How bad does it have to get before they stop?

Some recent auction reports...before I post them, let me remind those of you with poor reading comprehension that none of these are written by me. (Every time I post these, some moron has to comment "but why didn't YOU save blaah blaaah horse or turn X person in to animal control...um, I wasn't even there. People send these to me. I did not save anything from any auction listed here. If the people who did wish to ID themselves in the comments, that is their call. Thanks.)

Here's Enumclaw, Washington yesterday:

"I went to an auction today and it was dismal. There were horses for FREE and dozens under 100.00. One 5 yr old bay arab mix gelding brought 20.00 and he was fat and healthy and sound. Back yard tobiano paint yearlings were 10.00, an ugly little bay mare and her red dun foal for 50.00. Highest selling horse was 700.00. I saw a guy with some homely cow bred reg AQHA 2-3 yr olds that had ground work done and had been backed a few times, some were sorrels and bays and some were duns and buckskins and palominos. They were low quality and rough coated from the pastures selling WITH papers for 85.00-150.00. He said he had 14 more and would be riding them and bringing them back next spring! There was a really cute 13 yr old app mare, by a leading sire out of a NICE AQHA mare who was a proven producer, with a reining foal who was a WC to her credit, broke to ride, sound and honestly really cute for 225.00. Beautiful 16+ hand bay TB mares, quiet with training off the track for 250.00. Halter champion arab mare that looked the part for 160.00. Paint mares with color, by big name stallions for 300-500. A stallion who was a grandson of Doc Bar who was a little tank went for 150 to the auctioneer to slaughter. 17 hand black shire mare, ex-pmu for 150.00, a very nice 6 yr old grade buckskin gelding fairly well broke for 325.00 a grulla reg AQHA mare that was also foundation registered and broke, of course she was 5 and had had 3 foals went for 85.00...Sad, pathetic sale. The weirdest and scariest part was that even though prices were ridiculously low, people were taking it. There were only a handful of no sales."

Here's one from Minnesota in August. Bear in mind that this is a "better" auction - one that has been known for years for high quality registered horse sales.

Simon Horse Company Auction House --Cannon Falls MN Tuesday August 12, 2008

There were a TON of horses for some odd reason, I stayed for 3.5hrs and they were only half done, wanted to see the loose horses there were 3 big Belgians and a really nice Shire. They were probably going to kill, they were nice and fattened and one of the Belgians eye was ripped open and the eye ball was gone…pretty gruesome. Some nice looking horses in the loose ones though, big grey TB I wanted really bad…but I board I cant buy anymore!!

