Public feeding horses
Members of the public feeding horses that don’t belong to them, without the permission of the animal’s owner, is a significant welfare risk that has grown in nature in recent years. An increase in the number of people walking in the countryside during the Covid-19 lockdowns brought the matter to a head, with numerous horses becoming ill, or even dying, as a result of an intended good deed. Here are just a few of their stories, plus details of what action has been taken to try to stop this problem from occurring.
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Choke, colic and death: public warned of the consequences of feeding horses without permission
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Not feeding horses covered in updated Countryside Code
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‘I’d said my goodbyes’: owner changes public minds after horse fed bread and cereal suffers ‘horrendous’ choke
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Radio 5 Live helps educate the public on why not to feed horses
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‘This makes everything worse’: shock as national radio show ‘encourages’ public feeding of horses
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Pony fed roast chicken dinner undergoes £5,500 colic surgery
I’ve had it said to my face by people, that it’s their enjoyment to feed my horses, and I’m spoiling their fun”
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‘How would you feel if someone fed your pet?’: Police warn against feeding others’ horses
The force issued a strong message urging people not to feed horses without owners’ permission
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‘Do not feed’: warning headcollars sell out as owners try to educate public
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Groom gets the message out after public feeding causes ponies to colic
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Campaign to stop public feeding horses gathers momentum
“People mean well and are trying to be kind, so we’ve got to go about it the right way”
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Hundreds of horses are being fed without permission, study finds
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‘Enough is enough’: riders join forces to stop the public from feeding horses
“I do get it; people haven’t got anything to do and they think it’s nice to feed the pony but it’s part of the countryside code, like keeping your dog on a lead and picking up its mess”
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Pony fed raw potato by walkers suffocates within minutes
“Lightning gave me the impetus to get out of my wheelchair and walk again. I will always walk with a limp, but he made me feel like I could fly”
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Research into public feeding horses aims to prevent equine suffering
The author of the research wants to hear from as many horse owners as possible
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‘Highlighting the heartbreak’: owner’s open letter to walkers who caused her mare’s illness
‘It’s so worrying that people think it’s ok to feed other people’s horses’
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Public warned not to feed horses as government updates the countryside code
The warning comes after a series of reports of horses’ being taken ill, injured or worse
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Countryside walkers warned not to feed horses after deaths *H&H Plus*
