I know I have a lot of new readers, so I want to post this. This is the Sugarcreek auction in November 2007. In case anybody reading this is still laboring under the delusion that they can breed low end horses and make money - read it and weep. If anybody thinks it is ok to not appropriately train horses that you breed - see what happened to the ones who couldn't be caught.
The polo pony just kills me. Hey, loyal readers, if you ever find a polo pony going to the killer at an auction? JUST BUY IT. I'll reimburse you and we'll get it off your property within 2 weeks. I cannot stand the thought of a polo pony ending her life in a slaughterhouse. Same goes for starving ex polo ponies anywhere...contact me. I WILL get involved.
This was sent to me by a rescue. I will leave it to them if they want to "out" themselves in the comments, I didn't have a chance to ask them. Either way, I'm very grateful for the ones they did save that day (and would love updates).
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STB, looked sound, harness marks - $350
3 BIG untouched Percheron broodmares - $275 a piece to the killer
Very nicely built and nicely colored Paint weanling - $100
Not as nicely built or marked Paint weanling, burrs in mane and tail - $20
BIG dark red dun QH, lots of white, sound but we couldn't touch him earlier - $350 to the killer
Cute little sorrel QH type weanling - $100
Pair of large grade ponies, cute, couldn't catch them earlier - $150 pair to the killer
Thin old sorrel mare - $40 to the killer
Big bay QH, we caught him earlier and he wasn't broke - $600
QH type weanling, sorrel - $60
Quiet teenage QH - $150
Very sweet and gentle QH mare that we caught and rode earlier, lame in her hip - $50 to the killer
Scrawny but nicely marked grulla paint, good size, would have bid but we couldn't catch him earlier - $40 to the killer
Several Belgians in a row, all sound, we rode a few, they went for $200-250 to the killer, one went for $300 to the Amish
Lame old Standardbred - $150 to the killer
Super sweet Standardbred, harness marks, looked like he'd been through a WAR, lame on all four legs, scrapes everywhere - $100 to the killer
Standardbred - $275 to the killer
UGLY but DUN donkey, really overweight and kicked the shit out of everything - $160
Standardbred, harness marks - $250 to the killer
Cute QH mare, we rode her earlier, gentle and sweet, bay, sound - $225
Standardbred, big - $300 to the killer
TB, neurological or vision problems, cute chestnut - $50 to the killer
Young Haflinger, under 2, we couldn't get near him earlier but he was cute - $30 to the killer
Standardbred, lame - $30 to the killer
QH type - $125
Appy.. (that's all I wrote??) - $275
Really loud, stout Appy gelding, good looking, tried to rear when we rode him and beat the shit out of the other horses in the pen - $40 to the killer
Pair of teenage grey Percheron geldings, scared to death to be there, huddled in the back of the kill pen and defended each other - $60 FOR THE PAIR to the killer
The thickest Belgian gelding I've ever seen (he looked like a cartoon horse), really quiet, we rode him, under 10, had an infection and swelling in a rear leg but was sound on it - $225 to the killer
Standardbred, harness marks - $250 to the killer
HUGE Clyde cross mare, hadn't been ridden in three years but rode and drove, we rode her around and she was quiet, bay, lots of chrome, 12 - $600
Draft mule, baby of the clyde mare, 4 years old, never been touched, close to 17 hands - $250
4 year old paint mare, supposedly broke to ride but spooked when we tried to get on her, nice markings, 3-400 pounds underweight - $100
Paint mare's ugly ass untouched weanling - $30
BIG nice Canadian TBs with papers, 5 year old mare, was at the track last spring, sound - $375
other TB mare, 13 year old, momma to above - $300
Four of the sweetest TBs, they were all love, straight from the track. One was lame in the shoulder, one in the hip, and one was lame on all four legs. The fourth was sound. They all went for under $300, two went to the killer.
Big grey mare, supposedly ex-polo pony, $200 to the killer
Our purchases:
Cole, young QH/TB?? bay, quiet and sweet, good weight, wasn't ridden in but they said 'broke to ride' (haha) - $135
Blue, 6-8 year old palomino pony gelding, lots of chrome, blue eyes, really skinny, wormy, and covered in rainrot. This guy doesn't have great conformation (OK it's horrible) but he was SO SWEET and quiet in the pen, we figured with some weight and little bit of finishing he'll be a cute kid's pony. - $90
Isaac, bay QH, late teens. This guy is also SUPER quiet, he is skinny and really wormy, but a very nice little horse. - $10
Polly, aged black pony mare. We felt so sorry for this girl, she deserves to be a kid's Christmas present. Absolutely bombproof, and even at this age, sound!! - $30 (Pictured)
Layla, teenage grey Arab cross. This girl we saw right at the last minute. She's tall and sound, very prissy but a nice little ride. - $85
One of our big donors has been looking for a draft, so their daughter came with us. She bought a horribly emaciated sorrel draft for $10. He has the best personality and he trotted sound! Probably in his late teens. We aren't sure yet if he'll make it, but we couldn't leave him. The owner of the sale house actually was upset we bought him. He said the horse was down earlier and he was worried we were going to make a "poster child" out of him and bad mouth Sugarcreek. We don't believe in doing that and hopefully no one else will either. It was not the owner of Sugarcreek's fault that this horse is in the condition, it is the fault of whoever starved him. You can't badmouth slaughter and sale houses for selling a skinny horse. The big horse made the trip home fine, he had diarrhea pretty badly so we were worried his digestive system was shot. We got him home, gave him IV fluids, IV dextrose, a shot of B, and lots of nice soft hay. He was balling it pretty badly so we all spent a few hours cutting up the hay by hand. ; ) The next morning, he had solid poop, and he hadn't even laid down to sleep. He even neighed at me at pawed when I came in the barn. That horse is NOT ready to die. ; )
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In other news, I visited the two "worst case" Mason Cty. horses tonight, the two I originally went to the property to see, and what a huge difference. The person rehabbing them likes to stay discreet, so I won't name her, but she is doing a stellar job. The mare has gained SO much weight, it's incredible. The gelding is growing a hip muscle and filling out in his neck and over his ribs. Both horses are perky, bright, alive and very very very interested in food, food, food. Again, thanks to Save A Forgotten Equine for getting these two to safety!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
It's been a while since we've had an auction report
Posted by fuglyhorseoftheday at 10:37 PM
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322 comments:
That was painful to read. I'm tired of people wildly underestimating the commitment horses are and then dumping them.
Wanna read something just as bad? The BLM has a "special" on right now. You can get a mare either with foal or in foal for $25. I saw it on their website.
I swear I really just don't like people somedays
*sigh*
*shakes head sadly*
that was really hard to read, especially since I have a real weak spot for standardbreds. they are such nice horses. :(
I have NO clue how you could go to an auction and witness that...so MANY sad stories...and then have to DECIDE who you will take home. We don't have that type of auction here and we don't really have an overpopulation problem (nothing like the US) so I've never been in that situation. Hope I never will be.
As others have said: that was very hard to read. Really brings it home.
How awful... That pair of percherons defending one another broke my heart.
I couldn't get through that list without crying. I can't go to any auction without wanting to buy out the whole lot, but I've never seen anything up here that even comes close to what was described in this thread.
Just....wow. Wow.
i've never been to an auction before? can someone fill me in on the riding part before the auction? you have the opportunity to go in the pen and ride the horses? i was a little thrown off. and oh my, i feel so terrible, i have a soft spot of percherons.. the two geldings that were terrified and went for $60.. how very sad it all is.
That is incredibly sad and sickening to read. So glad you were able to save a few but so sad at the fate of some many.
Surely Tennessee Williams made it clear enough what happens to those who rely on the kindness of strangers; people don't have to keep running these experiments with their horses to find out for themselves.
If you can't care for or keep your horse, then euthanize them yourself. A bullet in the brain is a lot better than huddling in a pen at the auction yard with a bunch of strange horses, being run through the ring and then ending up crammed onto a double decker.
Those two terrified teenaged Percheron geldings caught at my heart. Sticking together, trying to protect each other and it only got worse from there.
Fugly, this is an eye-opener posting that I believe would be beneficial to do every couple of weeks if possible. This is the first "auction report" I've read here, and it really hits home how desperate the situation is.
Thanks, and thank you to those who saved the ones they could!
that first picture is just nauseating. :(
huge blessings to those who saved whom they could, would love to hear updates in time.
Was this the Ohio Sugarcreek auction? That one is less than an hour from me. It breaks my heart to read these. Especially since so many people around here think nothing of sending their horses there.
Wow. :( Glad to hear that at least some will be making it on to better lives with the rescue, and kudos to the rescue team for sitting through and evaluating them.
Also - since this was a rescue post, thank you for posting the link to Argus. What an amazing, uplifting story.
*sniff* That made me so sad :(
My question is the same as lisar1969,
was that the Ohio Sugarcreek? I'm in Ohio as well. I've always had a HUGE soft spot for drafts of any kind (don't let my QH gelding hear that!). I cried when I read how many & for how little they were being sold. Though I know I have no business with one right now in my riding abilities (not to mention I've got 'my boy', one is enough right now), but I still dream. Those two Percherons. And the Halflinger...oh...I so wanted a (taller) Halflinger when I was looking for a horse 4 months ago.
I don't know of any equine rescues near me--at least one I do know of is about 50 miles away, which is a bit too far for regular involvement. I'd love to get involved with a draft rescue.
Some days I hate people too.
This kind of stuff perpetually makes me ill.
How can people treat their horses like garbage, starve them, lame them, and then dump them at a sale in good conscience? It floors me to think of nice horses like those Percheron geldings; dumped, scared, and then their trip to the killers from there.
Who the fuck can justify that type of stewardship? Who can justify starving a horse nearly to death, and then wash their hands of it as easily as you'd toss out burnt toast? Or, worse, who can raise and train a horse, like the Standardbreds and Throroughbreds and Percherons, and not give a shit what happens to them down the road? At one point these horses were doted upon, only to end up betrayed and hung on a meat hook for a few bucks. Goddamned Judases, every one of them.
I don't get it. I simply don't understand the lack of compassion or the complete absence of anything close to obligation. A lot of these people should be rotting in jail for treating animals that way, not given a fucking pass by convenient shitholes like Sugarcreek (and it is a notorious shithole). Places like Sugarcreek enable this kind of behavior - they faciliate these heinous transactions with near anonymity - and for that I hate them every bit as much, and that goes double for the fucking killer buyers.
Good job fugs :) all of your horses sound wonderful! I'm sad about the ones that went to the killer but happy that you were able to save a few
I wish I would win the lottery so I could buy some of these horses and give them forever homes. Looking after four already though I know the limits of what I can handle.
*Sigh* what a shame :(
OK, now can we send this page link to the shitty websites of all the shitty BYBs that Fugly has outed so far?
This is why I'm not allowed to go horse auctions. I'd bring something home.
There is a local auction near me. Perhaps I ought to go and make an auction report, but it is SO sad. I can't afford to save all the sad-eyed, skinny horses. I've gone to the auction many times for the tack, but I usually don't even go and look at the horses in the back, or stay for the horse sale - it's just too depressing.
Nancy -
If you like draft horses, check out Frog Pond Farm in Cambridge Ohio. Don't know if they are close to you or not, but it might be worth looking into.
I am a pretty brave person but I can't handle going to an auction. Too much suffering or potential suffering in one spot.
Rescues like this one (and I know who it is, and they are an excellent rescue) have my deepest admiration and support.
Must clarify -
Frog Pond Farm is a rescue and concentrates on draft horses.
Sugarcreek auction is in Ohio.
Morgan_Horse_Queen--
Thanks for the tip! Its still a bit far from me, I'm in Central Ohio, but maybe I could volunteer once in a while. It's good to know about it, also, if I ever get to the point of wanting to adopt a draft.
Every time I read one of these auction reports I want to get out there and DO something.
However, no horse, no farm, and no money to board AND rehab. The only rescue in the province closed down this past summer.
Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can (and others like me) help horses like this?
I really hate it when people don't handle their foals. It would be so much easier to train them and sell them when they are handled on a regular basis. Seriously, don't breed your horse if you don't have time for it.
I can't believe the draft prices...sometimes old ones end up in auctions here...but rarely.
Big sweet draft horses...man, this is the closest I have been to crying.
If anyone has the funds to feed one, drafts are the greatest pasture puffs ever. Nothing like a big monster to hug and love on. You never know what they might surprise you with!
Seriously, don't breed your horse if you don't have time for it.
"time" isn't an excuse. Pay for a goddamn trainer if you don't have "time".
Grrrr.
My horse came from an auction down in Pennsylvania. He was picked up as a yearling prospect by some trainer and shipped up here. I got him when he was three years old, gangly and awkward looking. When I think of how he could've ended up, it makes me want to cry for he is the sweetest love sponge you'd ever want to meet. I think I hate people.
I assume you are talking about Sugarcreek, OH here.
When I lived in OH I went to that auction frequently, and more often than I should have, I left with a horse. The conditions were pretty appalling--no water, feed, etc. for the horses jammed in pens, or crammed more-than-one to a stall. Then maybe 10 - 12 years ago, the facility burned, and was rebuilt to much more humane standards. Unfortunately, that did not improve the horses or the buyers. Some Amish use the last drop of life in a horse, then dump it at the auction: The maimed, the lame,the unhandled, the worn out. It is a pitiful sight.
We still try to include a Friday afternoon at Sugarcreek in our annual visit with relatives in that area.
Back on a visit from Dallas one year (late '80's) I outbid a killer on a 16.2 registered snowcap mare. The previous owners had dumped her at the auction with her papers and a note that said she was "well broke." They most likely had discovered she was night blind (pretty common with snowcaps) and threw her to the wolves. (I discovered that the first weekend when I took her on a long trail ride and did not get back until after dark; she became pretty spooky once the sun went down--not completely night-blind, but sure didn't see any better than I did. Still rode well.) Don't remember her name because I immediately named her "Duster" because that is what she would have been if I had not bought her. Made an agreement with my nephew that I would buy the feed for his horse (he had a foxtrotter) and "mine" if he would take care of them. Most of the kids in the family learned to ride on that big mare over the next five years or so, and a friend of my brothers finally bought her for her own kids.