• Bay mini mare rode in by kid $135
• Blue roan pony, possibly bred, walked with kid on bareback looked pretty young $145
• Sorrel Flaxen 4yr mini ridden by kid $175
• Buckskin mini filly $75 L so cute
• Drk chestnut mini stud $25
• Grulla mini stud $35
• Chocolate Mini baby $45 last three went to the same guy
• Sorrel flaxen yearling mini lead in $70
• Cremello ish mini mare $100
• Pinto grade 8yr pony rode in by teenage girl that was too big for the pony, gelding, neck reined well $160
• Black pony mare 9yrs rode in bareback w halter $175
• Sorrel pinto 3yr old gelding been saddled very pretty, and super fat, registered $200
• Sorrel pony mare, 6yrs rode in by kid no saled wanted $400
• Pinto mini mare lead with kid riding, registered $210
• Gorgeous black paint pony (bald face 4 white socks) 51inches 5yr gelding, roped off of, did cattle, very very broke – would make a great show pony IMO $900
• Grulla 3yr paint had shoes all around apparently and coggins rode in by kid $ no saled
• Paint grade 3yr mare rode in, kept spinning her…poor girl looked dizzy after a while lol was very well broke though WTC in tiny space $625
• Paint registered 98 mare “guaranteed color” bred to paint lead through $225
• Roanish Sorrel supposedly will roan out more as gets older Registered QH with Red Sonny Dee and Smoken Joe on papers, yearling stud colt lead in , almost jumped on handler when kids ran by but otherwise quiet $675 no saled wanted $800
• Roan small draft X gelding rode in $400 kinda fugly but cute
• Registered paint 3yr mare very pretty dished face 120 days training, very western pleasure lope and jog very nice show mare…too well trained for 3yrs! But cute. Fleet machine on papers and Mr. Conclusive? No saled wanted $2000
• Registered appaloosa pretty for an app black face and socks and speckled leopard rode in bareback had the sad appy tail 1999 mare $650
• Black registered paint very minimal white 95 mare rode in by kid that couldn’t really make her move or turn.. $325
• Palomino, 4 white socks, cute, huge 5yr old gelding rode in very quiet $600
• Sorrel pony mare 12yrs been in 4H rode in $145
• Palomino appendix gelding very QH looking though, registered, 2003, barrel racer, “performance bred” $2200
• Registered halflinger stud colt, super well put together and super cute! Only $75 totally would have taken this guy
• Solid registered 98 paint mare with tobiano baby rode in bred back, ridden in by kid but hadn’t been ridden in 3yrs $325 colt was to be sold but no saled at $75
• Appendix gelding 2002 rode in been around everything $600 no saled wanted $1200
• GORGEOUS dark blue roan registered 5yr gelding from ranch in SD rode in $1300
• Grulla – tiger stripped legs and all registered yearling stud colt $875
• Bay 2006 Doc OLena gelding rode in…yes rode in and pretty broke…will have leg problems im sure! $625
• Light palomino 9yr old small mare rode in scare on shoulder “doesn’t affect her” $500
• True black grade 10yr gelding rode in been on lots of trails, owner said they would guarantee him, had shots and seemed well broke $675
• Sorrel small gelding 12 yrs rode in with two 5-7yr old kids in saddle $200
• Grade sorrel overo gelding, big $450
• Black tobiano 2004 gelding quiet well broke rode in WTC $450
• Registered paint yearling filly? MN futurity nominated very well built $90
• Bay registered mare used in stock yard, cute, but bred supposedly $225
• Buckskin grade mare ridden in, quiet $350 no saled wanted 400
• Registered paint, grulla mare rode in bareback 8yrs old $1225 no saled wanted 2000
• Bay tobiano 3yrs “ridden by kids all summer”---I think they all say that! Registered $225
• Grulla 2yr filly lead in but ridden “in pasture bareback” $135
• ½ Arab sorrel ridden in, very cute and prancy seemed young for being ridden in didn’t catch age $150…woulda taken this one too
• 9yr old black pintoish tenn walker mare, trotted more than gaited…$275 no saled wanted 500
• Rgistered Scotch Bar Time stud colt $135
• Sorrel QH 2003, big Scotch Bar Time as well, gelding over 16hands “been shown English” but rode in western $410
• Dark pretty bay selling grade 7yrs been riding stable horse $450 no saled wanted 900
• Light red roan ridden in $250
• 2yr percheron/morgan pretty damn cute didn’t look very drafty apparently had 30days riding and driving…yikes he wasn’t even close to being finished growing but was very sweet $250 woulda taken him in a heartbeat
• Grey mare 6yrs grade QH very pretty cute lil heart brand on shoulder $450
• Sweaty, scared 3yr old grade ridden in $210
• Flaxen mini “bombproof” mini mare broke to ride and drive rode in with kid $100
• Paint ponyish sized 2yrs lead in with not one but TWO kids in saddle, gelding I think $100
• Flea bitten registered QH red badger on papers 10yr mare with may 1^st baby (grullaish probably gray eventually) and bred back to stallion so 3 for 1 went for $300
• Bay registered but papers were on hold bc of estate or seomthign, Zipp chocolate chip dam, 90 days training, seemed youngish $400

Then I gave up and went home, have to get up and go to work in the morning to support the 4 horses I already have!!

