A farmer in South Iceland argues foreign travellers and local tour operators and guides are threatening the health and even life of his horses by feeding them bread and other treats. He claims that several hundred foreign travellers stop each day on his land to pet and feed his horses.
Read more: Local farmer frustrated his horses are treated as a tourist attraction
Margeir Ingólfsson, who keeps a herd of horses on land which is adjacent to the road between the Geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss waterfall, told the local news site Vísir that his horses have become overweight from all the treats, and that some have also had severe digestion problems.
I'm responsible for my horses, and I can't just stand by and watch several hundred people stopping, every day, to feed them bread. It's not good for the horses in the long run, and it will kill them in the end.
Margeir argues that it seems people are not only giving his horses bread, but all kinds of leftovers from their cars, fruits and other things horses should not eat. Their digestive systems can't handle this, he argues. He told Vísir that he knew of horses which had become ill from treats fed by travellers.
Bread in large quantities is dangerous to the health of horses
But it is not just the health of the horses he is concerned with, he argues that by feeding the horses people are teaching them bad habits, making them unruly and unsuitable as riding horses. He claims he has he has been forced to put down foals which had become aggressive due to all the attention.
Feeding horses bread in small quantities is not dangerous. However, a vetrenarian who spoke with Vísir said that in large quantities bread can be dangerous to the health of horses. I doubt people would be feeding bread to horses if they knew that they were endangering their health.
A farmer in South Iceland argues foreign travellers and local tour operators and guides are threatening the health and even life of his horses by feeding them bread and other treats. He claims that several hundred foreign travellers stop each day on his land to pet and feed his horses.
Read more: Local farmer frustrated his horses are treated as a tourist attraction
Margeir Ingólfsson, who keeps a herd of horses on land which is adjacent to the road between the Geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss waterfall, told the local news site Vísir that his horses have become overweight from all the treats, and that some have also had severe digestion problems.
I'm responsible for my horses, and I can't just stand by and watch several hundred people stopping, every day, to feed them bread. It's not good for the horses in the long run, and it will kill them in the end.
Margeir argues that it seems people are not only giving his horses bread, but all kinds of leftovers from their cars, fruits and other things horses should not eat. Their digestive systems can't handle this, he argues. He told Vísir that he knew of horses which had become ill from treats fed by travellers.
Bread in large quantities is dangerous to the health of horses
But it is not just the health of the horses he is concerned with, he argues that by feeding the horses people are teaching them bad habits, making them unruly and unsuitable as riding horses. He claims he has he has been forced to put down foals which had become aggressive due to all the attention.
Feeding horses bread in small quantities is not dangerous. However, a vetrenarian who spoke with Vísir said that in large quantities bread can be dangerous to the health of horses. I doubt people would be feeding bread to horses if they knew that they were endangering their health.
