"I hope you don't kill him"

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2008/December/26/Clever-Allemont-saved-from-slaughter.aspx

I'm very glad this horse got rescued. His rescue was paid for by donors on the ABR Board. I know I've given you guys a hard time in the past for funding scammers like $am and Catherine Petersen and writing stories where Barbaro talks from beyond the grave but this time you were right on target and did a great thing. I'm glad to see good people with money to donate making smart choices - that horse will never want for a thing at Old Friends.

But did you catch the ridiculous comment by the previous owner? "I hope you don't kill him." You give your twenty six year old, one eyed stallion to a kill buyer and you think he is going to find him a good home? COME ON! Nobody is that dumb.

Now, I want to say that I don't know if this is the guy who still owned him. But just a couple years ago, that horse was owned by Alton Hoover. Alton's still in the racing industry in Kansas - in fact, he's a proud member of the "Recognized Horseman's Group" at Eureka Downs. Alton had him in the Kansas Quarter Horse Racing Association's stallion service auction in 2005. So, Alton, are you the dumper? Or did you sell/give away your late 20's, half blind stallion to someone else who dumped him?

(I'm sure someone from Kansas will be happy to tell me which of these it was!)

Either way, I hope your peers ask you these questions. And I hope you send Old Friends a generous donation, because if you can afford to be in the racing industry, you can afford to retire out your old one-eyed stallion. There's no reason on earth other people should be paying for that.