Finally, here's a report of an August sale in Alberta, Canada.

Tag	description	sale	KB?
1	roan QH type grade gld 6 yrs kids horse ringbone, sore	500	KB ??
2	3yr palomino pony gld loose	200	KB
3	2 yr bay QH type bay mare loose		KB
4	Fjord-X greenbroke rode in, cute 3 yr gelding	575
5	1 1/2 yr bay stud colt, thin limping	160	KB
7	5 month old perch/paint filly very pretty	475
8	7 yr old mare sorrel, quiet cute kids horse rode in	no sale
12	12 yr old mammoth jenny broke to ride well cared for walked through	900
13	pony 4 yr old b&w pinot possible bred	150
14	APHA yearling colt, small hernia, led through by kid	260
15	APHA 8 yr old gelding well broke, rode through	2700
17	7 yr old BS paint mare w colt led through thin	500	KB
18	colt of #17 sold as package with Mom
19	TWH x STB single footer rode through 6 yr old	535
20	TWH 5 yr old broke mountain horse	600
21	12 yr old QH regis. But no transfer signed so sold as grade	525	KB
22	16 yr old gelding sorrel, thin and scraggly looking	525 KB
23	4 yr old bay roan gldg bucks	475
24	9yr old QH/perch mare halterbroke maybe in foal	250 KB
25	pinto yearling filly	210
26	Dun overo APHA yearlgin filly	325		***
27	red dun filly APHA BSyearling papered	275
28	red dun colt APHA BS yearling papered	240?
29	3 yr old buckskin tobiano APHA papered bad scar on neck	325		***
30	sorrel tobiano gelding 2 yr old	275	KB
32	pair of sorrel QH cros gldgs broke to drive sold w #33 as team	600	KB
33	pair of sorrel QH cros gldgs broke to drive sold w #33 as team	600	KB
34	reg AQHA Classy Lucky Kitty red dun 3 yr old	285	KB
35	4 yr dunskin reg AQHA mare, pretty face	475	KB
36	reg AQHA Pistol Paula 10 yr old red dun mare broodie not broke	525
37	19yr old TWH kids horse mare REG	975		***
38	2 yr old TWH sorrel filly just started rode through REG
39	4 yr old greenbroke TWH rode through REG	1000		***
40	yearling TWH filly REG	250
42	terrified fat mare no info other than bay mare on card	560	KB
43	mini stud halterbroke but loose sold choice w/ 44 & 45	85
44	mini stud halterbroke but loose sold choice w/ 44 & 45	25
45	mini stud halterbroke but loose sold choice w/ 44 & 45	25
46	16 yr old appy gldg babystiier horse ridden through by kid	1000
47	11 yr red dun mare well broke ridden throughby kid	no sale @ 650
48	chesnut pony mare am shetland walking pony	no bid
49	5 yr mini gelding Peanut	50
50	10 yr mini mare cushings, foundered limping badly	100
51	mini gelding broke to ride ridden through	200
52	4 yr old palomino shetland ridden in by kid	720
53	chestnut QH type glding very sweet in pens	540	KB
54	11 yr old QH mare trailsl & cattle rode through	700
55	8 yr old STB mare loose but sellers claimed greenbroke	525
56	Palomino gld rode through	600
58	28 yr old pinto pony cataracts	275	KB	***
59	palomino gld rode through scars on neck and face

#58 did get bought by the KB, but he sold her to me for what he paid plus $20 after the sale. Her name is now Panda and she is a typical case of being dumped due to her age. She does have a couple of issues, but certainly nothing that would make me think she should be euthanized. She’s quite happily bossing the yearling & 3 yr old we bought around now. As soon as she has been quarantined and had a vet check done she will be available for an adoption to a companion home.

