Anger over horses dumped on common

8:16am Friday 15th February 2013 in News By Melanie Vass

Anger over horses dumped on common Anger over horses dumped on common

CONCERNS have been raised for the wellbeing of five horses who were abandoned on Bournemouth parkland a week ago.

The horses are on short chains at Redhill Common with no access to shelter, food or drink.

Kind-hearted residents have been bringing the animals fresh water and food, while Bournemouth council has given the horses’ owner until today to remove the animals from the common.

If this does not happen, the council could step in and sell the horses.

Redhill resident Steve Larcombe said: “All the local people have taken them to their hearts. They have been abandoned in the freezing cold and they are in a relatively exposed location.

“There’s no straw for them and even their water has not been changed.

“Whoever’s left them there is not feeding them or watering them, they are not being managed.

“And with all the stories in the news about horsemeat in food, you wonder what would happen if they were simply taken away by the council and sold.”

Winton resident Linda Mattocks, who has been feeding the horses, said: “They are beautiful horses and deserve good homes.”

Katie Wilkinson, senior countryside ranger, said: “We would like to thank residents for their concern over some abandoned horses on Redhill Common and to reassure them that our rangers have been down to the site on a daily basis to monitor the situation.

“Some of the horses had broken free from their tether and the police, our ranger and the owners were onsite this morning rounding them up.

“The owners were made aware that their horses have been grazing illegally and have been asked to remove them from our local nature reserve. We expect the horses to be removed today.

“We strongly urge horse owners not to abandon horses on local nature reserves.”

Comments(38)

arthur1948 says...
8:24am Fri 15 Feb 13

same horses that were on cuckoo woods land at Kinson...where they did a good job of keeping the grass cut(council take note) and did no harm...moved on by coucil..they seem to have coats on so someone cares...

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The Liberal says...
8:28am Fri 15 Feb 13

If this does not happen, the council could step in and sell the horses.
Who to? Findus or Tesco?

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Dibbles2 says...
9:13am Fri 15 Feb 13

I saw these horses on Sunday and they were distressed, with soaking wet coats on and hoofing the ground. 5 days later they are still there. If it had been an untaxed car it would be gone by now!

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Alumchiner says...
9:22am Fri 15 Feb 13

lets start a 'save the redhill horses' group and get them a field with a nice shelter or somewhere to live where someone cares for them..........

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rozmister says...
9:22am Fri 15 Feb 13

arthur1948 wrote:
same horses that were on cuckoo woods land at Kinson...where they did a good job of keeping the grass cut(council take note) and did no harm...moved on by coucil..they seem to have coats on so someone cares...
It doesn't matter if they care or not they are neglecting these horses. Putting a coat on isn't adequate in this weather; these horses need somewhere to shelter if it rains and sleep that's warm and dry. They also need fresh water and more food daily. On top of that I'd imagine it's pretty frustrating for a horse to be kept on a short tether for days on end - this wouldn't happen at a normal stables.
They should be found new lovely owners who'll look after them properly, poor things.

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BournemouthMum says...
9:34am Fri 15 Feb 13

The Liberal wrote:
If this does not happen, the council could step in and sell the horses.
Who to? Findus or Tesco?
LOL!

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OTRDanMc says...
9:41am Fri 15 Feb 13

tesco or findus probally dumped them there,

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scrumpyjack says...
9:46am Fri 15 Feb 13

This is outrageous.

Why haven't the RSPC intervened?

They were happy to spend £300k pursing (no pun intended) a Hunt how about helping these animals?

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scrumpyjack says...
10:21am Fri 15 Feb 13

I wish we could sell the owners to Findus or Tesco's.

Afraid to upset them by forcing them to do something? If it was 'everyday' folk the horses would have been re-housed and the bill sent by now.

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bourne free says...
11:01am Fri 15 Feb 13

Alumchiner wrote:
lets start a 'save the redhill horses' group and get them a field with a nice shelter or somewhere to live where someone cares for them..........
BQ season soon , did they look tasty ?

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juniperberry says...
11:32am Fri 15 Feb 13

Why would the council give a proven uncaring horse owner notice to remove, why not inform the RSPCA straight away of the history and let the experts deal with the horses. They will be taken in by the RSPCa and found homes and prosecute the owner.

