This is just a dream...er, more like a nightmare!

Before I even start, NO HATE MAIL as I'm going to assume today's posting will lead to a desire to extract some of these horses from their situation. Whether you hate me personally or not, please think of the horses' best interests and refrain from hate mailing the owner. Trust me, your hot air would be wasted anyway, looking at this.

I've observed before that pretty much any time you find keywords like "dream, fantasy, magical or mystical" in a farm name, what you're going to see is a thoughtless breeding or incompetent riding program that sprung from the horsey dreams of a 12 year old girl who apparently stopped maturing mentally long before puberty set in and still thinks anything with a long mane or spots is BYOOTIFUL! Today's featured ranch is no exception.

I've also observed that I don't have a problem with someone both breeding horses and rescuing horses, assuming they are breeding high quality horses. In small animal rescue, it's normal for the top breeders to run the breed rescue efforts and I see no reason to discourage that in large animal rescue. However, when I see a rescue that proudly proclaims "meet the breeders" and then I see something like this, oh lady, you are SO making the Fugly blog!



Holy shit! It's the Humpback of Nevada! This hideously malformed mare is at a so-called rescue in Pahrump (love that Rump is in the name since the folks running this clusterfuck are clearly horses' asses) called Dream Chaser. I don't know what kind of dreams YOU have if this is a broodmare in them, but all I have to say is y'all better lay off the hard stuff before bed!


Here's another of their broodmares. While this is the best of the three (scary but true), click to enlarge to see her scary hooves. When was the last time they bothered with a hoof trim? She's also a pretty good anatomy lesson - I can count every single rib!

What happened to her tail? Was it lopped off for slaughter a few years ago? Wouldn't surprise me. Repeat after me..."riding quality." This mare is riding quality. She deserves a good home, but should not be making more of herself!

Here we go, I found a pic with Debbie, the proprietor of Mutant Acres. Is this fugly colt a new rescue? Nope, it's one of her sale horses. Probably a homebred! Not only is this a crappy quality colt who'd sell for a whopping $75 at our local sales, but she didn't even try to clean him up for the pic - he's covered in caked on manure from lying down in filth. LOVELY. Debbie, waddle your lazy butt over and pick up a fucking currycomb or a hose before you take pictures of horses that you are trying to sell! Trust me, the exercise won't kill you and you can DVR "General Hospital" for later. I know, I know, it's hard to wait an hour or two to find out the latest with Sonny and Carly, but you are the one who chose to have twenty horses in your backyard.

The one thing ol' Debbie DOES have time for is making the most elaborate donations page I have EVER seen on a web site. Though I question if anybody is using it, because every single rescue horse looks like shit! Yes, we all take them IN looking like this, but there are no "after" pictures showing ANY improvement, ANYWHERE on her site so I can only assume they CONTINUE to look like this or look like this after months or years in her care. Poor old Charlie...he really wants a home with someone who can afford feed!

(P.S. I think Tanacity is an OTTB and he would like someone to get him the hell out of there! Could he be Tenacity (2002)? The color and gender match...if so that's a well bred horse that slipped through the cracks!)

Sheesh. Enough already. Paging animal control! Debbie, you need to stop making fuglies and leave the rescuing to people who know how to care for them. What a complete and utter disaster!

The non-negotiable elements of a good rescue web page:

1. BEFORE and AFTER! Show your results! Frequent pictures! We want to see what the horses look like NOW, not in 2006. I am so sick of excuses...if you are all that computer illiterate, have a link to a Photobucket with the newer pics. Anyone can master Photobucket. Really.

2. If you are going to breed, your breeding operation must prove all the more that it is a high quality operation... i.e. clean horses, well posed, pedigrees posted, evidence that you are actively riding, training and showing easily accessible. Most people I know who both breed and rescue have two different sites and I highly recommend that.

3. Clean up your damn facility. It shouldn't look like Shantytown from GWTW.

4. Clean up your damn horses, trim their damn feet and get some quality pictures if you are actually trying to sell them or adopt them out. It doesn't take an expert. There are tons of resources online explaining how to take a good picture of a horse.

