Auction Report – Arkansas
Aug 22 2007
Yet another auction report from a reader…more reasons not to breed if you can’t afford and have the know-how to breed a TOP quality horse who is likely to stay safe from this kind of outcome.
I do disagree that anyone “has no choice” but to let horses go to the killers. The right choice is euthanasia if you can’t find them homes and can’t give them away and can’t afford to feed them. Selling them at an auction or hauling them to a slaughter plant yourself is about MONEY. It means you are a greedy fuckwit. I have no sympathy for someone who breeds a HUNDRED horses and then can’t feed them. STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT you insufferable evil morons!
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My husband and I went to the monthly horse sale last Saturday (40 miles from us). We were there until the sale was over at 3 a.m., got home at 4. The place was PACKED with people and horses. I watched as one horse after another went through. Good, sound, PAPERED, broke and some even harness broke, horses were going for between $100 and $350. Mostly to the killer buyers who were there. If they had not been there, the prices would have been even worse…*if* the horses sold at all! One dun gelding was really appealing to me – he looked like a Morgan. Beautiful crested neck on him with a huge laid back shoulder. Lots of bone, smoothly muscled, very pretty. Quarter Horse papers. Kid broke, 6 years old, and broke to drive. The killers got him for $350. The place was pretty quiet most of the time. A lady we know had three mares and a gelding there. She mainly takes in rescues. For a year now she has been OVERWHELMED with people asking her to take horses they can’t feed, etc. anymore. She told me that for the first time, she’s turning away horses that she just can’t take. The gelding she brought was an honest 17 hands! She’d fed him for months to get weight back on him and dealt with some training issues. She crawled all over that horse in the sales ring, even sliding off his rump. He was great. He was 9 years old. The killers bought him for $250. Her mares went the same route. She had no choice. She’s overrun with horses at home and winter is coming and hay is still hard to find – if you can afford it. Her husband, who is not a horse person, has put his foot down. The horses have been for sale for months and did not sell. She had no choice but to let them go at the horse sale. She is not a breeder. One elderly man had two pairs of nice mules. They were as pretty as a picture – he had them groomed and fitted out just beautiful. He didn’t want the teams separated. He guaranteed that they pulled *right* and that they were completely mannered and trained. He had used them to pull wagons full of people. This man is well known for his driving animals. The second team had a palomino mule in it that also was broke to ride so they were riding him in the sales ring. He PO’d both teams. He said he couldn’t take less than $500 per mule ($1,000 per team), and they were only going to $300 each in the bidding. Another mule went through – a tall saddle mule that was also fitted out really nice. I’d watched him being ridden outside for hours, all around the parking area. He was really well broke and attractive. I would have loved to have had him. He, too, went to the killers for $250. One Paint QH gelding with papers went through. Kid broke, 8 years old, 16.2 hands, very pretty. A man in front of me got the last bid on him at $350. The owner said he had to have $600 (I thought THAT was awful low!). They asked the buyer if he’d pay that. No. They asked if he’d pay $500 if the owner would do that. No. They asked if he would pay $400 if the owner would to it. Yes. He got that nice horse for $400. At least that one didn’t go to the killers. One man had several really well bred QH’s go through of varying ages. All of them went low, and all went to the killers. A reg. Paint mare came in with a fairly new Paint filly at side. No more than a couple of weeks old. Both had their papers and both were Medicine Hats. The mare was only 3 years old. The killers got the pair for $350, then turned around and had the filly resold. She brought $100, I think. She was WAY too young to be taken off her mom. Every single mare and foal that came in went this same route – killers bought the pair, then resold the foal. Some friends of our’s bought one of the foals. They have TB race horses so I hope they will be able to raise this rescued foal ok. One reg. QH mare went through that brought just over $1,000. She had been shown like crazy and had a bunch of show wins in addition to being well broke, etc. She brought the highest bid of the night. Only one other horse came close to $1,000 – all the rest were down in the low $100′s, some even lower than that. I had to fight the impulse to bid on more than one horse and mule that went through – so many NICE ones going for so cheap! There is a Quarter Horse breeder here in our area who is one of the largest in the state – puts literally hundreds of foals on the ground every year. They are well known and have had production sales for years and years with their horses bringing really good prices. We have friends who have bought their horses there. Usually they sell about 400 at each sale, each year. They *do* work with their’s, too. These are not wild. And they have the *colors* a lot of people like, but they mostly specialize in certain bloodlines. Everyone around knows this farm and their sales. Last winter, the elderly father was telling us how their sale went last fall – only half of the horses sold, and the prices were not good. They now had 200 head of horses that did not sell that usually would have, and they were coming into a winter where hay was non-existant and they didn’t have enough hay for the ones they had expected to sell. They personally had to load up and haul 100 of their own horses to the Texas slaughter plants (before they were closed). They had to. There wasn’t anything for them to EAT for the winter. This man wasn’t happy about it at all, but he feels they did what they had to do for the rest of the horses to be fed right. They still kept the other 100 and managed to feed them. I don’t know if they did any breeding this year, but I reckon they had foals this year due to their not knowing in the spring of 2006 that things were going to turn out so bad by the end of that year.
132 comments to “Auction Report – Arkansas”
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This just curdles my soul…my heart is breaking for the people faced with ‘foot-down’ husbands and ‘it’s them or me’ situations…I quit breeding my horses 4 yrs ago and still have my very last “foal” who is almost at 1200 lbs and 16 hands…he is a delight to be around, a forth-coming joy to ride and every last one of my horses will spend the rest of their days here if I can help it…
What burns my ass is when people spot my gorgeous mares at shows and want to know if I am planning to breed them…HELL NO! My girls are run way models and that is good enough for them; they have earned me tons of APHA points and even saddles, year end awards and having a foal doesnt make them any better at being a show horse!
Your reader has touched on the most sensitive issue of all … NON-FUGLY nice broke horses are selling to meat buyers because there are so many horses without homes. Sad, sad.
Hey rescues…you see that? GOOD horses going to the KBs for $350! Go get them before the KBs do! Stop funding their business and do something to PREVENT them from making money instead of lining their pockets! Better yet, snag those horses before they go to auction if you can. But don’t buy from someone threatening to take a horse to auction unless the horse is free or less than auction price!
God how sad. Makes me sick.
That just made me so angry….the resuce lady “had” to take her rescues to auction. That selfish, greedy bitch. She “could” have found freebie homes with 4-H kids, she “could” have given them away as a companion animal to someone else with horses…but she “HAD” to make a fucking buck. I hope she gets out of “rescues” all together … all she’s doing is extending their lives a short period of time before she signs their death warrent. If you can’t afford to properly rescue a horse and take care of it, then get a fucking ant farm instead!
Just think, it is still summer, we haven’t reached fall or winter yet.. Yikes, it is going to get uglier and uglier
doni- if only it were that easy to find giveaway homes. I’ve seen people trying to give away beautiful, sound, capable horses for months with no takers.
And if she was short on cash- though a bullet is cheap, if you barely have enough to feed the horses you’ve got, the cost of euthanasia and removal of the carcass, etc, can get pretty steep, especially on multiple horses.