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Cerdicjute says...
11:46am Fri 15 Feb 13

This is 'fly grazing'. Now, what group of parasites protected for their 'lifestyle' might be doing this?

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nevernever says...
12:36pm Fri 15 Feb 13

That horse in the foreground belongs to Sean Evans the others belong to the Stanley family.

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oversixty says...
12:59pm Fri 15 Feb 13

juniperberry wrote:
Why would the council give a proven uncaring horse owner notice to remove, why not inform the RSPCA straight away of the history and let the experts deal with the horses. They will be taken in by the RSPCa and found homes and prosecute the owner.
No they won't!
They never did previously!

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anigel says...
1:05pm Fri 15 Feb 13

scrumpyjack wrote:
This is outrageous.

Why haven't the RSPC intervened?

They were happy to spend £300k pursing (no pun intended) a Hunt how about helping these animals?
Because the RSPCA could not care less about animals, they are only interested in taking people to court.

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SnakeDoc says...
1:08pm Fri 15 Feb 13

I think a lot of us could name the family who dumped them there and where they live!

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bbird says...
1:35pm Fri 15 Feb 13

Give the owners till today? If neglected move them immediately somewhere safe. And yes an appeal would raise enough to save them from the knackers yard.

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arthur1948 says...
2:23pm Fri 15 Feb 13

It doesn't matter if they care or not they are neglecting these horses. Putting a coat on isn't adequate in this weather; these horses need somewhere to shelter if it rains and sleep that's warm and dry. They also need fresh water and more food daily. On top of that I'd imagine it's pretty frustrating for a horse to be kept on a short tether for days on end - this wouldn't happen at a normal stables.
They should be found new lovely owners who'll look after them properly, poor things.


horses dont live this way in the wild i suppose??? get all the new forest ponies into a hotel somewhere...

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scrumpyjack says...
3:22pm Fri 15 Feb 13

arthur1948 wrote:
It doesn't matter if they care or not they are neglecting these horses. Putting a coat on isn't adequate in this weather; these horses need somewhere to shelter if it rains and sleep that's warm and dry. They also need fresh water and more food daily. On top of that I'd imagine it's pretty frustrating for a horse to be kept on a short tether for days on end - this wouldn't happen at a normal stables.
They should be found new lovely owners who'll look after them properly, poor things.


horses dont live this way in the wild i suppose??? get all the new forest ponies into a hotel somewhere...
In the wild they are not tethered out in the open, they are free to roam for water, free to find more food and natural shelter.

They can gather together for the collective protection and warmth.

The poster was quite right in their comments.

Being a smart alec takes a little thought.

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Gastines3 says...
3:38pm Fri 15 Feb 13

The Council+RSPCA don't seem to mind when they are kept in the garden of a house in Wimborne Road?

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oversixty says...
3:44pm Fri 15 Feb 13

Gastines3 wrote:
The Council+RSPCA don't seem to mind when they are kept in the garden of a house in Wimborne Road?
That's who owns some of them!

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Dr Strangelove says...
5:40pm Fri 15 Feb 13

scrumpyjack wrote:
This is outrageous.

Why haven't the RSPC intervened?

They were happy to spend £300k pursing (no pun intended) a Hunt how about helping these animals?
Yes the hunt is an outdated throw back to another time.

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username is already in use says...
6:01pm Fri 15 Feb 13

Errrr, pretty obvious who dumped these horses...

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goatty says...
7:35pm Fri 15 Feb 13

The people who did this are total cruel morons who need to be fined heavily and banned from keeping animals. When I say heavily, why not start at £10,000. That will be a start to give these poor animals a new home where they can be loved and cared for.
Shame on the RSPCA. They should have moved in straight away and taken action.
How about the Echo naming these idiots and putting their pictures on the front page of the echo

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Hurn08 says...
8:07pm Fri 15 Feb 13

arthur1948 wrote:
same horses that were on cuckoo woods land at Kinson...where they did a good job of keeping the grass cut(council take note) and did no harm...moved on by coucil..they seem to have coats on so someone cares...
Yes, I have a friend I visit in the area and have seen them a lot over the past few months on that patch of land. I've also seen them being fed too so they are definitely not abandoned like some seem to think.

Council probably want to keep the Redhill area clear so they can shove cows in instead and get paid for it.

