Horse owners warned to check electric fencing regularly
The RSPCA has urged horse owners to check their electric fencing after being called twice in a week to reports of deer caught in tape fencing.
RSPCA chief inspector Lee Hopgood was called to a fallow deer caught by its antlers in fencing at Dunley, Stourport-on-Severn, on 9 September and to another incident in Halesowen on 12 September.
He said: “I would urge anyone using this fencing to manage the grazing of their horses to check it a minimum of once a day, preferably in the morning as deer can get caught overnight.
“It is essential that it is fully maintained and secure so there is less likelihood of animals getting trapped.”
Both deer were tranquillised and released unhurt.
British Horse Society welfare spokesman Julie Mortlock added: “It’s common sense really, regardless of whether it is a deer stuck in your fencing or your horse, you should be checking it regularly.”
This news story was first published in H&H (24 September, 09)
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.