5. Happy endings and adoption stories...also not negotiable. No adoption stories is pretty much a big banner saying HI, MY NAME IS SUZY HOARDER! The best is when you have pics of your adopted horses being ridden by their adopters. When Joe at TB Friends puts up a show pic of a former TB friends horse, that illustrates that you can obtain a show quality horse there - and drives adopters to him. That's smart rescuing.

*sigh* OK, anybody local who can investigate this further? If those are the pics she puts up, I shudder to think what they look like now...

Dear Media: Please stop making us look like wackos

*sigh*

Who wrote this?

"Officials say the horses were removed from unsanitary conditions, where the horses had little water, insufficient food and were living in dirty stalls. But it was the cold that bothered Debbie Hay, who owns another carriage company.

"We've had a brutal winter. They shouldn't be on the outside. They're animals that live--this is just not good for them," said Hay.

"The horses weren't working in a barn. It's actually quite warm in there," said an owner of one of the horses. But officials say there was no heat in the makeshift barn.

According to trainers, horses can be in the cold, but not for days at a time. For weeks, the horses have lived in the tent during the frigid temperatures. "

OK, I have very little doubt that if there is a history of complaints, there is a REASON for them. Most likely this company is guilty of the other things they are accused of. But when you post something as utterly moronic as the idea that horses need HEAT in the WINTERTIME, it invalidates your entire argument because - say it with me - you sound like a WACK JOB.

Horses are designed to live in the cold. That is why they grow long coats and look like yaks in the wintertime. If we do things to prevent that coat from growing, or we cut it off, we are then charged with the responsibility of providing a fake coat - i.e. a quality blanket, waterproof if they will be living out or partially out.

A horse who is truly cold shivers just like a human who is truly cold. Horses get cold mostly from being wet and cold - i.e. being out in freezing rain conditions with no waterproof blanket or shelter to get under. If it's otherwise dry and not too windy and they have warmed water to drink, the typical horse (not senior, not special needs) is completely unaffected by zero degree temperatures. They do fine. They are not Chihuahuas.

I grew up in the Midwest - I've seen cold. Mere cold does not harm an otherwise healthy horse until you get to the point that you see in some parts of the Dakotas, Montana, etc where things happen like the ear tips freeze off from frostbite. That can happen - but at temperatures much colder than you will ever see in downtown Chicago. Most horses, kept dry and given a windbreak and heated water to drink, will easily tolerate subzero temps...far better than the humans who have to struggle out, bundled up from head to toe, and feed them!

Where's there's smoke, there's usually some fire but this article is just silly and it makes animal welfare advocates look like lunatics to any knowledgeable horseperson. As my reader observed, "just a week ago a Northern Chicago surburb refused felony charges against a woman that STARVED HER HORSE TO DEATH!" Good point. While I have little doubt that the carriage company cited here has some horse management issues, these horses are not starving or dying and while a tent (I assume it was one of those carport deals) may look pretty ghetto next to a barn, it does provide perfectly acceptable shelter. The horses in the news articles are good weight and appear young enough to "winter out" without consequences.

C'mon reporters...a little google search would have told you that the cold wasn't the problem here. Let's put a little effort into accuracy, shall we? As an animal welfare advocate, I'm tired of reading news stories that go, OMG the horse was COLD, or OMG the horse was DIRTY. It's freakin' February. ALL OF MY HORSES ARE DIRTY. I guarantee you, they all have mud on their hoofies - they like to go outside and coat themselves in it. I clean them up periodically and 5 minutes and one much-enjoyed roll in the filth, dirty again. There's plenty of actual abuse to report - get on it, would you? Why don't you go investigate how the prosecuted doesn't want to press charges against that asshat Cleve Wells? There's a story of some actual abuse for you - if you have enough spine to tackle it!

