Loose horse - help needed

bexcy-bee said:
This may be the case, but I personally can't seize them. The people up high just say to put them back in the field and secure.

Yes, I know we seize for RSPCA, but that's on their recommendation and only when neglect.

Please don't turn this into a slanging match, I asked for help, I have received that help. I am doing all I can, and speaking to everyone I can, within the force and outside to try and sort this out. I am not being half hearted in this, trust me!
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Put them back in the field and secure them then. Then, find out who the owner is/personal responsible, and prosecute them under the Highways Act.
 
Moomin1 said:
Put them back in the field and secure them then. Then, find out who the owner is/personal responsible, and prosecute them under the Highways Act.
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This had been done, ie back in field, secured best as possible. Owners will get prosecuted for wasting police time, and I will ask my sergeant to look into the highways act prosecution.

Thank you
 
I have a rescue hill pony that was signed over to a rescue group. It had been with a group of ponies wandering loose, and had a caused accidents, to stop prosecution under the Highways Act the owners had signed them over. So if you have an owner do that, or serve an Abandonment Notice
http://www.redwings.org.uk/documents/ABANDONMENT.pdf, if they are of any value they will shift them soon enough.
 
Someone I know broke the fencing and removed lots so the travellers couldn't keep putting their ponies back in a field next to a dual carriageway from which they kept escaping. Might be worth mentioning to the land owner. RSPCA haven't come out when called by the police unless the animal was dying.
 
Over the last few weeks I have received a few calls from breakdown/ insurance companies about collecting horses from M25, M23, M3. I am a transporter that is signed up to all equine rescue groupes. Always you make your excuses. Without sounding callouse all the police or highways agency want is the horses removing from the highway, once they are on my truck you then find out there is no where to take them, no one knows who owns them and no one is willing to pay for you to drop everything at. 03.00 and come and collect them. Consequently you are left with a truck full of unpassported horses and every agency washes their hands! The situation needs seriously addressing!
 
It's actually pretty shocking at the amount of passing the buck, pardon the pun, the authorities do. Or maybe it is just that no-one is actually sure what should be done?
I caught a coloured cob wandering down the road near my old stables at 9pm one evening. Called police who suggested calling RSPCA. RSPCA said it was a police matter so police asked if I would put him on a place of safety got the night. What animal lover wouldn't? The result was he was then MY problem. Police didn't want to know as no-one was in danger as he was no longer wandering the roads. RSPCA and WHW didn't want to know as he was safe with me eating my hay and in no danger.
I later found out that if I had of left him wandering the roads (risk either get himself killed or killing an innocent driver) the police should of got the green yard to have taken him. I also found out through a local copper that green yards didn't like taking coloureds ponies in as the owners were less likely to come forward and pay to get them back.
Green yards, from what I was told, are like a pound get the strays and owners are expected to pay for their keep whilst there. Anyone know if that's correct?
 
Yes BB - found myself in a similar position a couple of years ago. "Ponies" found wandering near the motorway,and I was called as the person who found them knew I had horses in the area, so I dashed down at 6 in the morning thinking that some of mine had escaped to find a shetland mare and foal and a donkey (!) colt. I got them into a corner on the drive of an industrial property and put some electric fen tape and pole around them to kep them there while I got them removed - but no-one was interested in helping! As they were now no danger to the road it was no lonoger a police matter, and the RSPCA told me in no uncertain terms that they were not interested. Having spent several hours trying to get help, and now being hours late for work, I tried the police again. I suggested that I might remove my property (electric fencing) and let them go away but was told by the police that I could then be prosecuted myself! In the end a wonderful PCSO who is a horse person went out of her way to get WHW involved and finally at 9 p.m. they were collected. I would never help out in such a situation again I'm afraid.
 
mutley75 said:
Over the last few weeks I have received a few calls from breakdown/ insurance companies about collecting horses from M25, M23, M3. I am a transporter that is signed up to all equine rescue groupes. Always you make your excuses. Without sounding callouse all the police or highways agency want is the horses removing from the highway, once they are on my truck you then find out there is no where to take them, no one knows who owns them and no one is willing to pay for you to drop everything at. 03.00 and come and collect them. Consequently you are left with a truck full of unpassported horses and every agency washes their hands! The situation needs seriously addressing!
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Your right, that is all the police want, which is why I am so determined to help out these two! And any others that I can for that matter. There is no official place to take them when we aren't on the green yard policy, I've looked into this now! It's ridiculous! People get fed up helping and offering their services, because there isn't an agency to turn to once the horses are safe, police only interested if on the highways, RSPCA only interested if neglected, hence me asking for other alternatives! Lol I shall keep my fingers crossed to who contacts me today!

amymay said:
He hadn't given them notice.
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Sorry amymay, he had given them notice, just hasn't physically thrown them out, as in gone and checked they were gone.

Thanks for your help everyone!

Bexcy-bee x
 
Government authorities are always quick to pass the buck, because the person making the decision is always in the firing line, so decisions don't get made.

I find the most effective way to deal with it is: notice of intent to take possession of the animals, think it is 14 days. Get the local hunt knacker man out to "value" them - that gets most traveller ponies shifted - they really hate knacker men. If that doesn't shift them, apply for passports, seize them and send them to auction - that is the way a lot of gavernment bodies have and do act.
 
Well that's how I had read it bexcy-bee, land owner had given notice and not checked that they had left.

Horse owner said that he had not received notice.

I don't think she has changed her mind??
 
BB with all due respect you, I quote are the one who said ' I disgusted with the RSPCA'.

Plus, as far as seizure goes, nothing is seized on RSPCA recommendation. It is always on a vets opinion. Or a police officer can use certain powers in extreme circumstances for example a dog dying in a hot car. Be very careful about what you say, this is how Chinese whispers go around.

I appreciate you were frustrated. It IS a very frustrating problem, but coming on to a very emotional public forum is only going to get the same old opinions going. And you know it.

Then as much as I try to be the bigger person, I then get frustrated with some people on here complete lack of knowledge and understanding of the massive problem that is the horse crises.

Let me put this into perspective. In just the last 2 weeks... Only of what I PERSONALLY have been involved in- the 3 biggest welfare organisations of which you can all prob guess have taken in over 100 'stray/abandoned' equines between them in joint operations. Ranging from horses and ponies at deaths door to horses and ponies at immediate risk due to the Enviroment and impending winter. Couple that with less rehoming of horses and we haven't even reached the tip of the ice berg. It is a CRISIS. You may now understand why the charity's refuse to get involved in something that is clearly a police responsibility under the highways law.

Oh and by the way I actually know of the RSPCA going out and helping the police round up 150 horses on the road in a particular place in the south a couple of weeks ago. Don't always listen to the false negativity seen on here.
 
I think the responses on this thread demonstrates the issue very clearly.

1. the welfare organisations haven't the funds to address every welfare issue and have drawn the line at loose horses. In reality, if a horse is loose on the road it's welfare is at more immediate risk that if it goes without food.
2. the police authorities only wanting to solve easy crimes. If animals are through negligence repeatedly causing a hazard on the highway then I cannot see how the police shouldn't resolve this. It is not so different to a motor vehicle being a hazard, you would fine the owner and then confiscate the vehicle.

I suppose the problem is one of funding primarily though when the people who could effect a change spend all their time bickering and passing the buck it's very depressing. At least BexyBee you want to help, shame you don't have the authority to really do much on the ground.
 
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