Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Just like Octo-Mom, if you can't do anything else...

At least you can still breed!

"Raja is a very sweet 2 year old stallion, about 13-14 hh with a crooked neck, however, able to breed, run, eat, play- he just has been in the womb over 11 months and the problem was never corrected, thus his stunted growth as well. would produce gorgeous offspring- hes registered, has the egyptian nose, make the sweetest companion excellent bloodlines- can have the papers for add price registered egyptian arabian email me for more info, pics and video available for serious horseowner to good home, price is to ensure this."

(I always wonder how a $300 price tag ensures as good home. How exactly does that work? I can never figure out if the philosophy there is:

1. The rich are evil.

2. Since the person is getting SUCH a great deal on a $300, crippled Arabian stud with no papers, he is SURE to provide him with a fabulous lifetime home in return.

3. Price will help him fly out the door since I already know MY home is a bad one and damn near anything else will be an upgrade.)

(FYI, crippled Arabian studs selling without papers for $300 will not fly out the door - in case anybody had any questions about that)

There's just so much here that is wrong and sad. First of all, I wouldn't have even noticed the neck because I was too busy staring at the god-awful cow hocks. A little bit of this particular fault doesn't bother me but this horse's hocks are touching! Second, studs do not make good companion horses for obvious reasons. Third, if Brandi can't afford gelding, my guess is no vet has ever seen this poor little guy or tried to determine if anything about him was ever correctable.

Side note: Have you ever noticed that almost any situation where a girl who has the same name as a "Flavor of Love" contestant owns horses, it's a train wreck? I'm sure there are exceptions but for the most part, girls named Brandi, Tiffany, Britney and other stripper names tend to be 20 year old backyard breeders with hideous stallions, pink cordura tack and boyfriends with felonies. You can see their pictures all over their Myspaces. Somebody should really start a blog just about Cowgirl Skanks. They would never run out of material!

Anyway, inquiring mind that I am, I googled Brandi's phone number and guess what, she's a farrier. Last time I checked, most farriers were doing quite well despite the economy so, Brandi, why exactly are you dumping a deformed, two year old stud colt without his papers on the Internet? Don't you think you could handle this situation a little more responsibly? Like maybe gelding him and keeping him if he's such a great companion and your vet has determined he is not in pain? You'd better start thinking about it, because this ad screams "backyard breeder, come and get me!" and as a horse industry professional, ask yourself if that is the image you want to portray to your clients about how you see your responsibility toward your horses?

I know that as a farrier's client, I like to patronize farriers who are not only talented, but who are responsible with their own horse ownership. I'll choose that person over someone with an iffy reputation in that area. So will many horse owners. Food for thought!