Worried about health of horses in an unsheltered field.

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roker

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In a field across from my house are 5 horses. They have been there through all of the bad weather, rain and sub zero nights. They have no cover or shelter, is this normal, should they be undercover? I have seen them being fed
 
Horses should have access to shelter, blankets are often used also.

Can you contact owner?
 
Depends on the type of horse really. A clipped, lighter framed horse (thoroughbred, some sport horse types) would likely be suffering in the bad wind and rain, whereas a heavy coated cob type might not mind it as much. Shelter would be ideal but if they’re rugged and have access to plenty of good quality hay or haylage and fresh water they will be grand. The cold frosty night aren’t too bad for them, its the howling wind and rain they don’t do well in.
If they’re not rugged i still wouldn’t be overly concerned if they are heavy coated / unclipped.
 
You could ask for a DSPCA Inspector to check their conditions out to see if they are up to requirements.
 
Good to see someone caring about animal welfare, i agree ask the CSPCA ( cork equivalent of Dublin Society I presume) However to add, this country has an atrocious approach to animal and wildlife welfare, hare coursing permitted, hunting with hounds, puppy farms and look how much state assistance we give to Horse and Greyhound racing compared to what is provided to the animal welfare groups. In my opinion much of this is down to the inordinate power of a small numbers in rural Ireland and the worry of political parties re rural votes. Awful when it's clear the vast majority (see Red C polls) want to see hare coursing and hunting with hounds banned (as it is in most other European countries) .
 
My brother has horses. He put covers on them in the cold weather. How do they look? Are they running around an odd time?
 
Harfang said:
Good to see someone caring about animal welfare, i agree ask the CSPCA ( cork equivalent of Dublin Society I presume) However to add, this country has an atrocious approach to animal and wildlife welfare, hare coursing permitted, hunting with hounds, puppy farms and look how much state assistance we give to Horse and Greyhound racing compared to what is provided to the animal welfare groups. In my opinion much of this is down to the inordinate power of a small numbers in rural Ireland and the worry of political parties re rural votes. Awful when it's clear the vast majority (see Red C polls) want to see hare coursing and hunting with hounds banned (as it is in most other European countries) .
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The "inordinate power" of a certain ethnical minority shouldn't be overlooked either! In my experience as a rural dweller, the vast majority of bloodstock owners care for their animals.
 
Are they being checked on every day? Most animal owners check their stock daily, looking for health & welfare. The fact they are being fed is a positive sign that they are being looked after. Why not wander over and have a chat, the owner can tell you what to look out for, give you his number if worried.

The cold as such should not be a big worry but wind would make it miserable. I know my Dad lost 6-9 cattle in a snowstorm in ‘77/‘78 ish. The mile between the house and the field was impassable and by the time he got there they had frozen. They had sheltered by a ditch but would probably have been fine if they had gone to the other side of the ditch away from the wind. If my Dad had been able to get there he would have moved them. He wasn’t neglecting them, but had to dig himself and a tractor with feed over a mile and it took too long.
 
I don't think any of the SPCAs can enter private land.

If these animals were on a public road you would contact the Gardaí but these are on private land so you should contact the Regional Veterinary Office of the Dept of Agriculture in Cork city.
 
Páid said:
I don't think any of the SPCAs can enter private land.

If these animals were on a public road you would contact the Gardaí but these are on private land so you should contact the Regional Veterinary Office of the Dept of Agriculture in Cork city.
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The he Animal Health and Welfare Act gives ISPCA inspectors to enter private land where they suspect a protected animal is being kept (that's pets and farm animals) but not one which keeps cows, sheep or goats for food production purposes or to inspect horses on such a farm. If the horses are just in a field and it is not part of a farm then, as far as I know, they can enter it and seize the animals.
It is strange that cow, sheep and goat farms are exempt. I wonder why?
 
T McGibney said:
Perhaps because the movement and keeping of bovines, sheep and goats is intensively regulated by the Dept of Agriculture?
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Quite possibly but that doesn't explain why a ISPCA inspector can't also do their job on such a farm.
 
Purple said:
Quite possibly but that doesn't explain why a ISPCA inspector can't also do their job on such a farm.
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I don't know either but possibly a question of accountability for whenever there are failures (or indeed successes). Basic governance principles would suggest it's not good to have 2 agencies responsible for a single role.
 
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