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gameon says...
8:31pm Fri 15 Feb 13

SnakeDoc wrote:
I think a lot of us could name the family who dumped them there and where they live!
Well Name them then?? The council seems to know them as they have been told to remove the poor animals Yea remove them to where Disgusting that these people who are neglecting these horses are now told to remove them best leave them where they are, so kind folk can look after them.

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oversixty says...
8:41pm Fri 15 Feb 13

gameon wrote:
SnakeDoc wrote:
I think a lot of us could name the family who dumped them there and where they live!
Well Name them then?? The council seems to know them as they have been told to remove the poor animals Yea remove them to where Disgusting that these people who are neglecting these horses are now told to remove them best leave them where they are, so kind folk can look after them.
They have been named above!

Please note that the animals can be at risk from being fed the wrong food! Hopefully"kind folk" are aware of this?

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jax123 says...
8:49pm Fri 15 Feb 13

I speak as an owner of 2 horses, I keep them on a livery yard, it costs me £120 a month for each horse plus feed plus bedding-we check on them twice a day, they have rugs on when needed, groomed every day & cared for in the proper manner, this takes lots of time & lots of money!& this is the proper why to keep horses-I DO NOT rely on kind members of the public to feed/water them, I DO NOT expect free grazing ( even if this apparently is a gypsy right) & most importantly I DO NOT beat/kick the c..p out my horse if I feel they are not going fast enough for me or take them out in rush in the dark holding up traffic,sadly these are the actions of the said horse owners who I have seen on many occasions, I have also on many occasions untangled the ponies tethered up so they can get to eat & drink I really hope the council do something, there are many options for people who want to keep horses but they all involve dedication ,kindness & money

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bourne free says...
9:28pm Fri 15 Feb 13

nevernever wrote:
That horse in the foreground belongs to Sean Evans the others belong to the Stanley family.
NO EXCUSE NOW MR COUNCIL !

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gameon says...
9:34pm Fri 15 Feb 13

bourne free wrote:
nevernever wrote:
That horse in the foreground belongs to Sean Evans the others belong to the Stanley family.
NO EXCUSE NOW MR COUNCIL !
Well said bourne free Not That Messrs Evans and The Stanley tribe will give a toss The Council shouldnt allow that lot to have those horses back who will most certainly be illtreated.

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oversixty says...
10:05pm Fri 15 Feb 13

jax123 wrote:
I speak as an owner of 2 horses, I keep them on a livery yard, it costs me £120 a month for each horse plus feed plus bedding-we check on them twice a day, they have rugs on when needed, groomed every day & cared for in the proper manner, this takes lots of time & lots of money!& this is the proper why to keep horses-I DO NOT rely on kind members of the public to feed/water them, I DO NOT expect free grazing ( even if this apparently is a gypsy right) & most importantly I DO NOT beat/kick the c..p out my horse if I feel they are not going fast enough for me or take them out in rush in the dark holding up traffic,sadly these are the actions of the said horse owners who I have seen on many occasions, I have also on many occasions untangled the ponies tethered up so they can get to eat & drink I really hope the council do something, there are many options for people who want to keep horses but they all involve dedication ,kindness & money
I too have seen what you have stated and reported this but no one listens.They all seem to be scared of the family you refer to!
I know for a fact that the Police receive many complaints :-(

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Username26 says...
3:45pm Sat 16 Feb 13