Everyone up there knows it is primarily a meat and Amish auction, but continue to take their horses there and dump them off. If they would at least stay and ride them the horses would much more likely go to a real home.
I wish I could have been there - I would have taken a couple of those that went to the killers... unfortunately, they are everywhere! I live in TX, and the mini mare I have came from one of our local auctions. She was going to the killer - pregnant! Now she is happy in her deeply-bedded straw foaling stall with her private turnout. She's heavy in foal, but don't know when she's due or with what... Foal has a home waiting when it is weaned. Mare will then be ready for adoption herself. NOT A KIDSAFE MINI!!! Has fear issues, but has made TREMENDOUS improvement in the 5 months I have had her!
Bleh.
I wish somehow we could hold the people who send lame and emaciated horses to these sales instead of euthanizing them responsible.
And I wish sometimes we could point the fingers at the original breeders as well.
There is NO GODAMN EXCUSE for sending YOUNGSTERS to the auction. Of ANY breed.
I just wanted to cry reading about all of them but esp. the two grey percherons that were so scared and went for $60 together.
there's a reason I can't go to the auction.
That haflinger would have been mine in an instant. I would have spent all day trying to catch it.
Along with every other horse there.
I just recently obtained a registered ASPC pony that was purchased by someone else at the Nov Sugarcreek auction. I answered an ad on Craigslist for someone wanting to "get rid" of a pony. I am his 4th home in 3 weeks. I wish I could post pictures as we have only had him a few weeks and he already looks so much better. We are slowly working on his handling skills but since he has been moved so many times I do not want to push him too fast.
How he ended up there I have no clue.
I have been to Sugarcreek once and it tore my heart out. The smell of death was everywhere. I had to shower as soon as I got home just to try and get the smell off.
The day I was there we saw a whole stall full of registered QH weanlings. Some were very nice. Luckily I talked to some of the bidders and I think they got good homes.
Reading that makes me want to cry...the pair of percherons, that story is just heartbreaking.
I would have wanted to come home with a trailer load of horses.
I don't live far from the New Holland horse auction, I went once. Won't go back again, it makes me sick how people discard their horses like trash.
God Bless those of you who can go to auctions and watch/do this. I've got tears in my eyes just reading about it. I wouldn't last a minute at an auction. And the prices are astounding, and very sad.
Ken Whatsyername, psychology teacher, ARE YOU READING THIS?!
Yes, it's the Sugarcreek Auction in Ohio.
No, I am not the rescuer who was there...I do Enumclaw or Woodburn reports, when I can stand to go (which often is only when I can afford to bring something home). Same thing, lots of horses going to the kill buyers. Many in bad condition.
And yes, I don't get it either. I do not get how you can dump your horse at a sale like this AND LIVE WITH YOURSELF. It scares me how many totally soulless, sociopathic empty shells of people are walking around the world with us.
If this appalls you, and you have space for one more, PLEASE GO GET ONE. You see the prices. $10 and you have a new horse. If you can't make a long term commitment, go get one of the ones who is older than dirt. Odds are they'll be dead in a year anyway, but you can give them that last three, six, twelve months of good food and good care. You'll NEVER regret that.
That was wrenching, the whole thing. I'm about an hour from Sugarcreek, and I just can't bring myself to go there though have known others who have. Bought a pony once at a farm near Sugarcreek that all they did was get ponies to drafts from there for under $100, put another couple hundred in them groceries etc, then evaluated them under saddle and sold them for very fair prices along with their lifestock transport business. They did well for themselves too, course this was several years ago. Gave them credit for getting what they could out and taking care of them. That pony I got was a gorgeous little turd lol, went on to be a heck of a show pony in driving with a life-long home. She would have been on that slguther truck if not for those people, and the others who are able to get any horse they can out of that place. Kudos to you all, and to this rescue who saved what they could and made the report.
Even if you're mostly preaching to the choir, Fugs, thank you for keeping our collective blood pressure up - it's too easy to become complacent about horros like this.
It breaks my heart and in makes me so mad it hurts.
I want a horse so bad I can taste it, but because I'm a beginner and not ready yet, I can't get one right now.
And these *I have no name for them that would convey how I feel about them* bastards dump them at auction in such deplorable conditions.
***mouth WIDE open***
I can't believe the horse in the first photo is STILL standing!!
This makes me so sick I could throw-up!
Thankyou so saving lives... you are there(the horses) HERO!!
Of course should read *it*, just can't even type right in my anger.
*sighs* The whole post was very sad...but hearing about the polo pony especially when collegiate (and other) clubs would gladly take great care of them hit a little harder. No animal deserves to meet such a brutal ending...
This just makes me sick. This is so hard to see time and time again. Every town, every state. I have a small horse rescue in Wisconsin and see so many of these great horses go to the kill buyers. Most of the auctions I go to, about 60-70% of the horses go to slaughter! I do NOT allow breeding with my adoptive horses in my program and try to get the word out 'NOT TO BREED' anymore! I dont care what your horse looks like or how nice he is or how cute their foal will be! So many nice horses at auctions will go to slaughter. With a little loving care, good food, training etc you can have just as wonderful of a horse as buying them from someone privately and spending thousands of dollars! And even the older and disabled horses need to be respected for all of their years of giving pleasure to their humans and let them live their lives out without being slaughtered and their last days a living hell. Sometimes I just dont like 'horse people'. How many times can we say it? STOP BREEDING, STOP BREEDING! And stop horse slaughter!!!! Thanks for letting me vent.
LuvMyBayTB said...
I live in TX
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As many have posted, I don't go to this type of auction because I cannot bear not to buy my OWN tractor trailer (which I don't have) full to bring home!
LuvMyBayTB, do you see that kind of $10-30 prices in Texas? If so, given that any horse run through the ring at an auction in Texas *must* have a current Coggins -- that means people are PAYING to sell horses to the killers.
There are far fewer auctions of this type than there used to be -- 20 years ago, you could go to a horse auction 6 nights a week within 70 miles of Dallas/Ft Worth -- there were 2 or 3 some days. Every week.
The Coggins requirement did most of them in, because most of those bringing horses didn't want to pay for the test. They just ran out of horses to sell. I know there are still a couple, and sometimes ... no, not going there until I win the lottery ...
This whole thing is appalling... and so many standardbreds too! I'll admit I have a soft spot for STBs since "my" very first horse was a beautiful (to me) OT STB gelding who got me through middle and high school.
I should never be allowed to go to an auction, the mere sight of those pair percheron geldings would have opened my check book and I don't even have a way to keep a horse.
I think it's a great idea to collect the contact information of every BYB that's been featured here and then some and compile a mailing list. Then... send them each auction update so they can see exactly what's going on at auction and where the horse prices are holding.
Maybe that'll get through to some of them.. but I won't get my hopes up.
Pair of teenage grey Percheron geldings, scared to death to be there, huddled in the back of the kill pen and defended each other - $60 FOR THE PAIR to the killer
reading this broke my heart the worst.
Wow. Words fail me at a time like this...
I must say, though I don't think an auction is the place to find yourself a "first horse" unless you're going with someone who REALLY knows their stuff, I do feel that everyone who owns a horse in their lifetime and has the space and time should make it a point to rescue at least one horse from an auction.
I cannot condone dropping your horse off and waving bye-bye without a backwards glance, but you have to admit that most of the animals that run through a LOT of the auctions are critters who are down on their luck simply by HUMAN FLAW. A LOT of these horses are at least somewhat trained, decent animals that would make good riding horses, if only for putzing around on the trails on the weekends, with just a LITTLE time a care. It sickens me how people can just throw their animals away... As someone who has "rescued" a horse of my own (though admittedly it was through a middle man and not directly from the auctions) I can tell you straight up that I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had the space and the money. A little TLC goes a LONG way where these guys are concerned, and you NEVER know what you might end up with. There could be a diamond sitting, just waiting for a bit of polish and smoothing out under all that dirt...
I must say, though, that I have NEVER, EVER seen an an animal in as appalling condition as some of the ones I see on here in the auction houses I attend. We still have horses that regularly sell for up to $1000, the low-end being somewhere around 100-150. $10 for a horse? Holy SHIT batman... You'd pay more in gas to get it home than you actually would for the animal itself... Though you frequently see some FUGLY animals running through, and there's usually one or two weanlings or even a newborn still attached to his momma's side, you don't get those sort of appalling conditions up where I'm at. Admittedly, ther aren't more than 30 head of horses on a good, normal weekend, but still.... I am just...horrified...
And the percherons got to me too... Those big guys are some amazing horses, and it pains me to know that they'll spend their final moments separated and scared to death not knowing where the other one went before being bludgeoned in the brain or stabbed in the spine and hung from one leg to have their throats slit. Some people are SHIT. Plain and simple.
Blogger frankengelding said...
OK, now can we send this page link to the shitty websites of all the shitty BYBs that Fugly has outed so far?
February 1, 2008 4:53 AM
i am almost 100% positive that they all lurk here. and that they say when reading this, " that won't ever happen to MY horses"
stupidity knows no bounds.
*sniff sniff*
I really shouldn't be reading this at work. (makes people wonder why my eyes are so red) Those people who dump their horses should be drawn and quartered by the very same horses they f**cked over. Any one out there know of a good rescue group near VA/NC line?
In the 20 years I have had horses, I have never been to an auction. I just can't do it.
I did not read every horse on the list because it was just too upsetting. I did not see an Arab on there I don't think. Is that correct?
Anyway, people are STILL clueless about this slaughter practice. I have met some new people getting into horses and OF COUSE they want to start a breeeding program--- (I throw up on them when they say that) and they say, "well at least horses are not going to the killers any more"
WHAT???????????????????????????
I then freak out and give them a huge speach about Canada and Mexico, the starving horses, the shot in the head horses at the counties land fill. I also direct them here.
Education is the key. Enforce your views to any one that will listen.
Blogger frankengelding said...
OK, now can we send this page link to the shitty websites of all the shitty BYBs that Fugly has outed so far?
February 1, 2008 4:53 AM
i am almost 100% positive that they all lurk here. and that they say when reading this, " that won't ever happen to MY horses"
stupidity knows no bounds.
Go over to some of the my little pony forums.
They have auction reports too. They all sadly chime in that "the market is so bad right now, there's no one buying"
Never, ever considering the possibility that the seven or eight grade mares they have bred to grade stallions might be part of the problem.
Never, ever considering that no, Gypsy/grade QH crosses aren't the future of "show ponies"
Their horses have HOMES. Usually with beginner horse owners that don't know better. So they aren't part of the problem.
It's the buyers fault. Everyone wants a show horse for nothing. It's all about the lack of BUYERS. Breeders are innocent. Blaming them is placing the blame on innocent shoulders.
This is a synopsis of about 20 of the my little pony forums around the internet. Recognise anything? Go back in the archives...there's always SOMETHING affecting "the market".
Couldn't be that NO ONE WANTS FUGLY-ASS GRADE CROSS-BREDS, NO, IT COULDN'T BE THAT.
Looks at this sale, when nice, broke purebreds go to the meat man, why would you EVER think that breeding MORE young, mediocre horses that you don't bother training is part of the solution?
I have helped a friend (Vet) draw the Coggins tests on horses at these auctions, and it is not easy. The horses going to the killers do not get a test, but you have to chase down the Amish who DO buy and get them to stop long enough to stick the horse and record it's markings. Unfortunately, the Amish see their horses like we look at used cars; it is just they culture. But it sucks when you see a pair of older drafts, who have HARD worked their entire lives go for $ 100 and the ringman yells, "NO TEST" - you know who bought them. The Amish won't change and I don't think we should try to make them; it is the "non-Amish" horse owners who should be ashamed of dumping horses at these types of sales, because they are too lazy to too cheap to even GIVE the horse away to someone who may be able to rehab and place it or just keep it themselves. They'd rather get that $ 25 bucks - cheap asses.
10 $? For a horse?
You can buy a horse for 10 $?
That's what we pay for a pizza around here :-(
That was just the most sickening thing I have read all day (sadly I have read all of this blog, and it's got some grueling stories, so this is not the worst).
I simply can't wrap my mind around the fact that you can get a horse for 10 $.
Even a 6 month old shetland stallion without papers, bred in the backyard of some hillbilly, would go for at least 100 $ here.
Why the hell do people keep breeding horses?! Do they not *own* a brain? Can someone send them the link to this blog and force them to read it?
Why breed a horse, use money to feed it (I am assuming at least some of the horses at auction looks ok?), give it shots, pay the farrier and then dump it at an auction and get 10 $ for it?
And that's just the financial part of it (people often care more about the wallet than anything else - maybe that's the way to get their attention?), what about the love and respect for the horse?
If you don't love horses you wouldn't have them would you? Because that would be insane. They take a lot of time taking care of, they cost a lot of money and the pain in your heart when they get ill, is just ubearable.
Since I found this blog 4 days ago, I haven't slept more than 3 hours straight. The picture painted in my brain keeps me awake and haunted.
The people helping these poor horses, should get a freaking medal! How you stand going to those auctions is beyond me, but I commend you.
No offense to the donkey and mule lovers here - I think they're fantastic - but who in the world passes up a literal troop of broke drafts for an unbroke draft mule?
The problem with BYB's is that they think the horses they breed won't ever end up at auction. Or, they know and don't care.
Horse people are either for or against slaughter. {I'm anti-slaughter} The people you have to aim these kinds of reports at are the general public and people who do not know that much about horses.
I live near a seedy auction in Pa called New Holland. This report that you have posted, Fugly, could have come straight from there because it happens every Monday at New Holland. Very, very difficult for me to go to that absolute horror of a place. But we go when we can and save a couple of horses.
Just remembering the school shooting in Amish country a while back. The news kept reporting how forgiving the Amish are. If only they were as forgiving with their animals. I do not want to bash the Amish, I'm sure there are many who are good people, but they do send their horses to New Holland and they do run puppy mills. I guess alot of them see animals differently than we do. I guess they do not have an emotional attachment to them.