A lot of well intentioned people get in way too deep, and this is what happens. It’s collector/hoarder syndrome, really.
But at the same time, “giving away” horses these days isn’t easy. There’s nowhere for them to go, even if they’re nice.
The issue of to slaughter or not has been covered extensively on Ridecamp, a free (and highly informative) email forum for distance riders on http://www.endurance.net . You can check out a lot of it in their archives. Frankly, with the amount of rabid overbreeding occuring in this country, the slaughter houses should never have been closed. What happens to all of the horses still going to killer-buyers in this country? They’re still being killed, but now they’re being stuffed into trailers and sent to either Mexico or Canada. You can believe that Mexico is not going to be as humane to our former pets as we might have been, had we done the right thing.
I hate auctions. Though I do understand there are some that the KB’s dont attend and everyone seems to get a good horse out of it. They are few and far between. Its why the breed registries need to wake up and start breeding quality and not quantity. The supply has out paced the demand. Time to down size considerably! All three of my mares will die virgins! As I tell my kids, I dont do pregnant dogs, cats or horses!
FHOTD said, “I have no sympathy for someone who breeds a HUNDRED horses and then can’t feed them. STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT you insufferable evil morons!”
Absolutely! I agree 100%! Even if they can feed them, how can someone who breed 100 horses be breeding any sort of quality? It’s all about making money at their “annual production sale”.
You CAN surrender horses to animal control in most states. You may get a bill for their care or euthanasia down the line, but if you are broke, so what? Go bankrupt. I’d rather see that than a horse go to slaughter, even though I will pay for it down the line with my taxes.
For anybody whose husband has “put their foot down,” I have a suggestion: Get a damn job so you have your OWN money and do not have some Neanderthal telling you to send your horses to a horrible death. Women, it’s 2007! Financial independence is your friend!
your comments about the mares and foals really got me. that is how I ended up with my colt. They were trying to sell him apart from hid Mom and he was only 2 1/2 months old. well my friend wanted the mare so isaid i would throw in for the colt and keep them together till he was old enoug to wean and then sell him. Ok 2 yrs later and he is still with me LOL But he is a handsome quiet young guy so he stays !!!!
I’m honestly beginning to believe that the only way we’ll ever solve the horse overpopulation problem is by drastically restricting who gets to breed horses. Expecting people to voluntarily do the right thing isn’t working. Slaughter is still legal in this country and there are still abused and neglected horses, so to say that allowing slaughter is the solution is simplistic.
Heck, near my hometown a woman was arrested for starving her FIVE horses. One of them was so weak that it couldn’t stand up. It was euthanized where it was laying. I think what it basically comes down to is being lazy. This woman, if she’d wanted to, could’ve sold her horses to the killers once she decided she couldn’t afford to feed them. But she didn’t even do that… she just sat back and let them starve. Sheer irresponsibility.
There’s a quote from a renowned veterinarian, Dr. Michael W. Fox, that always comes to mind in these situations: “Eventually, the only solution to unwanted animals is to have strict laws and regulations regarding their breeding. Rigid enforcement may smack of fascism, but it may well be the only option in a society where so many people are uninvolved, uninformed, and irresponsible.”
FHOTD said, “For anybody whose husband has “put their foot down,” I have a suggestion: Get a damn job so you have your OWN money and do not have some Neanderthal telling you to send your horses to a horrible death. Women, it’s 2007! Financial independence is your friend!”
Isn’t that the truth?!! I pay for my horses, their facilities, feed, vet, farrier, tack, everything, with my money, not hubby’s paycheck. Besides, if I had a husband that “puts his foot down”, regarding my horses, he can find himself another wife.
btw this made me cry. at least here (UK) you can call the dog food man and he picks up the horse (or the carcass) and takes it at most an hour or so away.
i have to say this – when the peeps shut down the slaughter horses WHERE DID YOU THINK THE SPARE HORSES WOULD GO? YOU STUPID FUCKS.
what makes me want to scream is that my boy would prolly have ended up there if he was in the states. you know these horses are horses, and most of them will be loving and sweet given a chance.
it breaks my heart.
and as for the woman whose husband put his foot down – get a better husband or get a job.
i cannot imagine lying in bed night after night with someone who made me send my horses to the kill yard. hell, if he were that cruel a bit of rat poison in his dinner, and the land is mine anyhow…
FOFOTB – crossposting!
I agree with FHOD, of course I have a job… or three. But if a man ever told me to choose between him or the horse I would have to say “I’m sorry to see you go.”
LAURA, my husband probably loves our horses more than I do, in a “pet” sort of way. He has difficulties when we sell one. LOL. So, I’m lucky I don’t have a “put his foot down” husband. But if I did…it would be fryin’ pan city.
I agree gemtwyst, allowing slaughter is not the only solution and saying that it is really is simplistic. It is only part of the solution. I do however feel that it is a larger solution option. There are only so many places that will accept a horse carcass for their carnivorous animals, only so many places that you can actually bury a dead horse, only so many places that you can leave a horse carcass to benefit local wildlife. If we could get people to stop over breeding, it would have been done. Unfortunately, FHOTD’s blog shows quite glaringly that there are pure, unadulterated idiots out there that only care for themselves and whatever money they might be able to make.
between the blind mare and the auction report, I’m in tears today. I’d support regulations on breeding even if they DO smack of fascism. I’m confident that I could fulfill the requirements for continuing to breed and that my stock would pass inspections. Those who would not support it probably feel they would no longer be allowed to breed because they have to KNOW, deep inside, that they are not doing the right thing.
I’ve got to stop reading this blog. I’m already a bit of a misanthrope, and reading stuff like this just throws fuel on the fire.
FHOTH’s comment about giving your horse up to animal control bears repeating. My sister is the director of animal control for the county in which she lives. I promise you that if you call them to say you have a horse you can’t feed, they will come and get the animal and be glad to do it.
Anybody that takes an animal to an auction and lets it go to the killers needs to be shot. There are *always* alternatives. Saying you have no choice is pure BS.
And while we’re talking about shooting people, add that idiot who is breeding 100 horses a year to the list.
This is so depressing.
laura–you expect people to think?!?! lol… you give them too much credit. This report was sad and all to common. I swear to cut the testicles off of every male animal I can get a scalpel on when I graduate with my DVM, and spay everything I can too–it’ll be my best shot to make the world a better place
In some European countries if your horse fails at the inspection, it gets put in the knacker pen.
Breeders in the U.S. will NEVER fall in line, when it comes to inspections. Americans see breeding horses as a right and not a privilege.
The war of attrition has begun and its name is HAY>
i wonder if the big breeder being talked about is the Hurley Ranch in North West Arkanas. i spent a few years living in Arkanas and i will never go back! i know the Hurley Ranch produces A LOT of top quality ranch quarter horses. they are the very description of what a quarter horse is supposed to be. short, powerful, quick, solid feet, and great legs. lots of colored stock too. its really to bad if its the same ranch because they are one of the last producers of top quality roping and ranching horses in the country. but the good news is you can probubly buy a stellar quality gullo three year roping bred quarter horse for a couple hundred bucks!
