An equine welfare charity has issued a warning over suitable equine diets after huge amounts of cake were found dumped in a field.
A member of the public called Remus Horse Sanctuary last week to report vast quantities of plain and chocolate sponge in a field containing horses in Essex, and the charity’s animal welfare officer Carly Webber went to investigate.
“I thought it was a bit strange,” she told H&H. “But when I got there, I did find a field full of cake.”
Carly said the horses had not touched any of the sponge, which had been left in piles on the ground, and in an old feed trough.
“That was very clever of them!” she added. “I don’t know whether it was a well-meaning member of the public, who thought ‘they don’t look like they’ve got much to eat, I’ll give them lots of cake’, or maybe a bakery, and someone thought they’d like it.
“When the person rang, we thought there couldn’t be that much, but there was a lot of cake in that field.”
Carly said the field was well fenced, with access to a shelter, water, and the remains of hay, as well as grass, and that the ponies in it were “absolutely fine” and of a good weight.
“But cake is not the ideal diet for horses, especially in those quantities,” she said. “If people are concerned about whether a horse is being fed or not, we’d advise them to get in touch with us.
“There’s being well-meaning, but this really isn’t the advised diet for horses.”
Carly urged anyone with concerns about horses in the area to call Remus, which cares for 84 horses and donkeys, as well as sheep, goats and a cow, at its Ingatestone base, but also investigates reported equine welfare issues in the area.
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The charity said it will keep an eye on these ponies to ensure they maintain their condition – “hopefully on a better diet”.
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