Im in Ohio(SW) too, my gelding was rescued from Sugarcreek 4 years ago, he had been abused and neglected. I can only imagine what his life was like before and then when he was dropped off at the auction. It's heartbreaking to think of those poor ponies who weren't rescued...
It just kills me to read auction reports. It's really a good thing that the only auctions within 150 miles of me are for high-end racing TBs, or I'd be so freaking screwed. I'd come away with a new horse every time. Kudos to those who actually can go out and help at least some of these poor horses.
so, so, so sad.
i was teased (rightly so!) for being suckered into thinking that ibuystrays was a real website - but it's things like this that prove that there are so many soulless people out there that really DO view their animals as disposable, inessential toys/status symbols/decor objects/money-makers to be used and discarded at-will.
when i have my own land someday and can take in some pasture puffs (as sarcasta put it, charmingly) - you can bet your socks i'll be at an auction. but until then, i don't think i can do it. i wouldn't be able to sleep for weeks.
o.k. so probably not a good day to post something like this and I promise to take my ass whippin' if need be.... but i just got a call from a friend of a friend and she has a horse that she needs to give away (sounds better than get rid of) He is a 2 year old, halter broke, GELDED (YEAH!) perch x welsh/arab. She is giving him away to a good home only. She said that he is a sweet boy, like a french poodle ( yeah, I know, a fricking 1200 lb french poodle), he is easy to catch, follows you around, etc. The horse is located in NO. California. I don't know much more than that, I don't know what condition he is in, etc. but if you are interested... email me at kellyh@mtlwks.com and I will give you her phone number. PS I would be willing to go take some pictures or do what I can to help place him.
oohhh About the perchx... If I don't answer my email right away you may have gotten cought in our email filter... I will check it every couple of hours and follow up with anyone interested!
fuglyhorseoftheday said "I do not get how you can dump your horse at a sale like this AND LIVE WITH YOURSELF."
I could not do that. I would have my horses euthanized before sending them to the auction that is near me.
I still (13 years later) feel guilt about not taking an aged mare that someone I knew gave away. I was moving across the state and had three horses, so I didn't really consider it at the time - and I was young and 'naive' about what could happen to her. She was a super, super little mare who I loved and had ridden often. God, I wonder what happened to her and I hope it was all good.
"Why breed a horse, use money to feed it (I am assuming at least some of the horses at auction looks ok?), give it shots, pay the farrier and then dump it at an auction and get 10 $ for it?"
Umm... I'm willing to bet that they aren't paying for shots and certainly not farrier either. Some of the nice ones may throw a round bale out during the winter but other then that, most of these people don't put in any money. In fact, the auctions around here i've been to 80% of the horses are "completely untouched fugly as all get out yearlings" who were 'bred' by some ignorant farmer who just turned out his stallion with his mares and ended up with 50 babies he can't doesn't care to touch. And now with the drought his pasture's dead and he certainly can't afford to feed them so the only option is to bring them to the sale and hope to get a few bucks out of them.
Oh, how my heart hurts! I had to go outside and just wrap my arms around my Mini stallion and cry. How easily he nearly ended up slaughtered if it hadn't been for one of the haulers who remembered I had minis & reached down into the chute that lead to the bolt gun, or dull knife, or whatever other torture device and snatched him up by his tail. He was 4 mths old at the time.
This gentleman rode with this baby in his front seat all the way from Texas to Georgia to deliver him to my door. I tried to pay for him, but he wouldn't let me- he had to pick up more horses bound for Dallas Crown and I was on the way.
This boy has grown into a beautiful Buckskin- head & neck to die for, and such a gentle soul- not the least bit studdish. He's proved his worth time & time again, winning rated shows in both halter & driving. I have turned down some big $$ from big name farms who want to use him as a breeding sire. My question was, where were they when he was tiny & being trampled on in a narrow chute? Where were they when he went through the sale barn to begin with? Where were they when no one wanted him, and didn't give him a chance? Yes, I have his papers, he's breed out the ears & is nothing to be ashamed of- he was born the wrong color, his only flaw, but not to me.
God, I hope the $10 these rat bastards sold their horses for was worth it. But somehow I think their beer & cigarettes were more important than hay for their horses, and yes, they prolly slept well, the self centered with no regard for any one other than themselves.
Those poor horses...geez.
Vanessa
(cont) sad thing is... if they close all of the slaughter plants out there? That idiot farmer won't have a place to go with his fugly and feral babies. Along with the 900,000+ horses that are sent to slaughter. Euthanasia? Well, he could pay for the bullet to kill them but is he really going to throw down several hundred dollars to rent the backhoe to bury all of them? heck no! he's just going to keep them in his bare pasture getting skinnier and skinnier (or send them to mexico). Unfortunately it's just getting all too common.
"Sophie's Choice" comes to mind. It must be soooo painful to decide which ones to bid on.
We always seem to have cast away cats and my last dog was a cast away. We've picked our horses mostly and have been chosen by a couple families to get their horses, as they know we'd either place them carefully (awesome older AQHA gelding, lots of show experience, kid packer or real working horse) or keep them forever (poorly conformed, but sweet mare, going to cost a bundle to keep sound, light riding only, LOTS of years as a dependent left in her). I've sworn off cast away horses, and firmly decided our next one will be a conformationally correct gelding, 8-10 years old, no major past trauma, blah, blah, blah....BUT now I have to rethink it.
My vet told me he went to the St. Onge, SD horse sale and paint weanlings, out of papered stock, were going two for free and they couldn't get people to take them.
These prices were from November - 3 months ago. They have only gone lower since. We may not see the bottom of the horse market for a while, the mortgage crisis is going to hit horse owners too, expecially the lower end ones who bought over their heads during the boon.
You're Schindler with a List if you have any money at all at a horse auction, trying to decide who will be saved and who will not.
Thank you Fugly for posting this information. It is a sad situation but people need to know what is really going on out there. If just one person reads this and gains some knowledge, then I think that it will help. I have been to several auctions in my area, Oklahoma and Arkansas, and I can tell you that the story is the same here. Mostly what I see is a lot of quarter horses going to slaughter. People down here seem to think that there will always be people who want a good papered quarter horse (of course their idea of good is a LOT different than most), but let me tell you at the end of the day those papered quarter horses will stand right next to the grade horses on that slaughter bound truck.
I have gone to auctions near home where there have been around 800 horses come in. There will be line ups for people to unload trailers damn near a half mile long. I once brought home 2 mini studs. Paid $20a piece for them. Brought them home, upgraded them, put some time and groceries into them and sold them to homes where all they wanted was a pony to love on. This was 5 years ago and they still have those homes. Would have gone to slaughter, but now have loving homes. Did the same for a few colts. Guy bought whole pens of them. Didn't want a few cause they were thin. Once again, took some home, dewormed, fed, halter broke and taught them proper manners. Found homes for them. I can't do it anymore cause we now have our limit, but if we all could save just one or two, it's a help.
Yes, I know it's the fugly breeders mainly to blame for the problem in the first place. We should have laws that make breeding stock go through an evaluation, somewhat like WB people do. Your horse fails the inspection, upgraded then and there. That would at least be a good start. We have a 14 year old Welsh gelding. Not fugly in the least, super broke to drive, also rides. Bought him for $300 at an auction. The pony had been driven in parades and everything, but the owner didn't put it on the info card, so the only reason we even knew that was cause the guy standing beside us reccognized him. And he was fat, so the kill buyers wanted him. Nobody else but the kill buyers and me bid on him. My older 2 kids used him in 4-H and now he's my youngest's saddle pony. We've driven him in parades, rode him in lessons, on trail rides, at shows, etc. One of the best ponies I've ever seen. Why would anybody just drop him off at an auction? Fucking nuts.
The other thing that really pisses me off up here is that now that the PMU business tanked, some of those that were always just piss farmers to begin with are now breeding purposly for the meat market. I'm fucking serious. Some PMU guys made a serious effort with their breeding programs. Top bloodlines and great conformation. They'd tell you that as a breeder, they needed to be improving the breed. Then there were the ones in it for the money and only the money. They now flood the market with shitty horses on purpose. ANd then complain about prices. Giving me a headache. I'll stop now.
Ok, long time stalker, first time poster. I just have to some outta the wood work on this one.
I live less than 30 min. from Sugarcreek (in the same county, in fact). My mother was very passivley looking to buy her first horse. She is extremely novice - I have been riding since about 9 years old.
We stumbled uopn a friend of a friend who has a little boarding farm. Well, she happened to have two horses that had come there starved, muddy and full of burrs from thier last boarding facility where they had not even a run-in shed and were left out in the elements all year round. The owner's hadn't even laid eyes on the pair (a BEAUTIFUL QH type gelding 'bout 15.3-16hh and a little kind grey mare about 14.1hh) in over 10 years. The ass-holes decided one day that they were sick of paying for their horse's FULL CARE BOARD for the sum of $125.00 PER MONTH.
So, they made the call to the barn to just take 'em to "The Auction" (Sugarcreek) and get rid of them for whatever they brought. The barn owner refused and immediately started making phone calls to try and place the pair.
Needless to say, my mother fell in love with this kind sweet little mare whom our vet estimates to be between 22-26 years old, and we took her home. The owner of the barn had been looking for a trail horse and decided to keep the gelding instead and re-start him under saddle.
The little grey mare and my 16hh brown 3-day eventing foundation QH (I know, he's the black sheep of his family) get along fantastically. Best of all, eventhough she hadn't been ridden in over 10 years and apparently hasn't had any formal training, she babysits my mother like an angel and puts up with ALL of the crap that beginers tend to put thier first horses through.
I keep a closes eye on them both and have been giving her some light training under saddle as well as giving my mother instruction and they are doing fantastic. Before the weather turned to crap we were going on short trail rides together - each bareback with rope halters.
I will never go to that horrid place unless I have a butt-load of cash to rescue all of those poor, poor creatures.
Ok, done ranting. :)
>>People down here seem to think that there will always be people who want a good papered quarter horse (of course their idea of good is a LOT different than most)<<
That's the real point. They have no idea what GOOD is. I will argue with ANYBODY that the VAST majority of AQHA horses who go to slaughter are the same damn bloodlines. Old Billy Bob Hancock Poco Joe Cody, "workin' horses" with NO AQHA points, NO accomplishments, UGLY heads, FAT necks, DOWNHILL, crappy knee-popping movers...I could go on about this all day (and have). Call them cow horses, ranch horses, foundation Quarter Horses, call them what you may but they are what goes to slaughter because ASSHATS are mass producing them in huge quantities that far outstrip any demand for them.
You aren't seeing a bunch of elegant moving, fancy looking 16 hand pleasure breds sitting in those kill pens because the pleasure horse people simply do not have the same kind of mass overproduction problem. It will be a cold day in Hell when you see fifty Zips Chocolate Chip or Indian Artifacts get standing in the kill pen somewhere.
god bless the rescuers who bought the poor souls in that auction. i, too, feel like i have been kicked in the stomach re those two sweet percherons. seeing any animal or person in fear is an awful sight.
fugs, it is so hard to read about these auctions/byb's, but you are doing horses a much-needed service. my god blesses you too, fugs. keep at 'em. we are right behind you with our torches and banners, fists in the air!
if we all do a little, we can accomplish alot. apathy is our enemy. summer, 2007, we rescued a fugly grey half-arab that was being sent to killer auction in wisconsin by his owner who didn't want to bother with him anymore and she wanted her money out of him. so, we paid her $500 (she would not take any less)and dusty came home to us. he is the sweetest, quirkiest horse on the property. loves to please, and wants all the attention for ME, ME, ME!!! what a hoot he is.
and to think that he would have been on someone's dinner plate, makes me sick.
i too hate people sometimes.
Okay, I need a lot of help from you. I need you to talk me out of adopting/buying/salvaging just one of these guys. I only have a 60x60 corral and a loafing shed, but the park with grass is just across the street (when we don't have 3-5 feet of snow). I am still a beginner rider, but have years of time with horses. They are the Barbies I never had.
My skills are as follows:
With much patience and success I taught our wild as a March hare weanling foal to put her head in the halter and to lead, load, clip, bathe, pick up her feet, go to her stall or wherever else I pointed. Yes I made mistakes (never give her a bandana to play with that you might someday be wearing in your hair while you pick her hooves--she'll take it off your head along with some of your hair). She turned out useful and sane and a ranch bought her. Unfortunately I think they are breeding her as she is very heavy boned, smart, cowy.
Other assets:
Feed: fat is good right?
Husband: works to buy hay, a little grain, wormer, Coggins, floats, farrier, shots, clinics for me. Sometimes there is something left for us.
Scarlette: lonely little mare who might appreciate a buddy while her beloved Brooke (TB mare) is at college. Brooke is for sale (daughter is going overseas) so may not come home from college and Scarlette has begun allowing all sorts of deer into her pen to eat with her. They can not mutually groom with her, however. Scarlette is only good for light riding due to bad conformation (Bubba's stud horse got loose and she is the product).
Negatives: (aside from what I listed all ready)
Husband will probably flip out but he loves me much.
Daughter who can ride very well is not going to be around.
Hay is expensive, but worse yet, hard to get, but I've always managed to get it. My horses are kept fat and the vet nags me about it.
I'm up in the mountains, and the weather can be harsh and I will not be able to get the horses out of the pen for long stretches of time (maybe months). They will get groomed, fed, loved and walked when possible.
So, please tell me I'm too inexperienced, not set up, etc. to help me get over the serious desire to have one more horse that is not my dream horse. I'm serious here. HELP!
The Amish are huge contributors to the slaughter of Draft, Standardbred's, and Saddlebred's. There are many Amish where I live, and I have seen a draft horse collapse in a field while under harness. I have seen an Amish buggy being pulled by a Standardbred so lame it was hopping on it's 1 front leg. And they were trying to get it to keep trotting up hil1! When they are done with their horses, they are recylced at the auction for whatever they can get for them, having sucked all the usefulness out of the poor creatures.
I knew as soon as I saw the heading, "auction report" that I should click on the "x". I remember these depressing things back when they were regular posts. Like a train wreck, I can't look away.
