care without any prior warning at all especially in the circumstances in which this was done when a child was riding it.
The charity has to date made no public comment at all to explain the reasons for its action.
I would ask the charity concerned to make a public statement on the action they have taken without any further delay or otherwise return the horse to it's owner.

If this horse was mine then my legal team would have been instructed to take action through the courts for the immediate return of the horse and also instructed to make a claim for damages and distress caused against the welfare organisation concerned.
I would be asking the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to bring the vet(s) concerned before their disciplinary committee.
I would be asking the charities commission to investigate the action taken by the charity concerned.

There may be a very good reason why a welfare charity has taken this action but they must be seen to be accountable.
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^^ This!
 
OAP65 said:
3 horses including Humphrey.
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Ah! Now we are starting to get to the bottom of this! Sounds to me like Humphrey may have been the best of the bunch - what other animals were taken and what was their condition.

I do not believe that the RSPCA or SPCA would take any animal without first giving just cause and several warnings.

OP, please tell us the full details of the removal - how many horses/ponies were removed and what was their condition? Do you have video of these animals too?
 
OAP65 said:
3 horses including Humphrey.
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OAP65 Here are the facts - two horses in total were taken from the same yard, for further clarification these two horses (which includes Humphrey) are owned by two different people.

I don't know where you got your information from but it is incorrect, help Humphrey are keen to get all facts out into the open to help ensure his swift return. Presumably you are an animal lover as you are on this site - Humphrey is currently in great distress.
 
The are two things that perplex me most are.
When I was involved ( in England admittedly ) I have never know a horse be taken from a private individual without considerable effort being made to sort things on the ground first.

I also don't understand why the horse is being described as being in great distress now as in my experiance the yards horses where removed to where very good places for a horse to be , I can understand the owners distress but not why the horses should be distressed .
 
I would be concerned that the horse has been removed to any property owned by a close family member of the inspector, as that appears to be a clear conflict of interest. I would also need assurance that if the horse is exercised, it is not as part of any activity run by the riding school, as I would imagine that this would be illegal use of the horse. If the statement about the attending vet is correct and no report is provided by her, after such a length of time, then surely a second report should have been obtained as soon as possible. I do not know much about scottish law, but find it difficult to believe that no doccumentation is required when removing property of any discpription.
 
SSPCA officer was also the first ever 'Edinburgh Lass' so basically led this Edinburgh ride out like the currie one. Very influential 'role' for a year.

Being very local and knowing a lot more than most folk on this thread (save JenTaz) I have my opinion and it is that although Humphrey was on the extreme side of lean(we only got out of bloody winter 2 weeks ago- was snowing up till about 3 weeks ago!!!) the SSPCA were not justified in taking him, and as I've said I have my own theories.
 
OK HH, I stand corrected. Only 2 horses seized from the same yard. Please do not ask me to believe that the SSPCA would attend a yard to seize two horses without correct paperwork and without having previously given advice on welfare. It just isnt done unless the animals were in immediate danger and unless to leave them there would cause more suffering. The SSPCA arent stupid, ok you do hear of the odd case of wrong tactics, but as I said they really dont want to seize animals for the fun of it. I can understand the girls distress and I really feel for her, but really that horse just wasnt up to the work it was asked to do. The SSPCA are in a difficult position, they are damned if they do and they are damned if they dont.
 
What I don't understand is why you took the horse on the ride? We bought a very lean horse and he was in light walk work until he was an acceptable weight. It doesn't matter if it is age, breed or season that caused it what matters is you took him on a very long ride in poor condition
 
MillyMoomie said:
PeterNatt the SPCA have not made a comment because this is a live investigation. As per proceedure in any live investigation. Obviously.
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Of course they can comment they just have to measured in what they say.
The police comment on "live cases " all the time.
They choose not to comment that's not the same thing.
 
Milliemoomie public staements were made about both Amersham and the recent rescue from Caephilly shortly after the removal of equines but while there were live investigations going on.
 
PeterNatt said:
The fact that the SSPCA have made no comment concerns me.
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From The Scotsman:
The Scottish SPCA confirmed the horse had been removed “due to welfare concerns”.

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “This horse is under veterinary care and our inquiries are on-going. The owner is aware of the situation and the welfare issues.”
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I don't know if it matters, but a couple of minutes on the Net and I've worked out the name of the SPCA officer.
 
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Jenni_ said:
SSPCA officer was also the first ever 'Edinburgh Lass' so basically led this Edinburgh ride out like the currie one. Very influential 'role' for a year.

Being very local and knowing a lot more than most folk on this thread (save JenTaz) I have my opinion and it is that although Humphrey was on the extreme side of lean(we only got out of bloody winter 2 weeks ago- was snowing up till about 3 weeks ago!!!) the SSPCA were not justified in taking him, and as I've said I have my own theories.
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I can do you one better lol, been in this area 37 years with horses, I know the yards/people pretty well now and its never as it seems...........
 
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