RANT!! Sorry but got to tell someone who understands.

J

jelibean

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I keep two of my horses at my in laws farm the field they graze is approx 10 acres and backs onto a council estate. We dont have any problems with this and most people are really lovely and often comment on the horses or like last year get the oppourtunity to watch my youngsters grow up from foals.
My sisterin law owns the farm shop and informs me that yesterday morning her 1st customer was a lady how demanded that she wanted some apples so she directed her to them, upon paying she launced into a rant about how the apples were for the horses in the back field who had been out in the field all night "With no coats on " and theres been no sign of water buckets or feed buckets for weeks now and so shes going to feed them.
My horses are brought in every night and offered 2 feeds a day, yearling usually wastes am feed banging to get out to the field theres an automatic waterer in the field. The only time i can think recently that my horses were out without rugs was the other day when the driving rain had caused them to be soddened and didnt dry so i didnt put them on the following day and they only stayed out 3 hours andit didnt rain (usual is 8-9 hrs a day) i dont have spare rugs at the mo as mare is almost 9 months pregnant and her spare doesnt fit and other is yearling who is so woolley doesnt really need one at all so only has one.
I also cant believe that she has assumed they had been outall night, the only time they ever stay out allnight is if they as occaionally hapens they start galloping around the field at in time in protest of coming in so i try to catch them for ½ hour and call it a day at that, then i would throw the feeds out in the field and never without rugs on theyre TB's for gods sake.
Im really sorry this is long winded, but when i heard this report i was gobsmacked and told my OH who just laughed. I really needed to sound off at someone who understands the time effort and money that goes into keeping horses for understanding on how mad i am.
Sister in law says that she assured her they do get fed and brought in, but i feel like id like to come face to face with this woman, although im not sure what i would say to her apart from come see me bed down for the night then judge me and my horses.
 
Where I work we have a few footpaths leading through the fields/yards. We are always getting comments on horses being cold/hungry. One person even came and told us that one of the horses told him she had a poorly foot! Try and laugh it off, this woman obviously doesnt know what shes talking about. Oh and put a sign up saying not to feed the horses too!
 
Don't be surprised if you get a visit from the RSPCA. You know that you are looking after them well. Is your sister in law giving you commision on the apples?
 
Stupid woman
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Perhaps she should be encouraged to call ILPH or something so they can tell her she's a meddlesome coot.
Apart from anything else, one of my pet hates is people giving my horses food. How would she like it if you fed her kids? (assuming she has some)
AND anyway, how does she think horses on the moors survive?
 
it would wind me up too!


but, calm down!
remember that although we know how we treat our horses and how much time and effort we put into them other people just dont understand.

i mean this woman obviously thought she was going to fill them up with a bag of apples???

since amersham - members of the public who normally would not do a thing have started to look at horses in a different light and in their non horsey minds it probably does look odd if they do not have rugs on.
and this person probably walked past before you got them in and again after you had put them back out - and from there has drawn her own conclusions!

if you sister in law has already told her the horses are looked after then i would leave it at that.
 
I also wondered if the next stepwould be the RSPCA, however i have nothing to hide so im not bothered. Im not gettng commission on the apples but i might try that one, however she did charge her 90p for 3 apples which SIL found quite amusing.
I had thought about putting dont feed the horses notice up but problem is field backs onto about 40 back gardens and its impossible to put one on each.
 
unfortunately lots of people seem to have views on how you should be keeping your horses!! Drives me bonkers and I can see your point as my OH also tends to just laugh at things that get me mad when it comes to my horses....
People can walk through my field too and I have had people comment on the muddyness of the field and my poor horses look so hungry....someone even came up to me once in my field and moaned at me...I felt like shuving my fork up their bottoms!
I have a debate with a farmer who keeps driving through my field to get into the other barn and collect his pig food...to do this he has to open up the main gate, which I am worried about as it leads on a main B road and he is in his 80's!!
I moan all the time to the owner of the field but nothing is done...the farmer also moans to me about pretty much everything to do wtih my horses and how they shouldnt have rugs on, should have them on, the amount of hay I put out, the condition of their coats....etc etc...I just ignore it now...
 
I know the feeling and can sympathise! One lady once came up to my OH and said it was cruel that one of our ponies was out without a rug. It was a Welsh Mountain pony with a huge thick coat and only went out for a few hours a day anyway, as it was terribly prone to laminitis. OH tried to explain the situation to her but she wasn't interested in listening.
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I know the best thing is to laugh it off, but it is hard when you put so much effort into looking after your horses well and people assume you don't!
 
god some people are so stupid! i remember a few years ago i had the sspca turn up at my door because someone had reported me for leaving my horses out all night which i do but one is a little fat shetland who had a rug on and the other a fellxdale who also had a rug on they dont need stabled. the inspectors said its clear they are well looked after and are in great condition. i honestly wouldnt worry about she'll find someone/thing to rant and complain about tomorow
 
I once caught some bloke climbing over the gate into my field - he informed me that one of my horses was dead.

As it happens, it was a beautiful sunny day, and it was flat out on the ground soaking up the rays.
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Your situation I'm afraid is exactly like Lucy Higginson was writing about in last week's H&H.
 
PMSL
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although on many occasions I've turned up to the field to see B doing exactly that, shouting at her in a panic thinking she might be dead, only for her to startle awake and give me dirty looks
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I normaly cope with the stupid comments and take time to explain, However I did loose the plot once. One of my fields is next to the village hall, I had been told by someone in the village that on 'Auction' night they had seen a lady with a carrier bag feeding the horses. I caught her the following week and found that she had thrown dozens and dozens of stale, white bread rolls into the starvation paddock - she didnt realise I was the owner and told me she was keeping an eye on the poor little ponies who would starve if she hadn't been feeding them (how does she think feeding bread once a week was going to help).

I explained why they were on restricted grazing and invited her to feel their ribs crest etc and told her that the shettie was obese. I also told her she was welcome to come and pet them, perhaps give them the odd carott, but if she fed them bread again I would report her to the RSPCA.

She got a bit uppity so got my phone out and invited her to phone them (RSPCA), or the ILPH as I happen to have several officers numbers in relation to my job. She still wouldnt have it so told her that if my ponies got collic or lami due to her stupidity I would seek her out and make her suffer a similar pain. I felt rather ashamed of myself afterwards, I dont usualy resort to violent threats.

I can totaly understand how cross you feel.
 
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