The drafts protecting each other....*sigh* I will be in a funk for the rest of the day.
ohhh that was so hard to read, I can't understand how people neglect horses like that, If we had extra money right now I would love to pick up some horses like that, but I have promised I will not go to any auctions (repeat like a mantra) so I will stick to helping out at rescues for now.
Thank you to all the rescues and people who spend time and money helping out horses in need.
Why did the STBs have such bad luck? :(
This is the reason my filly's breeder (a BYB) has so many horses. He goes to the auctions 2-3 hours away and rescues them from kill buyers. Her mother is an OT STB who was headed there when he rescued her. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to ever geld any horses, BUT they are fed, trimmed, have acreage, get vet care, and I know he would shoot them before sending them back to the auctions.
He's a slightly less bad BYB, if you will.
I think a lot of the quarter horses who end up in these situations are bred by people who do honestly think they are good horses.
If you look at the BYB websites, you will see that these people do a stupid amount of research about what is in their horse's pedigrees. They are "Barn Blind" I guess. They'll stand there and be like, omg, he's got Leo and King and blah blah blah, this is one HECK of a stallion. They'll research and be like "yup yup, his sire's sire's sire was one hell of an animal". They have *no* idea that in the "real world" there are millions of pedigrees like that, and most end up in the dumpster outside the salebarn.
I bought my little mare at auction for $300. I love her, she is exactly what I want, a nice little 14.1h sturdy pinto mare with a heart of gold. Right after I bought her I was hanging out with her in the auction barn aisle talking to some people. A guy sauntered up, and started playing the wisened cowboy act. "Oh yeah, this is a nice mare, oh yeah, look at those markings, nice foundation type mare, oh yeah, you got a heck of a deal." I'm thinking, haha, cheap horse, cute, crooked legs, back a mile long, but sweet and pretty. So I say "Oh, I like her, but I hope she's not pregnant." and he says "Oh, she'd have some nice colts... I got a stallion..." And we know where this goes ;) he starts uttering names that haven't been attatched to a living animal for 50 years, lol.
The guy honestly had no idea why I wouldn't want to breed my new cheap mare to his... foundation.. stallion. But that's the kind of rural male attitude, "I'll tell you about horses, I know horses."
I've worked for these guys, I know them. Horses are an outside hobby, but they carry their ego with them.
I knew a guy who was breeding nice western pleasure mares (including the last daughter of a really nice stallion that had died young unexpectedly and whose frozen semen was lost) to a crappy but well-bred son of Smart Chic Olena. I sat him down repeatedly and told him you *can't do this!* Did he listen? No. *He* knew horses. I didn't.
Another guy I was working for was very high on a stallion that was extremely well bred but wasn't producing anything worth anything. I got him a better stallion, but he wouldn't stop breeding the first because the first was "his idea" and the second was "my idea". He knew horses. I didn't.
I think a lot of the time they don't know they're breeding crap. And they won't listen if you tell them because unfortunately, while good breeders breed for the market, the horse, and the breed; bad breeders breed for their ego.
Ok 2 questions
1> You had said that will save polo ponies... Why wasn't the supposed one saved?
2>If you were getting horses for $35, why weren't the meat buyers buying them as they were spending up to $200 on others?
mifish@gmail.com if anyone has any answers... Just trying to figure the whole "rescue thing out" Ps I'm also looking for a kids pony or small horse.
Cenedra - I don't think Fugs herself rescue those horses - it was someone she knows.
On one of my message boards I was reading of a lady who euthanized 80 halflingers because she couldn't take care of them and was worried where they would end up.
oh, then it makes more sense. Thanks :)
only1fugly4me: I think you have a lot to consider. If you can AFFORD (truly afford, not just squeak by) to maintain and care for a third horse, then go ahead! Especially if you can get a horse that maybe deserves a nice retirement home and you wouldn't need to worry about riding - just do what you do with the groundwork and other care and keem em' happy and healthy.
I am concerned, however, about the lack of pasture space. It wouldn't make much sense to get a new pasture ornament if there's no pasture to ornament in the first place.
Adrienne said..."while good breeders breed for the market, the horse, and the breed; bad breeders breed for their ego."
I think you nailed it.
Betsy Lynch, editor, wrote an editorial entitled "Own and Breed Responsibly" in the Feb/Mar edition of Perfect Horse. She discussed the problem of the 100,000 horses sent to slaughter in the US in 2006. The source of the problem is too many horses--you can't "adopt away the problem, especially if we keep producing horses at the current rate." She suggests that each breeder determine (hypothetically) if they would pay $500 for each foal for future euthanasia costs and then decide if they really want to breed that mare. As she concludes, "I love raising foals, but I want to be part of the solution. Now, if I can just convince 99,999 more mare owners to skip breeding for a year or two, in the future we won't need U.S. slaughter plants. Then perhaps, a few more of those 'surplus' horses will find somewhere--besides a dinner plate--to land." (p. 8) I am glad to see some national magazines taking up this issue. Hopefully, more people will give more thought to breeding responsibly.
Your posting today was heartrending. I was in tears as I typed this. All I can say, is my gelding is in my will with money for his future upkeep.
READ THE POST. I was not at the auction. I am 2000 miles from the auction. I absolutely would have saved the polo pony, had I been there.
You gotta read, people!
Only1Fugly, here's what I would do. You sound like a great home for a hard keeper old fart horse. Why don't you talk to local rescues and see if your hubby would be cool with you fostering a horse that had some of his costs sponsored by the rescue? That sounds like a good solution to me. A 60 x 60 pen is fine for some 30+ year old horse. You sound like the kind of person who will get off her butt and soak mush for them. I see a match made in heaven here, and no drama with the husband is necessary.
only1fugly4me
This is something I do to help me make good choices... it may help you. I do the Have to do's vs Want to do's. What do I HAVE to do to make my place better and make my current situation better, fix fences, make improvements, buy feed, minor repairs, major improvements, etc. After I complete those... then I get to do the WANT to do's. Sometimes knowing and really doing the Have to do's puts into perspective what I really need vs what I want. It is kind of a win, win thing. Not only am I making better choices but I am working towards my goals, finishing projects, etc.
Renee said:
"The Amish won't change and I don't think we should try to make them"
The Amish (no different from anyone else) have some serious asshats in their midth, who abuse their animals. They are puppy millers and look at the animals as cash crop. Yes, we should hold them to the same standard as anyone else, they shouldn't get a buy, because they are Amish. They also dump horses at auction and also have been known to run their horses to death and leaving them on the side of the road.
Long time lurker, first time poster.
When a person takes a horse to an auction, don't they have to fill out some sort of paperwork with the auction house? And if the animal is in truly horrendous shape can the auction house contact authorities for cruelty? I should imagine that the house would be able to report ill treatment, so why don't they? If people were reported for bringing a half dead starved horse (or cow for that matter) to an auction, perhaps they would be less likely to and would at least fatten them up a bit.
And yes, the Amish and Menonite communities are big contributers to the draft and driving breeds going to auctions because the animal is seen the same way we view our vehicles. When it breaks, get a new one. They aren't all like that, however, and it is important to share our knowledge and compassion with those who seriously lack it.
An earlier post was inquiring about Arabians at these auctions. Probably not as many, but on craiglist, horsedopia, etc. you can find them for free. I emailed a lady in Montana who was giving away their 15 y.o. papered mare because she had heaves and the kids couldn't ride her anymore. I emailed her in regards to steroid treatments (our arabian had reactive airway disease and we treated as needed and he stayed in great health for us and the gelding we took in for heaves we got on steroids and gave to a great home where he continues to show and rule the pasture). I asked whether they had been tried and if the heaves were controlled would she be rideable? NO RESPONSE. I guess they just wanted someone to breed the horse. She knew I was also considering just a companion horse for my mare but I also wanted to know what they had tried. I guess that question was just too hard to answer.
That just breaks my heart. The only time I've ever been to an auction was when I was 7 or 8 and went with my trainer. How do you know it's the kill buyer when they're bidding? Do they look like something specific, or do they just bid on things no one else wants?
Poor, poor horses.
Also, do the owners of the horses bring them there, or do they just leave? If they stay there, I have no idea how they can willingly see their horse go to a kill buyer. This is depressing.
I was at New Holland Auction on monday. I was there to pick up a rescued Morgan mare from a dealer (and get the PA state vet to get all the tests and shots done).
There weren't as many horses or buyers as usual, but the prices were typical. Someone ran in a herd of un halterbroke, wild QH yearlings, went for $40 each I believe. Saw some walking skeletons, went for $20-30. Some nice fat QH with papers were ridden in, nice horses, went from $400-600.
Quite a few unbroke horses led in, lucky if they got $100, Of course plenty of lame STB and old drafts, none going for much unless they were really fat, then they may get close to $400.
I wasn't there for the whole auction, just an hour or so. I didn't even get a number. I have space for one scared little 3 yr old, can't bring any more home right now.
BYB don't see past the end of their nose. They don't accept the facts of what they do, they are different than the people featured on this blog.
They have a nice QH mare, so why not breed, get the KY incentive fund money and expect the foal to have the qualities they are looking for from the unproven stud and their mare. They of course will keep this foal and raise it and train it, because it certainly will have the mares good temperament. Of course, none of that can be found already born, raised and trained.
Oh, they have no true experience in training and are serious yahoos who have no clue on how to ride correctly and cue a horse correctly.
Windmills...
>>And if the animal is in truly horrendous shape can the auction house contact authorities for cruelty? I should imagine that the house would be able to report ill treatment, so why don't they? <<
Because it would scare people off of bringing those horses, and no matter the condition, they typically get about a $40 consignment fee. So if your horse sells for $10, you just lost $30 but the auction house is happy. They are in the business of making money and do not give a shit about the horses. I have NEVER heard of an auction house turning someone in for cruelty. I would LOVE to hear about it if it has EVER happened.
Sellefrancais, you don't have to stay - you can dump them. Many people do. The "big barns" come early in the afternoon and dump their culls and drive away with no one the wiser - or so they think.
Thanks for the advice. My husbands greatest concern is with the welfare of the horses we have, never the cost. We sold our horse palace and are semi-retired and he wants me to get to do what I want to do for the first time in my life.
I keep the corral and run-in shed clean, hay out, water clean. Daily grooming sessions and when the roads aren't icy (my fugly mare is all ready lame and awaiting surgery on her knee) we get out. I ride some (walk/trot) and lessons are economically possible but my horse is lame. We are not rich, but we own our place, have zero debt, a nice savings, and have money for things such as vet care. My husband wants to build me a barn but my current horse was never stalled and is suspicious of being closed in and she only uses the shed when it is well below zero AND the wind is howling.
I guess I did forget to mention that my neighbor has a 2-3 acre pasture I use for free when the snow is not thigh deep (truly). She is also trying to get her property crossed fenced and I get to rent it when completed. But in the winter (6 months here) I really have to pen the horse and get them out for a walk/ride when there is no ice. I'll also be expanding my corral this spring when the ground freezes. Our place sold so fast and we had to move into our mountain cabin with short notice.
Thanks for all the input. I feel better with all this objective input. I'll put the finishing touches on what I have, try to help with the neighbors fencing and keep my eyes closed until I am better set up. The TB will be sold before I do anything. Would love to just retire her here, she just needs a bigger place with a barn and a pasture (she lived in a barn before and she was nutty when we got her) Right now I have to pay her college expenses. LOL.
Thanks again.
Oh, I guess along with closed eyes, I can open my checkbook for a rescue. Shame on me for not thinking of that.
"No offense to the donkey and mule lovers here - I think they're fantastic - but who in the world passes up a literal troop of broke drafts for an unbroke draft mule?"
***********************************
ESPECIALLY an essentially adult, essentially unhandled mule. I believe the mule-folk on here will agree that early handling is pretty much crucial in mule training. :P
WoW!! That auction is only a few hours from here. I've never been there as we go to a closer one in the rare event that we go to one. I has a project right now that I over paid $100 for to keep her from going to auction(or starving) but I think that we will be attending an auction in the spring. I'd love to rescue a horse from a horrible death. It will have to wait until spring though, stalls are full of goats right now! Once they're moved out into the field we'll have some space.
This seems like a good time for a PSA:
If this blog has moved you to want to help horses who are waiting to be rescued right now, go to www.alexbrownracing.com and look in the horse rescue folder in the chat area. Take a look at what folks all across the country and in Europe are doing - there are a bunch of urgent issues there right now that would love your help. There are links to each rescue's wiki page on every appeal so you can read about the rescue and decide for yourself if they are worthy of your support.
There is also a section for people working on the anti-slaughter bill and if that's your thing, get involved.
People have made endless fun of the Fans of Barbaro, but we've saved over 1900 horses in the last year and raised over $800K. No matter how silly we might seem, for those 1900 horses, we have been the difference between life and death.
You can do a world of good without having to step foot on an auction lot.
PSA over, and thanks for putting up with me!
I don't post often but I've been reading since the beginning.
I haven't been involved in horses in over 10 years now. (Never owned my OWN)
Fugly, thank you for doing this blog, it is allowing me to be educated & responsible when I AM ready.
I am in Western New York and ALL "auction reports" I read here break my heart, especially where they are SO very far away from me!
This one is close though, not TOO, TOO far away from me at all!
My 1st goal has been to find a GOOD lesson barn to re-learn ALL that I've forgotten, and instead of buying my own horse to board (as was my original plan) I'd like to go to this auction and save one of those poor babies, even if I never ride him/her.
I'll at least save one.
Would one of you more educated horse owners/fugly blog members help me? Go to the auction with me? Guide me in the re-hab? I don't trust my abilites to do it properly!
(even with Fugly, book, & internet help)
My email for those who can help
sarmaspa at buffalo dot com
If everything goes as planned my time line should be Fall. I am STILL looking for a good lesson barn (dressage preferably), if anyone knows of a GOOD one near Buffalo PLEASE email me.
I think all the people who have said that the breeders of fuglies can't imagine that their precious foals could end up at auction are right. Most of them seem to have serious barn blindness problems.
One thing that might help with that vision problem is challenging them to make the same commitment to every foal they breed that responsible dog breeders make: if at any time during the life of that horse the buyer can't keep it, the breeder will buy it back for the original price, no questions asked. Put it in writing, make it a part of the sales contract.
