Tic Toc found. :(

[fatpiggy]

Central News, Anglia Region

“The cause of Tic Toc's death remains unknown and there are no obvious factors. He was found close to a shallow dyke about half a mile from the family home by a dog walker. The rug which he always wore was missing.​

The area had been searched again and again said Mrs Porter, "probably hundreds of times" and it's unlikely he would have been missed.​

She feels Tic Toc had been kept by someone and dumped several weeks after he disappeared. She says the police have been informed and are investigating.”​

TicToc didn't just 'lose' his rug. Seems he did go under criminal circumstances. How terribly sad. Bless you Josh and Catriona xx

Genie

It is such a sad end to the story. But sadly children have to get used to losing pets. I lost my guineapig when I was 5 (my sister lost her rabbit) to a dog which broke open the hutch. I can still remember my mum in floods of tears over it. But we still went on and had other pets. As to the ditch, well a few years back I was hacking around the fields on the farm where my horse was kept. Some of the fields had quite deep drainage ditches separating them. I thought I could see something in one of the ditches, almost under the vegetation so stopped for a closer look. It turned out to be a sheep so I whizzed back to base and told the YO. He went down with a tractor to pull it out and amazingly it was still alive. The other sheep had been moved out several days before and no-one noticed it down there despite there being a popular bridle way beside it. I'd been by the day before too and didn't see anything then.

Poor little TicToc. He didn't deserve such a sad end, whatever the circumstances and I'm sure his owners feel exactly the same.

 

[putasocinit]

Oh didnt realise they feed from them, silly me, but they can fly and get fish elsewhere, lol, ignore me just trying to come up with solutions as this seems to be quite a regular thing big animals falling in to these dykes.

 

[RunToEarth]

Pity they couldnt be covered with strong mesh so the water could still pass through but nothing could fall into them. Guess i am being over hopeful but appreciate it would cost millions.

There are thousands of miles of drainage dykes in this country used and lived in by all kinds of wildlife - the ones in Ramsey are full of otters so grating them would be completely uneconomical for the few escaped horses that stray into them.

 

[putasocinit]

Okay, i guess then this will have to be the first place to really search if a horse goes missing and there are dykes in nearby vicinity.

 

[EstherYoung]

I have a very small drainage ditch bordering my field. The horses had never bothered with it until a few years ago when my old guy got cast in it. It was a fire brigade job to get him out and as a fairly sizeable 15 hand horse he looked miniscule when he was stuck in there. It is now safely fenced off. But if a larger horse can virtually disappear in a small ditch, a tiny pony could easily vanish in a large ditch. Plus, with the rainfall we've had, where he was found may not be where he went in - he could have washed down current a bit.

 

[putasocinit]

Being from africa i dont know what a dyke looks like, so i will have to take a trip somewhere and go have a look at one, but they sound kinda scary

 

[fatpiggy]

Being from africa i dont know what a dyke looks like, so i will have to take a trip somewhere and go have a look at one, but they sound kinda scary

Think wadi on a slightly smaller scale and you won't be too far wrong!

 

[RunToEarth]

Being from africa i dont know what a dyke looks like, so i will have to take a trip somewhere and go have a look at one, but they sound kinda scary

These are photos of drainage dykes at Holme Fen which is about a mile from Ramsey - they can easily be 10ft deep, and with it being pumped drainage into the Yaxley lode there are so many sluices - it is very easy for them to get quite a current on them.

 

[putasocinit]

Oh wow, i didnt realise they were so big, i thought they were like a slope, thanks for the pictures

 

[ester]

ahh didn't realise you couldn't picture it somerset ones: - I think there is a cow swimming in the first one!

 

[shellonabeach]

I find it strange a pony/horse would wander off on its own away from its herd, yes it would graze a small distance away, but mine are never far from each other and usually end up all grazing together soon after one moves away to some scrummy grass. Maybe they can injure themselves when falling in to the dyle so unable to get back out.

There are so many questions in the horsey world and life itself, if we only knew all the answers.

ITV news says he was found half a mile away from his field which really is no distance at all to have strayed from his buddies.

The long coat and the rug if he still had it on when he went in the dyke would have made him waterlogged and weighed him down.

 

[Ibblebibble]

do you know it's actually quite a relief to come on here and read such sensible thoughts and answers after the hysteria that has reigned on facebook over this!
How or why would someone steal a pony, let it die and then take it back to within a mile of it's home to dump it in a ditch? they would have been seen dumping it as they would have needed a vehicle, but oh no, according to the masses on FB this is what happened and to say otherwise means you are a cruel heartless person!
thank you HHO'ers for restoring my faith in common sense

 

[OWLIE185]

I am sorry to hear about Tic Toc and my sympathies go to the child and family involved. It must be very distressing for them.