#22 & 23 were sold by a woman who regularly post ads promising good homes to horses. 22 went to slaughter for sure and I think 23 did as well

55 was a horse I knew. She belonged to a lady I know who had rescued her in fall 2006. This mare rated a 2 on the Henieke scale and was covered with chemical burns from a pour on de-wormer. She had been nursed back to health and had some ground work put on her when the lady had to re-home her due to some changes in her life. She gave the mare to a friend of a friend on the understanding that if there was any reason why they couldn’t keep her, she was to bring her back. Since the lady happened to be in the hospital in labor at the time of the sale, I picked the mare up as the only other bidder was the KB. She is now back at her former owner’s.

34, 35, 36 were posted on www.kijiji.ca a few days before the auction stating that they would be at the sale. The he poster also said didn’t want any emails saying rude things about taking horses to auction and one of her reasons was that she has too many quarter horses and wants to get into Tennessee Walkers instead.

46 was the best horse of the night and a steal at $1000.

49-52 were led or rode in by a little girl about 10 yrs old. She and her parents were out in the sales pens leading any interested kids around on the ponies back to try them out. Training and selling them was obviously her little project, which made watching the little mare with cushings really hard to take…that’s not how you teach kids responsibility. The poor thing is all groomed up but so sore she can barely walk.

OK, FHOTD back in: First of all, Alberta poster, THANK YOU for saving the old pony and the horse your friend gave away to a good home. Holy crap. That mare is SO DAMN LUCKY you were there. She must have her own guardian angel!

Now, we've all seen this mess. And yet, here's what I STILL SEE being sold AS BREEDING STOCK every damn day on the Internet.

"We have a breeding stock APHA Reg. bay stallion. River is a 5 yr old solid bay. he should produce color if bred to color. he has been started under saddle but is very green broke. we have owned him since birth but we just don't have the time and knowledge to finish him right. he would make a great trail/western horse. is pedigree goes back to Doc Bar and Poco Bueno. his bloodlines are viewable on www.allbreedpedigree.com search docs river lane. we are asking $450 for him."

OK Amanda, my head is about to explode and blow off my neck here. You admit this thing is worth $450 (showing you are not one of the totally delusional folks who thinks everything in their barn is world class). WHY WHY WHY would you think a stallion worth $450 should be a stallion? For god's sake, buy a basic horse book. Pick up a copy of the Paint Horse Journal. Does this critter look ANYTHING like what an APHA stallion is supposed to look like? NO! No it doesn't! Holy shit, it's longer than a dachshund, has mutton withers, a terrible loin attachment, camped out so far I think its ass end is in the neighbor's yard, post legged, short necked and underweight. Most of the things that can be wrong here, are wrong. I looked at his pedigree that you're bragging about. Well, the top side has some decent stuff. The bottom side is the genetic equivalent of the guy who runs around bragging that his family goes back to George Washington. Yeah, and they haven't done a damned thing since. There's nothing notable there since the 1960s. Again, not breeding quality and what a surprise, the mare produced a colt that was not breeding quality.

Amanda's not done, sorry to say.

"We also have a beautful little Reg APHA filly. Penny is 2 years old and ready to get started with her training. we have had her since she was weaned and again just don't have the time. her pedigree can be viewed also search Pretty Penny Lane. my family is now involved with motorcycle racing and that and horses just don't mix. our lose your gain. we are asking $650 for her. if you have any questions please call or email (360) 247-5211 Amanda Come on out and meet them. i can not desrcibe thier personalities to you. You have to judge how great they are for yourself. we may also consider trades for 10 foot enclosed trailer, or make an offer. would sell both for $1000"


Yet another weedy, malnourished looking ugly stunningly low end Paint horse that is just screaming the kill buyer's name. How did I know? I guess the only consolation here is that Amanda & kin are getting into motorcycles instead. Those don't breed and if they lose interest in them, will actually resell for a decent price which is more than I can say for these two. Hey, Amanda, when you read this and get pissed off, how about y'all sell a motorcycle and get the bay thing gelded and send both of these out for 30 days of pro training so they at LEAST have a CHANCE? Right now I'd say my chances of winning big in Vegas are better than the chances of these two going anywhere that isn't a slaughterhouse by winter.

