Just adding here, because lots of people are concerned: I never feed other people's animals without asking first, and neither should anybody else! (Only exception is if you're feeding them handfuls of grass and they are in a pasture full of grass - sometimes hand-picked grass is way tastier than the stuff growing in the ground. Something something grass is always greener...)
Good point! And the grass is automatically tastier if some nice person is interested enough in you to hand it to you! (Same goes for a cup of tea or a cookie from the supermarket, no?)
@sundogplanets I don't think it should be an exception. Unless you have permission leave them be. Especially horses and ponies who oftentimes will deliberately be in a certain field with short grass begging for food because they are greedy, overweight pigs but we do not want them getting colic or laminitis. Many city people have no idea what grass is, could be handing them anything. The only exception should be you have a genuine, knowledge-based welfare concern then call a local vet.
@sundogplanets The other thing being that most people have no idea whether it is safe. You could EASILY lose a finger or a nose if you are not accustomed to horses and cannot read them. These mares might be fine but they are probably unbroken and a bit excitable or just decide they want to nom your thumb off. Some rambling fools will mistake their curiosity for friendliness and 💀
@nf3xn Yes, all true. I was thinking of farm-savvy people...
Jun 28, 2026, 8:41 PM@nf3xn @sundogplanets great advice our gelding had metabolic syndrome and was in a dry paddock for a reason, he’d eat himself into poor health and end up lame until we figured out what was going on with him.
@Bwacton @sundogplanets wild guess: chestnut part-quarterhorse.
Jun 29, 2026, 5:55 AM@nf3xn @sundogplanets no registered warm blood with a big personality. He loved his food.
@Bwacton @sundogplanets Unusual for a Dutch. It's very common in chestnut quarterhorse but not exclusively. It's genetic so not much you can do other than what you did which was love and diet management. Ponies are the worst, literally eat until their feet fall off.
Poor young Tom went off to camp and, likely lacking confidence that either one of us was really up to the task, enjoined both his Dad and me to feed his hamster while he was away. Of course it died, and my friend Will, Tom's elder brother, insisted we give it a Viking funeral in the San Rafael Slough.