I have been involved in the recovery of a number of stolen horses over the years and in most cases it is cob type mares that are stolen for breeding purposes. Occasionally other types of horses are stolen for a variety of reason (in many cases an ownership dispute).
My best advice to you all is to ensure that your horses are Freeze marked on their shoulder (so that it can be seen when ridden) as it makes it so easy for anyone (any member of the public etc.) to identify the horse.
It is my experience that for whatever reason most horses seem to escape at night. My advice is ensure that you have good fencing and probably one of the best fencing you can have is Equi-fencing which is in effect tight knit sheep fencing. It prevents horses kicking through the fence line but has the distinct advantage that it takes very much longer to cut through it. Where gates are concerned always ensure that the gates hinges are reversed so that the gates can not be lifted off it's hinges. Rather than use a padlock and chain to secure a gate have a welded box which the padlock is seated in to prevent bolt cutters being used to get at the chain or lock. If your field adjoin a road then have to parallel lines of adjoining fencing so that if a vehicle crashes and destroys the fencing you have a remaining inner fence. This may sound like belts and braces but you would be surprised how much livestock escapes as a result of a motor vehicle crashing through fencing.

 

[LaMooch]

do you know it's actually quite a relief to come on here and read such sensible thoughts and answers after the hysteria that has reigned on facebook over this!
How or why would someone steal a pony, let it die and then take it back to within a mile of it's home to dump it in a ditch? they would have been seen dumping it as they would have needed a vehicle, but oh no, according to the masses on FB this is what happened and to say otherwise means you are a cruel heartless person!
thank you HHO'ers for restoring my faith in common sense

I agree just some people aren't happy with it was an accident. They rather blame a third party

 

[Firewell]

It was obviously an accident, it doesn't make sense otherwise, poor pony.
I do feel sorry for the little boy. Yes they have to learn about loss but in such a dramatic way?
If the same had happen to my little boys pony I would not have gone crazy, starting a national campaign getting his hopes up. I probably would have kept him from the yard for a couple of days while I had a blimin good look for the pony, contacted the police ect and then I may have said that the pony had gone for a long walk and won't come home and have got him a new one! Plenty of time to explain about theft and death later. I wouldn't have made such a big issue out of it basically, now all the kid is going to remember is that his pony was stolen, potentially murdered and christmas was ruined.
When in reality cheeky old pony found a way to escaped. Fell into a dyke, with all the rain wasn't found until his body was washed to a shallower point.
Not really fair! (That's me assuming they didn't hide it all from the child).

 

[putasocinit]

Yes they would be difficult to get out of esp if laden downwith a rug, poor boy, thanks for piccies

 

[risky business]

It was obviously an accident, it doesn't make sense otherwise, poor pony.
I do feel sorry for the little boy. Yes they have to learn about loss but in such a dramatic way?
If the same had happen to my little boys pony I would not have gone crazy, starting a national campaign getting his hopes up. I probably would have kept him from the yard for a couple of days while I had a blimin good look for the pony, contacted the police ect and then I may have said that the pony had gone for a long walk and won't come home and have got him a new one! Plenty of time to explain about theft and death later. I wouldn't have made such a big issue out of it basically, now all the kid is going to remember is that his pony was stolen, potentially murdered and christmas was ruined.
When in reality cheeky old pony found a way to escaped. Fell into a dyke, with all the rain wasn't found until his body was washed to a shallower point.
Not really fair! (That's me assuming they didn't hide it all from the child).

I don't think the child even knew of the campaign.

Im sure the owners commented on another thread about not wanting to post posters everywhere as she didn't want her child to see them. He was certainly to young to know of the Facebook campaign and I'm sure the call to the police most likely wasn't done in front of him. Seemed to me they were trying to keep him out of 'harms' way as much as possible.

Although I hate to think of the conversation they will have to have with him about where tic toc has gone.

 

[FionaM12]

It was obviously an accident, it doesn't make sense otherwise, poor pony.
I do feel sorry for the little boy. Yes they have to learn about loss but in such a dramatic way?
If the same had happen to my little boys pony I would not have gone crazy, starting a national campaign getting his hopes up. I probably would have kept him from the yard for a couple of days while I had a blimin good look for the pony, contacted the police ect and then I may have said that the pony had gone for a long walk and won't come home and have got him a new one! Plenty of time to explain about theft and death later. I wouldn't have made such a big issue out of it basically, now all the kid is going to remember is that his pony was stolen, potentially murdered and christmas was ruined.
When in reality cheeky old pony found a way to escaped. Fell into a dyke, with all the rain wasn't found until his body was washed to a shallower point.
Not really fair! (That's me assuming they didn't hide it all from the child).