The moral of this comment thread seems to be : if you are a husband of a horse owning wife under no circumstances get in between her and horses. and if you do, employ a food tester.
lol!
RIDESOBRIGHT said, “I’d support regulations on breeding even if they DO smack of fascism. I’m confident that I could fulfill the requirements for continuing to breed and that my stock would pass inspections. Those who would not support it probably feel they would no longer be allowed to breed because they have to KNOW, deep inside, that they are not doing the right thing.”
I doubt I would support the fascist method, but I would support some sort of “vigilante” responsible horse breeders group who could take care of things (like with plane tickets and 2 x 4s). The masses of responsible horse owners would also do their part, I’m sure. Any time you get more gov’t interference, there will be even more problems and inevitable corruption.
cuillin – I’ve always thought the world would be a better place if I owned a vigilante animal hospital on wheels….both to provide emergency veterinary care but MORE to administer drive-by spays and neuters (or gelds, as the case may be…..)
There is a local sale here where I come from and thank God most people there have some kind of heart. One time a mare came in with a 3 month old foal and the auctioneer asked the other guy if they were being sold separate. The entire crowed yelled NO!! I swear this is true! They WILL NOT separate mares and young foals at this sale anymore. KB’s don’t bid on them b/c they have to take the foal too. They can’t just turn around and re-sell the foal either. If more auction crowds would stick up for the foals maybe this would happen less. Now when people bring in mares and foals the mares have numbers, but the foals don’t. The foals go WITH the mare. Like it or not.
forthefutureofthebreed said “Isn’t that the truth?!! I pay for my horses, their facilities, feed, vet, farrier, tack, everything, with my money, not hubby’s paycheck. Besides, if I had a husband that “puts his foot down”, regarding my horses, he can find himself another wife.”
LOL and ditto here. Not to mention, as I’m paying vet, farrier, hay, etc., if I “happen” to buy that new pair of boots I’ve been coveting for years, nobody’s gots to know about it……
Horrified – sure, finding free homes isn’t easy, but hell, nothing to do with horses is, unless you count running up bills. It takes footwork and time to find a good freebie home, but it can be done. You have to care more about the end result and not about making a buck. You have to be intelligent (or at least mentally balanced enough) to know when you can’t take care of any more horses. Anyone who takes in rescues just to ship them off to slaughter is as bad as a killer buyer.
Hell, maybe it’s just the area I’m in (Sierra foothills in Cal) but free horses that are sound and not terribly old find homes. The local 4-Hs take them, if they’re trained the local handicap programs take them. You just have to get off your ass, admit that you need help, and actually GO OUT and try to find homes. And most importantly, STOP TAKING IN MORE HORSES.
These auction reports break my heart, and really bring home the message FHOD is trying to get out there.
a fan in the UK
Hey can you tell me something. I’m looking at buying this foal and i was wondering if you can tell me weather she will be good horse in the long run. She is a really sweet horse in person, but i don’t know if she will grow out of her faults or not when she is older. Do babies grow out of some, and if so which do they grow out of and which do they mostly not grow out of. Thanks her picture is here http://www.grovestreet.com/servlet/View?pid=1242934&cd=195
It’s all about thinking. C’mon, who does not know that a horse is an expensive pet? Stop taking them in and/or breeding them if you have any doubt in your mind whether or not you’ll be able to care for them properly.
I think the real solution is education and starting young…like addressing spay/neuter for small animals and not breeding large ones willy-nilly with kids at the GRADE school level. A lot of kids are raised in homes where someone is letting 1/4 shar pei, 1/4 rott, 1/4 pit bull, 1/4 lab puppies happen. They aren’t going to learn what’s right and what’s wrong from their families. We need to step in early and educate. 4-H is great but I’m not sure 4-H consistently teaches about what is or is not responsible breeding. I’ve seen 4-H RUN by irresponsible breeders. We need a better solution.
I have a solution, but no one will like it. Horse tax. you add on £100 dollars tax each time a horse gets sold. suddenly the marginal breeders who breed to make 50 bucks off the kill buyers go out of business. the government uses the money on an education programme, and voila, less fugly.
it also will disproportionally affect crap breeders, as the 100 dollars on a 7000 dollar horse hurts less than 100 dollars on a 100 dollar horse.
Here’s an idea. If anyone is within a day or two of that Arkansas sale and either is in need of a good horse or looking for one for someone why not hitch up your trailer and head down to the next sale. It sounds like the big problem is that the area is short of hay and the with winter coming on things are sure to get worse.
It doesn’t sound like it would be to hard to outbid the kill buyers. I know if I had a trailer and space and hay I would go down and buy a couple.
The slaughter market is profit driven. Profit’s major factor in slaughter is Price. Price is determined by supply and demand.
Even my cats understand supply and demand…(why do you think there are “pecking orders?”)
SO WHY CAN’T THESE MORONS PUT THE EQUATION TOGETHER?
I hate slaughter, slaughter is UGLY. But if you look deeper, slaughter isn’t the problem here. Overbreeding is the problem. Stop overbreeding, prices go up, slaughter becomes fiscally unattractive.
FHOTD…keep yelling. People are listening.
There should be a “national gelding holiday” to promote and celebrate the castration of males who should not be reproducing. Throw in my ex husband, and the “them or me” guy, if you wish.
BTW–this is proof to my sister that I am NOT “horsepoor. ;o) Well, I mean, I am “horse” poor but I’m not posting as … well, you get it.
cnsdubie – One thing I support is subsidizing gelding just as we subsidize spay/neuter for low income folks. If you make less than $40K, I believe you should be able to get your colt gelded for free. Look at the “oops” breedings that could prevent!
Could someone give a really detailed explanation of the hay issue? It seems to be more of a problem in the Midwest and other farming areas. (I am in New England, and hay’s just expensive here no matter what, but I don’t think it’s gone up a lot since last year.)
I agree that if people would scale way back on the breeding, we’d all be a lot better off. I suspect that part of the reason we have such a preponderance of Fugly here is that there are many areas of the country where population density is low, land’s cheap, and it’s easy to just let the horses breed willy-nilly; they aren’t competing with the human population for space as they would be in Europe, say. I would love to see a European-style licensing system here, but I doubt it will happen.
I was at an auction with the same situation. Someone bought the mare but did not want the foal. The guy came out and said he’d shot it that night, he just wanted the mare. Needless to say I bought him and vet bills later when he was a yearling and had great ground manners I sold him to a 4Her very inexpensively. She had great references and they are still best friends. Sadly most stories do not end like this. What pisses me off the most are the people who won’t come down on their price at home but sell the same horse at auctions for peanuts. Idiots! Take the money when you have a responsible buyer! I’ve taken in some fuglies and the first thing I do is GELD them and my mares will not be bred. So I can’t save them all but stop some of the population from growing. I wish I was in an area where those good bred colts were being given away.
And as far as the man putting his foot down thing goes. I was tell them “They were here first and are more honest than any man will ever be.” Luckily I found a guy that is growing to really like horses and helps watch finances so we don’t get in a bind. Pretty even keel.