I think that there are probably at least a few people who might re-think breeding their fugly mares to the fugly stallion if they made a commitment to buy back any horse they bred at any time.
At the very least, such a commitment would keep any horse they bred out of sales like the one reported here.
Serendipity said...
This is why I'm not allowed to go horse auctions. I'd bring something home.
February 1, 2008 5:26 AM
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I have said the same thing but now my husband wants to go to them and pick up some horses. He is worse than I am, so I know that we will end up with a bunch of horses.
I think that there are probably at least a few people who might re-think breeding their fugly mares to the fugly stallion if they made a commitment to buy back any horse they bred at any time.
All of them claim they do that...but when it comes time for the buy back, it's usually a case of: "oh, if only we could take another, we'd take him back in an instant! But we went and bred all the mares again, and you know, the drought and all"
THese people aren't evil...they just TRULY can't see how they are the detriment of the horse in America. They are completely blind to all aspects.
Someone accused me once of thinking I was "special" because I felt I had been unfairly judged by our local SPCA. All BYBs think they are special cases. They think that they are in the right, 100%.
It is depressing...
Take the abuse we get here. And I can guarantee there are THOUSANDS of lurkers that read and go: "wow, good thing she isn't talking about me, I would NEVER do that"...and then they turn around and do it. And talk about it on the other message boards, where they get warm fuzzies and *hugs*.
Kuvasfan: The reason I said "Don't bother trying to change the Amish" is because it would be an effort in futility. I am fully aware of the Amish puppy mills - and we have a puppy store here that gets them there and then sells them for big bucks - www.theperkypuppy.com which perpetuates the problem. But a bunch of us "English" are not going to change the Amish culture, so why try? Instead, the non-Amish CAN be changed (well, at least they might get the message....) so focus on them. I try to be realistic - I am not going to fight a fight that cannot be won on some level.
If anyone is interested in helping draft horses avoid slaugher, check out Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue in MD (http://www.gentlegiantsdrafthorserescue.com/). I volunteer there and it's WONDERFUL. The owner goes to the aucions herself (mostly New Holland) and brings drafts back to rehabilitate and find forever homes for. The farm runs on the very hard work of the owners, and the support of donors and volunteers (there is a small but very loyal volunteer base and every horse that comes in there is LOVED and very well taken care of). Potential adopters are screened carefully before they are able to adopt any of the horses. I noticed that someone mentioned that they were interested in the draft rescues particularly, so I thought I'd mention this one. Its a smaller rescue but believe me it is mighty and they have helped many of these big loveable horses find wonderful forever homes. The more support they get the more horses they can help, so check it out! :)
Oops, I don't know why the url in the above post looks funky, probably because I don't know what I'm doing. I tried to post it again but I'm still too dumb. :) If you make the comments full screen it shows up correct.
That pair of Percherons - argh. I wish I had the experience, the land and the cash to drive to New Holland and buy a horse. I have none of the above and I will keep reminding myself of this.
FHOTD: "I will argue with ANYBODY that the VAST majority of AQHA horses who go to slaughter are the same damn bloodlines....Call them cow horses, ranch horses, foundation Quarter Horses, call them what you may but they are what goes to slaughter because ASSHATS are mass producing them in huge quantities that far outstrip any demand for them."
Sadly reminds me of the dog situation, where so many shelters are 99% pit bull. The majority of people who breed them select for aggression and size, and then when they're busted for dealing or beating their kids or whatever, the dogs end up in shelters where nobody in their right mind wants a huge, powerful dog who goes ballistic at the sight of a Beagle. They create dogs who have no possible future, who can do nothing but cause heartache and die. It's insane that this is happening to both horses and dogs, that a minority of people can dominate the landscape like this.
Morgan Horse Queen,
I have been reading the Alex Brown site lately and it has changed my mind some about the FOBs. I was always under the impression that all of them were in a my little pony world but there are some good horsepeople on there and they are reaching out to people who mean well but have never had the chance to actually work with a horse.
Yes some of them are a bit over the top but I can see that a lot of good is being done and horses are being saved. And yes I did donate to one of the rescues. As the money becomes available I will likely do it again.
horserescue13 - where in WI are you located? I frequent the auctions in Nichols and Marion and have been to a few others as well. Breaks my heart too. I have two rescues here now, both great little geldings that have wonderful dispositions. To think someone could just throw them away is so sad. How come Animal Control can come out and confiscate a horse or threaten confiscation if a horse is severely underweight and not taken care of, but the owners of the sad horses at auctions aren't held accountable in any way? That baffles me.
Definitely on the verge of tears over those poor Percherons. How very sad :( I wish I had the resources to help horses like these :-/
Sarmichka said:
If everything goes as planned my time line should be Fall. I am STILL looking for a good lesson barn (dressage preferably), if anyone knows of a GOOD one near Buffalo PLEASE email me.
i just moved from buffalo to indiana. i adopted my horse from a rescue group near you that does fantastic work: 100% legit etc. maybe you could look in to adopting from them?
stomperx wrote: "i just moved from buffalo to indiana. i adopted my horse from a rescue group near you that does fantastic work: 100% legit etc. maybe you could look in to adopting from them?"
Please do tell! I did find one place...online...haven't been out to see them, even if I don't adopt from them I can volunteer!
Either post the name or email me (see my last post)
thank you!!!
That's just nauseating to read, but thank you for posting it. It's so true that most BYBs that read this stuff are saying "I'd never do that" but how many do we get to see on here every week that are doing it? It's crazy and it just pisses me off.
As the proud owner of a FUGLY auction rescue I strongly suggest that if you've got the time, space and money and are dedicated to the cause of rehabbing to go to an auction and buy and old horse. Ours was 24 when we bought him, broke down as hell from being used in a feedyard and pretty much ugly as sin. We had no intention of buying a horse that night but as soon as they brought him into the ring it was literally one of those love at first site goopy kind of moments. We couldn't let the kill buyer get him. I wouldn't trade him for the world, even though he's a crabby old bastard, is unrideable and costs a small fortune in special hoof care and feed. He's my crabby old bastard and was worth every penny and every minute we've got invested.
I would have scooped up the pair of draft geldings and surely caught Hell all the way home for it! But every bit of Hell caught would be worth it I am sure. If not in my own eyes, at least in the eyes of the geldings for sure.
WTG Fugly and friends for saving the few you could! I wish we could save them all.
Shall we form our angry mob to hunt down and string up the owners who dropped off the sick, lame and starved horses at the sale? Punishment should fit the crime!
I have to agree with many of the others here- I realy don't like people somedays.
I don't know any killer buyers that buy severely underweight horses anymore...or foals or smaller ponies...
There's no money in it - those types will likely not make the trip to Canada or Mexico and don't have enough usable carcass anyway.
Just saying...
Robyn I will forwad a link to KFT- (aka Mr. Graber) to be sure he does read this.
How do people do that? How? Even if you breed fugly crap at least halter break your horses and give them a decent sprinkling of ground manners before you send them out to auction. I can't go to auctions like that or I'd blow my entire account on those poor horses and be stuck with a bunch of horses, no trailer, and nowhere to keep them.
Poor babies.
Nuller glad to see you back!
Yes $10. We get offers of FREE registered horses from time to time, as well as having clients who are behind on training and board, drop off the papers signed and all and GIVE us the horse to sell for whatever we can to cover what they owe.
I got an email last night of someone wanting to rehome an older quiet mare who needs front shoes, but can be trail ridden.
I am trying to find out more info on her, and will post as soon as I do. I am in AZ- phoenix metro area. If nothing else I will pick her up til I can find her a home as the owners are threatening to send her south.
Long time lurker, first time poster - I have a question. Is it in any way humanly possible to stop those two grey percheron geldings at this point? I've read stories of horses coming off of the trucks from various posters?
If no one else beat me to it, I could offer a good home to these guys.
Well, all I can say is..thank God we don't have the same problems over here!
I really don't know the answer (not in the short term), I know not many of you would 'go for' the slaughter option but, perhaps if it was as highly regulated as it is over here it would be somewhat easier to stomach.
We have slaughter houses (and yes, I've been inside and seen it first hand) in the UK but they are highly regulated and inspected.
WE NEED them here, so that our horses that are bound for slaughter DON'T have to travel live to Europe.
We have a 'minimum value' rule that makes it far too expensive for the meat men to export live.
So, all 'our' horse meat goes to Europe frozen, that way at least we know that the horses won't suffer the way many do en route to a European dinner plate.
We also have regulations about how long / far horse may travel without rest stops (for the commercial shippers), even for horse being transported from one home to another.
At our auctions we have RSPCA inspectors in attendance, there is also a body called 'Market Watch' that go around keeping an eye on horses entered for sale. Everyone knows who the meat men are, some are even willing to resell to a private buyer, some of the slaughterhouse owners have even been known to keep back and grow on, some young horses that appear to be perfectly healthy, the idea being that if they can sell them on later that's ok, if not then they go for slaughter anyway, but, at least those odd ones got a second chance.
I feel that abolishing your 'local' slaughter houses has in fact made the situation worse, the horses have much further to travel and where they end up is not regulated, so no one can enforce proper care for these horses.
In ours, the horses are properly penned, with bedding, hay, and water, and they are individually shot PROPERLY! none of that shoving them through a crush type of thing.
We have less options than you do, as (generally speaking) we're not allowed to own hand guns, so we can't shoot our own and bury them.
That leaves us the Vet, the slaughter house, or the local Hunt, my choice is the Hunt, they come out to your property, shoot your horse at home, then take him back to the kennels for the hounds.
So yes, they end up as food but it's not the eating of them that is the problem, it's how they get to that stage.
As has been said before about UK horses and slaughter....on the HOOK not the HOOF... they don't leave here alive.
I really hope you can find a solution to this problem, we all know what needs to happen 'ultimately' but in the short term I wish you all luck in finding some way around this.
dwh...percherons, this sale was November 2007, sadly too late.
Apparently here in AZ it is becoming increasingly (and alarmingly) a common practice to dump you horse off at the edge of town. They are finding more and more loose horses who are now coyote bait.
*I really hate people like this*
sarcastabitch said...
"I can't believe the draft prices...sometimes old ones end up in auctions here...but rarely."
If the auction is in Ohio as speculated, it makes sense. A lot of Amish send their drafts to auction once they cannot work anymore. It is so sad, because most of them have been handled by CHILDREN and are road safe and bombproof. An aged mare gets a bit of a break as she will be bred, but the sweet old geldings are moved on.
My neighbor's huge spotted draft contracted EPM in 2007. I cannot begin to describe my relief when he not only did NOT send him down the road, he called the vet and sprung for the Marquis. The draft is recovering.
The image in my mind of the Percherons is haunting. It should also be motivating. Let's get out the checkbooks and send a check to a good rescue.
Sarmichka:
http://www.tendermercyrescue.com/frame.html
rescue group near buffalo.
and to think, many standardbed owners think that by sending there old race horses to the amish they are doing the right thing and they are giving them a good second life. *rollls eyes* I work with standardbreds and they are by far the most willing, loving horses out there and they do not deserve such cruel ends. those who own/train/work with stbs should begin to take more resposibility for these creatures. The people I work for make sure that there horses receive good homes when there job is done, why is it so hard for everyone else to do the same?
and to think, many standardbed owners think that by sending there old race horses to the amish they are doing the right thing and they are giving them a good second life. *rollls eyes* I work with standardbreds and they are by far the most willing, loving horses out there and they do not deserve such cruel ends. those who own/train/work with stbs should begin to take more resposibility for these creatures. The people I work for make sure that there horses receive good homes when there job is done, why is it so hard for everyone else to do the same?
I'm sorry another blog hijacking-
Not really OT either-
I copied and pasted the email I got this morning below.
Since many of us here seem to feel the same way- if slaughter is done here in the US, at least we can regulate it- and Who's taking these horses in now that the plants are closed rescues are full and you are trying to close the border gates on these animals? yadda, yadda, yadda... sorta thing here ya go.
I did not delete or hide anyones contact info so have at them. Give them the thrashing they deserve as they are not helping our rescue efforts.
As Fugly said before the kill buyers are only cleaning up the trash, they did not create it, nor leave it out at the curb.
-----------------------------------
From: John Holland [mailto:hollandtech@earthlink.net]
Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2008 10:37 PM
To: John Holland
Subject: Join us in DC on March 4th and 5th.
Hi Folks,
Below is your invitation to join us lobbying in DC on March 4th and 5th. We hope to have the largest group ever. If you have never done this before, you will be in for an experience to remember! If you have done it before, come and help those who haven't!
There will be lots of us old timers there to show you the ropes. I expect to arrive by 6PM on Monday the 3rd and I hope many of us will be able to get together Monday night. The contact person is Julie Caramante (see below) and I will be working on getting us some good room rates.
John Holland
-----------------------------------
You are warmly and urgently invited to participate in the great task remaining before us—banning the slaughter of American horses. Your voice is critical at this time as thousands of American horses are being shipped across our borders and appallingly slaughtered. We have come so far, but our great task remains, to see to it that American laws and American justice finally prevail.
Please join me, Paula Bacon (former mayor of Kaufman, TX-- former home of Dallas Crown horse slaughter plant) and other major leaders and advocates in Washington, D.C. for two days of advocacy, to urgently encourage Congress to implement a permanent ban of horse slaughter.
On arrival you can expect a strategy session/breakfast meeting to bring together all attendees before your scheduled appointments. On the evening of March 4th plan to attend a networking event of the anti horse slaughter community where you can talk with others deeply committed to the ban.
We extend this important invitation to you, asking you to come to Washington on March 4th and 5th
·To respectfully remind members of Congress that our numbers are growing and we are not going away—ever—not without a permanent end to horse slaughter.
·To respectfully remind Congress that in fact, horse slaughter is THE ‘go away’ issue, as offensive to the electorate as it is un-American, and the sooner it goes away the better for all.
·To respectfully remind Congress that we are a government of the people, by the people, and for the people—and, with respect, it is high time we abide by the will of the people, permanently banning horse slaughter.
