08/30/2026
A respectful request to my neighbours regarding feeding the horses on Cecil 🤗
Please, please please no feeding at the fence line. Never feed someone else’s livestock without permission is the general rule as it could literally kill them. I’m not trying to be overdramatic or controlling, but here are the reasons why….
Barbie and Walter will try to tell you to call 911 SPCA because they are starving, but in fact they are borderline metabolic. A bag of apples or carrots could actually kill them. They are on strict forage diet. They are not allowed any apples or carrots or anything else high in sugar content. Worst case scenario if a metabolic episode was triggered it could cause a chemical reaction in their body leading to the sloughing off of their own feet. Their hoof capsule could start to disconnect from the supporting structure leading to a very painful death.
Wendy the senior x-racehorse had her mandible fractured from blunt force trauma at the auction in 2024. Damage to her jaw led to a molar extraction last year after she had two terrifying choking episodes. Now that she’s missing teeth, she cannot be fed chunks of apples or carrots, AT ALL, she cannot chew them and will choke again.
Rupert the baby bites. Consider him to be a bull shark. All of the work we are doing to disassociate hand feeding and food will be derailed and undone by hand feeding over the fence. As he’s getting to be a full-size horse, it makes it into a very dangerous problem to have and it’s important that the no hand feeding rule is respected.
When you bring a single source of treats to a herd of fat horses who think they are hard done by, they will fight amongst themselves for ‘first dibs’. This will lead to the dominant horses lashing out and kicking to get their food first. If one of the adult horses kicks the baby it will shatter his leg. This is not dramatic or over exaggerated. Fat Walter kicked Valentina the other night at feeding time, the crack was so loud I thought surely her leg broke. Please do not present treats to the herd.
Finally, There are an alarming amount of invasive, toxic plants on the property. Since purchasing last year, I have been attempting to hand pick all of them. Close to the fence line I have picked 15 garbage bags of poison Hemlock. A single bite of this could put the horses in organ failure, not to mention harm the person touching it. Tansy, Hoary Alyssum and more are growing along the ditch. Something as innocent as picking a handful of grass for them could inadvertently feed them a plant that could kill them. Two weeks ago Re*****on almost died after he ate something toxic that caused digestive stasis. I was facing a 20,000$ vet bill or euthanasia if he didn’t pass it which he did thankfully.
As of today the perimeter fence will have live electric fence in an effort to get them to stop pushing on the fence and stretching it, so they won’t approach but please no throwing food into the pasture either.
I appreciate everyone’s help in making sure the herd of misfits is kept safe and healthy 🙏💕 If anyone wants to come meet the horses or visit just let me know.
-Marley
