A plea has been made to the people of Muirkirk to stop feeding the horses in the fields at the bottom of Garronhill and Crossflat Road.

Linda Wallace made the appeal after losing two ponies as a result of overfeeding.

She has placed eight signs around the enclosure asking people to refrain from feeding them.

But she say’s that “not everyone is taking heed.”

It’s particularly concerning because of the horses she keeps, one is a diabetic pony and other are on special diets.

She says that ordinarily it would not be problem for people to feed them, but the special dietary requirements of her herd mean that any potential snack, given with the best intentions, could cause extreme colic and even the death of a horse.

Linda said: “With more and more people heading out on this route for their daily constitutional, a nice thing

to do is feed the horses, it gives us all pleasure to see them.

“Imagine though, if every person passing the fields feeds them even one carrot.....

“I have lost two ponies due to this and please I don’t want the heartache of losing any more.

“ Please don’t kill them with kindness. Rest assure I feed them twice a day, every day.”

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