We need 100 people. The impact of a minimum 100 people who can commit to participate and ‘walk the halls’ for the federal ban is considerable—100 dedicated, well-dressed, well-spoken and courteous advocates. We will dress for success in our best business attire—because we do mean business. We will bring our most professional attitude—we will not be portrayed as tree-hugging ‘animal rights’ people, but as average Americans, unfunded but absolutely committed to stand up for American values and America’s horses.
More details will follow, including information regarding less pricey accommodation options, but at this point we need to hear from you. Please respond by February 4th if you can go to Washington D.C. on March 4th and 5th (Tuesday and Wednesday).
E-mail Julie Caramante at jcaramante@gmail.com using the subject header Attending DC Event.
Please come. Help make this the legislative session when the federal ban on horse slaughter was finally achieved.
All the best,
Paula Bacon
OT but as I was looking thru DreamHorse:
WTF is up with this mare's back end!!??! and read the story about how her dam....makes me want to fucking barf!!!
http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1109840
This is the reason I can't make myself go to the auctions around here. I know how selfish that is, but I don't have the room or the time to give an "upgrade" the attention that they deserve.
>CutNJump<
Aw, that's nice of you - thank you :-)
I just can't understand how people can act this way? I rush to the vet if one of my cats fart funny...
And the whole concept of ending up with 50 horses "all of a sudden", how on earth can that happen?
I'm very sorry for this, but I can't help thinking that there is an overwhelming number of morons in your country. Please don't feel offended, if you're NOT a fugly-byb-breeder...
Question: how much does it cost (for one of you who does this) to keep a horse on a monthly basis? If the animal is healthy.
Zhenya said...
OT but as I was looking thru DreamHorse:
WTF is up with this mare's back end!!??! and read the story about how her dam....makes me want to fucking barf!!!
http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1109840
So many of these are also "what the hella" fodder! They are asking $2500 for an unregistered, deformed, FUGLY yearling?! The best part (for me) is that they list this poor creature as a dressage and eventing prospect. Yeah, and I am still hoping to qualify for Miss America.
HA....yes, lauren
i was thinking it would be appropriate for WTH too, but our lovely FHOTD audience is a bit more horsey and would truly appreciate the train wreck that is that horse ..... although you don't need to know jack all about horses to see there is something seriously deformed going on with that horse!!!
eventing!!?? yeah. right. lucky to be pasture sound. SO SAD.
A few comments:
VERY sad topic, the pictures were awful. I've gone to auctions in the past but stopped going after seeing a horse WITH A BROKEN LEG standing in a pen waiting to go through the sale ring. jesus on a stick, what is wrong with people?
Good article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune this week about the issue of unwanted horses. And as much as everyone wants to jump on EVERY single owner who unloads horses or other animals, the Star-Trib contacted several shelters and rescues and discovered that lately people are in foreclosure and losing their farms, homes, etc. No place to take the animals. If they have no money to keep their farm, spending money for a trainer for the horse is a moot point - - where the hell is the horse going after the trainer? There's no home / farm left. I'm afraid it's just going to get worse.
As for shelters, I know that here in the midwest it's not pit bull mixes clogging them; it's labradors and lab crosses. Bazillions of them in shelters everywhere and everyone thinks they want one of those cute lab puppies, that breeders are just pumping out at an alarming rate, and then by 6 or 8 months old, the puppy is in a shelter or rescue. Primarily because they are stupid and rambunctious animals unless consistently and properly trained, until at least the age of 3 when they finally settle down. If I never see another ad for cute lab or cute lab cross puppies it will be too soon.
Nightmare - in many ways, I agree with what you have just said. I think Americans have only made the fate of their horses worse in "banning" the slaughter houses in America. Now our horses, instead of having rules and regulations like they SHOULD have for the last moments of their lives, are being shipped off to have their spines severed so they're paralyzed and FULLY AWAKE while they're hung from one leg to have their throats slit.
IMHO, slaughter is a necessary evil, but one that could be made MUCH more tolerable if it were given any sort of proper regulation and checks. We have an overpopulation problem, and getting rid of the close-to-home solution has only served to foist our problems on someone else. Not only that, but it has made slaughter INFINITELY worse for the horse as well, since they now have to travel not hundreds, but perhaps THOUSANDS of miles before they are finally unloaded to meet their doom.
We have a dog and cat overpopulation here in America too. Do you propose banning the kennels and the ASPCA as well? Why do people have a problem when it's horses, but not when it's dogs and cats? I'll tell you why - because dog and cat overpopulation and euthanasia has been REGULATED and has RULES. No, they're not sent off to become someone's dinner, but it's the same basic concept. Regulate and control the amount of pain and suffering the animal experiences, make their final moments HUMANE, and as painless as possible, and people will not have such a problem with this issue.
Officiall, we've fucked up, and we, as AMERICANS, need to take responsibility for that. Whether we like it or not slaughter WILL continue, and AMERICAN HORSES >>WILL<< continue to DIE by this method. Would you rather their final moments be ones of terrified horror, paralysed and unable to move as their throats are slit open and the blood drains from their necks, or some other form of much more quick and human euthanasia? If we can find a reasonable way to do it ourselves, my personal opinion is THAT is the best choice, because it gives us MUCH more control over the lives of our beloved companions who must suffer the fate brought on them by overpopulation and godawful breeding programs...
Zhenya - WOW.
They even say "The rarest horse on the planet Akhalteke/Andalusian!"
WTF.
i know, kate.....thank god it's rare, right? i cringe to think about entire barns full of such fuglies, doomed to short and painful lives!!
Here is an e-mail I just received from Bill Addis, Addis Auctions. He seems to be a good guy. The Addis Auctions have a $500 minimum bid because Bill feels that most Arabs are too small (under 1000 lbs) and no killer buyer will pay $500 for them and then be able to make a profit. If we can all do our part, it will help.
From The Auction Block
February 2008
by Bill Addis
My last “From The Auction Block” newsletter regarding the closing down of the slaughter houses definitely stirred up some controversy. It reminded me of the old Eagles song “Take it Easy.” There were some that wanted to “own me,” some that wanted to “stone me” and some who were “friends of mine.” My intentions were to inform people of what I see from a business standpoint and, more directly, the market place at auction. Normally we will have quite a few responses, but we were overwhelmed with the hundreds of responses on this touchy subject.
Actually, I had three people that wanted to hang me. They felt that I was a hard-nosed, uncaring person with no feeling for the horse. What they probably didn’t know was that I was reading their email with our three Boston Terriers on my lap and our 11-year-old Boxer at my side. One person quoted the Bible, stating that humans are not supposed to eat any animals without a split or cloven hoof. Another sent me a letter from a group of Veterinarians that opposed the slaughter house because it was not a humane way to euthanize a horse. One just let me know what a cold hearted son of ***** I am.
Then there were some stating that we need to get the slaughter houses reopened soon. Almost all had true concerns of horses being sent to Mexico. If anyone has seen the videos of the slaughter houses there, you would agree that it is gruesome.
There were emails stating that the breeders should be more responsible. I totally agree with that theory. The problem is, breeding can be controlled only if we have inspectors travel around and decide what horses are worthy or come up to a certain standard such as in the kuerings of Warmbloods in Europe. Sometimes, here in the U.S., there are judges in a three judge system that can’t all decide the winner in a two horse class so I’m not sure an inspection system would work. Therefore, “responsible breeding” means you should be more selective. I think a lot of breeders will take that “you” as meaning everyone else, certainly not them.
I read every single email. I started to reply but, as slow as I type, it would have taken me days to answer all of them. Here is what I gathered from all the correspondence...
Believe it or not, slaughter buyers today have so many horses to choose from, it is not very likely that they want to spend much time and money on an Arabian horse that does not weigh much more than 800 to 900 pounds when there are thousands of Thoroughbred and Quarter horses weighing 1100 to 1300 pounds. Packers buy horses by the head and sell by the pound. Also, most packing houses do not take grey colored horses because of the chance of cancer cells on the meat. So, packer buyers never did have much use for an Arabian.
Overall, the general consensus was that something needs to be done about the bottom part of the horse industry. If something is not done, we will see more and more cases of neglect, and the rescue farms are already full. We will also see more cases of horses just dumped out like stray dogs.
I am just like most people. I sit here and proclaim what you need to do and not what I need to do. So, I went online and looked for Arabian horse rescue. I found one that, after several years, closed their doors. Maybe someone can put us on to one somewhere, but again, I could not find one that specialized in Arabians. After my search, I had an idea of what I can do to maybe help somehow.
As most of you know, the Arabian horse population is dwindling. Both AHA membership and also registrations have continued to dwindle since 1987. AHA states that almost half of all Arabian horses that are still in the registry are over 20 years-old. With that in mind, the Arabian horse population is going to see a continued downturn as with WWII veterans. Many will die over the next few years. The general consensus tells me that it costs from $200.00 to $500.00 to euthanize a horse and dispose of the body. My wife Terry and I looked into forming a foundation to address this problem. It is harder than you think to set up and maintain a non-profit trust. So, Addis Equine Auctions, Inc. will set aside $500.00 from our March auction and $1000.00 from our August and November auctions in a special account. Then if there is someone in the Arabian horse community that simply has their back to the wall and can’t afford to humanely euthanize an Arabian horse and can provide us with an invoice from a licensed veterinarian, we will pay that bill directly to that veterinarian for euthanization and disposal. We will require the original registration papers to send back to AHA to claim the horse deceased. We will do this on a first come, first served basis. While our plan won’t solve the overall issue at hand right away, it will make a difference to those horses whose dignity we’re able to save, and maybe other farms or companies in the horse industry will follow our lead, doing what they can to help even just one horse.
Best regards,
Bill Addis
Nuller said: Question: how much does it cost (for one of you who does this) to keep a horse on a monthly basis? If the animal is healthy.
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Well, I live in Missouri, and I keep mine in full care boarding for $225 a month. Of course, this doesn't include his shoeing expenses, ammenities (such as treats and supplies we randomly need), or even fuel to get out to see him. I'd guestimate I spend a good 250-300 a month when you average out the cost of 6-7 week farrier visits. Then you've got spring shots coming up, his teeth need floated, he's BOUND to hurt himself at some point this year, and the show season will be starting, and he'll eventually need shoes once the snow melts...I'm sure he needs a new halter and lead rope...
The list goes on and on...
I just had to direct some of the newbies here:
http://fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com/2007/09/verbal-equivalent-of-bag-of-chicken.html
I had a few minutes and re-read this today...and almost choked myself trying not to laugh/cry at my desk!!
I live near Caval's in IL, and after it burned down in 2004 people where trying to get it shut down for good. I was getting sick of all the letters in the paper, talking about how easy it is to just send a horse to a rescue, or give them away to a good home. One guy actually listed a rescue's website, which I logged on to, and of course, they were full with a waiting list. Having read enough, I wrote a letter myself, pointing out there there were NOT shelters or good homes just waiting to take all the fugly, crippled, bad-tempered rejects that went to Caval's, let alone the perfectly good ones. As long as people kept breeding in the quantities they were, there would be a need for slaughter. Well flash forward to now, and who'd have thunk? Still tons of horses and no homes, and suffering even more thanks to the anti-slaughter do-gooders... now they have to travel long distances in double-decker trailers, as cruelly emphasized by the trailer accident in Antioch last year.
Rescuers to a great job, but we have to do MORE! We have to organize and start a campaign to educate these ignorant BYBs so they stop breeding!! The bleeding heart PETA people were all over the place shutting down the slaughter houses, but where are they now? Can't they direct their considerable resources to this purpose? It's like medicine, prevention is the cure!!
Off topic:
I just recieved an email from a "rescue"... I've suspected for years that this rescue is little more than a way for the owner to get rich. They place wanted ads in many major equine publications for horses and then hold adoption auctions to "place" all their horses. They allow adopters to make payments on the adoption fees. Also every year they claimed they were going to loose the farm and sent out mass emails to get donations. They claimed to have lost thier origional farm and now they are claiming they've been evicted from a rental propery for no reason. Once again they're asking for donations. Add to that I did a little investigation of the program. It doesn't add up. If you donate a horse you pay board until the horse is adopted and trainging if its determined nessisary. They give lessons on their donated horses of course,and offer training. (Most of this work is done for free by volunteers) The majority of thier horses are not rescues, but rather horses that have been donated, for a nice tax deduction who are primarily in good health. I've pointed out many times on many message boards that this is not a rescue but an orgnaization that takes money from real rescues while give rich people a tax write off. I suspect somone is getting some nice pocket change from this program but I don't know how to track the money. Everytime I even suggest that something isn't right a group of peopple jump down my throat. Apparently the woman running the thing charismatic to say the least. I would love fugglyhorse and its memebers to look in so www.crossedsabers.com. Thanks
The auction report was crossposted from here to another site I read regularly. I have a friend who is big into helping horses.
To the rescue who posted the report. The next time you come across a team of drafts or need financial help to get a horse out contact me. My friend was heartbroken to hear of the team and she doesnt know it was in November. She cant read this blog because it would just put her over the edge. She has the financial means to help out. She does donate to many rescues and has just taken in 4 rescues recently herself. She cant take anymore since she's one person and has now 9 horses.
That said she has a very soft spot for drafts as she owns 3 of her own. Please... contact me next time if you can. nhgypsy@comcast.net
I need to call her and tell her this was in Nov. The cross post didnt mention it and she wanted me to find out the rescue so she could send money to get the team out of the hands of the killers.
"I would love fugglyhorse and its memebers to look in so www.crossedsabers.com. Thanks"
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They aren't strangers to the readers of the blog -- they've been raked over the coals pretty thoroughly -- does someone recall when that thread was up so they can refer ravenhorses to it?
I could just cry, reading that list....
barn mom said... "Any one out there know of a good rescue group near VA/NC line?"
There's a group in Ceres, VA, but I don't know anything about them. Roanoke, VA, ditto, and I haven't been to either place.
www.lostfantasystables.org
www.rvhr.com
I am practically weeping for those poor horses at the Sugarcreek auction. What a nightmare for them, multiplied by auctions all over the country and all over the world. People can be so cruel.
Nightmare - read this!
http://www.happa.org.uk/export.asp
Our minimum value protection might not be here for much longer - and after all the campaigning to get the damn thing! Could be really bad news.