I'm so sick of the senseless killing. We're having a massacre of horses here and it's only going to get worse. Please, please, please stop breeding these things. Pick up a few magazines. Stand out there in the field and ask yourself honestly if your mare is correct for her breed. ANY of you can learn. ANY of you.

If you want to, that is...what scares me is how many of you just don't care.

Best.Forum.Post.Ever.

We have a winner. I doubt anything could top this one!

(Double click to see it bigger)

Bonus points for the best RESPONSE ever right after it. Could have just posted "Here's Your Sign!"

I was gonna post some painfully fugly stallions today, but this was just too funny to wait. The fuglies will still be there tomorrow!

My client/student did WHAT???

I HAD to put this, from the comments, on the main page. I just about fell over!

"I had one woman fall down behind her horse. I told her, just roll clear and get up. Does she do that, oh hell no. She wallows her little tubby self around so she is sitting cross-legged right behind the horse. Grabs his tail, and cannon bone, and heaves her happy ass off the ground. I had to swallow my heart back into my chest cavity."

OMG! OK, great weekend topic. Trainers, instructors, what is the craziest, most unexpected, most off the wall thing you've had a student do before you could stop them?

Not actually my student, my friend's student, but my best story is the girl who painted her mare for costume class...with house paint. Man, was that a clean-up job! We had no idea she was doing it 'til it was done.

So have fun this weekend...tell us your stories!

And yes, I'm leaving the message board up. You guys have an ignore feature - feel free to use it!

You're probably not breeding horses for George Morris to ride!

Yes, I know a few of you are and kudos to you for breeding that quality of horse! But what I want to talk about today is that, for most of you who are otherwise responsible breeders, you really do have to consider that most of the horses you breed are going to be owned by riders who are not all that.


In today's economy, the people who can afford horses are often not the young and fit. They are the middle aged, often with a spare tire or two. They are stiff. They are scared. Many of them took up riding as a way to get fit (sorry, I gotta tell you, unless you're trotting without irons for 20 minutes a day, the treadmill's gonna get you there a lot faster...I know it's not so fun). They are going to bounce. They are going to make mistakes with their hands. They are going to panic and do the wrong thing if a horse spooks, rears or bucks. They are most of your buyers. They are the ones with money to purchase a horse.





So if you are going to breed in this market, disposition is more important than ever! There are a TON of people out there looking for a safe, sane, solid intermediate-appropriate horse and they can't find them to buy. Meanwhile, there are a TON of hot, flighty, spooky, silly horses who need their confidence to come from their rider...on the kill buyer's double-decker. Some of those horses might have had great talents that the right rider could have brought out, but guys, there aren't NEARLY enough of THOSE riders out there!


(OK, really, eek. Nobody should have sold a horse to this dude. This poor boy had the typical TB claiming race career and now he's got this to look forward to? At age six, this is what his life has become? Oy vey. I wish he was for sale, but he's not.)




I learned my lesson years ago, in my early 20s when I started buying and selling horses. I had some really nice horses that I thought were easy to ride! I didn't think they were complicated at all. Then people came out to try them out. OMFG. They couldn't even get a trot on the wall. They were all over the place. I thought of myself as a basic, middle of the road rider up to this point, because I'd grown up in a polo barn with people who thought nothing of riding a horse bareback in a halter and two lead ropes and ponying two that way, at a canter. Everybody at my barn could do that. (Heck, it was Wisconsin in the winter. Saddles were too cold!) I thought everybody rode like that. I got a shocking education and learned not to buy light-sided, touchy-mouthed horses for resale. You couldn't give them away!



Some breeders are just not getting this. They see their silly mare spook at a bunny rabbit and leap over the 4' pasture fence, and they go, OMG, what a jumper, I HAVE to breed her, she's so athletic! But the fact is that there's a hell of a lot more market for the less athletic, quiet horse who will pack just about anybody around a 2'9 course than for the talented nutjob that can fly over 4' with her head up and her back hollow and not even touch it.



