If the RSPCA have visited a yard ..

Montyforever

Montyforever

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.. About a welfare case would they have a word with the YO and leave a letter on the offending liverys door? Just find it a bit odd, apparently they turned up at our yard on thursday about a severely laminitic pony who hasn't seen a vet and other liveries have been feeding/watering etc which isn't a surprise really but there's absolutly no evidence they visited. The yard owner lives on site and he said he didn't even realise they had been up, no letter on the door/gate and its just all a bit odd? :confused:
Judging by past posts I've seem about the RSPCA this isn't so odd though! Anyone had any experiance with this?
 
I dont know what happens on yards but Ive seen notices stuck to field gates a few times, saying theyve been etc.

How do yoou know theyve been? Do you think someone might just be saying theyve been to prod the owner into action?
 
Rather odd..... as far as I am aware, RSPCA do not enter property without permission (or unless accompanied by a police officer) - unless someone has update on regs?

They can post on the boundary of property (field or yard gate) tho (just like BHS or WHW) but none allowed to trespass onto land...........
 
Aparently they had police as well another livery saw them arrive as they left but didnt want to get involved .. Just all a bit weird isn't it!
 
.. And surely if they think it was worth bringing the police they thought it was worth seizing the horse but to just do nothing after all that fuss is a bit strange?!
 
I am a former Inspector, and if a complaint was made on a yard, I would seek out the Yard Owner first and foremost, and ask permission to enter, with them to accompany me. Better still, the horse owner would be there.

I would take a PO if the complaint was very serious, and the animal may need to be seized, or if I expected any trouble. In lesser circumstances, I would take a colleague with me.

If the owner was unknown (as in no contact details, horse in a field, etc), i would leave my card taped to the gate asking the owner to contact me.

I managed to talk my way on and off all sorts of yards (:eek:), but sometimes you DO have to be sneaky if something is not adding up. The worst yard I ever dealt with belonged to a top event rider's mother. Totally unexpected. The Inspector's job is to see the animal at all costs, and that may involve using the police.

Another thing - so many calls are malicious or from those with "little knowledge", but as an Inspector, i would always make my visit known, and if there was no problem, i would tell that to the owner. AND the caller.
 
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They could do. I was at a yard years ago when liveries were reporting each other......anyways...........they entered the field without consent to view the horses, THEN went to speak to the YO and left instructions for the horses owner to contact them.

They graded EVERY horse in the field and noted down those who were slightly over weight (all cobs, who were properly cob shaped - not fat!)
 
They will enter yards unless they are stopped by the YO, in which case the police may well be asked to go with them if the allegation is serious enough that a horse may be suffering.

They don't leave letters - they will only leave an improvement notice with ticked boxes and advice as to what needs improving, or a card with the inspector's name and collar number on it. It is very unusual though that they spoke to NOBODY on the yard - not even to enquire or find out who the owner is or if they had a contact number for them. Officers don't just walk on, ignore everyone and walk back off again. Sounds a bit strange.
 
What is the YO doing about it as they have a duty of care, why are they not dealing with the feeding, watering and getting in contact with the owner to insist on a vet attending.
 
Be positive - he's not horsey but he's asked advice from a few of us. He more or less just rents the land to us so I don't think he has a duty of care to the horses to be honest
 
All sounds a bit odd to me, yes they may walk onto a yard depending on the set up, if they can raise no one at the house etc. Best way to get to the bottom of it is to get the YO to call the call centre and find out if a visit to the location has been done, or to leave a message for the local inspector to call them regarding this............

If a visit was made without the owners knowledge then it's likely some sort of form, notice or card would have been left, unless this has blown away?????
 
montyforever said:
Be positive - he's not horsey but he's asked advice from a few of us. He more or less just rents the land to us so I don't think he has a duty of care to the horses to be honest
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He does have duty of care, he is renting to the owner of the pony so it is him that gains by charging rent, the fact that he is not knowledgeable is not really the point.
 
be positive said:
He does have duty of care, he is renting to the owner of the pony so it is him that gains by charging rent, the fact that he is not knowledgeable is not really the point.
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This ^
Ignorance is no defence in law.