Can anyone explain to me why sterilizing mares is not more common? Is there a feasible chemical sterilization method, or does it have to be surgical?
I am going to do what I can to stop the overbreeding problem. I recently purchased two bred mares with foals at foot for the price of meat. All foals sired by a Fjord. Foals are quite good looking (I think so anyway) but should NOT be bred. For many, many reasons. I will geld the colt so he cant breed and I would give anything if to be able to spay the filly. But $1500? Uh no. Maybe if more people requested spays for mare and fillies it would become more reasonably priced. I wish all rescues could spay all mares and fillies leaving the property. And any rescue that adopts out a colt not gelded isn’t a rescue. So, lets cross our fingers for two colts next year so I can geld them.
You know, as I’m liquidating my mother’s breeding stock (due to her having rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome), I have given two horses away free simply to ensure that they had good homes. It’s not hard. People will knock down your door if you advertise a free horse. All that’s left is background checks (I work in criminal justice, so I can do it for free) and contracts. Placed a hanoverian approved TB with a small breeder, and an oldenburg approved TB with another. Nice homes, all the horses well cared for, etc. Homes are easy to find if you’re willing to spend a bit of time and perhaps some $ checking them out. But I guess killing themis easier…
Could someone give a really detailed explanation of the hay issue? It seems to be more of a problem in the Midwest and other farming areas.
Two issues that I can see.
First is that certain areas in the Midwest (I’ve heard Tennessee has been hit very hard) have been experiencing a severe drought.
Second is that ethanol plants are popping up around here like spring mushrooms. Acres that have been in hay production for a number of years have been plowed under and are planted in corn.
The demand for ethanol has diminished the number of acres in hay, plus it’s added to the cost of feed. The 50# sack of grain I buy has gone up .80 since the beginning of the year.
Diane’s got the hay issue nailed around here. We had lots of pasture go under for corn and the local horse camp (160 head of horses) has been mowing every pasture they can find within a 30 minute tractor trip of the farm
I am sick of hearing that hay is hard to find… It ain’t hard to find. It’s just expensive. There is a difference. All last winter, I hear people moaning that they can’t find hay, that they will have to sell their horses, go to auction , etc. I had no problem finding hay. I piad dearly for it (around 200 a ton), but the horses still had free choice hay of acceptable quality. Hay is running 100 a ton here now. And the auction is still full each week. Mostly because of stupid people.
If you can’t feed them, don’t breed them. Taking 100 yearlings to slaughter is just like taking 100 steers. It’s about money, not about feeding the rest of the herd. A good cattleman doesn’t think that he’s selling those 100 head so he can keep feeding the others, he’s selling them to make money, adn will repeat the process again next year. I wonder how many foals the poor horse rancher is going to have in spring, after having to sell off 100 horses for peanuts. I’m betting probably the same amount he had this year!
And as far as the rescue lady. Not much of a rescue if the animal ends up dead anyway. I have ZERO sympathy for people getting in over their heads. I manage to feed my “herd”, I expect everyone else to do the same. If you can only feed one horse, only own one horse! Where is the difficulty in this? Just stupid people doing stupid things.
And here the rescues say they can handle all of the “unwanted” horses… Bullshit.
I feel sick…..
geologyrider said…
Can anyone explain to me why sterilizing mares is not more common? Is there a feasible chemical sterilization method, or does it have to be surgical?
It’s uncommon because it is major surgery and very costly. It also makes much more sense to neuter the masculine of any species ~BEG~ for population control because of the sheer numbers…a male can produce countless offspring per year(especially in species who usually produce only one offspring per pregnancy) where a female is limited by gestation periods, if nothing else.
Would be nice if somebody could invent an equine Norplant that lasted 10-15 years…..
gotta laugh at people using the shithouse excuse that hay is rare or expensive. you whining, cheap, overprivileged FUCKS.
the drought in certain portions of america has been going on one or two seasons. the drought in australia has been going on more than TEN YEARS. you are crying about paying under $7-8 for small, square bales. we are paying $30 – $40 (and NO, the exchange rate is NOT ‘times by 4′). our horses are dying of sand colic and stringhalt because they are eating dirt, there is nothing else.
switch over to sanity FM and tune into to ronny real. horses are EXPENSIVE. if you havent the disposable income, DONT BUY, DONT BREED. if your husband puts his foot down, DONT BUY, DONT BREED. if you are dependent on someone else for income or maintenance, DONT BUY, DONT BREED. if you are not prepared to put a merciful bullet in the head of your ‘friend’ for his own good, or god forbid feed him BEFORE yourself, DONT BUY, DONT BREED.
seriously, fucking MONKEYS could be trained in these basic concepts.
I am pro-slaughter, the slaughter ban has not produced a healthier, safer market for horses or the average horse owner. It is impossible to regulate breeding and ownership and people are NOT going to spend several thousands euthanizing and burying each horse. It is that same “sounds great in a political speech” without thinking of the effects of this legislation.
Yeah – some blame lies with the good intentioned, yet uneducated- people who are animal rights activists for this huge increase of the unwanted horses (especially the fugly ones). Yeah, we could retire them on 30 acres of some farm, and have an annual production sale . . .
Here is a link for hay market reports from the USDA:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsmnpubs/Hay.htm
The numbers have yet to be as bad as our hay supplier told us that they were.
>>I am sick of hearing that hay is hard to find… It ain’t hard to find. It’s just expensive. There is a difference< <
I agree. I’m paying $260 a ton for alfalfa-grass mix (admittedly, good stuff). Friends in Southern California are paying $19-20 a bale for quality timothy or alfalfa. That’s the reality of horse ownership in 2007.
And where I am from hay is around $60 a ton..I think. This years ROUND bales are $30 and last years is $15. A lot of hay is being shipped to the US by the truck load. Even with shipping its still a hell of a deal. Why not look in Canada for your hay? We have so much its sitting in fields rotting cause there are not enough buyers.
I wonder…..at what point will fuel prices increase so much as to make transporting horses to slaughter from anyplace but the border states impractical?
…….there has to be a way to start turning this situation around. Educating people about fugliness is a good start. What about sanctioned shows for geldings and “spayed” mares only? Is that a fesible route? Someone, somewhere can say “I’m only sponsoring shows for non-breeders and I’ll make it fabulous”. Just thinking out loud…..I hate this whole debate because it never gets past a debate……throw out some ideas people!!!
I recently spoke to a friend (a vet student) about the spaying issue and she says the surgery is too risky to be routine. I wish someone could come up with another option. In the meantime, gelding is our best option.
You know, it’s too bad there isn’t a low cost “spay and neuter” clinic for horses…
I am sick of hearing that hay is hard to find… It ain’t hard to find. It’s just expensive. There is a difference. All last winter, I hear people moaning that they can’t find hay, that they will have to sell their horses, go to auction , etc. I had no problem finding hay. I piad dearly for it (around 200 a ton), but the horses still had free choice hay of acceptable quality. Hay is running 100 a ton here now. And the auction is still full each week. Mostly because of stupid people.
