RSPCA seasonal "advice"

nicolenlolly

nicolenlolly

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So one of the mums at school who thinks I am cruel for not rugging my horses sent me this link via email and on Facebook...

http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutani.../details/-/article/ENQ_Seasonal_Advice_Winter
She then had highlighted the bit about horses:
"We advise that if horses and ponies are kept outside during the winter they must have access to shelter at all times.

They also need a constant supply of fresh water (check that ice hasn’t formed on it) and a rug to protect them against the cold and wet. Extra food will be needed too, as winter grazing provides very little nourishment."

So I don't have a problem with food and water, I can do that!! They have natural shelter but how on earth can they state it needs a rug without herding up and "rescuing" all the moors ponies, mountain ponies etc etc?!? Ridiculous!
 
Jeez it's just a suggestion/bit of advice, which is hardly a bad thing is it?!

They are hardly saying that unless every horse has a rug on then they will be prosecuted and banned for life, they are simply stating that by law, horses should be protected from the elements as best as possible.
 
They ARE saying that horses need rugs though Moomin, and fuelling nicollenlolly's friend's missplaced concern.
 
Unfortunately this bit of advise will be read by those who know little or nothing about horses and there will be even more reports of 'cruelty' by those who have no real idea, but have read that the RSPCA say you should put a rug on a horse. If the information is aimed at horse owners, then it is woefully inadequate (no discussion of weights of rug etc) If it is aimed at the general public then it is useless, as it is such a sweeping generalisation. Total waste of time and money publishing it IMO
 
Lol, I was walking through the village earlier and a few ponies have come down off the moor to have a forage/graze on the pub lawn. I'll see if I can get a rug on them tomorrow when I get a moment ;)
 
I do wonder sometimes wonder if the inspectors are trained in animal care at all.
It also states that poultry bones are dangerous to animals erm never heard of raw feeding dogs which is based on feeding chicken bones. That should read cooked poultry bones. Oh dear.
Oh well better get ready for a visit from the RSPCA as three of four of mine are unrugged dirty and muddy and the water freezes as fast as I can change it. They do have four inches of fluffy two layered coat though and are fed well soaked food and offered drinks before it freezes they are not interested but I do offer them water every day. I do break the ice and remove as much as possible but it soon freezes again. Strangely they seem able to break it themselves if they feel the need as there is always a thinner bit. They cant have ad lib hay as it gives them diahorrea but I do give some and they have some straw too. They are a bit fat but It keeps them warm
 
competitiondiva said:
I expect it's an oversight more than anything, not worth a major arguement about!
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I doubt it is an oversight, rather a badly thought out piece of 'information'. It was hardly written by someone who had much knowlege of horse care, which you would have thought the RSPCA would have had access to.
 
Hmmm it does say they NEED a rug to protect them from the elements. Maybe a few people should email the RSPCA just saying 'your information is a bit wrong, here is some better information (perhaps from a recognised horse charity) in equally simple terms'.

Pleeease can someone try to inform the general public about laminitis and overfeeding as well?! Even just a sentence would help!

The blind leading the blind really isn't it!
 
That one is linked from the other one and does make marginally more sense. Still has a few sillies though like not riding in the afternoon
 
If you plan to ride your horse in winter, beware of getting your horse sweated up in the afternoon. Horses can easily catch a chill.

Eh?:confused:

Ooops..cross posted!

Did you know, in the winter, the days are short and the nights are long? Who writes this stuff?!
 
Oh dear :/
I would really like to see the rspca working with bhs/whw on things like this.
It's just sheer stupidity that shouldn't be happening. Surely consulting with someone clued up on horse welfare would be an idea.
 
Beausmate said:
If you plan to ride your horse in winter, beware of getting your horse sweated up in the afternoon. Horses can easily catch a chill.

Eh?:confused:

Ooops..cross posted!

Did you know, in the winter, the days are short and the nights are long? Who writes this stuff?!
Click to expand...

