# Why are people leaving horses to die?!



## MagicMelon (24 January 2017)

What on earth is going on with all these articles Im reading on gypsy cobs being left to die in horrid ways in England? Why are people doing this?!  I dont get why they cant just chuck the horse in someones field abandoned - surely thats kinder (in that someone will hopefully give them a chance) and less effort for those nasty nasty people involved?


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## 1life (24 January 2017)

I have just read the article on the mare abandoned in a horrific manner and I wholeheartedly agree with you. The story has actually made me feel physically sick; thinking of the pain and distress that poor animal must have been in moves me to tears. 
Why? Why dump in such a cruel manner? To abandon in a field, to tie up somewhere and leave - both are still unthinkable acts for most horse owners but the manner of the abandonments that are being reported (weekly, it seems) is just beyond comprehension.
I don't understand; I can't get my head around someone doing something like this and feeling NOTHING!!!!


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## Fragglerock (24 January 2017)

I stupidly opened it and saw the picture.  Horrific, I wish I hadn't, I won't get it out of my mind


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## Cecile (25 January 2017)

These people are wired up all wrongly.  Just recently on H&H news I saw that a vet had offered a reward due to a horse being dumped, her words were What have we become?


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## Greylegs (25 January 2017)

I agree. There was one recently in Leicestershire which was utterly appalling: poor thing was PTS at the roadside. The problem is that we're all horse lovers on here and could not envisage anyone doing something like this, but these people are not horse lovers - they are just mindless morons who happen the have a horse in their possession which s surplus to any requirement. Keeping a horse is expensive, disposing of an unwanted/sick horse properly is expensive ... so they just dump it somewhere. Very sad ... there really are no words.


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## luckyoldme (25 January 2017)

there is plenty of legislation in place to deal with people who treat animals in a cruel way and not enough people to enforce the law. Our answer to every problem seems to be pass a law, and hope that people will obey it  because if they dont they wont get caught.


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## ester (25 January 2017)

Why? Because they don't want to pay for disposal costs (and be discovered for not chipping etc too) they weren't bred for anyone/any particular reason other than there was some balls and a mare and someone hoped it might net them a few quid maybe


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## Caracarrie (25 January 2017)

In one word - money.  These scum don't care about the animals, society (although they all claim to be good Catholics), what anyone thinks of them (but they protest loudly when people state the truth about them). Half of them don't even care about each other. But they all worship the great god Money and if they can rip someone off they will, if they can get someone else to pay they will, and they certainly won't pay out if they don't have to.  The animals (and this includes all the puppy farms they are involved with) are just £ signes to them. As little outlay as possible for maximum earnings. And when the animal is either of no further use or will cost them money, they simply dump them like the tones of rubbish they leave wherever they go.   It is a great shame we can't treat them like we do other infestations.


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## fburton (25 January 2017)

Caracarrie said:



			But they all worship the great god Money ...
		
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Something we are all meant to do, I'm afraid.


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## irish_only (25 January 2017)

Because, due to the horse meat scandal, and bute only being available for equines, and the manufacturer not doing research into how long it stays in the body. Therefore, the only option for vets is to sign them out of the food chain. Signed out, and the meat man has no use for them and the only option is to pay for disposal. In the words of my local knackerman who has gone from killing approx. 250 a week to 15-25, "this is just the beginning, and it will only get worse".


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## 1life (25 January 2017)

But WHY in such a cruel manner? As I've said, tie to a post, leave in a field....all bad but not outright inhumane, cruel and unnecessary beyond comprehension. Yes, money is obviously the 'driver' but the method that has been used this time....?!?!


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## Merlod (26 January 2017)

Because to certain members of the community horses are just a posession to be disposed of when no longer required, I doubt the horses didn't know cruelty and inhumane treatment whilst they were alive and ridden/driven so why would they get any other treatment at the end? It's disgusting and "they" get away with it every time.


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## CazD (26 January 2017)

1life said:



			But WHY in such a cruel manner? As I've said, tie to a post, leave in a field....all bad but not outright inhumane, cruel and unnecessary beyond comprehension. Yes, money is obviously the 'driver' but the method that has been used this time....?!?!


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I havent seen the article in question but can guess the contents.  I totally agree with the above - why not abandon an animal somewhere where someone will find it.  Its like the people who leave a dog locked up in an empty house and walk away without the backward glance, knowing that it is going to suffer and eventually starve to death. Its time the penalties for animal cruelty were increased.


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## Equi (26 January 2017)

Because you can't just dig a hole anymore. The money needed to dispose of a horse, is more than the horse is worth. A horse that is not a beloved family pet is not going to get that much money spent on it - why would you when you can just dump it and noone will know?


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## Daughter of the Moor (28 January 2017)

It sounds as though the poor mare had collapsed and they thought the easiest way to dispose of her was to drag her by her hind legs. Un believably horrific. It has been said before that returning to eating horse meat would be one way of preventing this type of cruelty by at least placing a value on the animals. I wouldn't want to eat horse myself but can see some sort of logic in the argument.


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## skint1 (28 January 2017)

I agree Daughter  of the Moor, but if the horse needed bute it would not be allowed in the food chain, though I would guess not many of the horses who have suffered this end will have had bute anyway.  I find this whole situation very depressing, and I don't know what the answer is. I guess it's good that it seems to be on the radar of the general public, this may at least start a national conversation that really does need to happen.


