Stray Horses on Highways

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anguscat

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Hi. I'm in the Avon and Somerset Police Area and the police here seem to deal with the problem of stray horses and ponies on the highways by opening the nearest available field gate and shoo-ing them in, leaving the 'problem' to the landowner. The landowner is told by the police not to let the horses back out, saying that they would be at fault inthe event of any accident for letting the horses loose on the highway. When the landowner calls the RSPCA (especially because no water available in the field), they cant/wont help, saying it's a civil matter between the landowner and the unknown owner of the animals.
I own a few fields but luckily this hasn't happened to me yet. However I'd welcome comments on any such similar experiences and how the difficulties were overcome especially any comments on how other police forces seem to deal with such problems in other areas of the country.
 
anguscat said:
Hi. I'm in the Avon and Somerset Police Area and the police here seem to deal with the problem of stray horses and ponies on the highways by opening the nearest available field gate and shoo-ing them in, leaving the 'problem' to the landowner. The landowner is told by the police not to let the horses back out, saying that they would be at fault inthe event of any accident for letting the horses loose on the highway. When the landowner calls the RSPCA (especially because no water available in the field), they cant/wont help, saying it's a civil matter between the landowner and the unknown owner of the animals.
I own a few fields but luckily this hasn't happened to me yet. However I'd welcome comments on any such similar experiences and how the difficulties were overcome especially any comments on how other police forces seem to deal with such problems in other areas of the country.
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I am in Kent and twice now we have found stray horses wondering around, and have phoned the police, who wanted nothing to do with it and I was told to tie them to a tree. They did not want to know, so it was down to us to round them up bring to our spare field and then do everything we could to try and trace the owners, was not inpressed and told them in no uncertain terms what I thought.
 
That is crazy! It's not like the horses suddenly become yours to do what you want with! It makes sense to put them somewhere safe whilst it is investigated but they could at least get an animal charity to take care of them, what are you supposed to if they are sick or injured? I bet they wouldnt thinktwice about putting a stallion in with mares either!
 
It is bad, I would definitely be getting a very big chain and padlock! At one of my old yards a stray pony turned up one night and wouldn't leave, they caught it and rang the police and they were told they had to put up 'found' notices in the local area, and if not claimed within a certain amount of time, the pony was theirs, just like if you found lost property! Poor pony, turned out to be a rig and I don't know what happened to it when they got rid of it :(
I think they need to be made to realise that animals are not just 'property'!
 
The rspca are right, plus the issue if stray horses across the country is too big for a charity to deal with, they'd be broke within the week if they picked up everyone if them. Similar to stray dogs the local council and police should ultimately be responsible. But as above the police can't open gates and 'shoo' them in if the gates are paddlocked..
 
Sorry for the punctuation etc. Phone predictive text us bad!!! Forgot to say, some councils employ horse bailiffs if the problem in that area is prolific.
 
You might want to suggest to your police force that they work with the local council to come up with something like this

http://www.welovechorleywood.co.uk/...ll-new-green-yard-procedure-for-stray-horses/

It only applies to horses on the highway or ones roaming with nothing stopping them getting onto the roads, but it is much better than (in effect) the police themselves committing a civil offence by 'moving' a horse with no passport and worse still onto some poor unsuspecting person's land and dumping them with the problem.
 
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