Delicious_D
Well-Known Member
How do you feel about strangers feeding your horse treats? Personally i would rather they didnt but i do have a tub of 'treats' outside dee's box and if they must, at least i know whats she's being fed?
strangers feeding your horse treats...yey or neigh?
- Thread starter Delicious_D
- Start date
EllenJay
Well-Known Member
No way - with a pony that has EMS treats could potentially kill him
Springy
Well-Known Member
Neigh
unless I am there and they ask first......
unless I am there and they ask first......
ShowJumperBeckii
Well-Known Member
Neigh!- It's rather annoying if my horse is tied up while i'm mucking out and as the yard staff go past with the feed trolley for the full liveries/race horses they give my horse a handful of feed! yes its only a handful but he does NOT need racing nuts!
Shantara
Well-Known Member
If me or someone who knows Ned well is there, I don't see why not! He loves treats 
E13
Well-Known Member
Owners: how would you feel about the odd polo or carrot?
ellie11987
Well-Known Member
Neigh, definatley. Cannot deal with people who titbit my horse with useless treats full of crap! My horse will get treats as a reward but thats it and only from me, or when I'm feeling nice hehe
LD&S
Well-Known Member
Neigh, I had a friend come over and though she did ask before feeding them she actually took offence when I said she couldn't feed a whole carrier bag straight off of apples and carrots to my two, the other one was so timid she didn't come near anyway.
StormyMoments
Well-Known Member
no - taz will just get stressy when they stop feeding him and rio already nips as his old owner used to feed him by hand all the time so now im the one getting bruises when he nips me. rather it wasnt encouraged!
Ali2
Well-Known Member
No. I would feed a treat to a horse that wasn't mine but only with owners permission!
Delicious_D
Well-Known Member
For me it is not an issue, BUT tbf unless you knew a horse it really isnt on. We have horses on the yard with EMS, ESPM, Lami etc. Delicia can get very poorly if fed haylege.
I had a msg off someone on facebook the other day, they recognised my horse when they went for a lesson and dropped into conversation that they feed her treats every other week. Now i dont mind, i personally wouldnt do it but i did say to they what they can give her if they want to give her a treat.
Chellebean
Well-Known Member
I would say on! but saying that Sailor is a very good judge of character as i've found out lol
MrsMozart
Just passing through...
No. Definitely not.
Some of them will turn bolshy/nippy, Little Lad would have had health issues, Little Cob doesn't need any more food!
It's one of my personal bugbears
Some of them will turn bolshy/nippy, Little Lad would have had health issues, Little Cob doesn't need any more food!
It's one of my personal bugbears
muckypony
Well-Known Member
I don't particularly like it, especially after hearing stories of people at shows giving possible competition treats that can dope them
But there used to be (i say used to be because i haven't been competing in a while, so he's more than likely still out there!) a guy in the south-east area that was at most PC/unaff show jumping shows that would be wandering round giving treats to ponies - meant no harm, just had a chat and gave your pony a polo! At first i was like WHAT! But after the third/fourth time I thought it was quite nice of him, and my pony was very grateful
If a complete random wandered over, gave my pony a treat then walked off again... I'd be a rather concerned!
But there used to be (i say used to be because i haven't been competing in a while, so he's more than likely still out there!) a guy in the south-east area that was at most PC/unaff show jumping shows that would be wandering round giving treats to ponies - meant no harm, just had a chat and gave your pony a polo! At first i was like
WHAT! But after the third/fourth time I thought it was quite nice of him, and my pony was very grateful If a complete random wandered over, gave my pony a treat then walked off again... I'd be a rather concerned!
Donnie Darco
Well-Known Member
Neigh
That is all
That is all
muddygreymare
Well-Known Member
Definitely not if i wasn't there. If i was about and they asked politely and only had like a polo or something then i wouldn't mind. I suppose it depends on the circumstances really
iCandy
Well-Known Member
Neigh! My boy has allergies so is on a restricted diet and 'casual treat givers' have already caused this to flare up and have helped teach him that booting his door gets him treats. They are the bane of my life 😬
Delicious_D
Well-Known Member
I don't particularly like it, especially after hearing stories of people at shows giving possible competition treats that can dope them
But there used to be (i say used to be because i haven't been competing in a while, so he's more than likely still out there!) a guy in the south-east area that was at most PC/unaff show jumping shows that would be wandering round giving treats to ponies - meant no harm, just had a chat and gave your pony a polo! At first i was like
If a complete random wandered over, gave my pony a treat then walked off again... I'd be a rather concerned!
Thats very odd...dont think i would like him feeding dee!
Problem is, dee is a sucker for a good treat and begs all the time!
annaellie
Well-Known Member
No way, I have mine at home and old owner comes and sees one of them. I always know cause he gets nippy, he nipped me last week and had hold of my finger and did not let go. So no tit bits are not for anytime
Delicious_D
Well-Known Member
ouch annaellie!
Delicia has grown out of the nippy stage, i wouldnt allow it, but treats like carrots, apples and polos are very high in sucrose/fructose and not really good for her teeth :S
I'd rather they gave her a handful of hay!
Delicia has grown out of the nippy stage, i wouldnt allow it, but treats like carrots, apples and polos are very high in sucrose/fructose and not really good for her teeth :S
I'd rather they gave her a handful of hay!
