Neglected horses in this weather

Penny Less

Penny Less

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10 March 2009
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Cant stop thinking about all the poor horses left to fend for themselves in the snow.
We have some near us that only get hay put in a couple of times a month and have to fend for themselves, no shelter in their field and no rugs. RSPCA were monitoring them
as lots of people complained last year. I have resorted to driving a different way home so as not to keep seeing them. cowardly I know but at the moment Im finding it hard to cope worrying about mine.
 
Well theyve been in the same field summer and winter and the grass is non existent in the summer! And now we are under 5" snow I would have thought hay would be a must ?(five horses on about 2 acres)
 
I never enjoy this weather because of the welfare issues it brings. I have this constant niggling feeling of worry, sadness, hopelessness in light of the many neglected animals about which we read on an almost daily basis. Foals, in Northern Ireland, dumped alone and freezing in forests to die agonising deaths; horses abandoned without food or water (and those are the ones seen by passersby); the untold hundreds more languishing unseen on private property with no hope of rescue. And that's just in the UK. Look what's happening in Europe/Eastern Europe. Sorry to be so dark and cheerless, but that's what this weather does to my psyche.
 
If they are healthy and have full coats they don't need rugs, nor field shelters if there is adequate hedging - unless it gets below -20°C. How do you know they only get fed twice a month? If they are truly neglected then of course notify the RSPCA but if they are in good condition then they are more worthy cases for the limited resources available.
 
How do you know they are not being fed hay? i go and feed mine hay twice a day, by the time i go the 2nd time they have cleared pretty much all traces of the first piles! the only evidence is the trail i leave carrying it to the field;) How many times a day do you pass this field and how long does it take you to pass it? how do you know someone isn't feeding them in the 23 hours that you are not there?
I know people mean well when they are concerned over horses that they think are neglected but unless someone sits and watches 24/7 i don't see how you can categorically say that they are not cared for unless they are obviously emaciated, in which case get on to the ILPH or WHW:)
 
If you would like to report a horse welfare concern in the UK, please call the WHW Welfare Line for free on 08000 480180. We encourage people to call rather than email in order to gain as much information as possible.

The Welfare Line is open from 8am - 5.30pm, Monday - Friday, with a voicemail system to take calls outside of these hours.

We endeavour to answer as many calls as possible but, unfortunately, some will go through to voicemail. We aim to return all welfare calls within the same working day so please do leave a message, clearly stating a daytime contact number, and we will return the call as soon as possible.

All calls to this number are strictly confidential and are dealt with by trained members of staff who have a knowledge of horses as well as an understanding of the relevant legislation.

When you call to report a concern, we will ask you some questions about the situation so that we can establish whether we need to pass the details to a field officer for investigation.

Once the field officer has been out to look at the horses and taken any action necessary, we always try to report back to the caller so they know we have attended and what we have been able to do.

If you have any information or concerns (either in the UK or Europe) and these are not covered by, or relevant to, either UK Welfare, Campaigns or International Training, but would still like to speak to us, then please tell us.

www.whw.org.uk
 
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