Reporting pony neglect and cruelty

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angel659

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29 September 2014
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Hi,

Not sure how or what to do. I have read that as long as the pony has food and water the RSPCA etc they cannot do anything?

The reasons I ask, I am concerned about the welfare of some ponies I have experienced at a different yard. For example:

They were trying to load two ponies who were very young aroubd 2-3 years on to a trailer, but they were so scared they wouldn't load. They were pulling, shouting, getting vehicles to block the path in to the trailer and this one pony would not load. He shouted at a girl to get a fork and poke it up the bum. I was so upset I had to walk off, as my pony is on that field and was afraid for her. The poor horse was screaming and didn't want to load. I saw a similar event the next day.

Just to give you a quick background story so I can continue with this, I was getting my first pony and viewed this yard twice at different times and noticed there was a stable block with 4 ponies in, I said do they not go out and I was told they are on grazing restrictions they stay in, during the day. Nothing else thought about it. We arrived on a Friday, by Thursday I was getting these weird feelings that something was not right with this yard, then I saw that poor horse being loaded, then comes Friday I notice that these 4 horses had not ever been out of their stable. I looked in thier stable and disgusted. They had shavings that was minimal and 80% of that was covered in urine and feaces. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned for days. Then I notice they were all really nervous and head shy. Then another pony arrived I had noticed and they had a cut above his eye. My horse was not settling and was on edge all of the time.

With this I left the yard, I felt I had to do it behind thier back, I was so worried if they caught on what would they do, after hearing who was involved with the yard.

I moved her first thing Saturday. I am so worried about the ponies left behind, they obviously breed them somewhere and bring them to the yard, that looks great on the surface, but a yard from hell for these poor ponies.

Is this something that I can report, surely being man handled, left in filth and not let out during the day. Yes they had water and hay, but they seemed to have no spirit at all, very sad 😪
 
Yes. Please do or at least, report to World Horse Welfare 08000 480180. I have had a couple of successful reports acted on in the past year, non related to shortage of food or water. WHW call in the RSPCA if they need to prosecute - if you call the RSPCA it is a bit of a lottery as to whether the attending inspector is familiar with horses, all the WHW field officers don't do anything else. Please call them.
 
Whilst it doesn't sound like great horsemanship, it doesn't sound like a welfare case to me. It sounds like some slightly rough handling to load and some ponies who don't get turned out - a reality for a lot of horses especially in winter. Horses do cut themselves and my stables sometimes look like they've never been mucked out in the morning (cursed filthy animals!)...
 
How do you know they hadn't been out of their stables?

I'm not sure your description of the loading scenario is necessarily reason that any welfare authority will act. /quite a lot of people use minimal bedding - although the ones that do on my yard have boxes that look filthy by morning.
 
WHW will always advise on improvements if it isn't a prosecution case, and they always want to be told too often rather than not enough. If you aren't happy about the situation best err on the side of caution.
 
If you feel there is a case to report, then I think you need to be very clear with your facts, as from your post I am a little confused about the situation! And if I'm confused the welfare authorities will probably be too, if you report it! Are you sure the ponies aren't going out at all - they may be in during the day and out at night, which would fit in with them being on restricted grazing (rather than no grazing at all). I agree with the poster above that a stable can get very messy in the space of a day, if not skipped out and on minimal bedding. If you feel the animals are being kept in permanently and NEVER mucked out, then you need to be able to tell the welfare organisation your basis for this assumption. As for the loading situation, unless you have witnesses, I'm not sure that there is much that can be done now it is over and done with, unless the animals were caused injuries or there is some other evidence.
 
The reason I know, I work unsociable hours. I have been there first thing in the morning and late at night, not once were they moved. During the day of being there, they were not moved or cleaned out. It's hard to describe and explain it for you to comprehend what I saw and what they did. It may not sound rough by what you read, but you were not there to witness the cruelty, they went through. I just cannot explain it well, if you saw what I saw and experienced it then you would understand it. I took pictures, I have evidence. Those stables were clearly not mucked out for days.
 
It isn't entirely abnormal for horses to stay in though. I agree with TGM I think you need to be very clear about what you are reporting when you do report. Not mucking out for days is not ideal/perfect husbandry but will not necessarily considered a welfare issue, standing on months worth of manure with no fresh bedding on top would more likely be. If you have only been there for a few days I am not sure quite how you will confirm that they are always in and never mucked out. They might not be the nicest people in the world but I don't think that necessarily means cruelty is taking place.
 
I will be able to explain my concerns better to them, on here I'm also trying not to give to much away in case they go on this site too. I have spoken with a few people whilst being on the yard to find out the person I am talking about "been told be careful " so therefore I am not trying to confuse you, but to give a little bit information. If you have seen what my eyes have seen you will know they haven't been out, fast turn around dealer placing horses there to sell with a couple of permanent horses in fields that live out. I know I'm not up there 24-7 but it really is obvious they stay where they are.
 
But it simply isn't a welfare matter to keep horses in a stable. It's normal on the continent and on many yards in the UK.
 
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