Niki (from Wales)
WTF is up with this mare's back end!!??! and read the story about how her dam....makes me want to fucking barf!!!
dreamhorse ad
A youthful downhill build coupled with a long roach back?
Charlie Horse said...
Nuller said: Question: how much does it cost (for one of you who does this) to keep a horse on a monthly basis? If the animal is healthy.
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I live in Idaho and do a full pasture board which is $100. I buy extra grain and supplements for two horses which runs $14 per 50lb bag and $24.95 for the supplement. The supplement will last both horses 2.5 months.
Our farrier charges $35 for trim and $60 for shoes. Mine are barefoot in the winter.
Our board will go down in March, as soon as we get the horses moved to the property that we leased. Then it will be $35 per horse per month. We will buy the hay and it runs $150 per ton right now. We will buy about 15 ton to stock up and have a safety cussion, because we will have at the least three horses this coming winter.
The horses will be on over 30 acres of pasture that should last them till November then back to feeding hay, but they get their grain and supplements all yr round.
I am not allowed to go to auctions, pet stores, humane societies, local animal pounds, etc. with or without money or a trailer as I usually come back with something.
If I haven't returned with a creature big or small, I do come back with a melancholy spirit that depresses all around me.
Frankly, I admire people who can go to auctions and walk out with an unscathed soul. The rescue folks that have the fortitude to do that are amazing
Bless them and the poor animals that they save and can't save.
my3arabs - Man! Prices are CHEAP in Idaho!
my3arabs...your prices are about the same as here in WI. We are very fortunate and prices have stayed low. It still hasn't been addressed and I really want to know from someone, WHY aren't the owners of the emaciated and abused horses that come into auction held accountable and charged with animal abuse?
Lauren_MI_Eventer said...
my3arabs - Man! Prices are CHEAP in Idaho!
February 1, 2008 3:00 PM
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I love the prices here but the weather sucks.
The prices include the use of an indoor arena too. So I do have it made, so to speak!
Nuller,
You asked about how much to keep a horse. I'm very lucky because mine are all normally very easy keepers (read: too fat) and I live in a climate where there is year round pasture (not so great in the winter, but still there).
NORMALLY - It probably costs me about $50/month for grain to feed my three horses (who only get fed a small amount) and pony (who gets two handfuls).
Hay is about $80/month - two round bales a month, and I keep it under shelter and unwrap it and ration it out to them.
I do my own shots/wormer - so figure maybe $150 or less a year per horse... (Jeffers is a great place to find wormers on sale!)
Coggins $20/year
Farrier is $25/trim and none of mine need shoes - but I work with (horse holder/catcher) my favorite farrier often, so get that done for free. Woo-Hoo!!
So, not so much $$.
(Until you figure in our house & land payment, my mare who just was sick and cost about $700 in vet & meds over the two months before she was euthanized, plus just feeding her tripled my feed bill (and I was feeding four horses) when she started dropping weight in November.)
Nuller-
Question: how much does it cost (for one of you who does this) to keep a horse on a monthly basis? If the animal is healthy.
Lets see, we go through about a bale of bremuda $12 a bale & 1.5 bales of alfalfa $10 a bale (average bales weighing 100-120lbs) each day feeding the 16 horses on our place. 2 of which are ponies, 2 of which are mini's and the rest are all full sized- AQHA, TB, Arab or APHA horses.
Wormers are about $7-$15 depending on brand, sales and such. The ponies can generally share.
Vaccinations were $30 each from the vet- 5 way & WNV.
Trims are $30-$45 and shoes can be anywhere from $75 for fronts only to over $100 for all four. Thankfully none of ours need correctives, pads or etc. so I have no idea on that pricing.
This should give you an idea, and please notice it does not include any special feeds, grains or supplements of any kind.
A normal vet call is averaging $50-$75 for the farm call. Some of the local vets waive this if you can haul to their house for treatments, routine care, etc. Some of the local vets will also leave meds in the mailbox for you, just please leave a check in the drop slot when picking them up. This service is of course provided if they have seen the horse and know you are comfortable in giving the horse the required treatment.
Hope this helps! What does it cost in other areas for comparison?
Oh- I forgot to add - she was TOTALLY worth it. I'd have spent much more if I could have saved her!
l.l.- No shit. And yet the AKC lists Labs- yellow, chocolate, black and now platinums- as the #1 registered breed in the US. So no wonder they all end up in the shelter as well as being crossed for Labradoodles. BARF!
What is sad is that teh prices that these horses are going for don't even justify using the gas to haul the horse there anyway. $10, then take out the commission or whatever else, you are losing money. It's disgusting. I wish people would just put the horse to sleep rather than ship the horse there only to watch it (well, leave it there adn pretend you don;t know where it is going) go for a rediculously small sum of money. Makes me want to vomit. There are sick peopel who live in this world. As I see a quick death as a better fate for these horses even if you can't afford to keep one, go and outbid a kill buyer, pay $60 for a horse, then euthanize the poor thing, anything is better than the fate they would have. Spare them the agonizing trip to the slaughter house. I would feel better killing that horse myself than knowing where it was headed and doing nothing. Which is ironic that in some instances one would feel better killing a creature than watching it live for another day. And this is easily my favorite quote and I think it fits in very well here.
We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the Devil in human form. ~William Ralph Inge
Bravo to the rescue organization that saved as many as they could, and pain and death to those who dropped off their lame and broken down horses. I wish these people horrific dreams of slaughterhouses and the screams of once beloved horses having their lives ended. And a quick warning to these people's parents, watch out because once you are old and useless, no matter how much you did for your child, I can gaurantee you will be treated no better than these people's horses were.
What is the possibility of doing a video highlighting the plight of the average horse and the bottoming out of the horse industry? I mean, as in NatGeo or Animal Planet?
Is this doable or out of the question? It seems newspapers and magazines are doing stories, and this greatly ties into the sagging economy.
I know I am really tightening my purse strings so I can care for my four horses. We're selling our horse trailer and truck so I can get a more gas-efficient car. I also now have a part-time job. Horse shows for my daughter are out of the question right now.
I own three rescues (ugly downhill arthritic gelding, aged rescue mare who is worth her weight in gold and takes care of my daughter, a blind aged pony headed for auction, and an unbroke mustang I bought because I just fell in love with her. I trained her over three years, getting her to three horse shows where she won two beginner cross-rail jumping divisions. She has been awesome on many trail rides and now knows her simple lead changes. However proud I am, I apoligize for digressing...).
Anyway, with gas prices high, grain/hay high, all these folks who wanted to "get one with Nature" by owning some "purdy harses," are now dumping them due to expense.
I wish we could find an equestrian version of Michael Moore.
Auctions are our lives, well outside of those damn pesky jobs we have to have to buy horses, lol. I WISH more people knew that there were a lot of lovely horses that go through there. Every horse I own was purchased at an auction, including a Hackney pony that rides, drives, and jumps. And an impeccably bred Arabian.......I have to say that after the slaughter houses here in Texas closed the bottom fell out of the market. I used to have to bid against the killer and NEVER bought anything against him for under $500, and now horses sell for as much as a case of beer........... it is heart wrenching sometimes, I swear I hate people there are so many diamonds in the rough. If you have the room and a few bucks go get something, it is worth every moment!!
www.texasauctionhorses.org
For everyone else who is for the slaughter houses opening back up in the US, where it CAN be regulated, please see my earlier post. Contact theses folks as well as your Senate and House reps and when they effectively close the border gates and trap these horses inside the US, they may have somewhere to go and a humane ending to their suffering at our hands.
Someone else had mentioned tracking down the owners who drop off the sick, lame and starving horses. If AC was on hand to prosecute them in the act, they would be more inclined to just turn the horse loose to fend for themselves than face fines or punishment of any sort.
If AC were to show up at their doorstep after the fact, say a week or so after the 'dumping', pictures in hand and a strong case against them, then maybe they wouldn't/couldn't/shouldn't become repeat offenders.
Nobody would suspect them as having dropped off the horse and they could remain as low profile as they hoped until the fuzz shows up.
The other problem is funding. Animal Control often is under each county, within each state. Its difficult at best for them to patrol the areas and respond to every call, but now they have to go tracking down these Asshats and bust them? As if they didn't have enough to do already...
The Pacific Livestock Acution (PLA) is in Maricopa county, yet folks from Pinal and surroundng counties can haul their horse in and 'dump them off'. Maricopa county would have jurisdiction for charges, but some attorney would show up with a loophole you could drive a semi through and the 'dumpers' would all walk.
We have city, county and state police agencies, yet they all love to push things from one to the other until nothing gets done and accusers get tired of chasing down someone in a position to do something.
Even then if it goes to trial, folks will lie their asses off to protect themselves and their family to keep them out of trouble. It happens all the time.
That killed me to read!! It breaks my heart and drives me crazy. All I've ever wanted is a horse...I even jump at the chance to groom one! lol Seriously...I went back to school JUST so I could get a job that paid enough to afford a horse! That's how bad I want one! Obviously, some people are as responsible....
anniebanannie wrote: Frankly, I admire people who can go to auctions and walk out with an unscathed soul. The rescue folks that have the fortitude to do that are amazing
What makes you think they walk out without any wounds to the soul?
I did dog rescue for years. I refuse to call it "no kill" because I know damn well what happened to the dogs I couldn't accept. They died. I hope they were taken to a vet and euthanized or to the shelter and euthanized but I know not all of them were.
I made a difference for over 80 dogs but I wasn't able to help them all. I wasn't able to be indifferent towards the ones I couldn't help, either.
From my point of view, people who do rescue aren't people who are undamaged by what they see. People who do rescue are the people who are willing to live with the injuries doing it inflects.
The two perchies...(-cringe-) Dear God, I could see it before my eyes. Too well. I kept thinking of two quiet old gents in grey coats, trying to keep each other's spirits up. Disgusting. No, I really don't like people either, some days, and only wonder why more people don't get why.
Nightmare--Please understand, many people here have the same view of HOW an animal's put down being as important as the fact that it is, but again: the slaughterhouses here in the states WEREN'T like yours and because of the Bottom Line, I will bet every dollar/asset/saleable tchotchke I can muster that the slaughterhouse owners WOULD NOT improve them--it wouldn't, in their eyes, justify the cost. I'm no financial genius, but I'll also bet all my above-mentioned junk that closing them was probably the more attractive option for those owners, as it could've then been claimed as a loss. Any MBA/Econ. types, please feel free to set me straight; wouldn't the slaughterhouse owners have met half-way if they'd felt it were the more ($$-wise) attractive option?
CNS: Congrats on your investing in the Marquis. If there IS a heaven, you've just earned a cushy spot there :-)
An akal-andalusian? Don't do that to me. I just felt the pistachios come up in the back of my throat. Flaming fuck on a waffle! WHY would you want to screw up the loveliness that is a P.R.E. with a thestral?!
Ravenhorses--Oh, Boy! Her! She had a horse I just couldn't stop looking at, but the more I read, the more red flags went up! AFAICS, she's no more a rescue than I am Nicole Kidman. Pretty please, tell me where you "raked them over the coals"! Should be an eenteresting read...I just looked there--oh, Joy. Now she does dog "rescues", too.
Count me in among the people who can't, can't, can't go to an auction. Sugarcreek's some 45 min's from me, but I know I'll never go. My hat's off to those of you who can, and do.
Let's see...hay here was cheap this year--very nice, clean grass hay for $5-6/small bale (about 60#). I bought about 100 bales b/c I wasn't sure I'd have enough to last all winter. I have 2 geldings on an approx 1 acre drylot, w/ 3 more acres of pasture that they get turned out on.
I finally found a great vet! I haul to her for routine care (no farm call then, which is normally about $50). I think her charges are really reasonable. I think my total bill last fall for the pony's dental (incl. sedation) and my TWH's hock injection (incl. sedation) was around $300. Wormer every 3 mos, I give my own shots (when I give them--I don't give flu in the fall--they don't need it and I don't like vaxing if they dont' need it). Farrier costs $80 for both for trims, every 3 mos., and I do my own rasping in between. They're on a new feed/supps. after the pony had a colic/choke in the fall--the vet and I changed things around. Now they get beet pulp (cheap) w/ some mineral pellets, and the TWH gets about 1/2# feed just cause. :) I'm going to guesstimate that I spend about $30/month (high end) for feed and suppls.
Hay is really the big thing. Every year the price changes of course, depending on our water situation. We rely on snowpack from the mountains for our water supply--this year our snowpack is WAY above average, so next summer ought to be another good year for hay--it will be easy to find plenty of nice, quality, cheap hay again.
stomperx wrote: Sarmichka:
http://www.tendermercyrescue.com/frame.html
rescue group near buffalo.
Thank you
I will look into them. Seems they are about 40 mins from my work and 45 mins from home....I WILL check them out and see what I might do to help.
thank you again.
:}
I think that the answer to these problems is to find vets willing to donate some of their time and supplies and go to these auctions and inspect every horse as it comes in and say this horse is crippled and in pain or this horse will go to the kill buyers and get the auction house owner in to the mix. If auction house owners stopped accepting horses who were obviously bound for the slaughterhouse than these people would have very few other choices than to have their horses euthanized. Anyway, if a vet was on hand when these horses arrived and made it clear that the auction owner will not accept that horse and offered to euthanize the horse right there for a small fee, not the $150 that it normally costs (yes, I think vets make enough money that a bit of charity on the part of abused and broken down horses won't hurt, in fact, it will probably make the vet feel even better about helping horses). Then all the horses who were unsuitable for auction and were humanely euthanized could be shipped together wherever their bodies go to, and maybe that great charity who foots the bill to have horses euthanized and bodies taken care of for those who cannot afford to have it done cuold pay for the body disposal. If all these people had to pay was a small fee to have the horse humanley put down then the supply for kill buyers would go down. Unfortunately I don't think that this could ever happen on a large scale. At best would be a few people finding a fantastic vet willing to donate time and supplies and go to the auctions on their own and offer that to the owners of these poor creatures. Or at least outbid the killers and then bring them into a nearby beautiful field and euthanize them. A dignified ending for an animal that did nothing but serve us. At least all the lame and unridable horses could be put out of their misery and then maybe people would be more able to buy horses that have a future. It's just a thought, but one day I will have enough money and I will go straight to New Holland, as it is the closest auction to me that I hear horror stories about, and I will outbid the killers even if it is only to euthanize the horse immediately.