I’m not having any problem here (IL) buying hay at what’s still a very reasonable price. And I have my own land that I will begin to hay next year, so not a problem for me.
But when it goes up, like everything does, I’ll pay it. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll go up a LOT and those dumbassmothers who keep breeding their 50 mares each year will finally get it and STOP PRODUCING HORSES!!!!!!!!!
You know there is a HUGE disconnect out there between RIDERS and BREEDERS. The average rider I know didn’t buy their horse from the breeder. They don’t plan to breed. I do know a few breeders of both the amazingly good and incredibly bad variety. Just give this a thought: riding horses are trained at 4ish and then have 10-15 years or MORE of useful life. So why breed every year? The math doesn’t ever add up. Yes, some people will ride 3-9 horses a day but again, don’t most of us ride 1 or two? I remeber reading that the majority of horse owners own *ONE* horse. And most likely (back to my previous point) they didn’t buy that horse from the breeder. The sale process for amataurs like myself is breeder-trainer-trainer-buyer1-ammy-?
Average of 3-5 owners for a NON-OTTB. Sigh.
This almost made me cry. I cant believe- well I can i guess, but sadly- all of these jackasses who do this to these horses. And to slaughter? The poor things. Perfectly good, broke, rideable horses. its insanity. I wish I could stop the slaughter houses. I find it a shame that some horsepeople feel that slaughter is a humane way to get rid of horses. Its sick.
Lets take a moment and not be such judgmental assholes about hay. I personally own one horse. 12 yr old saddlebred mare, well mannered, but basically a trail horse. No show record (no babies either). I’ve had her for 6 years, I’m 23 so that means that I’ve had her since before I was of ‘legal age’ and my parents bought her for me. My husband and I have just purchased a house (mortgage is cheaper than rent) and don’t have any kids. No stupid youth credit card debt, 1 low monthly car payment. 2 full time jobs.
AND STILL HAY IS VERY EXPENSIVE FOR US. The pets eat better than we do (dog cat horse) and have better health care. Tell me that I should sell my horse when fhotd just posted about an auction where much more qualified younger horses went to killers because there is no market. As sweet as she is she’d still go for the $100 dollar range because she’s older and has done nothing of note. And I’ve tried to find someone to free lease her for the cost of food. Nope, no ones interested. And when there’s not many feed suppliers and there’s only two sold out adds for hay in the local classifieds I think that qualifies as hard to find.
But wait, I’m just a whining asshole though, right? or was that overprivileged fuck?
Todays post made me sick to my stomache. I will be in a funk for the rest of the day.
They personally had to load up and haul 100 of their own horses to the Texas slaughter plants (before they were closed). They had to. There wasn’t anything for them to EAT for the winter.
Breeder has hundreds of horses and can’t find hay in ARK. Give me a freaking break, I live in Alaska, and hay is 450 a ton, it’s called planing and prioities folks.
I think the derogatory comments were directed at people who use the expense of hay to justify taking their horses to auction and selling them to killers. The expense of 5 is a real hardship for us, but I’d never consider taking them to auction. I’ll sell a couple of them eventually when I find the right person. I’m in no hurry. I can keep sacrificing to keep them safe and healthy.
“Doni1010 said…That just made me so angry….the resuce lady “had” to take her rescues to auction. She “could” have found freebie homes with 4-H kids, she “could” have given them away as a companion animal to someone else with horses…”
I agree, I’d rather give away a good horse to a good 4H kid (on a gift contract so they couldn’t turn around and still end up at a sale) than make a few hundred bucks at a killer sale…
Exactly. No one said hay is not expensive. Everybody says hay IS expensive. Hay is a major portion of my paycheck and I’m sure I’m not alone.
Like you said, planning and priorities. You can’t just go la-la-la all summer when they have pasture and then in October go, oh crap, they’re going to cost money now?
And if you are going to breed, you should assume they WON’T sell first when budgeting. Not optimistically believe they are going to fly out the door and you’ll be rolling in cash!
Winter is not a surprise. It comes every year. I am disgusted by the lack of planning that leads to horses suffering horribly.
geologyrider said…
Can anyone explain to me why sterilizing mares is not more common? Is there a feasible chemical sterilization method, or does it have to be surgical?
Actually, there was a veterinarian named Dr. Richard Fayrer-Hoskins at the University of Georgia that developed an injection called “Spay safe”. It was proven to chemically sterilize ANY female mammal. He had actually used it in Africa to help control the Elephant population at one location. The injection was given in the hip twice, I think a couple of weeks apart. Anyway, this was several years ago, and it doesn’t seem that any practicing vets ever tried this method. Makes me wonder if meant too much of a loss in $$$ ??? I would think it would encourage more people to spay their animals since there wouldn’t be any recoup time from surgery. Here is the link to the original article from 1998:
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/science/9808/28/t_t/dog.spay.shot/
I have a spayed mare and it cost around $800 several years ago to have the procedure done. It wasn’t extremely invasive like with dogs
okay the link got cut off
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/science/
9808/28/t_t/dog.spay.shot/
It is very sad to see what has come as a result of no hay and overbreeding.
The judgement on the rescuer, SHE couldn’t keep them. Do you not read? You can’t give away horses. People can’t afford them.
For those woman screaming about emancipation and neanterthal men. While your paycheque is paying for the board, vet, farrier, feed, etc. Who is paying the mortgage, doctor, buyin shoes and clothes and feeding the kids? Let your hubby find a new wife, and while your supporting yourself and kids with “some” help from him,say goodbye to your horses.
Oh and so you know I’m a woman. One who works hard, and yes my hubby put his foot down. I couldn’t have three horses. Without his paycheque I’d have none. So unless you make over 100k a year, or split the bills 50/50 and have enough money to support horses. Pay half the mortgage, feed the kids, clothe them and yourselfs, pay insurance groceries, bills etc. Don’t talk so big.
Sorry pet peeve about woman who are still doing the 60′s rant of “I am woman hear me roar”, and never acknowledge that most of what they have wouldn’t be had if not two incomes. And most extras take two incomes. One is often barely enough to live.
FHOTD – In my area if you surrender a horse to the SPCA they take it to the auction since they have free will to do what they want with the horse then
“yes my hubby put his foot down. I couldn’t have three horses”
So did you take the extras to the auction?
lol, no I never managed to get a third in. Though God knows I tried. I have my two and that is where it stands. We don’t have his and her accounts. (which is lucky for me, he makes a lot more).
WE pay our bills, and WE spend anything left over, although, it sometimes a case of he/she who spends it first wins.
Luvslizzy said: “For those woman screaming about emancipation and neanterthal men. While your paycheque is paying for the board, vet, farrier, feed, etc. Who is paying the mortgage, doctor, buyin shoes and clothes and feeding the kids? Let your hubby find a new wife, and while your supporting yourself and kids with “some” help from him,say goodbye to your horses.
Oh and so you know I’m a woman. One who works hard, and yes my hubby put his foot down. I couldn’t have three horses. Without his paycheque I’d have none. So unless you make over 100k a year, or split the bills 50/50 and have enough money to support horses. Pay half the mortgage, feed the kids, clothe them and yourselfs, pay insurance groceries, bills etc. Don’t talk so big.
