How do you tell if horse is foundered?

A horse needs food, water, shelter, veterinary care, hoof care, exercise and social interaction. Unfortunately, many laws leave out veterinary and hoof care, exercise and social interaction and will only prosecute based on lack of food, water, shelter or veterinary care.

A horse that is well fed shows it is getting food. If its lips were cut, that may be a problem, but since horses do not have mucus membranes on the outside of their lips, this would not be from dehydration. The lack of water doesn't mean the horse doesn't have periodic access to water, and that may only be a turn-out paddock to spend an hour or so during the day. The chipped feet could mean the owner is looking for a new farrier. There are many reasons for some of the things you may have seen, including but not limited to neglect. Call your local police officer if you are worried. They can locate the owner, speak to them, and call animal control if necessary.

The worst mistake people in the US can do for a neglected horse is to feed and water or otherwise care for them. If the animal is getting food or other care, the owners cannot be prosecuted, even if they are not the ones giving the care.

Hi It's still me, I was just explaining my question in more detail. You see, I was walking along a busy road and found a bridge

• I crossed it and found a small field (about the size of a average

school hall) with a black horse in it. The field had a stable - but it was old and falling apart and all bolted up.

Now when i found the horse, the weather was around 40 degrees and this horse had no access to water or shade or even much grass - there were no other horses in the area. But the horse was really quite fat, and behind the stable (where the horse couldn't get) there was a bale of hay and a screwed up New Zealand blanket all covered in cobwebs. So I'm not sure if it was neglected or not. The stable looked more like a shed and was empty apart from where people had dumped their rubbish in it. The horse had chipped hooves, it kept trying to scratch its leg, her lips were cut and very very dry (because she had no water) and she kept swishing her head and biting the fence which is a sign of boredom. She looked really hungry and stomped her foot when i left. I'm just not sure what i should do about her - she looks quite young and i think she may die if i just leave her there - PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO! A horses life may be at risk here!