Distressed horse owner urges walkers to stop feeding animals after heartbreak of putting hers to sleep

A distressed horse owner from North Wales has urged walkers to stop feeding other people’s animals after suffering the heartbreak of having to put hers to sleep.

In a post shared on Facebook, a woman from Buckley in Flintshire said she was told by vets that the death of the four-year-old horse, which happened over the weekend, could have been caused by poisoning after being fed unsuitable items of food.

North Wales Police has reported a rise in incidents where horses have fallen ill after being fed by people out walking.

The woman has now pleaded for the public to help prevent others from going through the same distress.

Writing on Sunday, she said: “Yesterday I had to have my horse put to sleep. The vet wasn’t sure what it was, she said it could’ve been a number of things, but one of the possibilities was poisoning from being fed something that he shouldn’t have.

“Please don’t feed other people’s horses, I not only now have a very large vet bill but I have lost my horse at just four years old, who I have raised since he was six months, who I bottle fed and put so much love and attention into and now my other horse is left to grieve without understanding what has happened. ”

North Wales Horse Watch and vets at Frynwy Equine Group are also appealing for people to stop giving grass cuttings, garden waste, carrots, potatoes, apples or any other items to any horses, ponies and donkeys that they may encounter.

The woman added: “Horses usually live between 20-30 years so for me to lose him before his 4th birthday when I thought I would have him till I had my own children to love him as much as I did has broken my heart.

“Nobody knows the heartbreak this has caused me. You wouldn’t feed someone’s dog or child so why would you feed someone’s horse?”

Editor’s note: Top picture shows a generic image of a horse and not the one which was put to sleep.