I need some advice - please help

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browbrow

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Hello

Really sorry to rant on but at the weekend I went to my friend to help her out with her horse as she is on holiday soon so I wanted to go up and check out what the routine is going to be, anyways I get to the yard and the paddocks are RAMMED full with Ragwort - even my non horsey OH made a comment on how bad they were - not to mention the strands of barbed wire and mesh all over the place. So we get into the yard which has always been scratty but as I approach her horse who is tied up - I notice her has a fairly heavy rug on, besides this - you could see why - the poor thing was IMO emaciated - his neck was badly sunken and he has no muscle at all - he really was in terrible condition - my friend seems completley oblivious to all of this - as does her teenage daughter - as do the other three liveries that are on the yard, I really didnt know what to say I made some comments that horse could do with bulding up and maybe they needed to get all the ragwort pulled out of the fields but my comments fell of deaf ears. To top it off they then pull out a small bay yearling and ask me how old I thought it was - the pony is no more that 15 months old - its still very foal like - the story goes that the pony had been abandoned but its previous owner had told the liveries that it was rising three (it isnt at all!!!) and that as it had no owner now the adult liveries thought it would be a great idea to let the kids break the foal in this summer as a bit of fun????!!! To this I said that he should be left for at least another whole year to be a baby and one lady said 'Dont be daft, my daughter has already ridden him around the field - he will be fine'. I honestly could have slapped them all - the whole yard is a death trap and they done seem to care at all - they all stay there as its dirt cheap and can do what they want, as the YO is just some non horsey bloke who keeps out of it. Again even my non horsey OH could see how bad things were and it really upsets me that my 'friends' horse is so thin considering she drives about in a 80k car!!! Argh - thing is I know whatever I say will fall on deaf ears again so who could I call to have a word with them to make them realise that the horses are a mess? All suggestions would be gratefully recieved as I really dont know what to do.
 
Wow, thats pretty bad conditions to be keeping anything in. How long will you be helping with her horse for?

Can you tell her or her YO that you can get fined for allowing ragwort to grow on the property? I don't think anyone has ever been fined for it mind you - otherwise all the councils would pull it out.

I don't know if the RSPCA or similar become involved in things like this, but could you report it to them. iF the horse is emaciated then they should be able to get involved I think. Can't imagine what her horse looks like in winter too
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she has prob got the rug on so that passers by don't make complaints - although how old is the horse? Some older horses can look pretty ropey all year - although I can imagine that the ragwort and poor grazing would not be helping...

Sorry can't be more help - although where are you - think you may be close to me?
 
Personally, I would continue with the hinting but making it stronger but YOU CAN'T DO ANYMORE!

For the horse you are looking after, buy it lots of feed, worm it and then charge her for the costs.
 
Sadly this is not unusual! Contact ILPH or whatever the new name is (honestly, WHY did they change it??) Redwings or the Blue Cross, all will go and have a look and give advice. Im not a fan of the RSPCA but you could try them. Please dont worry about them finding out who made the call it is confidential!

Please DONT buy a starving horse lots of food, it needs very small feeds often!! We have a horse we rescued 23yrs ago, and the vet said the worst thing you can do is overload it!!
 
The horse is only 7, he is a warmblood too so shouldnt be so thin - I was worried that he may have liver damage or something with the ragwort -

I am looking after the horse for a week - I was going to keep my mouth shut until she gets back and then maybe sit her down and say that she needs to sort him out - maybe fib and say someone had been on the yard to look at livery and also comented or something as she can be so ignorant and blase about things - if I just said something she is the type to think Im saying it as I am jealous! I even said to her last night that I would not keep a dog in one of those stables and she just laughed and said 'well its the kids horse not mine!'

And regarding the comment about the winter/summer and what he looked like - I know what you mean - they have just sold one horse as apprently it did fair well over winter so wanted something hardier - I couldnt believe it - god knows what it looked like !!

The YO is a gardener - contract work etc - so you think he would know about ragwort laws - dirt bag!! gah!!
 
To clear up what I said about the food, I did not mean to feed it all at once! :-) Obviously it would be difficult to feed him up entirely in just one week but if she sees the sacks she might feed him more anyway?
 
Sorry do you value her friendship at all.......I think she is disgusting keeping a horse in these conditions,because it's cheap!!!!!! Keeping a horse in a heavier rug,because she quite clearly is to embarrassed to remove it....should be interesting to see what has been breeding in it while it's been warm....better get her to add louse powder to the shopping list!
Sorry I would have told her quite clearly what I thought, and if it was not sorted before she went off on her holiday...then sorry I would not get involved doing the horse!
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This horse if at all valued, should be removed!
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No worries! I didn't explain myself clearly.

Would it be most effective to refuse to look after the horse unless she promised to move yards and have a vet in to come and take a look at him!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sorry if i jumped on you, you would be amazed at how many people think you should throw loads of food at a starving horse.

