British Horse Society has once again urged members of the public not to feed any horses they encounter whilst they’re out and about making memories this summer.  

The BHS is offering the following simple advice for what people should do if they encounter horses: 

• Do not feed horses as any type of food can cause them to become extremely unwell or even kill them 
• Leave gates and property as you find them 
• Keep your dog on a lead as they may startle horses, which can cause injury 
• If you see a horse in distress, alert the nearest farm/yard or check for a sign with the owner’s details on. 
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Gemma Stanford, Director of Horse Care & Welfare at British Horse Society, said: “We’re urging members of the public to continue to Be Horse Aware whilst they’re enjoying the outdoors and not to feed horses they come across in fields as this may cause serious, potentially life-threatening illness. We’re urging everyone to follow these best practices when they encounter horses, in the hopes of stopping unnecessary issues.” 

Cathy Hyde knows first-hand about the distress inappropriate feeding can cause.   

Cathy said: “I’ve had personal experiences where I’ve had to stop passers-by feeding my horses – I’ve even had to stop someone giving them a ham and cheese sandwich before. I have to be very careful with any changes to my horses’ routine and feed, and people feeding them over the fence is a great concern to me.  

“I’ve now put signs up along my field boundary which runs next to the footpath which gives advice and helps people understand how they can Be Horse Aware. Since putting them up the feeding has stopped and I would encourage any horse owner to take these simple steps to protect their horses.”  

For horse owners and yard managers, BHS has a range of signage available for free, which can easily be downloaded at bhs.org.uk/behorseaware. 

The #BeHorseAware campaign was first launched by BHS in April 2020, to raise public awareness of the suffering that horses and owners can go through as a result of inappropriate feeding. 

For further help and guidance, contact the BHS Horse Care and Welfare team on 02476840517 or email welfare@bhs.org.uk