Social media row develops after concerns raised about image of ‘very thin’ horse
Gellings Riding School shared these images of a horse on social media after concerns about its condition were raised (Credit: Gellings Riding School Facebook)
A Merseyside riding school has hit back at criticism and says it has contacted the police after concerns were raised about the condition of one of its horses.
Gellings Riding School in Prescot released a lengthy statement on social media on Saturday after what it said had been 24 hours of comments and criticism regarding its treatment of one of its animals.
In the statement, the school said: “Whilst we appreciate the concern from some members of the public, the comments made are highly inaccurate. All of our riding school ponies live out on a 40-acre field adjacent to a public right of way. Consequently any member of the public can see our ponies at any time.”
The school went on to state that animal welfare charity the RSPCA came out to visit the site over the weekend following a report from a member of the public. The school added: “They inspected our ponies and horses (including the one in question) and they were happy with the horses, fields, and facilities and commented how well they looked.”
Sharing images of the horses and ponies on the riding school’s land, the statement added: “You can see from these picture the conditions of our horses and based on this we ask that all inaccurate and critical comments stop.”
“We are aware of the individual who has started these rumours and have reported the individual and two others to the police for ongoing slander as encouraged by the RSPCA officer. As many of you know we have successfully operated Gellings Riding School for 20 years, we have always had the welfare of our horses and ponies at the forefront of everything that we do.”
Gellings Riding School shared these images of a horse on social media after concerns about its condition were raised (Credit: Gellings Riding School Facebook)
The school said it had been ‘deeply saddened by the false accusations that have been maliciously spread by a very small group of individuals that have actually not set foot on this yard for 3+ years..”
A number of those responding to the post continued to raise concerns about one white horse in particular – and others have also come to the ECHO directly to express their own concerns about the horse, which was described by some as looking ‘very thin.’
Responding to the statement, Stacey Greenwood said: “The pictures of the horse that were shared showed a horse looking very thin in poor condition. Are you able to explain this? As I think people are just really worried about the horse.”
But others threw their support behind the school. Jane Elliott said: “I am in full support of Gellings. I have ridden there for years. No horses are mistreated and the horse in question hasn’t worked for a couple of weeks. If the horse was as bad as the picture portrays I would refuse to get on.”
Last year the ECHO reported how Gelling Riding School is facing closure after a London-based property company revealed plans to sell off the land in Prescot where it currently is based. More recently we revealed that the Friends of Gelling Riding School are hoping to take on the running of the school and have submitted plans to take on the running of the defunct Croxteth Park Riding School in Liverpool.