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## honetpot (28 January 2017)

We are going to end up paying through our council tax.

  When the price of scrap fell and you could not give a car away, cars were dumped, councils ended up subsidising their disposal. If Trading Standards and the councils enforced the passports and euthanized for free, the problem would be reduced. At the moment the bad PR and the cost stop them from doing this. I think all the big horse charities ought to push for this, but I think they are worried about their donations falling, people donate money for animals to be saved not shot, even if its in their best interest.

   I give money to the Brooke, but really we ought to be offering care and education at home, there are still lots of old wives tales practiced with horses that are cruel. I also think vets should be encouraged to offer basic treatments at a set fee, everyone goes on about how much the vets cost so people end up not calling them rather than run up a bill they can or will not pay.


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## skint1 (28 January 2017)

It's a shame the Brooke couldn't be convinced to set up a programme here at home, but you'd have a challenge getting the owners who needed their help to engage with them.


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## be positive (28 January 2017)

skint1 said:



			It's a shame the Brooke couldn't be convinced to set up a programme here at home, but you'd have a challenge getting the owners who needed their help to engage with them.
		
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The Brooke do a fantastic job in very difficult circumstances but there is a huge difference between the poverty in the countries where they work, where the horses are a valuable asset to their owners who rely on them to earn a living, or scrape one, they want the help offered and are prepared to travel miles with an injured or sick horse to get the help and the neglected horses over here who usually are one of many and have no real value to the owner dead or alive, hence them being dumped or abandoned. 

We have charities who owners can turn to for advice, or outsiders can report neglect to, the type of person who will dump a horse in such a callous way does not want help or advice as the horse is nothing to them.


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## honetpot (28 January 2017)

What you say about the Brooke is true, and the people who own these working animals have very little access to heath care and education themselves, and keeping their animal healthy may help the family survive.
We have lots more in the UK, but the basics of animal care are not passed on in families like probably 70 years ago when horses worked on the street. Basic animal care knowledge is poor, but people have the money to buy them, then come unstuck. The WWF and RSPCA, seem not to be that interested in outreach programmes, where £1000 spent on preventive care would go a lot further than saving a scraps found at the side of the road with their additional veterinary and housing costs.
.
  Actually if the Brooke developed a programme in the UK you never know it could increase donations, it would shame other charities in to action and perhaps people who are borderline on donating would donate if they knew some of the money went to education in the UK. They have the expertise in educating basic vet care on a budget and training non-qualified people.


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## be positive (28 January 2017)

honetpot said:



			What you say about the Brooke is true, and the people who own these working animals have very little access to heath care and education themselves, and keeping their animal healthy may help the family survive.
We have lots more in the UK, but the basics of animal care are not passed on in families like probably 70 years ago when horses worked on the street. Basic animal care knowledge is poor, but people have the money to buy them, then come unstuck. The WWF and RSPCA, seem not to be that interested in outreach programmes, where £1000 spent on preventive care would go a lot further than saving a scraps found at the side of the road with their additional veterinary and housing costs.
.
  Actually if the Brooke developed a programme in the UK you never know it could increase donations, it would shame other charities in to action and perhaps people who are borderline on donating would donate if they knew some of the money went to education in the UK. They have the expertise in educating basic vet care on a budget and training non-qualified people.
		
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I would be more likely to give financial support to a cull, castration and licensing, the people that need to reduce numbers do know the basics but choose not to bother in most cases, the new owners who buy one or two and think horse care is going to be easy need some help but most serious neglect cases are by those you do know better and have experience. 

The Peels being the first to come to mind but there are many more cases of neglect by horders rather than one horse owners who are out of their depth, the scraps on the side of the road all belong to one group and any help given will just mean they breed more, there is no answer other than giving an end value as they are bred by volume in the hope that one or two will be valuable, the ones that are not fall by the wayside literally in many cases.


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## chillipup (28 January 2017)

Perhaps all the large animal welfare charities could club together, along with Local Councils and get local knacker men/equine abattoirs as well as equine vets on board, to launch, (much like the Police do with illegal arms) an Equine Armistice across all Counties. 

The funds raised could be used to offer anyone with a sick/injured/infirmed or even just unwanted equine, the opportunity to have their animal PTS by a qualified person and for its body to be disposed of, at a reduced rate, (according to their circumstances/finances) without the threat of prosecution if its condition is poor? 

Perhaps any equine presented would be professionally assessed and if proven suitable, according to strict criteria, could be suitable to go to a charity for rehab or short term vet treatment and rehoming.

A well advertised 3 month trial period, could be run in a particularly horsey welfare problem area/County, to establish whether or not the armistice would be used and if proven successful, could be introduced and rolled out in other areas across the country. 

If all the big Welfare/Rescues joined forces and actively showed the public they were all working together, trying to put an end to sick/injured/dying/unwanted/dead equines being abandoned and dumped like rubbish, the public would get on board with it? 

I'd be willing to give a donation for such a cause.


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## skint1 (28 January 2017)

That's a really good idea chillipup, something needs to be done that is for sure.


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