Sorry pet peeve about woman who are still doing the 60′s rant of “I am woman hear me roar”, and never acknowledge that most of what they have wouldn’t be had if not two incomes.”
Oh boy, Luvslizzy, you may have just opened up a new can of worms. And I must say you do have a good point about annoying feminists who complain about everything. But you’re making a mistake in assuming that the women complaining here are dependent on their husbands or are dependent on any man at all. You shouldn’t think that the people who’ve devoted their lives to caring for horses and other animals are letting their husbands take care of all the domestic expenses–if they even have husbands. You’re right that one income is often barely enough to get by and that 2 incomes can still be stretched thin.
But to be fair, there are plenty of women out there who support themselves and their animals on ONE income and ONE income ALONE. I also know women who could probably SAVE money if they didn’t have a husband, because their husbands always want to buy car stuff or have a big TV or update the computer. So please don’t make it seem like it’s only women who have expensive habits, because it sure as hell isn’t that way.
No no no, you misunderstand. If anybody male or female, can afford to live and have their toys. My hat’s off to them. It’s the comments of “horse over hubby/family” or that the man has no say in how the money “her money” is spend that drives me crazy. I am very glad that very few men have that attitude. Oh yes I know they do. But I can honestly say I have NEVER heard a man say, “snowmobile over wife” or “bbq over the head if she says…” Nor have I heard a man call a woman a cro-magnum. Hubby wants a new sled. I put MY foot down. Seeing as he makes quite a bit more, does that mean he can ignore me?
We have several auctions here with KB’s present at every one. There was a load of 16 mini’s shipped in from out of state to run through. I figured they were stolen or something, since the cost of shipping 15 mares-one was known pregs, and 1 stallion, would far offset whatever they did manage to sell them all for.
One of the rescues put out the word online and I believe got everyone a new home, but there have been days where a decent yearling can be had for $60. At Xmas time the prices go up to $300-$500, but it is a rare horse that goes for more than $700 in that place.
One horse that made the news sold for $12! The auctioneer asked the girl who bid on her- “Honey are you sure you want this horse? LOOOOOOK at her.” The girl said yes as she was bawling her eyes out. She took the horse home to a rescue where the attempt was made to save the horse. She lost the battle in the end, but at least it wasn’t in the auction yard or on the truck.
It is easy to place a free horse- go on CL and people will beat down you door for a freebie. They even have a section for FREE stuff and no restrictions as to what you list.
Every jackass that can beg borrow or steal a trailer will show up banging on your door!
While we are speaking about gelding and restricting stallion numbers… Has anyone noticed the low prices some of these stallion owners are asking – Just to get a damn breeding? Shouldn’t that tell them something? The ones I speak of, are the stallions with fees UNDER $500 for a well bred, good looking stallion, with even a reasonable show record. Look on Dreamhorse- there is plenty of them there, in all breeds or certainly most. There is even a mini stallion listed for $75- introductory rate! Good bite and feet, but what about legs and overall conformation? Piss that out the door.
Look everyone…it’s a FREE Gypsy Vanner. 8 years old with navicular. I am guessing he’s sporting some special conformation, what do you all think?
Search DreamHorse ID #1076682
(Who did not see this coming?)
“Thousands of dollars for euthanasia”? Come on! Think about the least stressful solution. Transportation to and “stabling” at the slaughterhouses has got to be nightmarish for these animals.
Give the horse away (best) or send him on to a better place (I hope). Putting a horse down cost me $100; the back-hoe was another $125. Call a towing service if you need to transport–it cost $100 to have a flat bed take my mare from the vet clinic to my house. Now, I do own my own property, but still.
Ask a friend. Property/horse owners, let the vets in your area know if you’d be willing to donate a little ground; a few months and the pasture will be back to normal. I have two friends’ horses in my back pasture and will probably have more.
Veterinary teaching hospitals also take bodies for dissection. Heck, check at the local zoo. As long as the horse dies in a stress-free, dignified way. . . .
But to transport them live! No! I would shoot one between the eyes myself before I would see him packed on a trailer and treated like that.
While I’m on the rant, if you wonder whether to breed or not to breed, ask yourself if you can feed, break and train the horse for 3-4 years. That’s what it will take to make a horse–good or bad–marketable. If you can’t afford the training and don’t have the expertise to do it yourself, don’t do it.
to give away a horse for free you have to not give two shits what happens to it.
most readers of this blog are americans. you have guns, use them.
(applause for gemtwyst)
luvslizzy said: “It’s the comments of [....]the man has no say in how the money “her money” is spend that drives me crazy.”
Ahhhh – but what if that is true? Two incomes, split the bills, joint planning for retirement security. Other than that, completely separate financials. I don’t direct his spending, he doesn’t direct mine. We both work hard for what we have, and frankly, it would piss me off if I didn’t have control over my own financial future. I won’t acquire additional horses because *I’m* not prepared to support them, not because hubby said “no”…….
ohio – read for comprehension. youre taking offense when im on YOUR side. you said your animals eat better and have better health care than you do. you are doing the RIGHT thing and thats exactly the point i was making.
Luvslizzy – but the point is, you know you have a limit and you don’t go over it. It’s not rescuing to come home with 5 horses from the auction, knowing you can’t afford them. Of course people have other expenses, and that’s why they should not breed or buy more than they can afford to feed and care for.
And yes, a lot of women support themselves and multiple horses on one income. You do what you have to do – 2nd job, taking a job where housing is included, e-bay business, etc. It comes down to how important you think it is. You would do whatever it took to feed your children, right? I would do whatever it took to feed my horses. It would be a cold day in Hell when I took a horse to the auction. I don’t care what my personal situation was. If I got sick and was unable to work, I would knock myself out to find good homes and if all else failed, you’d better believe I’d euthanize before I sent them to a horrible death.
luvslizzy said: “No no no, you misunderstand. If anybody male or female, can afford to live and have their toys. My hat’s off to them.”
LOL, well it’s not surprising that I misunderstood, I tend to do that. Thank you for clarifying.
But one thing I do want to say is that it seems (and I emphasize SEEMS, so I don’t start a gender war) is that men tend to spend their money on inanimate objects, while it’s women who tend to go overboard on their pets. I have yet to hear of a man who wants to buy a third horse, but I’ve heard of plenty of men who want to buy a Plasma screen TV. So what I’m saying is that the “husband vs. Horse” ultimatum is probably so common because it’s hard for women to view their horses in terms of “affordable” vs. “too expensive.” Dire things can happen to horses if they’re sold off, while if the husband has to sell his classic car, there’s no worry that the car will have to ride 28 hours on a trailer without food and water and then be slaughtered.
What I’m saying is, it’s hard to compare living creatures to inanimate possessions, so of course there is more of an objection to someone having to sell their horse than there would be to someone having to sell their diamond necklace due to expenses.
I see this more and more, horses that need to be rescued from the rescue person. She should have stopped taking them in along time ago. I own ONE horse because that is what I can afford to feed well. Hay in my area is close to $300 a ton and it is not going to get better. I will NOT take in another horse unless my income dramatically increases.
