The manufacturer of field-safe headcollars with “Do not feed” printed on the nosebands hopes they will help educate the public after a series of cases of horses dying or becoming ill.
Erin Blyth, of Blyth Equestrian, was inspired to create the range from her own experiences in the first lockdown.
“Our horses had to be out as long as possible, and my horse’s field was on a footpath,” she said. “There were a lot of people walking past and I couldn’t be there all the time to check whether the horses were being fed.
“We think a family fed them one day as there was a fight, and one of the horses was really badly injured.”
Erin said there were signs up warning against feeding the horses but the field is a big one, so people could say they had not seen them, while some of the signs fell down.
“I thought I had to do something, and this way people literally couldn’t miss it,” she said.
“They’re field-safe headcollars, because I know people worry about leaving things on in the field, and I tried to make them as simple as possible.”
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The headcollars have proved very popular, Erin said, so she sold out and has restocked, and she has had good feedback from customers.
“I’ve made laminated pictures of Chicco dead in the field, saying ‘This is what you’ve caused; you did this’”
“People have said they’ve watched people go up to the horses, read the headcollar and walk off,” she said. “We’re going to get the same message on fly veils too, to try to do as much as we can but keep it as simple as possible.
“I’ve caught someone taking a loaf of bread to the horses’ field on the way to feed the ducks and it scares me. We considered a few different messages but thought this was the best way forwards.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
