Thursday, January 31, 2008

It's been a while since we've had an auction report

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!