Recognising neglect....

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Rosehip

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It struck me the other night, that most of us will have the same idea of what neglect looks like, but are we right in our perception of cruelty/neglect or mistreatment?

Im currently in the middle of a difficult situation with 2 very very thin horses, that on the face of it are immaculately cared for - big beds, good rugs, groomed etc, but one is emaciated and the other very nearly. It took quite a bit of soul searching before I contacted someone about their condition.

So - what is YOUR idea of neglect? Do you all agree??
 
Meeting basic needs. So: food, water and a place of safety to live in. Feet attended to and any vet issues dealt with in a timely manner.
Fancy rugs and deep beds are nice but don't deal with the basics, so regardless of the nice wardrobes etc those two horses have I would feel they were neglected if their basic food needs weren't met.
 
My idea of neglect is:

Feet not cared for
Not getting the vet out for long term lameness or unexplained illness
Lack of appropriate feed/grazing
Lack of access to sufficient water
Lack of access to sufficient shelter
No worm plan in place (either counts or actual worming)

There are lots more but thats what springs to mind right now. Been in a similar situation, didn't call anyone but thankfully things seem to have picked up and horses are looking better.

Suppose you also have to bear in mind possible reasons why the horses are thin, is it medical and being dealt with without your knowledge or is it down to mis-management of feed etc. I'm away to move yards with a v thin TBx who I'm really trying hard to put condition on (I've only had him 2 weeks as my own, prior to that I shared him and had no say in feeding, eventually ended in a temper tantrum from me and me buying him) but to look at you would think he's not fed :(
 
Its my opinion that the basics- food, water, shelter, vet care- are without saying. Furthermore, mental health has to be provided for ie, leaving a horse in a stall 24/7 with no company for the long-term (not for vet reasons) would be cruel, I think.
 
I also see neglect with horses that are allowed to become monumentally overweight through poor diet and lack of any meaningful exercise.
 
Have you spoken to the owner of these horses? There could be a reason for it. I have the opposite problem my neighbours pony is grossly overweight and even though I have spoken to them they don't do anything about it.

If you looked at my very old horse you would say he is emacicated but unfortunately it is due to old age (a 31 3/4 TB). If they are well cared for there may be a reason for it or it could be due to ignorance.
 
Ive got a huge long post in SoapBox all about the horses, it explains everything there.

I agree that big beds and posh rugs are indicative of health and well being, but would you (as in people in general) look further if they saw good rugs and good bedding?
Is neglect easier to spot when it is blatent - as in knee deep in mud or grazing in ragwort infested fields? Do people look past the surface?
 
Mmmm a nice cosy rug could be covering up a very thin/emaciated horse.

I think our perspective on what is neglect is a bit human rather than horse orientated sometimes. A horse with all the human trappings (rugs, baths, leg boots, pretty plaiting, nice sweet sugary, syrupy cereal feed but little hay, kept in box to keep warm, dry and clean etc. etc. could be the most stressed out unhappy horse.

Often we don't see overweight horses as neglected either and often problems caused by obseity are worse and more longstanding than being underweight. Keeping a good doer a reasonable weight often requires much more effort from the owner/carer...

My idea of neglect is allowing a horse to be unhappy and stressed in mind and or body... simples! Of course there are degrees of neglect and some may be through us not knowing or understanding...

The question really comes down to... when do any of us as third parties intervene I think? To some degree this is down to our own personal ideas, experiences and beliefs.
 
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amandap said:
Mmmm a nice cosy rug could be covering up a very thin/emaciated horse.

I think our perspective on what is neglect is a bit human rather than horse orientated sometimes. A horse with all the human trappings (rugs, baths, leg boots, pretty plaiting, nice sweet sugary, syrupy cereal feed but little hay, kept in box to keep warm, dry and clean etc. etc. could be the most stressed out unhappy horse.

Often we don't see overweight horses as neglected either and often problems caused by obseity are worse and more longstanding than being underweight. Keeping a good doer a reasonable weight often requires much more effort from the owner/carer...

My idea of neglect is allowing a horse to be unhappy and stressed in mind and or body... simples! Of course there are degrees of neglect and some may be through us not knowing or understanding...

The question really comes down to... when do any of us as third parties intervene I think? To some degree this is down to our own personal ideas, experiences and beliefs.
Click to expand...

Absolutely, exactly!
 
I think this is a really good question. I'd just like to say I have a very ancient stable cat. She was long haired and fluffy but due to lack of grooming her coat has got lack lustre. She is groomed with a brush daily though! Anyway she's arthritic in her front joint and is lame and is a skinny old lady. She potters into the tack room every morning and evening for her supper, is very bright eyed and content in herself. I was going to have her PTS three weeks ago but with the light shining bright in her eyes I couldn't. To a stranger they'd think she was neglected due to her lack of weight but she sleeps by the heater every night, has water, only has soft food as her teeth are probably not as good as they were and seems perky in herself. Back to horses now... I think lack of vet care, farrier, food, water and shelter is neglect as is excessive to the other extreme. Who am I to comment though if your horse is old and is thin but has several feeds a day, grassy paddock during the day and a warm stable at night and some bute to alleviate the aches and pains of old age. It's a tough call.....
 
If the owner is caring for them in other ways are you sure there's not more going on? Is it possible that they have a health problem or are very old?
 
We all keep our horses differently, and have different ideals.
But in terms of neglect in domestic horses I think we can all agree on the basic needs MUST be met.
Feet attended too.
Any health problems seen to.
Water, Shelter and sufficient food.

Love, stables and fancy things are nice but not everyone keeps horses in the same way. Some keep them as a business, some for the hell of it. Either way, neglect is neglect and it should be delt with accordingly.
There is NO excuse for basic needs to not be met and for horses to be too skinny or too fat (emaciated and obese). I understand sometimes it's difficult to keep the weight off but we all should know when it's got too far.
 
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=410080

Here's my other thread - it explains all about the horses that Im worried about.

This thread isnt about specific animals though, just others perception of what neglect actually is, and how easy it is not to see it.

Should people ask more questions? Should people who own horses be more aware of the signs of neglect? Its all very fluid at the moment, and often horses who are percieved to be neglected are not, whilst others 'slip through' the net.
 
Three horses spring to mind.

1. Very old TB, could hardly eat and was pretty much a walking skeleton. The owner loved that horse and couldn't part with him. He should have been PTS years ago and all the experts that saw him advised PTS but the owner wouldn't. I personally feel that it was selfish and cruel of the owner to keep him going in that state.

2. Another owner that couldn't 'let go' of their elderly horse. This horse couldn't get up again if it lay down. Many times over approx 2 years, the farmer and his tractor would go to it's field to haul it up to it's feet. Eventually it lay down in it's stable, the owner was keen on demolishing the stable to get it up but the farmer said no, that's enough. She was forced because of this to do the right thing and PTS.

3. Pony on loan. Loaner went through stages of not checking the pony (not seeing it for two weeks was the record) and when she did go she didn't check it properly. Pony was also left in the stable overnight with no food or water. YO found her the next morning and turned her out, loaner didn't come untill that evening. Didn't remove her rug for weeks etc... Owner was told but didn't care.

1 is probably still alive (I have moved out of the area) and 3 was eventually found a new loan home when the original loaner gave up the loan because she outgrew the pony.
 
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