"Please do not feed the horses! - help!!!

D

domane

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 September 2008
Messages
1,311
Location
South Shrops
Visit site
My sugar-intolerant TB has been moved but now in the field I lease there is my 19m traditional yearling, my 7m Welsh D colt and my elderly laminitis-prone Welshie mare tenant. We've been there since the beginning of September. Going past my fence line and gate is a track that leads to a static caravan park, which is used as permanent and temporary residences so there are people driving past all year, more in the summer. I've suspected people have been feeding the ponies, I found some brown bread crusts in the snow and my OH and I were there a couple of Saturdays ago and left for half an hour and when we returned there were dozens of whole carrots that had been lobbed over the fence. Thankfully the ponies were eating haylage from their box which is positioned right over at the other side of the bottom field (intentionally!) and I was able to collect them all up and remove. However, I poo-pick daily and sometimes there are an awful lot of piles of poo along the fence line so I don't know whether the ponies have been over there eating whatever had been lobbed over, or just sheltering under the trees (evergreen pines). I'm there every day, at different times, for a minimum of two hours, but that still leaves 22 each day when they are unattended :(

I haven't put one up yet but I know people are only being kind and I think they will completely ignore the standard "Please do not feed the horses" sign. I don't want to antagonise people either as the yard is 6 miles from my home so I couldn't get there hugely quickly if needed, it's a minimum 10-minute drive. I need some help with the wording of a sign, please.

How have others coped with this problem?
 
I would create a poster clearly describing the problems that your horse and ponies have and that ANY food (including carrots, apples, bread etc) can cause them various medical problems. I would also print leaflet sized versions and drop them at every caravan, you can then maybe have a friendly chat with a few people, and tell them of your concerns.
 
Please do not feed my horses,
they have serious medical conditions
which means they are on a special diet.
Your treats could make them very ill.

Thankyou for showing you care by not feeding them.

Long, but inoffensive & informative

My cat went missing for 2 weeks. I did fliers to put through letterboxes in case he was shut in. Given that he was a pedigree Maine Co*n I was also worried someone had katnapped him. To focus attention I put on he had a medical condition for which he needed regular attention. Though noone would steal an ill cat. Worked a treat, but in another way. People were concerened so kept an eye open, a week later he was spotted the little s*d. My dad went round to the house (I was away), & he ran to him for a cuddle. Obviously went wandering & got lost. From that point people knew him & always let us know when they had seen him, they were fab as he was very dopy & always getting himself lost. Didn't exactly lie, the only thing he hated was being groomed. So every couple of weeks I would trim any knots out of his coat using had battery clippers (designed for horses heads). He lay like a gent to have it done, no fuss. If it wasn't done though, he would have ended up a matted hairball. He never looked funny as his coat was so long you could never see the shaved bits.
 
Last edited:
I feel your pain-I used to be on a yard & my boy's field had a public footpath that went straight across it. You would regulary catch people going over to the ponies & feeding them. My boy was quite agressive around food so they were always fighting & I was always worried that a horse or passer by would get hurt. Unfortunately nothing would stop them-we put signs up & we couldnt fence off the field as hte footpath went diagonally across it. I moved from there eventually as it was getting riduculously unsafe & there was nothing we could do about it.

I would try fencing it off a few metres back so they cannot feed by hand-may take the novelty of it away if they are doing it with kids or something. Wouldnt stop them chucking stuff over but wi may act as a hint to whoever is doing it! I would still put signs up as well :)
 
I would go for the polite notices explaining why - make sure they are all over the place.

We too fenced our footpath off from the rest of the field (luckily it goes down the side of the field. As a last resort fence it off with an electric fence (again put warning signs!).
 
We have the same issues and are expecting it to esclate again through the summer months. I always put an electric fence about 6 - 8 foot from the gate and 3 signs, we have terrible trouble with people feeding apples and my mare gets terrible choke, and also people throwing in there mowed grass!! Also had this woman panicking knocking the door saying our shetland pony was 'stuck' in the hedge, had to explain without cracking up it was actually a black bin liner!!!!!! :)
cant remember the exact wording of my sign but it says please do not feed or disturb the horses, the fence is electric and that the horses are on a balanced diet, also explaining that mowed grass is fatal to horses.
 
I feel for you,years ago some kind non horsey person thought it would be great to feed my pony a huge mound of grass cuttings from their lawn - next day down with Acute Laminitis in all 4 feet. I dont understand why people dont leave well alone.
 
