Ive Been Reported.....Again.....

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JadeyyAndLadyy

JadeyyAndLadyy

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Because my horses didnt have hay in their field.
They had just been fed, and we spread the hay out so it takes them longer to eat but i guess they ate it by the time the strange woman came across them...
The woman who reported us went to the little bungalow on the field to the old couple and had a go at them...they told her to stop being stupid as the owners had JUST fed and hayd them.
I think the WHW are there now talking to the other owner (im away atm, else i would be there too!)
Im really getting fed up with this....It was just the other day when we planned on getting loads of haynets and pinning them round the field so they had more hay for longer...
We pay £5 a bale.....which for us is alot compared to out normal £2.50... :(
The other owner told the WHW that we've already had the RSPCA God knows how many times.... She was surprised and doesnt understand why we keep getting reported.
Is it just me? :( :( :(
 
JadeyyAndLadyy said:
They had just been fed, and we spread the hay out so it takes them longer to eat but i guess they ate it by the time the strange woman came across them...

.....The woman who reported us went to the little bungalow on the field to the old couple and had a go at them...they told her to stop being stupid as the owners had JUST fed and hayd them.
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Well if they had just been fed and hayed as said above, then it does sound like they aren't getting enough if the hay had already been eaten. I can understand the woman being concerned, especially if she saw how much condition Lady lost last year.

I know hay is expensive but it really is vital that Lady gets plenty if she is to keep her weight on this year.
 
Just a thought, if you're trying to get hay in the field for longer, is there a local farmer who can drop off a big bale in the field for them to munch on?

Don't worry about being reported, if the horses are good body weights then there's not much wrong, alot of reports at this time of year are about natives without rugs and horses with no grazing/hay, if the horses are eating it at the same time each day and the members of public are walking past at the opposite end of the day, they will not see the hay given, that does not mean that you aren't giving it, just that they don't know you are.
 
You could look at getting in a large bale of hay or even haylage - if your horse drops condition easily then she might do better on haylage anyway. A large bale of hay would last longer than keep putting small bales in, plus it would be obvious to any passers-by that they have something to eat.
 
Local to me, a field had a couple of rescue shetlands in it in poor condition. I was concerned but looking at the field, it was obvious that they were being rehabbed. They too, must have had complaints to the RSPCA as they put a note up on the gate with a their contact number asking for anyone to ring them if there was a problem.
Sometimes leaving a note on the gate, even just to say that the horses are given hay at certain times etc, reassures worried passersby.
 
competitiondiva said:
Just a thought, if you're trying to get hay in the field for longer, is there a local farmer who can drop off a big bale in the field for them to munch on?

Don't worry about being reported, if the horses are good body weights then there's not much wrong, alot of reports at this time of year are about natives without rugs and horses with no grazing/hay, if the horses are eating it at the same time each day and the members of public are walking past at the opposite end of the day, they will not see the hay given, that does not mean that you aren't giving it, just that they don't know you are.
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This is exactly whats going on. Lady has a HW rug with neck, is getting quite fat. She gets fed 3 times a day with her bucket full of food.
This is a completely different woman from before so dont think she saw lady last time.
I think this woman came past the field once the hay had all been eaten and the owner was due to come back and put some more out.
 
i actually find it quite heartening that some people show concern. If your horses are well cared for, you have absolutely nothing to worry about ;-)
 
elsazzo said:
i actually find it quite heartening that some people show concern. If your horses are well cared for, you have absolutely nothing to worry about ;-)
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Exactly. Its nice that people care :) im not worrying this time because i know the WHW wont do anything, theyve seen all the food and hay and rugs, theyre well looked after, which WHW said so too :)
 
elsazzo said:
i actually find it quite heartening that some people show concern. If your horses are well cared for, you have absolutely nothing to worry about ;-)
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Mmm, trouble is it's wasting a welfare officer's time when they could be investigating a genuine case of neglect, ignorance or cruelty. A note on the gate with your phone number sounds like a good idea.
 
