*Rant* Somebody has been feeding my horse without my permission!!

[sweethearts]

As the title says really.
Over the past few weeks my horse (who is a 15.3hh, 3 nearly 4 year old ID x appy) has been getting quite hyped up and been quite silly at times to ride. I had just put it down to him trying his luck and the spring grass coming through (and me being abit of a wimp lol). However this morning I went down to his field to take his rug off and to give him his morning slice of hay (he now has no hard feed) and I noticed that there was what looks like some kind of mix, i.e. grains, flakes and pellets, all scattered around the gateway of his field as if somebody has been feeding him. The 3 horses, including him, that are living out at the moment are all in adjacent fields and there is a footpath that runs next to them so I thought maybe some walkers had been 'feeding the ponies' but I can't see anything in these other horses fields, just mine So now I'm thinking maybe this has been happening on a regular basis hence him suddenly getting so full of energy. I just don't know!! I've asked everybody if they have seen anything but nobody has, so other than putting a sign up saying don't feed the horses I'm not really sure what to do. Any ideas??
I'm really pee'd off that somebody would do this, I would never dream of interferring with somebody elses animals.

 

[Natch]

Is there someone on the same yard with that type of mix?

The only people that I have known to feed other people's horses (no not me) have done so because they felt that they weren't getting what they needed (were thin, very out of condition or the people were ignorant and thought that the horse needed a feed when it didn't). If you can identify why someone might feed your horse, you could put a polite notice up explaining why not, and asking them to contact you if they have any further concens.

 

[jsr]

I'm afraid I'd be camping out and keeping watch until I found who ever was doing this. Anyone feeding my horse could kill him as he has a sugar intolerance so I really would go insane if I caught them.

 

[Nocturnal]

How odd... I'd have thought anyone with horses (presumably they haven't bought mix from a feed store just to feed your horse?) would know not to feed someone else's horse like that. You haven't fallen out with any of the liveries lately? Could be some idiot with a grudge trying to hype your horse up?

 

[Damnation]

I would ask every single livery and YO to see if they have seen something and explain his sugar intolerence. Perhaps when they know that you have found out, they may stop..
However if it is walkers, is there any way to move him fiends, or even electric fence around the field a few meters away from the fence so if walkers are scattering feed there he can't get to it?

 

[welshponylover]

Thats not good....maybe put a sign on the gate saying please do not feed? Or...hmm its a tough one really! Is there any way of blocking off the footpath? In our old house there was a footpath and there were some lovely horses we used to say hello to in a field next to it. Well one day we bumped into the owner and she was lovely but said that loads of people had been doing similar things. In the end she built another fence inside the horses fields so that no walkers could just feed them rubbish! That would make me really angry too thought

 

[sweethearts]

I have fallen out with one of the liveries, but I wouldn't have thought they would do that. Well actually,hmm, well I'd flaming well hope they wouldn't!!
Think I might have to camp out or get some kind of spy camera to attach to him.
I can see with my old horse why somebody might want to feed him up as he is very under weight due to the health problems he has been having, but my young boy is the perfect weight and looks like a normal healthy youngster.

Just so annoyed as I'm trying my hardest to keep him calm and level headed and than somebody is counteracting all of this by giving him god knows what to eat!!

The place where the food was scattered was the electric fence gate so I don't think whoever it is is bothered about the possibility of being zapped

 

[Kenzo]

Put a sign up asking not to feed horses.

I wouldn't go into detail about it though, as some people do for example the types of food or the reasons why, as you may get some strange weirdo that will do exactly that for badness.

Least then who ever it is will know you are aware of what is happening and hopefully will stop, I wouldn't mention how you know, least then you can still keep a watchful eye on the crumbs that are left over.