A WARNING and plea has gone out to Thurrock residents after two much-loved horses died as a result of grass cuttings being dumped in their field.

Thurrock Council has stopped regular collection of the brown bins used to dispose of domestic garden waste and horse owners fear that is why some people may be dumping their cuttings in fields.

However, that presents a real danger to horses and a South Ockendon family have lost two treasured mares because of it.

Sara Imamzade told Thurrock Nub News what had happened to the horses, owned by her son Sam.

"Sam on went to the field where our four horses are kept near Aveley. It's a stables where lots of local people keep their horses in fields which are sectioned off," she said.

"Ours graze in a section near the road and someone dumped a load of grass cuttings in the field over the weekend.

"What most people don't know is that horses don't produce a lot of saliva which breaks down grass. It's OK when they graze normally but with likes of finely cut grass they forged on it. It ferments quickly inside them and releases toxins that cause colic.

Heartbreaking

"Two of our horses, Lady - a mare we have had for ten years since she was a foal - and another mare, Paris, we have had for 16 years had really bad colic because of this.

"We got the vet out straight away but it was too late, the colic was too bad and they were in such pain we had to have them out down.

"It's heartbreaking.

"We don't think it was deliberate, probably just someone who doesn't want to store their garden cuttings at home, but we don't want it in our fields killing our horses. People shouldn't dump things or even feed horses, it's dangerous.

"On Monday we found another lot of dumped clippings that we were able to clear away. Please stop."

What is horse colic?

Colic causes significant abdominal pain.

The most common forms of colic are gastrointestinal in nature and are most often related to colonic disturbance.

Colic is caused by a number of things, some of which can prove fatal without surgical intervention.

Among domesticated horses, colic is the leading cause of premature death. The incidence of colic in the general horse population has been estimated between 4 and 10 percent over the course of the average lifespan. Clinical signs of colic generally require treatment by a veterinarian. The conditions that cause colic, for example diet, can become life-threatening in a short period of time.

Colic surgery is usually an expensive procedure as it is major abdominal surgery, often with intensive aftercare.