Before I say my question I’ll give some background information:
I live in a large city, but my particular neighborhood is “rural” with half acre to three acre lots— some with horses/livestock. Theres a large trail that loops around the entire neighborhood, and goes into surrounding hills. On the side of the road, there’s a pretty wide ravine that is flat at the bottom and shaded by trees. I take this ravine as a short cut sometimes, it’s easy to get into because it slopes gently at both ends. There’s a lot of grass/weeds at the bottom of the ravine.
A month or so earlier, my neighbor had to give away his horse for free because he could not afford it.
Anyway, I was taking a walk to get some exercise, and I decided to walk through said ravine—- I hadn’t walked through it in quite a long while(like 2 months) and I find my neighbor’s old horse tied (by a very long rope) to a tree. He has a makeshift shelter that is just like a shade made out of wood, and also a big bucket of water that is full.i looked under a tarp that was there and i found a saddle and bridle, and extra buckets of water a hoof pic and a curry comb(no other grooming materials). I don’t see any hay around, but the grass(very plentiful) is cropped short in some places and the horse is grazing as i see him. He doesn’t have shoes, but this is normal for him because he has always gone barefoot. THere’s also one of those fly catchers attached to the tree. His mane and tail are long, as is his coat, but that’s just because of winter—-other than that, he is actually in very good condition, fine weight and no injuries. He’s just attached to this tree by a long rope halter, and can travel in like a 100 foot radius.
Thing is, I’ve no idea who my neighbor gave the horse to, and i havnet seen him being ridden(but the ravine itself is flat on the bottom, and in places where there is no grass is hard packed flat dirt, like an arena so i think he’s just being ridden there)
Thing is, although the horse seems to be faring well, I want to know is this actually safe for a horse to be living like this? Nobody owns the ravine, so it’s free use I guess, but not many people go down there. The previous owner(my neighbor) said he gave the horse to “some kid, seemed nice” but idk why someone nice would keep a horse away form their property(or at least a proper barn)
Should i be concerned and contact authorities, or let it be because the horse is healthy??? ive been giving the horse apples every day, because i know him well and used to ride him for my neighbor—love him dearl and dont want any harm to come of him
im REALLYYY sorry this is so darn long, i couldnt get al the info in there otherwise
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Comments
Other than the tie up, sounds not too bad. Horses don’t mind the outdoors, actually prefer it. But I would be concerned if he go spooked that he could injure himself on the tie out.
Maybe you could try to contact the new owner. Say that you know this horse, and just wanted to meet the new owner, give him some tips about the horse, that kind of stuff. May be that the new owner would love that, and would give you good reasons for the set up. If you are pretty positive, and not threatening, they should be glad to talk to you.
Good luck, and keep an eye out. If the situation changes, you may need to contact someone.
it seems to me that the owner or new owner is trying to hide the horse because they dont seem to be yelled at. at lease they are trying to keep it health and feed it..
yeah i thing u should have like authorities to come out and tell the cops that there is a horse that is tied to a tree.
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OMG, this is really really horrible. Thank you for asking this question, because, yes, this horse is in dire need of attention. NOW. Horses cannot LIVE tied up. Although the kid who has the horse may be nice, they obviously have no idea how to care for a horse. Grass IS NOT enough to sustain this animal. PLEASE contact your local ASPCA or authorities asap.
I would cantact the authorities because some kid cant afford to care of a horse! It will not take long for the horses health to go down hill!
You can contact authorities and ask them about the issue. Tell them to drop by and take a look. Most cities have animal cruelty departments, try to reach them. Say you want to remain anonymous. There’s nothing wrong with them having a look and making sure everything is alright.
First of all, a horse should never ever ever be tied to a tree or such, left unattended. As for the rest of the description - if he’s in good flesh, has plenty of forage, and there’s fresh water which he has access to, there’s not much to say. The conditions sound aweful to me, and it seems the owner is ignorant of proper horse-keeping. Maybe you could try to talk to the owner, and tell him of the terrible risks of horses being tied like that (ie broken necks, legs, etc. happens fairly easily, unfortunately). Hope you can help rectify the situation. . . .