Afternoon starts after midday in my book! Plenty of time to ride before it goes dark! :)
 
Better get ready for my visit from them, only two of our 4 are rugged! The other two are hubbys welsh a and his shire x .
I dont know writes this junk, but if we rugged those two they would be way too hot on mild days. The sec a had a rug when we bought her as it cold and wet in May, and she had been stabled so was cold. Now shes like a teddy.
My welsh d is rugged, as he was cold two nights ago but hes always had a rug with us. Not one of the more hardy natives.
 
The OP has the problem that one of the mothers at school is using the RSPCA advice as a stick to beat her with
The ignorant would take the RSPCA word as gospel so perhaps it should read provide a rug if the pony needs one
 
Better advice would be to check your horse's ears and armpits and rug accordingly.

Hope they don't come round my way-I've one very thin one, one very naked one and one who is neither. :D
 
Moomin1 said:
Jeez it's just a suggestion/bit of advice, which is hardly a bad thing is it?!

They are hardly saying that unless every horse has a rug on then they will be prosecuted and banned for life, they are simply stating that by law, horses should be protected from the elements as best as possible.
Click to expand...

I have to say that even though I am not a fan of the RSPCA and that moomin seems unable to answer my question (even though it has been posted on two threads:rolleyes:) I have to agree on this... it is quite clearly advisory
 
Queenbee said:
I have to say that even though I am not a fan of the RSPCA and that moomin seems unable to answer my question (even though it has been posted on two threads:rolleyes:) I have to agree on this... it is quite clearly advisory
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But the advice is wrong from a welfare perspective unless qualified to say that without shelter many horses will need rugs unless they are used to living out without them and have a thick winter coat/native type.

It isnt like some random person giving out crap advice by being simplistic. They are supposed to be the experts and based on this advice more and more horses will suffer by being overweight and overheated and more and more people will have RSPCA inspectors turning up because neighbours read this sort of stuff and think - those poor horses with no rugs and report them.

More horses suffer from being overhot than from being a bit cool. They are designed to live outside with no rugs (as long as they do it habitually and have plenty of food)!

Poor show.
 
Didn't mean to start a thread and run and don't want to be called a 't' word :) my baby (human) was very poorly last night! Anyway, sugar and spice that is a good idea, I will do that, I have also explained that I have asked on here where there are many people who know more about horses than I ever will and said if she wants to read it I will direct her to it. She hasn't replied yet! I didn't see it as advice myself, as I read it, it was definitive.
Just thought it was interesting that in the main they are deemed to be highly regarded and yet they can get it so catastrophically wrong!
 
Really, is this is still going? Just out of interest if this same bit of advise had been put on the bhs or whw websites would this whole thread be going or would you just call them and advise that whoever put that particular bit of info on the website might like to re-phrase it as in it's current form it's inaccurate and a little miss leading????
 
The devil is in the detail.Horses that are well fed, living in groups (they share body heat) and have good shelter naturel or otherwise are fine.Horses living in bare wind sweeped padocks need extra protection.The RSPCA, while not infallible ,no one is, have and still do a very good job most of the time and I wonder at the politics behind this anti RSPCA movement.
 
YorksG said:
I doubt it is an oversight, rather a badly thought out piece of 'information'. It was hardly written by someone who had much knowlege of horse care, which you would have thought the RSPCA would have had access to.
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This sounds about right. The inclusion of a few simple qualifiers like "may" would give the statement some validity but could it be the organisation that uses number of calls to them as a measure of it's success using this means to up it's statistics?
 
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All it needs is a 'some horses need' inserting into the original statement, and possibly a 'particularly if they are thin skinned or clipped' added also. No biggie. It's not an entirely wrong statement but it's not entirely right either.

Three of ours are rugged at the moment (the oldie, the growing weed who doesn't have a lot of meat on his bones, and the mud magnet). The other three aren't (the hairy bear of a TB who hates rugs, and the two welsh/welsh Xs). All out 24/7 with plenty of hay.
 
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