When you start to think this through, it seems to go against a lot of what you've heard me say. I always argue that you should breed for excellence, right? And now I'm telling you that there's more market for a mediocre horse with a good mind? Well, you have to strike the balance. I'd like to see the good minded horse have a little more talent so that he can move up with his rider. I'd like to see him have correct conformation so that he doesn't need to live on Legend and glucosamine by the age of six. I know for a fact that given the choice of two solid 2'9 packers, the typical adult amateur will buy the pretty one.



(Try it and see. Those of you who get all annoyed with me when I pick on heads. Pick up two prospects this fall. One pretty headed, one ugly headed, comparable otherwise. You train 'em all winter. Tell me which one you sell first and what they sell for in the spring. Uh-huh. Sorry, I know I'm right on this. The pretty headed horse will sell faster and for more money EVERY time. Everybody read the goddamn Black Stallion books and they have an image in their head of their own beautiful horse looking at them over a picturesque dutch door. Why do you think people can sell so many overpriced Friesians and Gypsy Vanners? It's because they look like Barbie's Dream Horse. They look like the horse that the shirtless guy on the cover of some cheesy romance called Loves Last Stand has standing next to him (both of their manes flying in the wind, LOL!) I have owned some fugly headed high performers myself and you can sell me a hammerheaded high performer any day of the week, but most people care about looks, particularly one-horse owners.)




Now, if you ride at, let's say a typical show barn, you probably don't grasp the full extent of the bad riding out there. Like the polo barn where I grew up, your barn is probably full of people who (a) have had lessons (b) ride a LOT and (c) have experienced with green/hot/sensitive horses. I mean, your barn's worst rider might be someone who has a bit of a jiggly leg or sticks their elbows out. Thanks to youtube, you can watch bad riding all day, but I'd also direct you to check out this link for some of the worst the Internet has to offer. These folks aren't unusual examples. Truly they aren't.







Check out the Gypsy Vanner here. OMG. The rider is pivoting on her knee and digging her spurs RIGHT into his sides. She has failed to release appropriately so she has caught him in the mouth, too. Her stirrup is so far back on her foot that she's just asking to be dragged if she comes off - the top of the iron is right up against the front of her ankle. Ask yourself what the outcome would be if this were a light sided Thoroughbred. Uh-huh. The Thoroughbred wouldn't even BE jumping the fence anymore. He would have figured out that he could swerve out, dump Precarious Polly off into the jump and run around the arena free, free, free of the spurs in his sides! Ya know, when you put up with this kind of riding, maybe you ARE worth $40,000...



I know what some of you are thinking. You're thinking, why do we have to "dumb down" our breeding to create horses for folks too lazy or arrogant to take lessons? (Yeah, some people are trying their best and still aren't going to be great riders, fair enough, but there IS that element out there that thinks they know it all and don't NEED lessons. I think everybody needs lessons. I am super excited that my colt is going out for training and that lessons are included in the cost so I can get tuned up as well!) Well, it depends on what you are breeding - but you have to be aware of YOUR market. If you truly CAN create the George Morris horse - and have the track record to prove it - all the more power to you. Most of you can't. If you're breeding for the typical buyer, I'm just asking you to be aware of how the typical buyer rides and look for that tolerant, easygoing disposition in your breeding stock. Every breeder has the power to influence the future - make it easier for your horses to get a job!




It's Friday so we have a Friday Featured Rescue. This little guy is only 15.1 hands and I have a soft spot for little Thoroughbreds plus he just had such a sweet face that I had to list him. He's only $500, he's done with his racing career and his trainer wants a nice home for him. He's listed on the LOPE website.

"YouGotMeTwice: 6 year old @15H-15.1H bay gelding. "Shorty" is this adorable gelding's nickname at the racing barn. He is very sweet and calm -- our photographer said he was especially cute! Shorty has a knee injury that keeps him from racing -- but he would be great for regular riding. His owners and trainer are VERY fond of Shorty -- they want him to have a wonderful new home. Look at that face! $500. Located at Sam Houston. Contact Phil Dunne at 281-660-2013."