I too know the family ans have lived in the road where they keep only a fraction of thise horses they have grazing in cuckoo, millhams, wakely and redhill fields. I have taken water and food being a horse owner myself - to these animals in the height of heat of the day in summer where buckets were found bone dry. Many occasions had to take the horse to the owners as the chain had beoke or rush round to tell them!! I have also seen 3 in their front courtyard talking the front of their house - these horses were there a day over night to the following evening and barely had room to turn - 2 of which were on the floor surrounded by all the crap in the front! I have also witnessed one teathered to a fence by rope caught between a large landscape rock and metal pole used as fencing on these reserves. Of which i had to push him free! Also a mare on a busy road on a strip of grass on a service road- this happens many a time and their toileting is left to prove - the horse was tethered to a tree and left on such a short chain - it was on the ground trying to get up it fell back to the floor!! And it had fallen off the embankment to the busy roads! On this account it has happened many a time seeing them there and even stood in the road also! I also see them driving these animals and whipping that day and night standing and lurking them as a image effect outside kinson pubs and shops as if they are just a transport usuage and showground!! With words from the owners of i can get him up to 30 boy! This has been goinf on a very long time and truth is as they have recently joined groups regarding tethering on fb that y dont council rent land if they moan of cost of pounding the horses- truth is the council rent as much land as they can how do i know this ?? Cos i have rented from them!! I also question where the public liability insurance is for these horses being driven on the public roads and being kept in public locations!! Truth is as said above these horses have no free roam like wild horses no right to search for food, water or shelter like wild horses can - they are in busy environments not country so risk of being hurt to themselves and people! I have taken photos in the past of these horses fue to phone breaking i dont have many now but i do have some!! These horses are cared for however not in ways they should be!! They arent fed enough! Nit watered enough and not housed as other owners would! If you cant house them and have to shorten chains to occupy other horses u dont have money to care for them! Basic facts is these horses arent cared for ! Need new homes and these families dont care of their needs only what the horse can do or looks like!! Photos of them buying and selling and not only horses! But hunting with ferrets and many different lurchers of whom they buy and sell - their jack russel also gets bred and these are people who claim benefits!! So are they declaring this extra income??? I beg to differ!! People who keep horses and animals get annoyed yes! Because those people do it properly! These people dont! And ive bit my tongue for to long! Called the rspca and questioned the council on why i pay to house my horses and they dont this was 3 years ago! Now im glad something is being done! And it has to all be said!!! Finally the horses get a home they deserve ( council better rehome) and the owners get their comeuppance!!!! A waiting game has finally paid off!!

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AuraTopp says...
3:49pm Sat 16 Feb 13

Anyone told the RSPCA?

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oversixty says...
4:10pm Sat 16 Feb 13

AuraTopp wrote:
Anyone told the RSPCA?
The RSPCA have dealt with this family on more than one occasion.
They should be banned from keeping ANY animal!

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rozmister says...
1:07am Sun 17 Feb 13

arthur1948 wrote:
It doesn't matter if they care or not they are neglecting these horses. Putting a coat on isn't adequate in this weather; these horses need somewhere to shelter if it rains and sleep that's warm and dry. They also need fresh water and more food daily. On top of that I'd imagine it's pretty frustrating for a horse to be kept on a short tether for days on end - this wouldn't happen at a normal stables.
They should be found new lovely owners who'll look after them properly, poor things.


horses dont live this way in the wild i suppose??? get all the new forest ponies into a hotel somewhere...
As two other posters have mentioned the new forest ponies are wild and so a) are used to fending for themselves & don't rely on humans to feed and water them and b) have the FREEDOM to roam free which these horses on short tethers definitely don't.

It's like me buying a rabbit from a pet shop and putting it on a hutch on my lawn with little water, food or shelter. Rabbits live in the wild fine but that domestic rabbit would become dehydrated, too cold in the winter & too hot in the summer and after they ate all the grass they'd get very hungry too.

I know you mean well but if you don't know much about looking after animals like horses keep your comments to yourself. Otherwise people read comments that are factually incorrect and think its ok to neglect animals.

I'm no horse expert but I've been riding for 17 years and I grew up in a rural area spending lots of time on farms so I understand quite well what is involved in keeping animals and looking after their welfare properly.

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oversixty says...
11:30am Mon 18 Feb 13

I have contacted the RSPCA this morning and they are not interested even though I said there is possible neglect and cruelty involved!

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Username26 says...
5:37pm Tue 19 Feb 13

Yes i have reported to the rspca and wint do anything despite the state and lack of housing they see the animals as fit enough to be kept by these animals!! Just a joke!! Surely if there isnt housing there isnt care!!!

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Username26 says...
12:46pm Mon 25 Feb 13

I have again witnessed yesterday eve around 5.30pm these horses being put down on millhams nature reserve in kinson. Along with this they were being forced should i say dragged by these owners who were moving these horses whilst on mopeds- i know one lad has passed his cbt recently!! When will this stop! A ploy keeping in their back yard dueing the day as i see many fluctuate during daytime hours in their front yard and then putting them out at night so residents cannot see??

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