Horse left close to death after being fed harmful ‘human food’ by campers

| Freelance News Reporter Published September 4, 2026 10:49am Updated September 4, 2026 10:49am Frank, 13, collapsed on the floor and was unable to walk after developing an infection in his colon from harmful food likely fed to him by nearby campers (Picture: Julie Kershaw/SWNS) A horse was left on the brink of dying in a field after being fed harmful food by campers. Frank was discovered lying on the floor and unable to walk at his home in Rochdale, Manchester by his owner Julie Kershaw. Ms Kershaw, 58, said she feared the animal would not survive the night and believes he was fed dangerous human food by passing visitors. Frank, 13, required four injections to stabilise his critical condition, which vets diagnosed as a colon infection. She said: ‘With the state he was in, I didn’t think he was going to be alive in the morning. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. ‘He was really shaking and couldn’t walk.’ ‘It’s just so scary – people don’t realise how dangerous it is to feed horses’, she added. The horse was first seen in distress by a passing mother and daughter who saw the equine roll onto his side and breathing heavily after suddenly collapsing. Freya, 13 and her mother Rachel, put out an appeal on Facebook to find the pet’s owner. Ms Kershaw said she took some 20 phone calls as she realised the stricken animal was her own. Owner Julie Kershaw said she feared Frank would not survive the night after the equine was discovered rolling on its side on the floor and breathing heavily (Picture: Julie Kershaw/SWNS) With help, she called a vet who arrived at the stable within 40 minutes. She said: ‘I must have had 20 phone calls and it was all over Facebook.’ Ms Kershaw spent £300 to save the poorly animal, including a vet bill of £235 and the remainder on food. Much of food routinely consumed by humans is harmful to horses, which are lactose intolerant and are unable to process meat or bread. Vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, onions and garlic are toxic, charity Animal Friends warns. Even normally safe snacks such as apples and carrots can become harmful if fed to horses repeatedly by visitors. Ms Kershaw said she is on the lookout for discarded human scraps after picking up a batch of Brussels sprouts left on her field by visitors last Christmas. ‘It keeps happening and it’s a nightmare. A horse is part of a family, so I was so upset and stressed’, she said. ‘Everyone has a phone – so why can’t they just search what you can and can’t feed a horse?’ The horse owner said the situation had worsened as the area was discovered by walkers following the Covid pandemic. Another animal owner named Patsy said she had caught visitors standing near the animals with in an Indian takeaway, including a chicken kebab and naan bread. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.