Neglected Horses - UPDATES

I wont comment on RSPCA as admin would ban me. HOWEVER I will say that it has to be remembered that WHW peeps are very hard pressed for time and deal with hundreds of cases so can we please not come down too hard on an organisation just because they dont respond like the emergency services.

Remember also that no matter what thier personal feelings, charity workers cannot take the law into their own hands. Until there is further review of the laws concerning animal welfare and transport there will be suffering dispite peoples best efforts.
 
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Surely there's a vet as a member on here who could look at the pictures and already tell you they weren't ok
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It seems really odd that a vet would look at a horse that thin and see it as being ok. I (or any of us on here) don't even need 7 (or whatever) years of training to tell you they need help!

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Anyone, even someone without a horsey bone in their body, regardless of any lack of vet training, can see that those horses are completely and utterly suffering, which is why it's so difficult to understand how a vet could pass them as not suffering.
 
BER found out the owners. As was said yesterday the owners shouldn't be given any money. Who knows whether they'll just buy more ponies and the same situation arises again in 6 months time. Any owner can see these horses are clearly very sick and they should do the 'right' thing now by handing them over to the authorities
 
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Surely there's a vet as a member on here who could look at the pictures and already tell you they weren't ok
crazy.gif
It seems really odd that a vet would look at a horse that thin and see it as being ok. I (or any of us on here) don't even need 7 (or whatever) years of training to tell you they need help!

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Anyone, even someone without a horsey bone in their body, regardless of any lack of vet training, can see that those horses are completely and utterly suffering, which is why it's so difficult to understand how a vet could pass them as not suffering.

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I know, this is exactly what I'm saying. It seems so stupid!
 
whitewood - the RSPCA are the only rescue organisation who prosecute. BHS, WHW etc need to get the owner to sign the animal over to them voluntarily as they will not spend £1000s in legal costs by taking the owners to court.

B2B - Have neds been loaded yet?
 
if u ask me all 4 should go if they will let 2 get in this state whats gonna stop it happening to healthy 2? BANNED them from OWNING horses for life!
 
I have read other thread (most of it) and most of this thread, and am a little confused - have the ponies actually been moved or are they still waiting for someone (a vet?) to inspect? Also, has the owner actually been contacted/given reason for the poor state of these ponies?

The pictures made me want to cry, but at the same time, I knew of a horse that looked almost identical to the chesnut (granted not quite so bad) that was well looked after, but simply old. He had three enormous feeds a day, but didn't put weight on. He was eventually PTS last year, but did look bad for a period beforehand. I know that this is probably not the case here, but from what I can glean some accusations have been made without the proper evidence to back it up (again perhaps we have not had the full story on here from those on site and so cannot fully understand the situation)

TBH going on about the thread being deleted so that the owner doesn't find out where the horses are is a bit pointless - at some stage they will legally have to be notified.

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, and I certainly think the state of these ponies is awful (if my horse got that bad with all the correct treatment I would have him PTS and end his life happy) but I would just like to understand a few of the facts more, rather than just heresay and assumptions. Where are the owners of these horses?? Do they know what is going on in their field?
 
even folk with no knowlege of horses can see these poor guys are far from not suffering. i'm sure my vet would be appalled!
 
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do we know if the vet they are waiting for is the same vet as saw them last time?
i certainly hope not

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Even if it is the same vet as before I'm sure now such a fuss has been made they would see their error in classing these horses as 'okay'.
 
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if u ask me all 4 should go if they will let 2 get in this state whats gonna stop it happening to healthy 2? BANNED them from OWNING horses for life!

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Agree. The only reason the other two are healthy, that I can think, is that they're much younger, possibly OK or good-doers and can munch on the grass quite happily. If they had no teeth, were elderly and needed extra help to keep weight on and keep warm, then they'd go the same way. It's only a matter of time.
 
The ponies are still in the field, there is a lot of press, HHO members and the BHS there. As far as I understand the BHS are unable to move the horses until a vet has said that they are suffering.

I am not sure if the owners have been contacted.
 
I am in horror at the thought of these poor ponies being left like that. Even more so that a vet said they were not suffering - he should be made to give his reasons - any idiot can see they are in a terrible state.

RSPCA - can't even afford to give an old clydesdale rugs, hence she is now being sent some old but serviceable rugs that I have, but can afford big plush offices and well paid high level officials - not the grass roots officers who do the best they can. Time RSPCA was given a big shake down so the money went were it should - on the animals and not their head office premises and political agenda.