[/ QUOTE ]


I think finding it clean grazing might be the first 'Port of Call' so to say......and finding something to detox it,then letting the sun get to it's back!
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Sorry,but these sort's of stories really p*ss me off,there is no need for it!
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i'd take some pictures of it, and show her them against pictures from Horse and Hound of normal looking, healthy horses.
i would round up all the other liveries in a "clearing ragwort" evening, stress how vile it is and that horses will eat it (thousands die every year from ragwort poisoning, they aren't averse to it!)
i'd be ashamed to go there, tbh.
report to ILPH or similar too, i think.
 
browbrow - depending on your philosophy on life I think you need to tell this friend straight that her horse is in a terrible condition and that the photos of the Amersham Horror horses were not as bad as hers. She needs to be shocked into action. Which is more important to you, the friendship of someone who can be so cruel or the welfare of the horse? If you want to know the appalling suffering that a horse can go through with ragwort poisoning, there's plenty of people on this Forum who can tell your friend every sickening detail. I'd do as others have suggested and get the RSPCA/ILPH out pronto and also I'd have to protect my own sanity by NOT going to "do" her ned for her. Time she got real and recognised the responsibility she has to this poor, poor horse. If you want, I can PM you an account of my ragwort-poisoned rescue mare that you could print off and hand to your friend. Believe me, it's shocking. If nothing else, her inaction is eventually going to cost her a small fortune in vets bills and serve her right too.

I feel truly sick at this.
 
Hi had a 'friend' very similar. I told her straight that if she didn't bring things up to scratch I would be getting HAPPA out (they are the best welfare org in this area).She went ballistic at me but I stuck to my guns, I cared more about the state of the poor horses, anyway who wants to be associated with somebody like that?It turned out HAPPA were already on her case when I rang them,they knew the state of things and got the RSPCA in, they did a joint visit.Things still aren't up to my standards, bits of ragwort creeping back, but at least the horses look better.HAPPA monitor her a lot and always will.

I couldn't care less that she slagged me off for it, have never spoken to her since.

Please get a welfare body out to these poor horses asap,there is no excuse for treating them so badly.You will be doing the right thing.
 
Refuse to look after the horse, and tell her exactly why. Maybe then she'll realise that it isn't acceptable to keep the horse like that. Then report it to the ILPH (or whoever, most horse charities will help) and contact the BHS for advice (they also have welfare officers).
 
I would be very happy to tell your friend the results of ragwort poisoning as years ago a friend's horse died of it as a result of a livery owner's neglect and I held him while he was shot. It is a horrible death. Your friend has choices, her poor horse doesn't. If you can't face upsetting her, get in touch with the WHW (formerly ILPH) and report the whole yard, including the YO who has a duty of care under the new Animal Act. I bet she is off on some expensive holiday as well
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Thanks

I could not care less about upsetting her but I know that just telling her what I think will just make her worse - it will not make her jump into action and get something sorted.

I just need a fool prrof way of making sure that theses horses are in the end going to be looked after properly and by me just telling her what I thought will not maker her do it x
 
If she wont listen to you then its all the more important to get someone else involved. You must be worried or you wouldnt have put it on here. The people who work for WHW, Redwings, Blue Cross & the Bhs are used to dealing with people like this, they do it every day. Why not do it now, before its too late?
 
definately a case for the ILPH or RSPCA or someone similar.
I think you have the full support of everyone on this forum.
Do what your instinct tells you is best and stuff your 'friend'.
Until people like this are dealt with more horses will continue to suffer.
Good luck.
 
Well - I have decided to go down speaking to the BHS welfare officers and tell them that the yard owner is letting the paddocks be over run with ragwort and he doesnt seem to do anything with them and then also ask them to check over the horses at the yard and maybe give out some advice, I just want to make sure that the yard owner gets screwed over by being such a horrid money grabbing scratter - it makes me sick !!! Gah - Im ringing them up now x
 
I don't understand this. My yard is quite cheap - £60 a month for DIY with own paddock (for 2 horses - 1 acre... ish), own hay/bedding store with space enough for around 100 bales, own feed space and own tack space. The owner will do extra jobs for us, as will other liveries. The stables could look better - they are old, in a barn and of block construction with corrugated metal roof, but it's dry, warm and enough room for the horses. The owner is non-horsey but is a farmer and keeps the fields topped and fences properly maintained, although it took lots of nagging to get him to remove a lot of the barbed wire he had in 2 of the paddocks!!!

The fact it's a non-horsey owner and there are few owners, half of which are, for example, into racing and have an ex-racer as a hobby, ride once a week if they are lucky, not very knowledgeable, could lead to trouble, but it doesn't, because all the liveries support each other in different ways and will help each other out with feed/worming routines, turnout programmes etc.

I think these people need to be reported. There is NO excuse for this level of neglect.
 
I am sorry to say this as I don't really wish to be rude to you, but how could anyone who is horsey manage to have a friend who is clearly abusing a horse.
I would tell her straight, if that means losing a friend well who would want a friend like that anyway.
Then report her and the yard to ILPH, BHS RSPCA and anyone else who might help to save them.
Poor creatures.
 
Can you not read the posts please????

I couldnt care less if I upset her - but I know if just tell her straight - she will not listen - she is such an ignorant person in that way

she is not a good friend TBH- as I have said AGAIN and AGAIN - its not about not saying anything to her - its making sure that I do something more to MAKE HER have to sort the poor horse out!!
 
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