Horse Trader

The number of stray horses in Walsall has dropped by 90 per cent in the last six months thanks to a crackdown by Walsall Council.

Last year, there were around 80 stray horses wandering around the area and green space in the borough. Currently, there are only a handful of horses left after Walsall Council ordered owners to pay £2,000 to retrieve confiscated horses. Councillor Ian Robertson called for action to be taken to reduce the amount of stray horses wandering around the area, suggesting that a patch of land should be designated so that horse owners could rent it from the council.

“Most people who have horses must pay £300 or £400 to rent stables so it seems a bit unfair that some just let them roam around,” Councillor Robertson said. “We have confiscated horses and it would cost the owners £2,000 to get them back. We are showing that we are serious about this.” Graham Hood, head of green spaces at Walsall Council, said that the crackdown has been effective.

“The actions being taken in tackling the issue of illegal horse grazing has been extremely effective and over the past six months horse numbers on council-owned land has dropped by over 90 per cent,” he said. “Our actions will continue and the council has no plans to find land in order to establish designated grazing areas.” Last week, police rounded up two stray horses in Shildon that were found roaming around the Jubilee estates area.

Police said that the animals will be sold off if they are not claimed by their owners. Two other horses that were seen roaming around the Shildon area have not been found and another was killed after escaping onto a road and colliding with a vehicle. Police said that they will immediately remove loose horses in the area to reduce the risk of accidents.