Had to add one more thing for Nuller and the cost of keeping our horses.
We are in an area which is irrigated. This way we can keep our pasture green during the summer months, and planting winter rye in the colder months. Irrigation is $15 per hour, and we average 4 hours of water to keep everything green. Add in $150 annual dues and a percentage of water usage at the end of the year.
Also I wanted to post since I changed pictures in my avitar. This is my OTTB mare who was headed to PLA, a known KB auction house as a 6 year old. She raced as a 3 y/o and out of 11 races was in the money 5 times. She has earnings of $5,270.
She blew he knee racing and was traded off for a breeding which never happened. She spent a year in a stall before she was sold for $500. She was still listed on dreamhorse by both sellers when I bought her sight unseen for $250 on a Wednesday and picked her up on the Saturday she was to be taken to the auction. I paid a $20 deposit on her purchase (all we had at the moment) and took her home. 'Broken Road' was playing on the radio on the way home and boy does that sum it up.
She is one of the sweetest horses I have known and is more than willing to please. I bought her with EVERY intention to 'flip' her, but she never spent a single day on the market. OOOPS!
Hubby says he doubts this horse has ever been sooooo loved on in her life. She's certainly a keeper! And will never worry about a one way ticket on any double deckers.
Oh and we cleaned her up and shown her in halter at a local show where she got a 3rd out of 7 horses! Not bad, and I was more proud of her 3rd placing than my pony stallions class win that day.
Anniebanannie, I am still having nightmares and bouts of melancholy myself over the small wild as hell pony mare, brought in with tons of horses, just reproducing harem-scarem in eastern Montana or South Dakota (I can't remember) that they pulled a foal off of and ran through the auction in Billings, MT last October. She stood frozen in fear and two men used prods to get her to run back and forth. My heart was breaking and broke further when the next thing through was her foal. I could have used a horse halter and put it on his body and carried him like a purse he was so small. But I was selling my mare later that day (she brought $3500 and rightfully went to a kid who wanted been there done that 4H horse) and didn't have a buyers card. And I'll never forget the little BLM mare that looks back at me from my computer screen. Painful. It's like going to the shelter for a cat or dog and you swear you aren't going to get any X, and then X looks at you, and you take them home and they live a happy life and you cry when they die. But at the horse auctions X looks at you and you know, but you do nothing and the guilt just won't go away and the check to the rescue just doesn't help my pain, but you know it will make a difference to someone else's efforts on behalf of the horse.
I haven't been to the auction since.
I'm sure that after some upgrading to my "facilities" and after my daughter sells her horse (former eventer, now used by UW riding team for rail work and low level jumping) I will add a horse to our family from a rescue. One that's been evaluated and that is a good match for me (I guess after I've been evaluated). Then I will probably have to change my poster ID.
I forgot about the vet cost. I am lucky there too because our vet is ambulatory, her office is her truck. We don't get charged for a farm call and the cost for their health certs, coggins and brand inspection was a grand total of $84 in '06.
I will have her out to the barn as soon as my horses arrive on the 16th. She will do their new health certs, coggins and brand inspections then. My mare will also get her first Pneumabort K shot at that time too. They aren't due for their annual shots till April and that won't run very much either.
If there is an emergency and she has to do surgery she has a couple of vet offices that she can use or if the horse can handle the trip they get sent to Boise, a two hr trip.
Around here, everyone knows who the kill buyers are. They are the same 2 or 3 guys at every sale sitting at the front. But they will sell you something they've bought. For a little extra cash on the side, of course. One of them buys broke horses, puts some work on them and then re-sells them as saddle horses. I don't know how they can sleep at night, but not every one has a conscience. The one buyer had to put locks on his fences at home. Not because people were taking the horses, but because people were actually dropping off their horses at his place at night. WTF is wrong with people that they'd bring their horse to this guy, knowing what is gonna happen to it?
If TopDanceJohnny reads this, what open shows do you go to in MB? I think I recognized your name. My kids & I do the open circuit. We plan on doing the milk run and other MGRA shows this summer.
equus PLEASE send forward that email to that fool John Holland trying to stop slaughter in DC!!!
PLEASE
attach a few choice videos from you tube taken from mexico...please...for the love of all things equine!
it may NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE, but do it anyway...I'd do it in a second if I got the email.
Jeepers creepers, if I knew where that guy livged I'de be sneaking in there and putting all of those horses down before they made it to the slaughter house. The fact that people were trying to drop horses off there is disgusting though, thats takes a darker soul than it does to drop a horse off at auction. At least if these people drop a horse off at auction they can try adn convince themselves that the horse went to a good home, but just dropping a horse at a kill buyers house, have they no soul at all. Disgrace to the human nation. As for how can they sleep at night, I'm sure as long as their pockets are lined with money, even if it is a little bit, they are more than happy to sleep at night.
Hey guys, guess what?
On another forum, I just explained to a girl asking about breeding her N/H mare at some point in the far future about the genetics of HYPP and how no horse that is even N/H should be bred at ALL, even if she did plan to keep it, as the risk is still there when bred to a N/N stallion.
And guess what? She LISTENED. She THANKED me for explaining. She recognised the fact she couldn't be sure she'd have the horse forever. She decided it would be better to get a nice (sane) youngster from an auction or something instead.
There is hope.
ugly-horse-owner wrote: (yes, I think vets make enough money that a bit of charity on the part of abused and broken down horses won't hurt, in fact, it will probably make the vet feel even better about helping horses).
I see sentiments like this expressed all the time and it confuses me.
In my state, a first year vet makes (on average) $17,000/year. They have student loans to pay off, just as large as those medical students have. If they can stay in practice, vets with 15 years' experience average $76,000/year. That's pretty good but it ain't pretty getting there.
I know that in at least one other state the picture isn't much better. My friend went through vet school in another state and ended up in research because she couldn't afford to go into clinical practice. At least, she couldn't afford to go into clinical practice without lowering her already miserable standard of living from what it was when she was a student.
It puzzles me because I don't think I've ever heard anyone who, for instance, works as an accountant told they should do more accounting for free for some needy group. No one tells garbage workers, I mean, "sanitation engineers" that they should put in some hours for free after work doing the same thing.
Why pick on vets? At least in two states I'm familiar with, they are not making huge amounts of money. They don't make as much as medical doctors and they carry similar amounts of student debt.
Yes, vet fees seem high but when you factor in the huge overhead, most of what large animal owners are paying in vet fees goes towards overhead and not paying for the vet's yacht habit.
In fact, most of the vets I know do a fair amount of charitable work in the form of discounts for rescues, etc, but I certainly would not tell a vet they should donate more money or time, any more than I would tell a grocery store manager they should donate.
equus said...
Here is an e-mail I just received from Bill Addis, Addis Auctions.
He seems to be a good guy.
Bill Addis: "We will require the original registration papers to send back to AHA to claim the horse deceased."
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Equus,
Tell Bill the AHA does not require the original registration papers be returned to notify them the horse is deceased. They DO require a signed letter from the last recorded owner with their AHA number as well as the horse’s registration number.
I very much like his ideas. It IS expensive to euthanize and bury a horse. Cost in my neck of the woods is about $150 for the vet and $500 and up for a backhoe. Cremation runs about $2,000 (urn extra) plus $3.00 per mile for shipping the body.
I can’t imagine sending an old, debilitated, lame or no longer useful horse to auction or slaughter but realize that’s not everyone’s reality. The legitimate rescues are few and far between. Almost all of them are full at all times. And the unwanted just keep coming… sigh
Congrats to the rescue group. I hope they ID themselves so we can thank them properly.
There is a little something all of us can do to help. We can sponsor a horse at a rescue. The editor of The Horse magazine - not one of my favorite writers, but she's come around on slaughter - called out those of us to oppose slaughter to then sponsor a rescued horse for some period of time.
I think that's what I'm going to do for Xmas this year. Gift my business clients with their own rescue horse for a year. I spent about $200 on some cute gifts in 2007, but I'd bet I could sponsor at least a few horses for that same amount.
I hope some of you will consider this option.
P.S. And the people who send their horses to auction in deplorable condition should be shot. Thanks to FHOTD for keeping the heat on these asshats.
chesters mom wrote: I just had to direct some of the newbies here:
http://fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com/2007/09/verbal-equivalent-of-bag-of-chicken.html
I had a few minutes and re-read this today...and almost choked myself trying not to laugh/cry at my desk!!
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that fiasco was hysterical!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember reading that and thinking Fugly is fan-fucking-tastic!
LOL
frankengeldin wrote: wish we could find an equestrian version of Michael Moore"
Not a bad idea actually....anyone have a connection?
Heartbreaking. Sickening. Maddening.
People suck.
*sniff*
Rachel, don't know if anyone answered your question about the auction. Don't have time to read every post right now.
The way it works here is the riding horses have individual stalls and you can try them out. The loose horses are usually the unbroke, lame, sick, scrawny, etc. throwaways that people are dumping and they are in the "kill pen". They're the horses that get run through the ring (usually with whips) and sold very quickly usually to the kill buyers. The riding horses are ridden into the ring and a little more time is taken trying to sell them and you can no sale your horse if you don't get high enough bids.
I hate going to the auction because I want to bring them all home with me. The kill pen sickens me.
I've never been to an auction and am cringing at the thought, but this time next year I should be able to rescue one (horses finally at my own property/barn). So--how does one do the auction thing? Should I go a few times and just observe? Or arrive with a truck and trailer? How do you know who the kill-buyers are without having gone before? How do you choose? The thought of going scares me, but I'd really like to rescue at least one. Well--I'll try to start with just one, anyway. :)
Blogger Kyani said...
Hey guys, guess what?
On another forum, I just explained to a girl asking about breeding her N/H mare at some point in the far future about the genetics of HYPP and how no horse that is even N/H should be bred at ALL, even if she did plan to keep it, as the risk is still there when bred to a N/N stallion.
And guess what? She LISTENED. She THANKED me for explaining. She recognised the fact she couldn't be sure she'd have the horse forever. She decided it would be better to get a nice (sane) youngster from an auction or something instead.
There is hope.
February 1, 2008 4:31 PM
hey, me too!
i have NO CLUE about breeding horses (i never have) and luckily this site provided me with the information i needed to make a decision on a stud, i crossed him right off my list of possibles in fact!
i LOVE FHOTD!
Sorry, I didn't see the date. I was horrified by what I read and brought to tears, so I missed it.
It has changed my mind, though. My oldest son wants a draft and I'll be looking through auctions for one when it's time.
Taldara, open your eyes, Australia has a problem. Sales yards near Portland , Vic. are just like this. They are then trucked to Peterborough, SA. Infact there is such an oversupply of OTTB's that many go straight from trainer to Peterborough. They don't get a second chance.There have been rumors that horses have been dumped at the yards overnight too.At the All Breeds sales at Morphettville, SA.(and in all other cities)a large number of the OTTB's go to the killbuyers. These are sound, potentially useful horses.So before you breed your mare back for another foal, think long, think hard. Are you going to be a forever home? Why not just go get a sound healthy OTTB (some never even raced) for $300 Aus. Because, rest assured that Australia does have these issues.
I don't get it, why is anyone bashing John Holland for trying to stop the cruel shipment of horses to slaughter across US borders? Isn't that a good thing to seek?
What's to become of the human race if we don't draw a line somewhere and just decide some things are to tragic and obscene to ever be permitted?
Ouch. Makes Craig's List prices look expensive. :(
Fugly, can you address in an upcoming column the basic logistics of how auction-purchased horses are still going to slaughter? I have misinformed people tell me every day that because "slaughter is now illegal in the United States" (wrong, I know, but I won't go there now), auction horses don't go to the killer anymore.
Yes, Rachel, I do need to do that.
As for what you can get for LESS than $10 lately...I just got a free mare two weeks ago.
16 hands
Registered Thoroughbred
Granddaughter of Lyphard
Winner of $62,000
Completely sound
Clean legged
No vices
Perfect manners
Had babies in 06 and 07
Breeding quality
Good weight and condition
Up to date on everything
I promptly leased her to a dressage barn where she will be bred to a Hungarian Warmblood. When she is past breeding age, she will become one of my pet mares. She is the sweetest thing in the world. FREE, FREE, FREE.
Congrats on making a difference, Kyani!
Don't just feel bad do something!
If everyone who was upset by this just gave a few bucks to a rescue it would make a huge difference in a horse's life. search horse rescue, your state name and give if you dont want to do that here are two I support
feedlothorses.com
savethehorse.com - this one has an auction fund. give give give even a little bit helps !!
okay, this is kind of off topic but i have to post it here.
http://www.furisdead.com/feat/ChineseFurFarms/
I had to stop watching, i felt like I was going to puke. :( This is just sad, so so sad.
I need more advice. My daughter's TB mare is for sale and we've turned away interested people that we thought were not going to be long term homes. When she does sell, we will ask for a buy back option. We've done this in the past and when we checked on a horse we sold we found out they had sold her to someone else without offering her back to us. I was in the wrong for not having it on paper, but they thought that since three years had gone by, they didn't need to worry about it. I don't want to have an animal end up at slaughter. If the buy back option is in writing but they do not honor it, do I have recourse and what good would it do if I couldn't find the mare? Any ideas? Of course, I understand we could just keep her, and will if an appropriate match is not found, but this mare was not happy at our new location.
My sister-in-law sent us some nice but useless items for Christmas. She told me that if they were not something we could use to please return them to LLBean. So I did. She has been insisting I order something to replace them. I think I'm going to tell her that from now on she can donate to an equine rescue and skip the presents. Not patting myself on the back but throwing it out there to remind others it's also a good way to get nonhorsey people involved.
okay, this is kind of off topic but i have to post it here.
http://www.furisdead.com/feat/ChineseFurFarms/
I had to stop watching, i felt like I was going to puke. :( This is just sad, so so sad.
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