Horse nearly dies after being fed dangerous food by campers

By James Connolly

A horrified horse owner found her beloved pet trembling helplessly on the ground and close to death after he was fed dangerous scraps by campers.

Julie Kershaw, 58, raced to the field where she keeps 13-year-old Frank to find him shaking uncontrollably, barely able to walk and battling a potentially fatal infection.

As he lay stricken on the grass in Rochdale, Gtr Manchester., the terrified owner feared Frank would not survive the night - as she said she believes campers fed him human food.

Julie said: "With the state he was in, I didn't think he was going to be alive in the morning.

"He was really shaking and couldn't walk."

Julie does not know exactly what Frank ate, but is convinced he was fed something dangerous by visitors because he has lived safely in the same field throughout his life.

Frank had been discovered in distress by 13-year-old Freya and her mum Rachel while they were out walking.

They saw the horse suddenly collapse, roll onto his side and begin breathing heavily as his whole body shook.

Freya remained beside him and offered comfort while Rachel issued a frantic Facebook appeal to find his owner.

Julie had been out all day when her daughter, who was on the phone to a friend, alerted her to the drama.

The bistro worker, who lives around 15 minutes away from the field, immediately realized the stricken animal was Frank.

She said: "I must have had 20 phone calls and it was all over Facebook."

Julie and others managed to get Frank into a stable before a vet arrived within 40 minutes.

He needed four injections during an emergency visit which continued until around 10:30 p.m.

Julie said: "They told us it was colitis and said it was an infection in the colon. He was in a critical condition.

"It's just so scary - people don't realize how dangerous it is to feed horses."

Julie was warned the inflammation could spread and prove fatal.

Horse owners have previously discovered chicken bones, tomatoes, red onions and lemons dumped among the animals.

In one incident, Julie said she spent weeks picking Brussels sprouts out of the field last Christmas when visitors threw them for horses.

She said: "It keeps happening and it's a nightmare. A horse is part of a family, so I was so upset and stressed.

"The vet bill was $315, but we also had to spend on food - I spent about $400 altogether.

"It all happened because of people's ignorance.

"Everyone has a phone - so why can't they just search what you can and can't feed a horse?"

Julie said the situation has worsened since walkers discovered the previously quiet spot during the pandemic.

Fellow horse owner Patsy said visitors had even been spotted standing beside the animals carrying a chicken kebab and naan bread.

Julie warned that even conventional treats such as apples and carrots can become dangerous if dozens of visitors each feed them to the horses.