Champagne Til Dawn (1997 - 2009)

For those of you looking for a Champ update, I am sad to tell you that he was put to sleep today. We played with the shoeing/meds/supplements for a month, trying to make him more comfortable, but ultimately there was just too much damage. An adjustment would render him temporarily sounder and then something else would become sore and he'd be back to seriously lame.

When you rescue from the auction, you never know what you will get, but this guy had an adopter ready and willing to help him, who would have taken him as a companion-only horse if he could have become sound enough. We all agreed (adopter, vet, and farrier) to give him a chance to see if he could improve. That did not happen.

However, I still feel this was a success story. Champ would never have stayed on his feet in a double-decker. He had a lot of trouble navigating on any slippery surface, and was happiest in soft tanbark or on the grass. I have no doubt in my mind that he would have gone down and been trampled long before he made it across the border. I am not sure what happens if they unload the truck and there is a horse who is down but alive and cannot get up. I don't want to know. I'm glad Champ won't ever know.

He spent his last month at a million-dollar facility enjoying the very best of everything, from timothy hay to deep shavings that he woke up covered with every morning to homemade cookies with applesauce and brown sugar. We had beautiful weather here this week, so he got to hang out eating grass and occasionally nickering at the "girls" over the fence.

I have never found out who sent this horse to his death for $40 (I think $40 is actually the auction fee so I guess they didn't make a dime). I'm glad so many helped change his course and gave him a glorious, if brief, retirement. He was an unbelievably friendly, sweet, snuggly horse and I wish you could have all seen his personality change as he quickly realized he was safe and loved, and that the feed and the cookies were going to just keep on coming.
This is his last picture, taken on Wednesday. R.I.P. Champ - your name suited you.




Huge thanks to:

His adopter and other donors (name yourselves if you wish or I will assume you prefer privacy)

Dr. Sara Perkins, the wonderful vet who cared for him

Sandy Craig, the terrific farrier who did her best to make him comfortable

Yellow Horses, Inc. for providing a beautiful facility for him to enjoy, and their barn manager Todd, who took care of Champ as if he had Secretariat in the barn.

Another Auction Report!

Auction report from the Cowtown Registered Horse Sale in California last weekend. This is good to check out for (a) anybody who may be looking for any of these registered horses and (b) anybody who needs to see how dirt cheap even nice, registered stock are selling for. The high sellers were AQHA geldings - and I'm guessing they were good broke ones, the kind who used to auction for $5000.

Again, if you are going to breed anything this year, I hope you know for sure there is a demand for it that will drive the price far past these auction prices we're seeing. If you aren't sure, don't do it! The economy is not getting better...seriously, it's not. If you just want a weanling, there are going to be tons out there that you can buy far under their "normal" value.

Prices marked with an asterisk (*) are horses who no-saled.