We not only need to restrict who gets to breed, but also who takes in rescues. They should be non profits with a PLAN as to how they are going to pay for the expenses of taking in these horses, dogs, cats ect. Otherwise it just ends up becoming a case of hoarding.
yeah, i thought rescuers took horses FROM auctions, not TO them.
what a naive hippy i am. *rolls eyes*
As far as the Hubby vs. Horses debate I had 5 when he met me and he had 1. We had 20 of our own at one point and have seriously cut our numbers since then. I did buy one horse without consuting him. We both work and we both bring money to the table on payday, so that wasn’t the issue.
I tried to find a way to break the news about the TB mare showing up on Saturday- and yes whe will be one of ours! She was headed to the KB auction on Saturday- I bought her sight unseen and got extremely lucky. She is a nice mare with good conformation and good breeding and yes I have her JC papers. I may breed her in the future- IF- I find a GREAT stallion to improve what I consider to be her flaws, and When- WE are in the postion to keep the resulting foal-good or bad.
One issue I haven’t seen addressed here on FHOTD, is the old saying that the first foal is either the very best or the very worst you will get. Is that true for any of you out there in cyber horse land?
I bred my pony mare and stallion twice. Both fillies were nice, but #2 had #1 beat by a longshot. I no longer breed the mare, and the stallion has a job before he will have any more fish escaping him. At least on purpose.
>>I see this more and more, horses that need to be rescued from the rescue person.< <
I do too, and people seem to cut them more slack because “their big hearts got them into trouble.” Oh, bullshit. The horse doesn’t care if he’s starving or going to kill because you’re an asshole or a big hearted softy, the suffering is still the same. If you get in a little over your head – and many horse people and rescuers do – it’s your job to figure out how to get out without the horses suffering. You cut YOUR expenses. You cut things for YOU until you place a horse or two. You step up your marketing – for god’s sake, you can market them all over the net FOR FREE. You don’t send them back to the auction, just fattened up for the KB!
Here’s a midwest hay report: in Michigan, we have had maybe two handfulls of rainfall since June. Usually we get a LOT more rain than that. From what I have heard, many farmers were getting a pitiful second cutting and they weren’t sure there would be a third cutting. It would go a couple of weeks without raining.
I advertised hay for my hay guy and I was getting emails from TN, AL, KY, IN, and OH. I asked the people inquiring if they knew that the seller was in MI and would NOT deliver the hay. I thought they just couldn’t figure out how to limit their searches to their local areas. Yes, they knew! I had a couple of people who wanted to bring a semi up here to get hay. Being the smart alec I am, I asked how much they were going to resell the hay for. I honestly don’t care–the farmer just wanted the stuff sold and good for the buyers if they went through all that trouble to make a buck whatever.
The thing that I do not understand is how people just NOW are starting to look for hay, and they’re pissing and moaning about how expensive it is and how “mean” and “greedy” farmers are if the farmers have higher prices later i the season. Or, they only buy a little bit at a time and cry in the middle of the winter when they run out and there isn’t any hay in the area to buy, or it’s $5+ a bale.
I’m a heartless, mean wench, but I don’t feel a lick of sympathy for those people. Um, it’s not rocket science: buy the hay very early in the season (i.e. when it’s being cut) and that way you will know that: a) you will actually have hay available; b) it will be at a better price; and c), not to have sleepless nights not knowing how you will feed your animals. Don’t give me the b.s. that you don’t have a storage building for the hay at one time. Buy one of those Coverall-type storage sheds from a farm store. The knock-off brand, Cover-It, which still works well, is between $200-300 at TSC (if it’s not on sale). After a couple of seasons it will pay for itself, since you can store hay over the winter instead of paying a premium because you didn’t plan ahead. Always overbuy hay; you never know what could happen. I keep logs of how much hay I go through each week and I make notes about the temperature outside (they get a lot more extra hay to keep warm when it’s horribly chilly), and I make notes about the type of horses I’m feeding. The 14 hand TWH eats a fraction of what the 16 hand (black hole) TB eats. I use that information to make my hay buying decisions, and I always overbudget on hay.
Or, here’s another excuse: “I don’t have enough money to buy the hay at the time.” Sell your horses then, or buck up, and get a loan. What if your financial situation gets worse in the winter, and you don’t have hay and the price is astronomical?
At least in my area, if you buy early in the season, you can get some ridiculously good deals. The guys I buy from want their hay sold as soon as they cut it. They need the hay moved out pronto so they can have room in the barn for second and third cutting hay. I had all of my hay for the year in by the first week of July, and I paid $1.50-$2 a bale for nice first cutting grass hay, DELIVERED (granted, I am only a few miles from the fields), and in some cases, stacked. I pay cash, and I pay immediately. I ya can’t afford a cash outlay, it’s far better to pay a little interest on a loan and know your animals will be fed.
There was an article in one of the local magazines about the hay prices in NM. The had flooding over the summer and since alfalfa doesn’t like to soak it’s roots like Madge in the Pamolive commercials- it died off releasing toxins into the soil. After 2 years the hay fields arestarting to come back- albiet slowly- and they are trucking in their hay. They didn’t expect any relief any time soon- to read 2-3 years at least…
I did know a guy in Canada who said hay prices were around $1.50 per bale for a 3 strin 100-120 lb bale- grass or alfalfa, and it was really good hay. He lived just over the Montana border. Trucking a semi load would be around $700 then, and it would bring the price to around $5 a bale. If I had a way to unload it- other than by hand, and a place to store it, I would have done it in a heartbeat. Still would if I had the unloading equipment. It is $12 for alfala and $15 for grass for a bale here.
“This man wasn’t happy about it at all, but he feels they did what they had to do for the rest of the horses to be fed right.”
That icky stuff you’re having to wipe from your monitors?
My splattered brains.
For gawd’s sake. No one, nowhere, notime, nohow needs to be breeding ANYTHING of any species, until and unless they can be responsible for its good care the rest of its natural life.
That means follow-up, and willingness to take the animal back and care for it,and or properly rehome it, if the original buyer cannot or will not any longer provide a good home.
No choice but to take to slaughter. Pfft.
As for some of the comments on the hay situation–not sure now who said hay was NOT rare, but, uh, yeah. That strikes me as the comment of an overprivileged fuck.
You try to live in a drought state. (record drought, un-plannable-for, btw) Go beg feed stores and farmers to sell you anything, please god anything, even a couple bales at a time. Spend lots of $$$ in gas driving long distances to haul a grand total of three bales of hay you feel damned lucky to get.
Yeah.
Whatever it takes, it will get done. Because I chose to have them, and they depend on me to be responsible.
I do get that many, many dickwads will use the hay thing as YET another excuse for neglect and cruelty and ultimately, abandonment of the equines in their care. But watch it on the blase’ generalizations about those of us who are struggling with a very real crisis in horse care.
Feeding them before me, pshaw. Already happening, and it’s August. I am so scared of winter this year, a time I normally anticipate.
Anyone’s thoughts on complete feeds? (It’s a Plan B I am starting to investigate, if things end up as bad as they seem to be going, on hay availability.)
