Should I be worried??????????

[cariadssogreat]

My new 2 year old coloured cob filly is turned out in paddocks along side my other 3 mares, in the village close to home. The intregueing thing is that twice this week the filly has had "sort of" plaits in her mane. The first at the weekend certainly is a plait and tonights was more like a tangled plaited mess - but either way it is not possible the horse could have done it - far too intricate. The field is away from roads - in the middle of nowhere althougth there is a house next door so to speak. The filly is not all that sociable and is nervous any way - so I can see a justified reason for this to happen .
What do you think is going on - TBH I am getting a little paranoid what with the horse attacks going on - and the fact that horse theft is on the increase.
Should I be worried?

 

[Agent XXX999]

Are you sure that it is no one from your yard

 

[cariadssogreat]

Theres no one else there but me - forgot to say. And no one would be "passing" - or dam well shouldn't be

 

[dwi]

Sounds like children to me. Can you put up a sign on the gate or fence warning that action will be taken against trespassers?

You don't have to mean it but it might be a deterrent to a child

 

[cariadssogreat]

Dwi - it would immediately seem like kids to me - but there aren't any in our part of the village - none - and none could get the by themself anyway. Trying to think its innocent - but getting worried.

 

[SirenaXVI]

Has she got a very long mane? It is entirely possible that it has plaited itself - Sirena's mane will plait itself if I don't comb it through for a couple of days - it is a true plait too, and you would think that someone had done it - but I know for a fact that they haven't.

 

[Agent XXX999]

Um...its really wierd that a youngster would stand still for that long too, is the yard close to your house? could you check on them through the night?

Sounds like kids to me too...do any live in the house next door, or have you considered asking them if they know anything.

That or you could just wait until the culprit gets squished by a bored youngster!

 

[cariadssogreat]

Interesting Sirena , thanks. Yeah FeuFolet - I'll wait for someone to get flattened LOL!!! I am very local and tend to turn up at all sorts of times of day and night - god help anyone if I find em' admittedly I would probably run for home though - wimp.

 

[Agent XXX999]

oooh you could electrify your fence and forget to put signs up! xxx

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

You've been visited by the 'Plait Fairy'.

Seriously though make sure your gates etc are padlocked & ensure some signs about trespassing/ closed circuit TV etc are put up. This may stop anyone coming into your paddock. I hope it sorts itself out. Good Luck

 

[PeterNatt]

May I strongly advise you to have all your horses freezemarked on their shoulders so that if they are stolen they can be identified.

Also make sure that the hinges of your gates are reversed so that the gate can not be lifted off the hinges.

 

[cariadssogreat]

Thanks peter natt - I have contacted farmkey last week because I want all my neds microchipped and micromarked, as I have 3 coloured fillies in the field I probably have good reason to be paranoid maybe?

 

[magicgirl]

Try oiling her mane and see what happens. several of my ponies with long manes get "fairy plaits£ and they really look like children have done them but no one has been near them. Don't worry it happens a lot.

 

[Agent XXX999]

Have you tried frizz eze? expensive yet effective!

 

[shellonabeach]

Lurker here.

When I read your post the alarm bells started ringing.

I have trawled the UK Horsewatch site but cannot find the paragraph I read about potential victims of horse abuse having strange plaits putting in their manes / tails and also hair being cut and made into little symbols and left in the field.

It also dawned on me that it was the full moon over the weekend.

May be a load of poppyc*ck but better safe than sorry.