Long story, short I live in a "horse community"full of rentals with acre pastures. I have a new neighbor that claims to be a horse trainer. He’s got a 2 year old that was kept as a stud too long, unhandled, and is a bit of a handful.
Neighbor is definitely more of a fear/force type of trainer than anything else. I’ll be the first to admit, he’s a lot less considerate and heavy handed than I could ever be. Well, colt bucked him off a couple nights ago and ran back home for another neighbor to catch. Since then he’s had the horse tied and isn’t offering him water. Horse has been tied for about 36 hours now, most of that time saddled without shade. Owner claims he’s letting the horse loose overnight and offering him water about every 12 hours but I live in an area where someone is always home and no one has seen this happen.
I did end up calling the landlords today and calling a deputy to come out to talk to him this evening. I talked to the neighbor briefly before I called the deputy and he’s going to keep going as he is. But he did make a point to loosen the horse’s rope some tonight, unsaddle it, and feed it grain .
I know I pamper mine more than they need to be and constantly have hay and water out for them but how long can they safely go without anything to eat or drink? The deputy that came out wasn’t sure and is forwarding it on to someone with more animal knowledge.
As a general rule, I was taught if they have access to good grass, they might go the full 12 without water but if they are dry lotted, they get is at least every 6 hours if not constantly. And of course, that they always have access to at least some hay and shade.
Where I live, treating a horse this way is a violation of the laws governing humane treatment of animals. The owner could be fined and or jailed.
What was the result of the trainer being interviewed by the deputy?
You might want to inconspicuously video, with time stamp, any further training sessions.
Deputy talked to him then came and talked to me and another neighbor. He said basically it’s a he said, she said situation. The deputy admitted to knowing next to nothing about horses (which is not at all surprising around here) but he’s going to forward it to another deputy who will hopefully come back out tomorrow to check on things and talk to the trainer himself.
And my neighbors and I are now all making sure to at least take photos of how he’s treating them.
Thank you for looking out for an animal that is unable to help himself.
Do you have SPCA there? I agree, around here that would be animal cruelty charges if proven.
We do not. Because we are outside city limits, the only option is local law enforcement.
If any one has a good rule of thumb for often they need water or link to any type of literature, I’d appreciate it. It would give something other than an opinion to give the next deputy.I tried googling it but so far have only found other opinions or similar questions. I plan on calling my vet tomorrow but I’m not sure if his receptionist will let me talk to him or not.
I am old enough to not be afraid of what others think.
Walk over, untie that poor creature. Provide feed and water. Be waiting for the jerk when he gets home.
We tried going over and offering the horse water but he was too scared to take it. It did work out that I was outside as he came home yesterday though and I did go talk to him about what he was doing. He apparently approached another neighbor last night to complain about me having called him in to LE and she let him know she was against what he was doing too.
But I worry about what will happen to my own 3 when I’m not home or the other neighbor’s horses so we haven’t unsaddled and untied him. I know that sounds bad and I hope he wouldn’t do anything to retaliate but I don’t have a way to keep him away. We have pipe and cable fencing and my pasture has the easiest access to the road. I thought about cutting his lead rope so he couldn’t him as easily but am afraid the horse will just suffer more.
He did tell me this particular horse was leaving Friday but he’s got at least 2 more young ones in his pasture that he’s going to be working with next. Fingers crossed the other deputy comes out today and talks some sense into him. I know this particular deputy and he is more “cowboy” so maybe he’ll get through to him. If not, I guess we’ll just keep taking photos and calling the landlord and LE.
Did you try leaving the full water bucket for him so he could drink after you walked away? Just because he didn’t drink when you ‘offered’ water (because he was scared) doesn’t mean he wouldn’t drink when you were out of sight.
This is clearly a case of animal cruelty. If the other ‘more cowboy’ deputy doesn’t do something about this situation, call the ASPCA for help or guidance Their website says : “No matter the location or scale of the deployment, the ASPCA is prepared to take on animal cruelty cases when needed—from initial investigations to the final placement of rescued animals in homes.”