#	Sex	Name/Description	Registry	Price	DOB / Age
1	M	WR The Real McCoy	APHA	300	2005
2	S	Who Coudaskforemore	APHA	850	2006
3	G	Native War Doc	APHA	425	2000
4	M	Juniper Bell Bell	APHA	500	2007
5	G	Millites Boy	AQHA	625	2003
6	G	Parsons Peppy Jack	AQHA	575*	2006
7	M	Queen O Spade	AQHA	625	2003
8	G	A Classic Moose	AQHA	475*	2005
9	M	Racotas Smart Daisy	AQHA	850*	1999
10	M	Bella Elmore	AQHA	900*	2003
11	S	Just A City Guy	TB	125	2005 - NER
12	M	WR Perpetual Style	APHA	350	2004
13	G	LGJ Bonanza Bar Isle	AQHA	275	2006
14	S	Nu Pepto Time	AQHA	360	2008
15	M	Nu Pepto Lena	AQHA	400	2008
16	G	Chief Sierra Runner	APHA	375*	2002
17	M	WR Passionate Kisses	APHA	775	2007
18	M	Kit River	AQHA	525	2006
19	M	Flyin Finale	TB	600	2002
20	G	Mr Chex Par Te Mix	AQHA	1650	2003
21		No Show
22	M	Dancing Drum	TB	150	1995 - NER
23	Jack	Bar JF Tennessee Red	AD&MS	175	2004
24	Jen	Bar JF Blue Diamond	AD&MS	380	2004
25	G	WR the Real Deal	APHA	150	2008
26	M	Zip of Spice	APHA	800*	2003
27	G	Cats Pine N Bailey	AQHA	550*	2004
28	G	Wanna Be a Gambler	AQHA	625	2005
29	M	Shiny Majorette	AQHA	?	2004
30	M	Docolate Bar Chex	AQHA	750	2004
31	M	Amy Tucker Chexs	AQHA	850	2004
32	M	Tic Tac May	AQHA	550	2002
33	M	Sheza Lil Memory	AQHA	300	2006
34	M	Sparkless Josie	AQHA	425	1993
35	M	Blue Try Royal	AQHA	490	2007
36	G	Sweet Beau Jet	AQHA	600	1999
37	M	Docs Pearl Dust	AQHA	500	2006
38	G	Dannys Dot Com	APHA	925	2004
39	G	Badgers Smart Gold	AQHA	1000	2002
40	G	Midnight Tango	AWS	500	2004
41	G	Pepsans Moon Light	AQHA	1000*	2003
42	S	THF Hit By The War Bug	APHA	375	2008
43	G	Ices Mini Me	AQHA	875*	2003
44	S	Not Named	APHA	220	2008
45	M	Miss Tardee Starlett	APHA	360	2004
46		No Show
47	S	Hesa Tee J Sugar	AQHA	275	2003
48	M	Red roan	QH	500*
49	S	Paint		400*	9
50	M	Paint mare		275	16 – NER
51	M	Tb Mare		175	9 – NER
80	G	Ridden through		825*	10
52	M	Red Roan		550*
53	G	QH gelding chestnut		425	12
54	G			225*	12
84	M	Grey mare		350	5
55	M	Paint mare		175	17 – NER
79	M	Chesnut grade mare		175	4
56	G	Grade Paint		150	9 – NER
57	?	?		175	8
58	M	Registered Morgan		400	8
59	?	Gentle baby, lifts feet		220*	1
84	M	Dapple Grey		600	6
85		Mini Paint		425
61?		Ride / Driving Mini		175	3
89	M	Bay mare		275*	5
82		Bay TB		160	10 approx
85	M	White mini pasture exposed		525	6 y/o
91		Mule – Red Roan ridden		200	6
88		Quarter Pony White		300	10
96		Baby bay		75	2008 – NER
95	S	Mini Stud		225	2
98	G	TB – chestnut		160	5
116				150	4
110		Paint –started on riding		160	4 – NER
83		Bay		?*
99	M	Ridden through		425*	4
100	S	Paint		75
101	M	Ridden through		225	10
	M	Ridden through		175
109		Ridden through, Paint		275	4
114	M	Ridden, Chestnut		375*
115	M	Ridden, Chestnut		325*	6
112		Buckskin		175	NER
103		Ridden, dark bay		125
		Buckskin		?
		Mule – Brown		150
		Mule – Brown		150
		Mule – Black		150
		Black Donkey		30	NER
90	S	Dark Appy		50
78		Dark Bay – Haltered		70
95	S	Sorrel Colt – Haltered		80
104	Jen	Donkey		160	4
108	S	Mini Stud		50

TGIF, so we have a Friday Featured Rescue! This is Family Book, an eight year old Thoroughbred gelding at Mountain View Rescue in Kentucky. He is suitable for light riding and sounds like he has a wonderful personality!

Mountain View is doing a number of things right from what I can see (and hear)...note the public display of how they did on an equine rescue evaluation and the huge selection of dated pictures showing improvement in their horses. Very nice!

I also want to update on last Friday's FFR...his rescuer rode him this week and says he's really, really broke...leg yields, lots of advanced training. He just starts off a bit tense for the first five minutes so he needs someone soft and sensitive to ride him.