Concerned about a horse I saw

Irish Guitarist

Yesterday I was talking a walk and passed a field. I've being passing this field a lot lately and I always stop to admire a horse there and take a photo or two. Yesterday this horse saw me and approached me. He came right up to me and I took a couple of photos. A man in a van drove past and asked if I would buy the horse. At first I thought he was joking around but now I think he was serious.

He's a lovely horse and was very friendly but when I looked back at the photos I noticed he seemed skinny and I could see the shape of his ribs. I'm actually feeling very guilty now because I think the horse may be being mistreated, or at least not taken care of very well, and he probably wanted some company. I probably should have stroked him but I didn't know how he would take it. I probably should have done something other than take photos.

The fact that someone would offer to sell a horse to a complete stranger is a bad sign too, although I'm still not 100% sure he was serious.

So what could I do about this horse? There's no ISPCA branch where I live (Carlow). I think this horse would be perfectly healthy if someone would just take care of him properly but I have no idea who to contact to voice my concerns.

YOURFACE!

Unfortunately this is common place for horses right now. They are expensive to keep so a lot of them are being abandoned or worse Its so heart breaking to see. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if yer man was serious about selling the horse. In the past year I have been offered incredible horses for free!
You sound concerned (I would be to) so contact the Irish Horse Welfare Trust on (0404) 45720 or (0404) 30773. They are based in Wicklow and do fantastic work in rescuing and rehabilitating horses in such situations. If only there were more people who showed the same concern....

EGAR

It really depends on what breed of a horse it is as well. If it is a TB for example they are usually not as round as a cob. Were the hip bones or spine sticking out as well?

Most livestock living out had a tough time during the winter and are slow to recover as the grass is still not growing as it should be in mid April. The horse coming to you is a good sign as mistreated horses tend to mistrust humans.

Mine are all curious and will appraoch strangers at the fence for a look and maybe a pet .

Irish Guitarist

YOURFACE! wrote: »

Unfortunately this is common place for horses right now. They are expensive to keep so a lot of them are being abandoned or worse Its so heart breaking to see. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if yer man was serious about selling the horse. In the past year I have been offered incredible horses for free!
You sound concerned (I would be to) so contact the Irish Horse Welfare Trust on (0404) 45720 or (0404) 30773. They are based in Wicklow and do fantastic work in rescuing and rehabilitating horses in such situations. If only there were more people who showed the same concern....

Thanks for the advice and phone number. I think I might make sure I'm right about this horse being neglected and then I'll phone. The fact someone would offer to sell a horse to a complete stranger did concern me. I would have bought him except he wouldn't fit in my backyard.

EGAR wrote: »

It really depends on what breed of a horse it is as well. If it is a TB for example they are usually not as round as a cob. Were the hip bones or spine sticking out as well?

Most livestock living out had a tough time during the winter and are slow to recover as the grass is still not growing as it should be in mid April. The horse coming to you is a good sign as mistreated horses tend to mistrust humans.

Mine are all curious and will appraoch strangers at the fence for a look and maybe a pet .

Although I love animals I wouldn't have a clue as to what breed this was. His spine seems ok but I could see the shape of his ribs, I'm not sure if that's normal in horse or not. His hips do appear to be very skinny too. I was going to post a photo of the horse here and ask opinions on if he was malnourished or not, but I'm afraid the owner might see it. I'm fearful for the horse but I'm also afraid I could get in trouble with the owner if I'm wrong.
I could PM you a link to a photo and get your opinion if you wouldn't mind.

EGAR

Hi, feel free to PM me a link to the pics.

Horses being sold to complete strangers is very common place, one only needs to go to a horse fair. I wouldn't read too much into it. And he may not have been the owner at all.

Wisco

The Kilkenny SPCA will sometimes help out in Carlow. Their number is 056 7771635. You can also contact the Dept of Agriculture if you have no joy with any of the welfare organizations, especially if there are a few horses in the field. There is also a horse pound

morganafay

I would say to either show the photo to someone here or to bring a friend who knows about horses to see him. I've heard that people in animal rescue always get calls from people saying there is a starved horse, but the horse is actually just lean, and you can see the ribs, but it is ok. I don't know anything about horses though . . .

convert

Without seeing a picture of the horse, it's very hard to know from your description whether or not the horse is just of a narrow build or whether it's thin. For example, I have an older TB horse at home who's out in the field during the day (weather permitting, of course) and in at night. While she's not thin and has a good 'covering' on her, you can still see the shape of her ribs. It's just the way she is, even when she was 'heavy'.

If you want, you could PM me a link to the photo and I could take a look at it?

Regarding the horse's approaching you and the guy asking you if you wanted to buy it, I think EGAR has covered most of the points.

EGAR

IMHO, after I have seen the pic, I don't think there is cause for worry. It's a horse with a bit of breeding and a nice round bum. If I were called out to do a cruelty check, I would go home again.

Edited to add: All the same, it IS nice to see concern about the welfare of an animal!!

sligopark

came out of the Farmer's Market in Sligo IT this morning to be greeted by the sight of a dead horse on the hill facing the entrance to the IT. Gippos horses neglected and left in a field to die with its friend not too far away.

How do these people get away with it? :mad:

Our man in Havana

How do these people get away with it?

Easy when their address is no fixed abode.