Horse Trader

Police have said that fly grazing has reached crisis point in Wales. Abandoned horses in Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan are placing members of the public at risk and coasting councils in the south of Wales thousands of pounds.

Last month, police received 497 calls relating to abandoned horses. BBC Wales carried out an investigation into the problem. Tom Price, who runs the business “Welsh Gypsy Horses”, responded to questions from BBC Wales’ Week In Week Out programme. He said that he had received false accusations and said that he was a responsible horse owner. Al Francis, a well-known horse breeder, said that the horse trade has been affected by the recession.

“Until people stop this breeding for breeding's sake - this problem will get worse,” he said. Research into the situation showed that the problem is getting out of hand, with police receiving more calls about stray horses and the RSPCA receiving 2,000 welfare complaints in just one year. The increase in abandoned horses is also causing problems for other animal charities and sanctuaries. Recently, Redwings Horse Sanctuary rescued 23 horses that were fly-grazing near Cardiff Airport.

"Sadly three of them were succumbing to respiratory conditions and the only humane thing to do was to put them to sleep,” said the centre’s vet, Nick De Brauwere. Investigating Bridgend Comprehensive School, where several horses had been left to run loose, Week In Week Out discovered that there were concerns over the safety of the pupils, with head teacher Alwyn Thomas stating that “children will no doubt be kicked one day”.

Bridgend MP Madeleine Moon is now looking for more effective ways to trace owners. "We have horse owners who are irresponsibly driving down the M4 and cherry-picking where they can drop off and deposit their horses," she said. Cardiff council has attempted to take action by appointing a horse warden to round up abandoned horses and is now working with police to solve the problem. Supt Paul James of South Wales Police said that horses on the highway will be taken from owners. Owners will then have to pay £200 to retrieve their horses.