Organisations like the RSPCA can request the help of local authorities or the police if necessary. They may request help if they need to gain access to a property or are physically threatened by the owner.

To confirm as I said above regarding entry onto property, its worth reading the advice in the link, as it also applies to horses too: http://the-shg.org/Basic%20legal%20advice%20for%20pet%20owners.htm

and here too: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/homeandcommunity/inyourhome/animalsandpets/dg_10025980
 
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Please do be aware that the RSPCA have no right to enter your property, despite the fact that they may well tellyou or at least imply that they have. The police can only enter if they have good reason to believe that an offence is being committed, or with a warrant. A phone call from a member of the public is unlikey to consititute sufficient evidence to allow entry without a court hearing.
 
YorksG said:
Please do be aware that the RSPCA have no right to enter your property, despite the fact that they may well tellyou or at least imply that they have. The police can only enter if they have good reason to believe that an offence is being committed, or with a warrant. A phone call from a member of the public is unlikey to consititute sufficient evidence to allow entry without a court hearing.
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Nice to see your priority from reading this post is the fact that the RSPCA cannot legally enter a property without permission. Shame you seem to have missed the fact that there is a horse in agony with untreated lami, and the RSPCA should be involved.:rolleyes:
 
Moomin1 said:
Nice to see your priority from reading this post is the fact that the RSPCA cannot legally enter a property without permission. Shame you seem to have missed the fact that there is a horse in agony with untreated lami, and the RSPCA should be involved.:rolleyes:
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I think people behaving legally is very important, don't you?
 
If it was me and the allegation was so serious, I'd be there with a PO. No question about it. If I happened to "find" the horse myself, I would contact the police 999, and the vet.
 
YorksG said:
I think people behaving legally is very important, don't you?
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Agree, but you seem to have missed the OP's point. They were enquiring whether a card etc would have been left if a visit HAD been made, also the OP has stated that the police were apparently with the RSPCA on this visit.
 
Also if the police obtain a warrant, they must leave a copy, if they use the warrent and do not take action, or speak to the subject of the warrant, then they must apply to the court again for further warrants.
 
They visited my yard a few years ago on a phone call from the public for my old mare who was very poorly (she was under the vet)
They entered the yard without my knowlegde and I only knew they'd been as I happened to be schooling my other horse at the time and had let said mare out to graze all the lush grass around the yard, which she was ignoring (she had liver failure)
He asked if he could feed her (she also had buckets of food), and didn't know what to say when I said please do I can't get her to eat!! He then picked a handful of grass and offered it to her, which she turned her nose up at and wandered off.
He didn't know how to react when I said he was welcome to come back next week but the chances are she would no longer be here and as it happens she was PTS 2 days later
But at least they did react
 
I'm really not fussed if they came onto the yard I've been close to calling whw at times as its been going on for a while just confused why they would come onto a yard see a severely laminitic pony and not even leave a note .. Things just don't add up! It's all very odd :confused:
 
Is anyone else waiting for the owner to post on here, telling us about having the vet out, when the yard was empty and how the other liveries are now feeding this lamintic horse, against vetinary advice?
 
Is it possible that the person who said they have been is actually trying to get something done about this pony but not really getting the point across very well.

If it needs treatment and is not even having the basic needs met, let alone vet care why is the YO not doing something, if he wont maybe you should report it yourself.

This is what gives livery yards a bad name, YOs that claim they know nothing while enjoying the benefits, someone needs to take responsibility:(
 
montyforever said:
I'm really not fussed if they came onto the yard I've been close to calling whw at times as its been going on for a while just confused why they would come onto a yard see a severely laminitic pony and not even leave a note .. Things just don't add up! It's all very odd :confused:
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Half stories usually don't add up!!! Personally I would call the RSPCA call centre to find out if in actual fact a visit has been made, at least then you'll know if you still need to contact the WHW!
 
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