how to keep my ponies safe?

[palominoponeh]

hey, i’ve two little shetlands and a man who lives down my road has offered me to use his field (about 10 min walk from my house) as we don’t have much grazing at home. i’m just a bit concerned about how safe they’re gonna be- the field is well fenced and i’ll have electric tape- but you would be able to see the ponies from the road and there is a group of settled members of the traveller community just up the road from the field. (i live in ireland and these people do not have a very good reputation especially when it comes to horses). the road isn’t the busiest and as i said the fencing is ok but i’m just worried. any advice please? the area isn’t known for theft but the people aren’t the most reliable......

 

[smolmaus]

Do you mean "these people" as in this family in particular are known to be dodgy or "these people" as in just... travellers?

 

[palominoponeh]

Do you mean "these people" as in this family in particular are known to be dodgy or "these people" as in just... travellers?

mainly travellers in general, nothing in general against this particular family but they’re not very trustworthy people

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I can see what smolmaus is getting at - and I do know a very small minority of travellers I would have very little problem with having my horses right next door to them.

But generally speaking if you do not know them personally and have not had any interaction with them at all - especially having volunteered in horse rescue over here in the past I would say an emphatic no, not under any circumstances - sorry if that offends anyone but that is my honest opinion based on my own experience overall..

 

[smolmaus]

I can see what smolmaus is getting at - and I do know a very small minority of travellers I would have very little problem with having my horses right next door to them.

But generally speaking if you do not know them personally and have not had any interaction with them at all - especially having volunteered in horse rescue over here in the past I would say an emphatic no, not under any circumstances - sorry if that offends anyone but that is my honest opinion based on my own experience overall..

I had to say something lol My last encounter with people from that "community" was last week tbh and oof, dodgy as. Blatantly scoping out our rescues, known to be dangerous people as I found out afterwards. But especially in the rescue world you do only see the worst of it. If this is just a local settled family with no reputation to speak of, why assume the worst right off the bat? It would be pretty damn silly to steal the ponies down the road when obviously everyone in the area knows where you are and is immediately going to assume it was you.

mainly travellers in general, nothing in general against this particular family but they’re not very trustworthy people

They don't have magical powers that make them any better at stealing horses than anyone else though. That being said, two shetlands with "ok" fencing and with nobody on site or immediately adjacent to keep an eye on them, I wouldn't be doing it either. 80% of that concern would be for them just breaking themselves out and going on an adventure though.

Could you ask the farmer to let you use the field in the daytime? Bring them down for a leg stretch and a graze for a few hours and then walk them up the road again in the evening?

 

[palominoponeh]

I had to say something lol My last encounter with people from that "community" was last week tbh and oof, dodgy as. Blatantly scoping out our rescues, known to be dangerous people as I found out afterwards. But especially in the rescue world you do only see the worst of it. If this is just a local settled family with no reputation to speak of, why assume the worst right off the bat? It would be pretty damn silly to steal the ponies down the road when obviously everyone in the area knows where you are and is immediately going to assume it was you.


They don't have magical powers that make them any better at stealing horses than anyone else though. That being said, two shetlands with "ok" fencing and with nobody on site or immediately adjacent to keep an eye on them, I wouldn't be doing it either. 80% of that concern would be for them just breaking themselves out and going on an adventure though.

Could you ask the farmer to let you use the field in the daytime? Bring them down for a leg stretch and a graze for a few hours and then walk them up the road again in the evening?

as i actually said above the field is well fenced and i would put electric tape up too, and the ponies are very well behaved and rarely escape( not your typical shetlands lol). the family in question are “settled” and i haven’t heard much bad about them but would still be weary of them.

 

[PurBee]

I wouldnt mainly due to what smolmaus said - the ponies being on their own, by a road, and being shetlands i hear theyre very good at escaping when in mind for it. My OH saw a groups of shetlands on an irish back road just the other day. Often we see all kinds of ‘break-free’ animals on these roads.
Some here in the republic fly graze on the wild lands and the animals end up by the roads. Unless the animals are very bad looking, the charities are not interested. Its hard to know what to do.

The travelling community are active in my area - they come by selling stuff...i buy barrels for feed and tarps from them, give them scrap to take away and sell...we have a good trade rapport and its ok. There’s many in the community that just adore their horses, especially the young boys, they dote on them, are super proud to have a horse in good quality. While some, its a trade and the horses a commodity. But thats no different to the non-traveller equine community is it? So while there are some bad apples in that community, we can, and often do, say the same about the wider community.

 

[splashgirl45]

i would rather keep them on my own land and feed hay, my main worry would be laminitis as shetties are very clever at going where they shouldnt. the travelling community would be my second worry

 

[paddi22]

I'd always be paranoid putting them somewhere where ponies can be seen and accessed from the road. even if they aren't stolen, there is still risk of kids feeding and messing with them. I'd be like splash girl and keep them at home.

 

[Enfys]

I would keep them at home and feed hay if you have to supplement their forage.

 

[HollyWoozle]

It would be a no from me - I would also keep them at home and give them hay.

 

[Gloi]

If you have the time I may take them down for a couple of hours grazing then fetch them home before dark.

 

[meleeka]

it would be a no from me too. It’s not even the potential of theft, but traveller kits generally haven’t been taught about boundaries and would think nothing of coming into the field for a ride on the ponies. We’ve currently got some staying just up the road and I’ve made my field very secure and got extra cameras so they can’t get it without being seen. I too have a mini and am worried about the kids taking advantage of his good nature. A friend is right next door and she’s found these kids in her field a few times.

 

[Deleted member 150717]

Only if you want your horse to be taken and dumped a few months later, I got mine from rspca and it was the worst case of neglect and dumping they have seen (in my area) no way would I risk it!!

 

[Lipglosspukka]

Its a no from me. I would be a bag of stress.

 

[piebaldproblems]

Don't think two shetlands will be needing much grazing in the summer. But if you really want to do it, get them freezemarked. It's not too expensive and it's a visible deterrent.