An owner of a horse has said her pet is “about to explode at any minute” because people keep feeding her carrots. Sarah Cross bought Blackberry the horse two years ago and initially had the horse on a secluded farm.
But this year Sarah, who uses Blackberry to help children with learning disabilities, had to move her to a farm in Ponthir, Newport, where she is easily accessible to passersby. Sarah says Blackberry has now become clinically obese due to people throwing food over the fence into her field.
The “treats” thrown into Blackberry’s field are usually carrots but also include lawn cuttings, potato peel, green vegetables, and apples. Grass cuttings, potato peel, and many vegetables can be toxic for horses and ponies and should not be fed to them.
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While it is safe for ponies and horses to eat carrots and apples in moderation Sarah says Blackberry is eating up to 60 carrots a day from walkers. “There is more than four grams of sugar in a carrot – it’s unbelievable how much sugar she is having daily,” Sarah, 32, said.
“The other day I asked a gentleman to stop feeding her carrots and he sort of shrugged it off as just a carrot. But it’s not just a carrot because if that happens 60 times a day that’s an extortionate amount of food.”
Sarah says Blackberry has “doubled in size” as a result of all the “treats”. “It became so bad that I noticed she started to struggle walking. People seem to think it’s okay to do this but they couldn’t be more wrong. She’s going to explode at any minute if it doesn’t stop.”
Sarah has now started putting her own signs up warning people to not feed Blackberry, fearing that if the feeding continues Blackberry could get colic and laminitis. “She is my pride and joy and she’s also a therapy horse,” Sarah said. “I’m really concerned that in a couple of months she could die.
“We’ve just come off the back of a difficult summer with little grain so she should be eating more hay than usual because she should be thin and healthy. Instead I need to be really careful what I feed her through the winter now.
“I’m stuck because she’s so fat. I don’t know what to do to be honest.”
Sarah is not alone. Last year the RSPCA said it was "essential" the public do not feed horses without permission from owners after a rise in illnesses and deaths as a result of lockdown walkers feeding the animals. The countryside code in Wales informs walkers "not to interfere with horses or livestock" and to "not feed livestock, horses, or wild animals as it can cause harm to them".
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