JadeyyAndLadyy said:
This is exactly whats going on. Lady has a HW rug with neck, is getting quite fat. She gets fed 3 times a day with her bucket full of food.
This is a completely different woman from before so dont think she saw lady last time.
I think this woman came past the field once the hay had all been eaten and the owner was due to come back and put some more out.
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Why don't you cut out the hard feed and put a big round in a cattle feeder, what you save on big buckets of feed can go on the hay which is what they need in this weather. Don't worry about her getting to fat atm.

We have put a round of hay in the shelter, this is working really well for us.

I suppose it is annoying for you being reported but in a way it is good that people are keeping an eye out.
 
Don't worry if you are happy with Lady at the moment - I know she can be a problem with her weight but you are always working on it:) If it is any consolation my neighbour is always getting het up about some coloured cobs and their youngsters in fields down the road from us. She keeps on and on about the "poor things" out in the cold. They are fat and hairy and have huge bales of hay and they are checked daily and their feet are fine - I looked:rolleyes: She insists they are neglected and keeps trying to feed them carrots despite my advice not to:mad: Some people really do not know what is what and just will not listen. She does mean well though.
 
JadeyyAndLadyy said:
Lady has a HW rug with neck, is getting quite fat. She gets fed 3 times a day with her bucket full of food.
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Just be aware that up to now the grass has been quite good and contributed a lot of calories to the diets of horses that have been living out, which is probably why Lady's weight is doing well at the moment. Now the snow and ice has come, that will kill off most of the nutrition in the grass, so you will need to compensate by feeding more hay, plus the cold temperatures mean horses need more food to keep warm.

I would definitely investigate the suggestion made by others of having a big round bale put in the field as this will work out cheaper than buying small bales.
 
Don't worry - I haven't been reported but neighbours (non horsey) reacted really badly to mares and foals not being rugged. I took them down and showed them the condition/shelter/haylage etc and they were reassured. I think this is what people need
 
There was a piece on BBC news this morning with the RSPCA giving advice on keeping animals healthy in this weather. The RSPCA spokeswoman said they'd had twenty reports of horses being neglected but all of them unfounded. While I'm glad that the public are getting some education about horses and their ability to cope in this weather, I wonder if something like that will make people reluctant to report a potentialy real case of neglect.
 
If your horses are out 24/7 then they need constant access to hay - as we all discussed with you last year.

Get a big round bale - put it in a feeder - and then they have access to everything they need.

You will need to replace it probably once a week - but it should work out more cost effective than small bales.

It's very seldom that people report maliciously - so again, I would assume that there is a genuine problem that once again you and your friends seem reluctant to address......:o

Keeping horses out is really only a little less expensive than stabling them. And if you can't afford them - get rid.
 
wish someone would report ours, thanks to one livery pissing about ours now have no hay and we cant get any delivered as farmer is snowed in! might give the YO a kick to throw her off.
 
It's very good that people show concern. But they should just work a little harder to find out the truth. They see a situation, add two and two and sometimes make five, six or seven, make a call to the RSPCA;, WhW or whover, without bothering to knock on a few doors, make an enquiry of the local farmer etc. I nearly fell into the trap myself once, luckily got put right (by the vet) and saved myself making a meddling fool of myself.

I had an old mare who loved to lie flat out on sunny days. One Bank Holiday SEVEN strangers knocked on my door (right by the filed) to say did I know my horse was dead!!
 
Slightly Foxed said:
Mmm, trouble is it's wasting a welfare officer's time when they could be investigating a genuine case of neglect, ignorance or cruelty. A note on the gate with your phone number sounds like a good idea.
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tbh i doubt it will take much of the officers time, they will prob pop round have a look, see that your horses are absolutely fine and be on their way- i wouldnt stress over it
 
misst said:
Don't worry if you are happy with Lady at the moment - I know she can be a problem with her weight but you are always working on it:) If it is any consolation my neighbour is always getting het up about some coloured cobs and their youngsters in fields down the road from us. She keeps on and on about the "poor things" out in the cold. They are fat and hairy and have huge bales of hay and they are checked daily and their feet are fine - I looked:rolleyes: She insists they are neglected and keeps trying to feed them carrots despite my advice not to:mad: Some people really do not know what is what and just will not listen. She does mean well though.
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I had this with my coloured mare. I went down with her bucket feed one winters evening, always leave my hay out of sight. She was part way through her feed, groaned and went down unable to get up. I forced her up and while walking her round for half an hour noticed all the vegetable scraps which had been chucked in for her by some well-wisher. Luckily it was gas but could have been a lot different:mad:
 
amymay said:
If your horses are out 24/7 then they need constant access to hay - as we all discussed with you last year.