Goodshipblossom
Active Member
I have also been wondering this. My pony lives next to a footpath and it's slowly becoming apparent to me that she has a small fan club growing that like to give her carrots and things.
She also has a bad nipping problem, which she's had since a baby (I think she may have been bottlefed briefly), as she's constantly looking for treats- I only give her a polo after ride and a polo when back in the field.
I'm starting to wonder if I should put a sign asking for people not to feed her. It seems a shame as people enjoy giving "Brownie" a treat and I'm not convinced stopping it would cure her nipping problem just like that, rather me being strict with her when she does start probing my pockets seems to be working slowly.
Bit odd really, you wouldn't give food to someone else's dog,cat or child, so why a pony?
She also has a bad nipping problem, which she's had since a baby (I think she may have been bottlefed briefly), as she's constantly looking for treats- I only give her a polo after ride and a polo when back in the field.
I'm starting to wonder if I should put a sign asking for people not to feed her. It seems a shame as people enjoy giving "Brownie" a treat and I'm not convinced stopping it would cure her nipping problem just like that, rather me being strict with her when she does start probing my pockets seems to be working slowly.
Bit odd really, you wouldn't give food to someone else's dog,cat or child, so why a pony?
Littlelegs
Well-Known Member
No. With my oldie, once I know the person isn't going to feed anything stupid, or do it infront of others & start a fight, then provided they asked originally, I don't mind. She's had nearly 22yrs of handtreats without offering to nip, so isn't about to start now. She has always been a magnet for young girls too, so she is used to it. However, other horses no, unless I'm asked each & every time.
Mythical
Well-Known Member
I seriously can't believe that people go wandering up to random horses and feeding them treats!
You wouldn't walk up to someone's car and give it a bottle of redex, or start feeding your crisps to some random dog or cat and you'd probably get put in prison for handing out sweets to random children on the street! Why then, do people insist on doling out polos to every strange horse they meet?? It's not like I was brought up horsey but this just seems like common sense and it does my head in!!
If someone has asked me if it's OK to feed my horse a treat, I'll usually give them the instructions and that's a green light from then on. (She can't have a treat for just being gorgeous, you have to ask her to do a trick first, and for some reason she's much more polite about taking it than if you've just handed her a treat, when someone who doesn't know her might fear they'll loose an arm!) If they get bitten or covered in slobber after that it's their own fault. If someone wandered over and started feeding her, I'd think they were pretty strange and I'd probably be a bit worried about what they'd fed her. Luckily, she's not a horse who likes to be fussed and will generally wander away from strangers cause they're interrupting her grass eating session.
You wouldn't walk up to someone's car and give it a bottle of redex, or start feeding your crisps to some random dog or cat and you'd probably get put in prison for handing out sweets to random children on the street! Why then, do people insist on doling out polos to every strange horse they meet?? It's not like I was brought up horsey but this just seems like common sense and it does my head in!!
If someone has asked me if it's OK to feed my horse a treat, I'll usually give them the instructions and that's a green light from then on. (She can't have a treat for just being gorgeous, you have to ask her to do a trick first, and for some reason she's much more polite about taking it than if you've just handed her a treat, when someone who doesn't know her might fear they'll loose an arm!) If they get bitten or covered in slobber after that it's their own fault. If someone wandered over and started feeding her, I'd think they were pretty strange and I'd probably be a bit worried about what they'd fed her. Luckily, she's not a horse who likes to be fussed and will generally wander away from strangers cause they're interrupting her grass eating session.
Delicious_D
Well-Known Member
Indeed goodshipblossom - i am touched that people like my horse and want to pet her, but feeding treats is sometimes a little too much
burtondog
Well-Known Member
A big no no as far as I'm concerned. I really hate people feeding my horse treats.
TheoryX1
Well-Known Member
Neigh, neigh and thrice neigh. Both of mine will get nippy, particularly my cob who is food obssessed. I dont feed them treats. Apples and carrots are put in their feed buckets. I have learned the hard way not to feed treats. Anyone can pat and fuss them, I dont mind, but treats. Neigh!
pogface
Well-Known Member
I'd say no if its a stranger. We do have a bucket of treats on the yard which I sneak to the horses if I think they deserve it... But we are on a small yard and I'm pretty sure we all do it!
Cobbysmum
Well-Known Member
Neigh, I have never fed treats, as above they get carrots in their buckets and that's all. When the children were small I didn't want nippy ponies and fortunately they were never bitten. We had a lady who used to feed bread, despite me asking her not to, until I asked her if she was prepared to,pay the vet's bill if the pony choked. She soon stopped.
muckypony
Well-Known Member
I definitely wouldn't want this as its how illness can spread - people walking along footpaths feeding the horses they come across. I would put a sign up!
jennywren07
Well-Known Member
asa general rule neigh, however there is a lady who lives next door to the ponies who comes out every dayto give them a carrot.
She has alzheimer's and gets very agitated if she doesnt go out to "feed the work horses". When we first moved in her care came to speak to us about it and we agreed 1 carrot for each pony a day. It's nice to know were making this lady happy and the horses get an extra glance over each day
She has alzheimer's and gets very agitated if she doesnt go out to "feed the work horses". When we first moved in her care came to speak to us about it and we agreed 1 carrot for each pony a day. It's nice to know were making this lady happy and the horses get an extra glance over each day