New concerns have been raised over horses being chained up and left unattended for long periods at a nature reserve in the Black Country.
Fears about the welfare of tethered horses at Buckpool and Fens Pool Nature Reserve date back more than a decade and there are currently at least a dozen tethered up around the park in Pensnett. Dudley Council employs horse bailiffs to control stray and illegally-grazed horses on council-owned land. It also lets out grazing land but at the moment there is a waiting list.
For exercise, the shabby-looking animals, which are restricted by their chains, can walk around only in circles. They have no shelter, and some are unable to reach water to drink.
They vary in condition, with some just looking unkempt while one pony, near Buckpool, has a severely matted coats and flies around its eyes.
But there are signs that they are not abandoned, with some straw scattered about offering an alternative source of food.
Residents living nearby are concerned about the number of horses left on the site, especially as two years ago, a one-year-old pony died in a field by the reserve.
One resident, who takes regular walks through the park, said: “I have cried with frustration at not being able to open the large heavy chain around one horse’s neck so he could walk the 20 feet to the water’s edge for a drink.”
A resident of nearby Tennyson Street said: “I don’t know who they belong to. They roam about and they do get out sometimes.”
Ward councillor for Brockmoor & Pensnett, Rosemary Tomkinson, said: “A lot of people feel these horses are not being looked after properly. It is very hard to find out who owns them.”
A council spokesman said: “Wardens make regular tours around Fens Pool Nature Reserve. We work closely with agencies such as the RSPCA.”
The RSPCA says it is monitoring the situation.
It says tethering is not against the law but the organisation is opposed to it.
The RSPCA can be contacted on 0300 1234 999.
7 Comments
Oh for godsake! RSPCA ACT NOW! Don’t wait until another one dies!
Take the poor animals away - you will soon find out who owns them!
“The RSPCA says it is monitoring the situation”
ACTION is required RSPCA.
Or will you wait for another one to die??
These horses are a disgrace and the people who own them a menace.
They should be taken away and destroyed and the horses ought to be removed and either made use of or got rid of too.
the RSPCA are a total waste of time, they make out that all they do is rescue animals in dangerous situations in their adverts but i know better after the pathetic way they dealt with a complaint i made about 4 dogs locked in a house, get off your lazy backsides and do something NOW!!! rather than wait for them to die and then blame someone else. DO YOUR JOB AND SAVE THESE ANIMALS LIVES FOR GODS SAKE!!!!!
What are the R.S.P.C.A. playing at, if the horse cannot get to water it is suffering and risking its life, surely that justifies the need for them to step in. Looks like they do not care for animals, people should stop giving them money in the charity boxes, it may make them sit up and take notice.
can we just stop with the RSPCA slatings - if you are that bothered about the horses, do what any activist would do, go and release them yourself, other than that stop whining, the RSPCA get mocked too often and you don’t know what information they have access or what they are planning. Me personally, I would probably cut the chains or feed them daily and take water, what will you lot do? Let me guess, wait for someone else do sort it! Thought so!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU express and star for bringing this out to the public. Lets hope that something will now be done for these animals. There has always been horses over there one or two but the last 18 months or so it seemed each week another one would appear. RSPCA get over there with chain cutters let them roam free and drink from the pools its better than nothing they can walk to better grass and shelter in the trees. TILL YOU CAN COME AND FETCH THEM AND TAKE THEM TO A BETTER HOME ASAP!