So, for those of you who appreciate the good folks in the racing industry who do not ship their horses to kill, please consider giving this guy a chance at a new career. The price is right and look at that face...I know I am about to sound like a silly horseowner here, but I can look at that face and tell you he's going to be easy to retrain. I'm convinced of it! ;-)








Oh, one last question for discussion:

The FHOTD message board, like the blog, has been unmoderated. I do not delete, censor, or ban anybody at either place. However, unlike the blog, the asshats seem to have outnumbered the intelligent folks on the message board. (Possibly because I'm not really present on the MB...I just don't have the time.) Would your vote be for just killing the message board or leaving it as is? I don't want to get into moderating it, but I might just take it down if the consensus is that it's more annoying than worthwhile. Let me know your thoughts. If you are an actual blog reader, you're the opinions I care about - I know the MB is cluttered with people who aren't even reading the blog and I couldn't care less what they think. I really like the idea of unmoderated speech, everything else is so moderated-to-death, but it just seems like there are so many jerks/idiots over there that it's scared off everybody else. What's your call?

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Market research for dummies!

Before I address anything else...I want some updates!

How is Applejax the pony?

How is Scarlett?

Are we ever going to hear more about those mares from the fancy-schmancy barn that got dumped? (I hear through the grapevine they DID get rescued after all...despite the drama that took place for awhile there!) People, seriously, nobody can sue you for telling the truth no matter how much smoke they blow. Well, they can, heck, I can sue Hillary Clinton for annoying me every time she opens her mouth, but you don't get far with frivolous nonsense. Pictures don't lie!

The weekend is coming, folks - get out there and take some pictures! We want updates! I'm sure I've missed some horses rescued as a result of this blog, so if you have one, please share your story.

NCCatnip gets a gold star - she updates her blog very regularly. Yay on Cricket going to training! It's so exciting to see these rescues getting on track to being productive members of horsey society.


On to today's topic: We're going to talk again about reasonably pricing your sale horses. You know, it is not that hard to price horses. Go on DreamHorse or EquineHits and see what horses with your horse's approximate quality breeding and accomplishments are selling for. If this seller had only done that, she wouldn't look so off the wall.


"Tar" is a balck gelding. He is approx. 16h. He has a great disposition. He has been shown both English and Western in both open and Quarter Horse shows. He baths, loads, and clips. He has been used for lessons for beginners and intermediate riders. He is very quiet. He is very easy to handle at home or at the shows. He has been used for Midevil Times demostrations at school and at state expos. I took him to our first AQHA show in July. We got 1 pt in Amature Horsemanship, 1 pt in Amature Hunt Seat Eq., 1/2 pt in Open Grean trail, 1/2 pt in Open Hunter Under Saddle, and 1/2 pt in Green Hunter Under Saddle. There is video of him loaded onto youtube. You just have to search his registered name. "

Now, don't get me wrong. Tar looks to be a decent enough boy. He is pretty. I don't care for his goose rump and I'm not sure the shoulder is a lot better, but he's a gelding, so at least he won't be passing it on. He's black and pretty and well broke so that's enough to make most people happy.

My issue is with the fact that he is priced at thirty thousand dollars. For a horse that has two amateur points, one open point, and one green point.

So let's review what we could spend our thirty thousand dollars on instead:

Like this horse. "Earner of 65+ AQHA points in Open & Amateur Western Riding & Western Pleasure at 6 years old. Multiple NSBA futurity winner. Numerous Circuit Championships. Top 5 at Richart and NSBA BCF as a two-year old. Top 5 PCQHA & CAQHEA year-end highpoint Jr. & Amateur Western Riding. Qualified for World Show 2007 & 2008. Also does horsemanship and is started on trail and showmanship."

