I know there are plenty of horse people here, so a bit of advice please?

Across the road in a council house there is a rowdy family. You know the sort -several noisy, unruly kids, loud arguments in the middle of the night which the police have to break up, dogs come and go (always Staffies), run loose around the streets, and once gone are never seen again, also other animals such as cats. Lots of rubbish outside, the untidy house in the road. I could go on.

Yesterday I was talking to my husband and happened to look out the window at the same time. I stopped talking and my mouth must have fallen open because he wondered what on earth I'd seen.

Well I'd seen two ponies tethered in this family's front garden, that's what!

We live on a suburban street! I have this awful feeling these ponies might be Christmas presents. They are still there now, I can see them right now.

Does anyone know the law etc here? Are horses allowed to be tethered without any shelter? Would the RSPCA do anything? Or do I need to complain to the council as surely you can't keep horses in your FRONT garden (not big!!) of a council house. Don't get me wrong, I don't care what pets people keep, but I feel sorry for these ponies! It's cold and wet and they have no shelter, just grass and water, and the grass will soon disappear.The ponies are perhaps Welsh or similar, that kind of size.

Hmm

Right, 'shelter' might not be an issue if they have thick natural coats - so the RSPCA would do nothing there - if they are clipped smooth and visibly shivering without rugs, then  yes theyd need shelter.

Water and grass - until the grass runs out, again the RSPCA can do nothing - when it does and with two ponies whod need around 1 acre EACH of grass, they would need hay, and without that then the RSPCA MAY be abl to do something.

The council will prohibit the keeping of anything other than cats and dogs really, cant even keep chickens here, so thats your best angle as, despite what the RSPCA can and cannot do, keeping ponies on the lawn is not right or suitable. Get onto them now and make a big fuss.

Id also ring the ILPH, but also see if you can talk to htem, perhaps they owned them before and have had to move them off previous grazing temporarily (its unlikely but i do know horsey people who have had to occasionally overnight a pony on the lawn).... The ILPH are probably more ilkely to do something than the RSPCA im afraid, and dont hold your breath for the council to act quickly, not at this time of year.

:(

Em

From what I've learned, native-type ponies don't need a lot of fresh grass because of the risk of laminitis, but they will need hay provided. If they have their thick winter coats the shelter from the worst of the weather need only be a windbreak - the ideal is a shed with a roof and three walls but open on the leeward side. A suburban garden, though, is certainly not suitable for longterm pony-keeping. If I were you I'd give the local RSPCA a ring and see what they say.

Council by-laws tend to vary so it might be an idea to enquire with them as to the position on keeping ponies on council property.  Here ponies are not allowed on the public parks. 

It could be the case that the ponies are not going to be kept in the garden at all.  Perhaps it is just temporary.

Thanks everyone. Yes I certainly HOPE they are not meant to stay! :) The ponies do have very thick coats, I can see that even from across the road, so that's okay -but there is most definitely not anything for them to eat other than the soggy grass.

Shall see what I can do.

one other point is query with the council on environmental health, from your description it doesn't sound like they are the sort of folk to poo pick for dogs never mind two ponies and a pony pruduces an awful lot of **** in even 1 day never mind longer. prob get more joy than from rspca.
Chris

Yep - its an environmental health issue.

Hairy natives will survive fine on soggy wet grass - then hay when that runs out. But a front garden is not suitable from a health perspective - not suitable at all!

no idea what area you are in but this often happens here in the westcountry when the do-gooders buy up moor ponies for a fiver at the sales & they end up in the city in peoples gardens because they have no idea how to look after them  Hope someone fnds them a proper home soon poor thngs

Thought I'd update everyone on this issue.

A couple of days before Christmas the RSPCA appeared and looked at the ponies. Late that night we heard screaming and shouting, looked out the bedroom window to see both the ponies were walking around in the middle of the road, presumably escaped,and our neighbours (the horrible ones next door) were outside shouting at the owners. (Made a nice change from it being us they shouted at....... ) That was the last time we saw the ponies, they went away early the next morning.

Right now I was sitting at the computer and noticed an RSPCA van arrive. (Just to show how paranoid my neighbours have made me, I immediately thought they were coming here after some anonymous complaint. :rolleyes: but they weren't.) they went over to the house where the ponies used to be, looked round the back, obviously looking for the ponies. Had a quick word with the woman who lives there and then left.

So seems somebody did call the RSPCA in and they DID do something which was nice. No idea what happened to the ponies of course but hopefully they're better off!

Least the ponies got away. Hope they're ok though. Some people make you so mad. Was wondering what had happened to them so thanks for the update!!

you have lovely neighbours who like to complain at nothing....me too!!!!! Can't wait to get away!!! Neighbours dogs bark non stop, mine are lovely and peaceful. Half the time if I'm not in they're out with me and very rarely bark. But because they're big they like to try to complain!!

Paula.