One yard I was at had some posh new bungalows built along the side of one of the fields. One house tipped their grass cuttings over, I went round to nicely explain the problem. Did it several more times, several more very polite visits (with me clearing the cuttings onto the muck heap). Still did it, so I forked all the cuttings back over the fence onto his beautifully laid beds. Never happened again. Would much rather get on with neighbours, but veru frustrating when they don't want to know or listen. Another house thought the field was an extension of their garden & kept coming into play cricket or football, again didn't want to listen. Electric fence sorted that one. It's a rela pain that you have to out of your way & do otherwise unessicary things in order to keep your neds safe from ignorance, but sometimes it has to be done. If you can get them on your side it would be so much better for you as they will start to police others & stop them feeding as well.
 
I think I'd have to spend a day up there, prob be busiest on the weekend and tell people, put the signs up as well, you might get people walking by when you are doing it and might ask you questions.

My friend used to have someone walk through her field and take the muzzle off her pony, ITS ON FOR A REASON what are they like !
 
pip6 said:
One yard I was at had some posh new bungalows built along the side of one of the fields. One house tipped their grass cuttings over, I went round to nicely explain the problem. Did it several more times, several more very polite visits (with me clearing the cuttings onto the muck heap). Still did it, so I forked all the cuttings back over the fence onto his beautifully laid beds. Never happened again. Would much rather get on with neighbours, but veru frustrating when they don't want to know or listen. Another house thought the field was an extension of their garden & kept coming into play cricket or football, again didn't want to listen. Electric fence sorted that one. It's a rela pain that you have to out of your way & do otherwise unessicary things in order to keep your neds safe from ignorance, but sometimes it has to be done. If you can get them on your side it would be so much better for you as they will start to police others & stop them feeding as well.
Click to expand...

There's a bloke like that where I keep mine, thinks the field is an extension to his already huge garden and lets his dogs run riot, GSD and terrier. Luckily my horse doesn't go in that field but the dogs did come down into the field he was in, my YM went up to his house and suggested he stopped before the OWNER of the horse who had gone skitzo (ME) went up there ! woudln't have been a nice picture :-) There was steam coming out of my ears, the dogs didn't chase the horses it was just that they were in there and weren't usually and it had spooked the horses. He was sweating inside his muzzle, he's not supposed to be running riot round the field he's 32 now, unfortunately doesn't help himself sometimes.

He still lets them in the field but usually when there are no horses in there, still think he has a bloody cheek
 
I have a laminated sign pinned to my lami mare's stable/field - it says her name at the top, and undeneath says;

"Please do not feed - this horse is very sick, and any food at all could cause serious harm. In case of an emergency please call....." and my mobile number.

I used to have problems with people feeding carrots, and I even had a bale of hay thrown over the fence (when she had a bale of haylage in the field, quite obvious to see). Since the sign has gone up, I haven't had any problems
 
I've never had this specific issue but known a few who have, most have put up signs and electric fencing to keep horses from getting right up near fences/gates that run by footpaths.

It's sad because you don't want to stop people from having any interaction with the horses but if they can't respect that they can't just eat anything it's the safest thing to do
 
NOISYGIRL said:
There's a bloke like that where I keep mine, thinks the field is an extension to his already huge garden and lets his dogs run riot, GSD and terrier.

He still lets them in the field but usually when there are no horses in there, still think he has a bloody cheek
Click to expand...

My late great YO solved a problem like that by going round to trespassing dog walkers houses with her 9 :eek: dogs and having a game of fetch in their garden - when they came steaming out of the house, she'd ask why not, they walked their dogs on her land so why couldn't she do the same on their land :D:D

Very effective ;)
 
The notice on one of my fields used to read:

Dear passer by,

All of us horses and ponies in this field, really love a scratch or a pat. However PLEASE do not feed us, as some have a medical condition called LAMINITIS. This is a potentially deadly condition and feeding the wrong food (which includes carrots and apples) can have a terrible effect.
If you ever see any of us looking poorly please call our mum on **********

Thankyou!
 
Last edited:
Tricky one, some folk just will not pay any attention to the signs. I asked a family to stop feeding my boys and it took me to saying they would get aggressive to them and to each other (a bit OTT, but they will mug/headbutt you for more sweeties, so they get none from me) to get them to stop. Edit to add, they were standing in front of the "please do not feed the horses sign" <sigh>.

On another occasion I caught folk throwing hay over the fence to two ponies, leaving only one pile, thus resulting in two fighting ponies. One pony was also recovering from a bad impaction colic so wasn't allowed any hay, even when I explained as nicely as I could these reasons they looked at me like I was cruel! I also said to them that they shouldn't be feeding *any* horse that they don't know. Head - Brick wall....