I believe it was all kept from him, and he's young enough for that to be possible.

If I lost an animal I'd probably have a "campaign" too, as I've personally been involved in several lost pet stories where the happy end has been achieved through public awareness via social media. Of course it looks now that such a thing could never have helped poor Tic Toc, but his owners were surely just doing their best to spread the news in the hope of his safe return.

 

[AmyMay]

Central News, Anglia Region

“The cause of Tic Toc's death remains unknown and there are no obvious factors. He was found close to a shallow dyke about half a mile from the family home by a dog walker. The rug which he always wore was missing.​

The area had been searched again and again said Mrs Porter, "probably hundreds of times" and it's unlikely he would have been missed.​

She feels Tic Toc had been kept by someone and dumped several weeks after he disappeared. She says the police have been informed and are investigating.”​

TicToc didn't just 'lose' his rug. Seems he did go under criminal circumstances. How terribly sad. Bless you Josh and Catriona xx

Genie

Just for clarity. The area he was found in hadn't been searched.

There is absolutely no evidence of foul play. The pony was a known escape artist, despite reports to the contrary.

This situation is one of an escaped pony who most likely met his demise within the first 24 hours of his disappearance.

 

[putasocinit]

Oh no, that is terrible news that he was so close and could have been rescued, poor boy

 

[klipped]

Just for clarity. The area he was found in hadn't been searched.

There is absolutely no evidence of foul play. The pony was a known escape artist, despite reports to the contrary.

This situation is one of an escaped pony who most likely met his demise within the first 24 hours of his disappearance.

Somehow I missed this nationwide hunt,but really??? Do we not think its all a bit dramatic?

I don't know who wrote the above statement but I suspect its very true!

Ponies are the worse for escaping as we all know.

6grand reqard for an old stolen pony worth nothing to anyone other. Than the owners and its not returned??

Seriously!


Why don't they donate that. 6 grand to people who have had there horses stolen? People who literally search day in day out chasing leads. People who haven't been able to play the poor Little boy at xmas card!

Its devestating losing an equine friend. And I am genuinly sorry for there loss.

Thousands of horses ARE stolen. Believe it all not this horse was probably not stolen. And the wild goose chase has lead a lot of people no where.

A mass reward that couldof returned someone else horse. That was stolen.


I think its insulting to those goingthrough this.and. The owners should hopefully accept this was a tragic. Accident and help raise ss for others whilst there in the spotlight!


Am sorry its. Just really annoyed me! I don't believe it had a headcollar on, and. I think its stupid they wanna push that cause.

Rip tic toc


And hope all the stolen horses missing in the uk today have found there way to a safe sleeping place. If it be. Sold on or. Under a breeze free tree!

 

[FionaM12]

That's a pretty unpleasant and vindictive post, klipped. Why do you have to be nasty?

Whether strayed or stolen, a little boy DID lose his pony. I can't see why anyone has to be angry about. :confused3:

 

[ester]

I'd guess that klipped has possibly had a horse go missing/stolen and not had the sort of support/reward funds offered that tic toc's owners had, and were so insistent that he was stolen when it seems unlikely.

 

[klipped]

That's a pretty unpleasant and vindictive post, klipped. Why do you have to be nasty?

Whether strayed or stolen, a little boy DID lose his pony. I can't see why anyone has to be angry about. :confused3:

Itsnot vindictive, its annoying! There are peoplewho have had there horses stolen, and been ignored whilst from the start many people have said it strayed. All the press could have found a genuinely stolen horse.

As I said its very sad for the little boy. But the whole thing was OTT and I feel sorry for people who are activly fighting to find there stolen horse who haven't had the press theyvehad. That makes me angry. Not. Because I feel they don't deserve it. Because if they believe he was tolen they did. Reality however points another way.


If itwasnt for the little lad, and the xmas bit nationwide press wouldntof covered it. And harnot if they cando that for one they should do it for all.or atleast for someone whohas some details about theft that could lead to finding it.

That's all am saying. Itprobably reads. Badly. Buti just got a bit keyboard warrior.