Or this horse: "2006-2007 Liberty Circuit high point champion in am.working hunter am.eq.over fences nov.am.reining nov.am. western riding nov.am.equitation point earner in multiple events including:working hunter,trail,western riding,eq.over fences,reining,showmanship,hunter under saddle,horsemanship,equitation.. UPDATE Tommy was just High point champion @ ESQHA Fall show in Nov. Am Hunter over fences and Reserve High point In the nov. Am Equitation!!"

Here's another. Huge and with over 50 AQHA points. Totally has the look that the HUS judges want these days.

And another. "GORGEOUS I.F. BAY GELDING BY THE GREAT DONT SKIP ZIP. "SKIP" HAS HIS OPEN AND AMATUER ROM AND 50+ POINTS. WINNING IN AMATEUR AND SENIOR WESTERN PLEASURE AND AM & OPEN PERFORMANCE GELDINGS. SKIP IS A NSBA MONEY EARNER. HE WAS THE RESERVE CHAMPION AT THE SOUTHERN BELLE 2 YR OLD WP IN '04 AND A FINALIST AT JUST FOR PLEASURE, TOM POWERS AND THE CONGRESS IN '05. NORTH AMERICAN OPEN AND NON PRO WINNER UNDER ALL JUDGES. MULTIPLE CIRCUIT AWARDS. ALL AROUND JR HORSE AT GORDYVILLE '07"

C'mon people. Do a little basic research. Price your horse sensibly. Who told you that your horse with 3.5 points was worth $30,000? Whoever it was,they were blowing smoke up your ass. Here's the video, by the way. Cute, pretty solid. Looks awful small compared to the rest of the class though - if he's 16.0, they must be mostly 17 handers! There's nothing wrong with this horse - he'll probably be a kick ass novice amateur horse for somebody, and he sounds like a sweetheart, but he's just not a thirty thousand dollar horse. Either keep him and put more of a record on him, or price him in keeping with other horses with his abilities and let him move on for the next person to enjoy.

Just goes back to what I keep saying about how people don't even try to run their horse business like a business. You know, by doing market research and pricing competitively and, if something's not selling, change what you're selling or develop a service business instead? Look how silly someone would look if they opened a car lot and tried to sell a five year old Chevy for $30K? But that's exactly what we see in the horse business, every single day. It's just ridiculous.

Yet another candidate for the Sea Monkey breeding kit!

We've joked before on this site that we ought to send out Sea Monkey breeding kits to some of these folks so that they can breed something more appropriate to their skills, financial situation, and general level of common sense. Never has it been more true than for the person who put up this ad: (emphasis mine)

PLEASE HELP - FREE HORSES TO GOOD HOMES! Yearling QH/Mustang filly, bright red with no white, almost 15hh already and loves to jump things when running free. Excellent jump/dressage prospect. I wouldn't be getting rid of her if I had the time and facilities to train her myself! Homely yearling blind mustang cross filly. Black and friendly, but doubt she will ever amount to anything. I can't afford to feed her. No idea why she went blind, but she quit growing at the same time, so she is thin, fuzzy and ugly. I would be happy to show anyone these horses most anytime. We are 7 miles from the Porthill border in Idaho. I am feeding 10 other horses and just have to get rid of some, or I will be forced to get rid of them all. My number is 208-267-7815 or email irishflower44@yahoo.com
Posted 25/08/08

The number comes back to Heather at Wallace Taxidermy in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Great, I guess she can do something with the ones that die. She probably won't know why that happened, either!

Did you know you can call a vet and they will tell you why your filly is blind, thin and fuzzy? If you need to know why she's ugly, just send me pictures of her parents and I'll be happy to explain that for you!

P.S. Heather, just for kicks, why don't you try to research how many QH/mustang crosses are winning in jumping and dressage? Just for the hell of it? Just because you can't keep her inside your no-doubt-crappy fence doesn't mean she's a jump/dressage prospect!

Ugh. Good grief. When are people like Heather going to stop trying to own and breed horses?