The electric fence idea is a good one, if you have the spare land a good 2 meters gap might just get the point across.

Good luck.
 
I too would put up a sign explaining clearly what's up. Simple Do Not Feed The Horses just don't get through do they!

Everyone knows what diabetes is. Laminitis is a form of equine diabetes so just say

These are diabetic horses.
Not to be eaten nor fed unless you want the vets bill.
I'm watching you.

Many thanks,

The Owner.
 
I think you should keep it friendly (at least at first) you want people to be onside and helpful, I would go with similar wording to either Pip6 or Joeanne suggested.

Something like "These horses are ill and need special food, please do not feed them, your treats could kill them" In case of an emergency please contact...... "

I think popping some flyers through the doors of the caravans and having a chat with anyone you happen to see is a great idea too. You won't catch all the holiday visitors but hopefully you'll stop the worst of it.

You could also put a line of electric fencing inside the fence line so the horses can't lean over and beg.

Just remember that people are trying to be nice. Most people don't really know about horses and just love to see them, they want to make a fuss of them and don't understand the problems they could cause.
 
Mels came from a field with a footpath running through it, when I took her on loan I had to fence off the footpath (diagonally across the field - luckily she needed restricting!) as she was on a daily diet of mars bars and ham sandwich's (!) This stopped most of the feeding, but there were 3 people in the village (plus others on occasions) that would take carrots/apples/veg/POTATOES/tinned fruit to Mels on a daily basis, in the end I bought her and moved her, I just couldnt stop these people as they felt that she was 'theirs' as they had been feeding her for several years...one chap would bring her a kilo of carrots 3 times a week!
If you can get some of the residents of the caravan park on your side it will be so much easier for you, and if you put on the notes that there are medical reasons for not feeding the ponies then you are less likely to put peoples noses out. Good luck!
 
Is the caravan park used for holiday lets? You could speak to the park managers and ask them to include a polite notice that you will provide in the information they give to visitors. That's what I did when mine were next to a small caravan site, and I also did the polite notice explaining why they shouldn't be fed "anything, not even grass" and that worked well. I think the notice said "please feel free to say hello and stroke them, but don't feed them ANYTHING, not even grass, as one has a medical condition and could die if you do that". Something along those lines anyway.
 
tallyho! said:
Everyone knows what diabetes is. Laminitis is a form of equine diabetes so just say

These are diabetic horses.
Not to be eaten nor fed unless you want the vets bill.
I'm watching you.

Many thanks,

The Owner.
Click to expand...

This works!

I put up a sign saying "I am diabetic please do not feed me" at a party when I had a horde of teenagers lurking in the barn outside. They fed the other horses with the carrots from the party, but didn't give the fatso lami any - ah, poor pony, but it worked :)
 
My horse is kept very near to where I live,which is great but it does mean he's on the door step of a very residential area,so lot's of passers by.

Mine say's:

"This horse has a resticted diet on vets orders PLEASE DO NOT FEED!!"

Realise it's not a good info type poster like some have suggested,but I wanted to have writing big enough to attract attention,but fit on A4 paper so could print off and laminate myself,so had to be short and sweet.Seems to have worked so far.

Apart from when some bloke down the road asked the other day if the horse was feeling better,and I looked at him in total confusion lol I guess the vet bit stuck in his mind,but at least it proves people have read it!!
 
Last edited:
Oh blimey - what a pain!!! :( Sorry to hear you have a problem with this

I think the suggested friendly but quasi-medical sign would help, as would taping off a few metres from the fencline to make it harder for food to be deposited over the fence within their reach.

Hope you get this sorted - must be a real worry :(
 
I've had to put in extra-high fencing on one side of our field that faces a holiday cottage. It's not just one household feeding titbits - the inhabitants change every weekend or two! Last year I found kids throwing whole bags of sliced bread over - still in the bag. When I asked the mother not to let them do it she said in dictatorial tones "Oh, but your horses like it!"
 
Rose Folly said:
I've had to put in extra-high fencing on one side of our field that faces a holiday cottage. It's not just one household feeding titbits - the inhabitants change every weekend or two! Last year I found kids throwing whole bags of sliced bread over - still in the bag. When I asked the mother not to let them do it she said in dictatorial tones "Oh, but your horses like it!"
Click to expand...

Aaaaaaarrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Where's the wet kipper????
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top