It upsets me this. Hasbeenso wide spread and. Its more likely an accident. When thefts are happening and people don't get help

 

[LaMooch]

Itsnot vindictive, its annoying! There are peoplewho have had there horses stolen, and been ignored whilst from the start many people have said it strayed. All the press could have found a genuinely stolen horse.

As I said its very sad for the little boy. But the whole thing was OTT and I feel sorry for people who are activly fighting to find there stolen horse who haven't had the press theyvehad. That makes me angry. Not. Because I feel they don't deserve it. Because if they believe he was tolen they did. Reality however points another way.


If itwasnt for the little lad, and the xmas bit nationwide press wouldntof covered it. And harnot if they cando that for one they should do it for all.or atleast for someone whohas some details about theft that could lead to finding it.

That's all am saying. Itprobably reads. Badly. Buti just got a bit keyboard warrior.


It upsets me this. Hasbeenso wide spread and. Its more likely an accident. When thefts are happening and people don't get help

I agree with this.

think in a way saying it stolen is the owners little bit hope

 

[klipped]

I would loved that pony to have. Been found alive and well.

But as many people have said it seems they won't accept its an. Accident. So at a time when they have the nation listening. Can they not speak up for the thousands of stolen horses and find ONE as usually its totally ignored.

Harsh cruel wrong its true.

I. Had horses stolen several yearsago. There were dumped. Alive. Asthey were freezemarked.
But that's notmy reason for this.

How many posts do we see:stolen red transit seen at scene. Never gets out side of the equine circle. This family did it. Relitive or not.

So use that and find ONE of the thousands missing. That's my point!

That 6grand reward could be. Split to 6 causes. We. Know there's no market. We know. A grand for a horse. Is. A fair deal at the minute. That could find 6 horses!

I do feel for them I really do but speak out and save someone. Elseshorse! X

 

[Niki3309]

Hi have you tried the Hillside animal rescue centre,Hall Lane Frettenham Norwich 01603736200
Regards Niki

 

[FionaM12]

Hi have you tried the Hillside animal rescue centre,Hall Lane Frettenham Norwich 01603736200
Regards Niki

Who is this question aimed at? :confused3:

 

[Niki3309]

I am currently seething. I live fairly close to where Tic Toc was lost. I have had a pony dumped on me yesterday which was found playing in traffic. We are unable to contact or find owners. I've just rung the police whose response was "What do you expect us to do about it". I said "Well ideally you'll be able to tell me that someone has reported it lost or missing". The reply? "Oh we don't deal with that you'll need to contact the RSPCA". I did get them to take my address and phone number but only at my suggestion.

So I rang the RSCPA - my local animal rehoming centre. No option for horses so used the "Report a stray cat or dog" option. Very nice girl said they couldn't deal with lost pony, they just do cats and dogs - although I persuaded her to take my name and phone number just in case someone rang - and I had to ring the main number, which she gave me. At that point there is an option for horses, great! I thought, until it proved to be a recorded message telling me that all horses come with a freezemark and to ring Farmkey!

The upshot is that I have someone else's pony in my yard. No-one wanted to take details about him - it wasn't until I pushed them that they did. I don't expect that his owners wanted him, it looks as though they have cleared out and left him behind and the landlord has opened the gate and let him out, but the police and the RSPCA don't know that and they just didn't care.

Have you tried the Hillside horse rescue Frettenham Norfolk 01603736200

 

[Niki3309]

I am currently seething. I live fairly close to where Tic Toc was lost. I have had a pony dumped on me yesterday which was found playing in traffic. We are unable to contact or find owners. I've just rung the police whose response was "What do you expect us to do about it". I said "Well ideally you'll be able to tell me that someone has reported it lost or missing". The reply? "Oh we don't deal with that you'll need to contact the RSPCA". I did get them to take my address and phone number but only at my suggestion.

So I rang the RSCPA - my local animal rehoming centre. No option for horses so used the "Report a stray cat or dog" option. Very nice girl said they couldn't deal with lost pony, they just do cats and dogs - although I persuaded her to take my name and phone number just in case someone rang - and I had to ring the main number, which she gave me. At that point there is an option for horses, great! I thought, until it proved to be a recorded message telling me that all horses come with a freezemark and to ring Farmkey!

The upshot is that I have someone else's pony in my yard. No-one wanted to take details about him - it wasn't until I pushed them that they did. I don't expect that his owners wanted him, it looks as though they have cleared out and left him behind and the landlord has opened the gate and let him out, but the police and the RSPCA don't know that and they just didn't care.

Who is this question aimed at? :confused3:

Sorry new to this ,amended.