This is not for your state, OP, but the MD Horse Council has a “Minimum Standards of Care” brochure that explains how “proper drink” is defined in Maryland: http://www.mdhorsecouncil.org/files/brochure-MinimumStandards-Aug2013.pdf - Don’t know if there’s such a thing for OK, though it would be worth investigating.
In general the basic standard of horse care is they need water available at all times. They can colic and die fairly fast if they get dehydrated.
They need forage several times a day.
Horse in this situation of stress should not be getting grain.
Be careful about getting a personal feud going with a dangerous or crazy neighbon.
I would contact your nearest SPCA for advice even if you are outside their jurisdiction. They don’t really have limits as they are not a government service but a non-profit society.
If the horse hasn’t been watered in 36 hours he should be showing signs of dehydration. Find information on that, give it to the next LE officer, and invite them to practice on your horse so they can see what non-dehydrated looks like.
Is he home all day? If not, go untack and untie the horse.
I’m a big mind your own business fan,
BUT
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Here is a donkey that was tied to a tree in a field when I was walking from the hotel to the show in Portugal.
He was still there when I walked home that evening.
And he was there when I walked to work the next morning.
No Water.
When I arrived at the showgrounds that morning, I hunted down the stable manager, told him about the donkey and informed him that if it was still there when I left that evening I would be bringing it right back to the show and into a box.
And then he yelled at me not to touch the donkey because it was a gypsy donkey and the gypsies would come for me…but somehow mysteriously the donkey was gone when I walked home.
I have a lot of tolerance for stupid, but I would go over there and let that horse loose. And leave a bucket of water. If he is there, I would call the sheriffs every hour until they told me they would arrest me.
I’d be careful going onto this guys property to water or feed his horse,your trespassing. He could retaliate on you by cutting your fences to let your horses loose. Or worse burn down your barn & house,i know someone who lost horses to a burned down barn. Was called retaliation for confronting them on an ongoing issue.
Get the law involved and SPCA or the like don’t take this into your own hands.
What this guy is doing is downright cruel it’s teaching the horse nothing other then humans can’t be trusted. I tie my horses up with saddle after a ride, but max 2 hours and they are offered water. And they are in the shade.
…unless you want the owner to sue you for trespassing, or something else ridiculous like that.
If he’s a jerk to his horses, I wouldn’t put it past him to be a jerk to the neighbors.
OP, I agree that something needs to be done to help this poor horse. But keep yourself out of legal hot water too, so you don’t get tangled in it. Document, document! And video if you can (although might be wise to check your state’s video laws). Could be easier to just ask the law enforcement officer what you can and cannot do.
I have a similar situation at the end of the road I live on, only those people are total pigs and the horses live in squalor. They are not starving but live in a small pit of mud, feces and urine. 3 horses and a draft on less than an acre. I have a hard time driving past them twice a day everyday. I have tried on more than one occasion to get the humane society to do something but because the horses are not on deaths door they won’t do anything.
One day the blanket the draft had on was twisted as it had been forever. I had my muck boots in the car so I got out and fixed his blanket. The palomino came over to me, sniffed my hair and nickered in my ear. I about lost it.
The only other angle I can think of is to call the township and see if there is any ordinance requiring a minimum of so many acres per horse or to be able to keep farm animals…
Is there some sort of home owners association there and would they have any requirements on how the animals should be kept/treated??
As much as we all want to take charge of the situation, it is still a fact that you have no right to trespass on his property and no right to feed and water this horse. You give it food and water and cause colic or another issue than it is on you.
Even though the wheels of justice are slow, it is the right way to go. People seem unbalanced as a whole these days and you have no idea if this guy is a complete screwball or not and NO idea what he is capable of.
If it was me I would be all over LE. The squeaky wheel does get the grease.
OP, what is going on with the horse as you describe is cruelty in any definition, and dangerous for the horse. Use your confidence in that to press LE to do its job a d seek support from your nearest SPCA. But don’t get yourself in trouble or get into a confrontation.
Me TOO!!! This is CRUELTY!!! Just because the police are not horse smart…doesn’t make it right. I’d be raising a fit!!!
And call the local newspaper!!!