Hmm that is a little concerning. I personally would first talk to your neighbor and maybe see if he even knows that his horse is tied down there. I don’t see why he would be lying and keeping it down there, unless he couldn’t afford to keep it in a stable anymore and he couldn’t bare parting with it. It is dangerous for a horse to be kept like this. No matter how old the horse is, if you were able to get down to it, anyone or anything could also. It must be scary for the horse at night and if it spooked it could hurt itself or get wrapped up in such a long lead rope. The sad part is that you aren’t really going to see much weightloss right away if he has only been there for less than a week, and by the sounds off it, it seeems to me that whoever ther horse belongs to is just hoping it will survive off of the grass down there. As i said before, talk to your neighbor and if he just dismisses it then i personally would call authorities because that it public property and you can’t keep a horse there like that.
Good luck! hope it works out for the horses sake!
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i think the only issue would be that he is tied up, for one, and for anther, there is no one keeping a close eye on him.
first, how is he supposed to roll if he’s tied up? rolling is good for horses, although def can be very dangerous if he’s tied up. he could also get a leg stuck in it. also, what if a pack of coyotes or some other animal comes by. he has bo escape.
which brings me to the second issue. if no one is watching, what if he colics(or gets sick in general)? he’ll probably die out there cuz no one will know.
i would talk to your neighbor, and possibly authorities if your neighbor can’t help. that horse deserves a stall were he doesn’t have to be tied up 24/7. and can be watched.
Tell your neighbor about this.
The horse should be in a secure fence with a proper shelter.
Being tied to a tree is not a good idea - the lead rope could get caught around the horses legs and he could be injured, or eventually he’ll get it wrapped around the tree so many times he can’t walk around any more.
Once you talk to your neighbor, see if you can find out who owns the horse now. Here them out first.
What an unusual situation.
It seems the kid has taken the horse without the knowlegde of their parents and is doing what they can to keep it.
Firstly, it is very irresponsible of your neighbour to have given the horse to just anyone who ’seemed nice’, he should have atleast checked the kids ability to provide for the horse properly. But whats done is done.
It is fortunate the horse is in good health and seemingly happy under the situation, it must be a very tollerant horse. While what the kid has done is very irresponsible, they seem to be doing what they think is right for the horse, altho ignorant, theyre doing the best they can.
This is in no way suitable for any horse to live and is dangerous on so many levels, the horse should be removed from the situation immediatly. The problem with calling authorities is who knows where the horse may end up if they confiscate it, atleast where it is it is healthy for the moment. If you told your neighbour about it, what do you think he would do? would he take the horse back in or give it away to just anyone for a second time?
Do you know or know anyone who knows much about horses? I would try to find the kid and ask them questions first, maybe try to help them out with proper care for the horse becasue is seems the kid is trying to care for the horse, they just dont know the danger in what they are doing.
If no suitable situation can be sought, can you contact someone in your area to take the horse before contacting authorities? There are no guarantees authorities will be quick to act, and rescues are probably swamped with other horse, I would try to make the present situation better for the horse before having it removed to be passed around homes.
Good luck, I would like to know what happens.
First of all it’s ok that it is super long because it helps me get the whole picture. I just want to say that it would be very very very wise to contact an SPCA and alert them of this. Although the horse seems to be cared for it still isn’t safe. Hope this helps. Let us know what happens. 
Obviously the person who owns him now is trying, but like almost everyone else on here says THE HORSE SHOULD NEVER BE TIED TO ANYTHING UNATTENDED!!!!! The horse could be tangled, choked, rip his ankle apart or even off, break bones, etc. He could get loose and run off and into oncoming traffic in another area and cause a wreck. He could get loose, get spooked, and hurt someone. He could be attacked by dogs or coyote. There are so many dangerous things that could happen to the horse and those in the area.
You don’t want to have to worry about what could happen. Yes, you should call your local humane shelter or police!
I would be concerned. It sounds as though the new owner is trying hard, but really might not understand the needs of horses. It really is dangerous to leave a horse tied and unattended, especially in a rope long enough to get caught up in. I think it warrants a call to the SPCA. I don’t think the new owner is really being cruel intentionally, but horses really do need more than that. Perhaps the SPCA can counsel the new owner and help with finding a better place to keep the horse.
It was abominably irresponsible for your neighbor to give the horse away to ’some kid who seemed nice.’ Giving the horse away is one thing. Not knowing who you gave it to is another.
well, horses like to be outside, im just worried about how he is tied up.
He could get hurt really bad from being tied up, especially at a long distance where he could step on the lead rope. If he doesn’t seem to be underweight, and he seems happy maybe you could talk to the new owner and tell them to put up a fence. Maybe even convince them to buy grain and hay, cause that would help the horse become well fed. Hope I helped :]
contact authorities. People can’t just “squat” their horses on seemingly empty land. Somebody owns the land whether it be the city/government/ or private party.