I hope the ponies recover, but looking at the state of them, I wonder if they will, and whether it may be kinder to pts given their condition and I assume, old age. That said, I do hope they recover and have a bit of time to be fussed over and given a few years of quiet enjoyment of life.

Old horses don't have to look like that - caring owners look after them and spend time and money to keep some condition on, and when they get to the stage they can't, give them a peaceful end.
 
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I have read other thread (most of it) and most of this thread, and am a little confused - have the ponies actually been moved or are they still waiting for someone (a vet?) to inspect? Also, has the owner actually been contacted/given reason for the poor state of these ponies?

The pictures made me want to cry, but at the same time, I knew of a horse that looked almost identical to the chesnut (granted not quite so bad) that was well looked after, but simply old. He had three enormous feeds a day, but didn't put weight on. He was eventually PTS last year, but did look bad for a period beforehand. I know that this is probably not the case here, but from what I can glean some accusations have been made without the proper evidence to back it up (again perhaps we have not had the full story on here from those on site and so cannot fully understand the situation)

TBH going on about the thread being deleted so that the owner doesn't find out where the horses are is a bit pointless - at some stage they will legally have to be notified.

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, and I certainly think the state of these ponies is awful (if my horse got that bad with all the correct treatment I would have him PTS and end his life happy) but I would just like to understand a few of the facts more, rather than just heresay and assumptions. Where are the owners of these horses?? Do they know what is going on in their field?

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That was my concern and why I said I didn't post on the original thread, as my thoughts on the matter were quite strong, but I was aware that the facts weren't known and also felt the owners may or may not gain access to the thread/intentions of members.
 
You girls who are there will get slagged off by someone for doing this but I say good on ya if people had done this with JG then Amersham may never have happened
 
I have been following this thread all night but haven't been able to contribute as too far away to go and secondly too hormonal I kept crying.

From what I gather the horses were probably in a better condition a month ago but far from ideal.
Now bear in mind that if the owners say that yes, the horses are old and underweight but they are making provisions to put some weight on them (on the other thread it is said that there is a shelter with hay in it and rugs) The vets think that despite being thin (they probably weren't *as* thin then remember) they are in okay health. There is grass, water and shelter in the field the owners *seem* to be providing hay and rugs. There are 2 other ponies that seem fat as butter and well.
At that point I agree there is very little the horse welfare charities could do.
The vet is probably just being careful not wanting to be known as the 'big bad nasty man who took away someones beloved aged pet'
HOWEVER the thing that irks me about this is the situation should be have been monitored. The horses that may have been 'thin' a month ago are now definitely emaciated, that is inexusable in my book.
 
I agree KW33. Last month when they were seen they must still have been very thin and so should have been monitered and the owners should have been shown how to properly care for the animals. I thought one of the things the RSPCA does is educate people, so surely they would have seen they were thin and continued to check back and teach the owners how to get some weight on them. Of course they may have been planning to go back and hadn't had chance yet.
It just seems odd that 2 thin horses would be left to become emaciated, when thir situation was known about.
 
World Horse Welfare has said this morning that it attended the ponies in late August, following a tip-off from a member of the public.


The charity attended with a vet, who stated the ponies were not suffering.


A spokesman for World Horse Welfare said "our hands are tied".

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World Horse Welfare has said this morning that it attended the ponies in late August,

The charity attended with a vet, who stated the ponies were not suffering.

A spokesman for World Horse Welfare said "our hands are tied".

"In conjunction with the RSPCA, we arranged for a vet to examine them and the vet has stated that they are not suffering.


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So after all the RSPCA slagging, it wasn't just them. This topic has certainly helped the animals, but some of the histrionics shown is ridiculous.
 
But it also highlights how the amershams of this world DO happen.
People do the right thing, report neglect etc to the authorities / charities etc and then nothing gets done.
If the orginal person who posted on here had not done so what would be happening now? I suspect tragically not a lot.

Fingers crossed that these horses are some of the lucky ones and that the scarily wonderful impact of a horse forum like this has at least managed to get them some attention.

But for every story that people like those who have gone down today act upon there are hundreds that go under the radar. Perhaps that is the true tragedy here...

Edited to add i hope noone who has got involved does get slagged off. They have done a wonderful thing. Its just a crying shame its taken this to get anything sorted.
 
no scribbles, but also shows that perhaps just telling OP to tell WHW too as we did initially may not have helped immediately.

I agree about some of the responses but I can let them go over my head if it means these horses get helped/pts
 
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