Get a big round bale - put it in a feeder - and then they have access to everything they need.

You will need to replace it probably once a week - but it should work out more cost effective than small bales.

It's very seldom that people report maliciously - so again, I would assume that there is a genuine problem that once again you and your friends seem reluctant to address......:o

Keeping horses out is really only a little less expensive than stabling them. And if you can't afford them - get rid.
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From what the OP is saying, they do have access to hay, but it is spread out through the day.

People don't always report maliciously, but sometimes in ignorance. I think JandL is frustrated that, despite the fact that she's doing the 'right thing' she is still being reported.

The last sentence of your post comes across as quite hard - the OP is very young and trying to do right by her pony. Maybe suggesting she 'gets rid' is not the most constructive approach to take with her?
 
Just had a phone call, everythine is fine :) WHW was very happy with everything they saw. A note with a phone number is a good idea, ill have a look around locally to see how much big bales are and see if i can get some delivered to the field :)
 
From what the OP is saying, they do have access to hay, but it is spread out through the day.
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Indeed - but not the adlib they need - nor as was discussed when this problem ocurred last year - with the horses receiving very little hay - and her horse looking very, very poor.

Lot of history here.
 
amymay said:
Indeed - but not the adlib they need - nor as was discussed when this problem ocurred last year - with the horses receiving very little hay - and her horse looking very, very poor.

Lot of history here.
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she isnt recieving 'very little hay' she gets plently plus fed 3 times a day.
Last year she had lice which was the main reason she lost so much weight, NOT because she wasnt getting enough food/hay.
 
JadeyyAndLadyy said:
Just had a phone call, everythine is fine :) WHW was very happy with everything they saw. A note with a phone number is a good idea, ill have a look around locally to see how much big bales are and see if i can get some delivered to the field :)
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I think if WHW are satisfied that all is well, when they have seen the horses in the flesh, that HHO members do not need to worry themselves unduly about these horses.

It sounds as though JandL and her friend are doing fine.
 
I remember the posts from last year, OP, and I think you have done extremely well. It is not always easy asking for help and from what I remember you took an awful lot on board and really made every effort to do right by Lady.
So glad everything is sorted now - well done!
Only 6 months to go to summer LOL :D
 
Flicker said:
I remember the posts from last year, OP, and I think you have done extremely well. It is not always easy asking for help and from what I remember you took an awful lot on board and really made every effort to do right by Lady.
So glad everything is sorted now - well done!
Only 6 months to go to summer LOL :D
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Yep :D
But, that could mean 6 more months of this weather :eek: I Hope not :rolleyes:
x
 
JadeyyAndLadyy said:
she isnt recieving 'very little hay' she gets plently plus fed 3 times a day.
Last year she had lice which was the main reason she lost so much weight, NOT because she wasnt getting enough food/hay.
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Sorry Jadey, the initial posts you made last year about her condition made it very clear that she was not getting enough hay. I remeber them vividly. The lice will have brought her down - but not to the extent of the condition she showed.

Half a bale between three horses and ponies once a day was not adequate.

I made no mention of how much she may or may not be getting this year - just that it should be ad lib - which it is clearly not.

Lots of excuses from you as to what can't be done - very little evidence of what can be done.

Round bales were mentioned last year - and between the owners in your field will work out much cheaper than £5 a bale of small hay.

Sorry, I know I come across as a real cow. But my main concern is your mare. And from your posts it seems as if she simply doesn't get what's needed.
 
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