Oh, and horses are already in the paper here for 100 bucks and less, some registered and trained, some in foal.
Greywolf,
They did some field trials of that injection with the white-tailed deer and goats at a wildlife preserve where I worked. Unfortunately, from what I remember the success rate was very, very low.
Just to add, another thought for the folks who think getting hay is only a matter of money–in our area, there are normally three cuttings of hay harvested each year.
In a really bad year, we only get two. This year, it’s looking like one. Farmers are reporting about a 50% yield in that cutting.
Even the feed stores, who haul it in out of state, are not able to obtain any.
Those of us who budgeted for our animals’ care are suddenly faced with parameters we never counted on.
Will we do whatever it takes? Yup.
And it will continue to be heartbreaking to watch how many we aren’t able to save starve thru the winter by those less committed and by those determined to breed, no matter what.
>>I see this more and more, horses that need to be rescued from the rescue person>>
Here, Here, Reality check….
YOU CAN’T SAVE THEM ALL
Check a few rescue sites, you will see, old, broke down, unbroke, horses riddled with issues. Just what every bleeding heart needs in the back yard, recycled junk.
Seems to me after reading the auction report they would use their resources to out bid the KB’s and find homes for some of these “kid broke” horses that are sounds and sane.
I’m just saying…….
I must also clarify my rant: I’m really more aiming it to Michigan people; there is no excuse. If you have to travel, do so. Heck, one can go within an hour in MI to find hay. Buy early in the season. Who can predict the next cuttings after 1st? Sure, 2nd cutting is prime stuff, but having SOME hay is better than having NO hay. In June, there were tons of ads in our local paper for hay. Now, not so much. I do have a feeling that buyers/distributors from the south have been sending semis up here, so that is also affecting things. First come, first served. And, I recommend developing a relationship with a farmer. Find someone who grows good hay and the type you want. Pay him immediately and treat him well. Ask if you can buy from him as soon as he gets his cutting in the next year. I have done this with several local farmers, and one guy, especially. He is very pleased that not only does he know he has his hay sold, but also that he doesn’t have to pay $40-50 for an ad in the newspaper only to deal with a dozen nitwits or deadbeats.
I know that in more southern states, people are really getting hosed by the weather gods, and that is beyond their control. Kudos to those who are taking feeding their animals seriously. Kudos also to the people who realize they don’t have the means to do it and either sell or give their horse to a good home.
We’re having an interesting time with the hay situation here in GA. I’m used to paying $3.00 a bale for a 40 pound, grass hay bale. Right now, the feed stores are the only places I can find it and it’s $7.00 a bale if they have it in stock. None of the growers that I deal with have had even a first cutting this year.
But you know what, I still don’t buy the “I can’t find hay” excuse. There have been monumental strides in equine nutrition in the past 20 years. You don’t HAVE to feed hay! Yes, it’s ideal if you can, but it’s not life-or-death if you can’t. Every major feed producer makes some kind of complete feed. I anticipated that this would be a bad year and had a discussion with my vet this past spring on feeding alternatives. Neither of my horses have had hay for weeks and they’re not dropping weight. As a matter of fact, my ancient retiree has put weight on.
From ann’s post:
” advertised hay for my hay guy and I was getting emails from TN, AL, KY, IN, and OH.”
Yeah, and what gets me is, I, and a friend of mine who is in the same boat, did NOT wait til the last minute. But, since we each only have two horses, and were only purchasing hay in the hundreds, not thousands, of bales, we have no clout with local farmers.
Many of the local farmers (I’m Mid-Atlantic) are selling their hay to very rich folk in Florida.
Well, heck, I can do a good job with my horses, but I sure cannot compete with that.
I gotta tell ya, though. I think if you ask them if they’ll take their chances with me this winter, or be sold–cause we all know THAT guarantees a good forever home–they will stick by me.
Give away my horses? I’ve seen the people that come running when they hear free horse or free lease … they can’t afford farriers, vets or hay if they can’t afford a $1K horse. I’d rather put a bullet in my own horses’ head than GIVE him to someone I wouldn’t leave alone in my house. I don’t trust anyone to give him the care that I do. And as you can see in any big auction barn, there ARE worse fates than death.
Absolutely agree, xpbuttercup.
Reminds me of all the folks giving away bunnies, hamsters, mice, etc, for free and then are shocked they ended up as entree du jour for Mr. Boa Constrictor.
My neighbor, who has been going to spay his outdoor kitty for over a year now (third litter due any time now) is soooo excited that “horses are so cheap!” currently. He thinks he’ll get one. Or two. So he and his wife and three year old can go on a ride together. Agh. Gark.
How many horses own we, dear? How many horses are there?
Once there was one, and then two, dear, then you bought one more at the fair.
Now that makes three if I count right, and three seems plenty to me.
Don’t let there be more, are we now up to four? Whatever happened to three?
How many can you ride at once, dear? There isn’t a Roman alive who could stand on the backs of so many, so what do you mean there are five?
We only have stalls for a few, dear, gentle beasts with no bites and no kicks.
I counted just now and my eyes will allow that I think that I just counted six.
You promised that six was the limit, then found a mare you called “simply heaven.”
I suppose I must now build a lean-to, if my math’s right we’re now up to seven.
I cleared out that brush in the pasture, I rebuilt that tumbledown gate,
And while I was burning the brush pile I spotted one more, that makes eight.
Is eight enough for you now, dear, or would it be simply divine
If that new mare from heaven is in foal and that would bring us up to nine?
I think I’ll go back to my counting and o this all over again…
Do I spy a trailer in our drive? Guess I’ll count backwards from ten.
To say you cannot give away a sound healthy broke horse is BS. I get offered free horses ALL THE TIME. NONE of them are even remotely close to being sound healthy AND broke. If you are lucky you might get healthy, sometimes broke but usually green and never ever ever sound.
I wouldn’t BUY a horse right now but if someone like that “rescue” woman offered me a SOUND healthy BROKE horse (like to go on trails) I would very much consider it. I know many many people who also would (and they can afford the upkeep). It is just too expensive to keep an endless supply of pasture ornaments that you can’t even ride. We all love our ornaments but it WOULD be nice to be able to ride SOME of the time!
If you know your limits and stick to them you can muddle through any drought. As pointed out you don’t HAVE to feed hay, I think the problem is too many people feed ONLY hay. They don’t want to pay a lot for hay, they don’t want to pay for FEED at all. Here in the sand dunes all our hay is “imported”. It’s $7 a bale (50 lb average) and usually 2nd rate. It’s simply something to keep them busy in between meals, the real nutrition comes from Equine Senior, a complete feed.
Euthanasia and removal costs about the same as one to two months board in most places. If you can’t afford two months board you REALLY can’t afford a horse at all.
And bullets are cheap and if you drive far enough you can find some woods or land somewhere a horse could go back to nature without anybody noticing. (no euthanasia drugs of course, those have to be buried).
What to do with a horse at the end of its life is something everybody should be prepared for when they get a horse. Just as you know when you are on your own and get a car you will also need insurance, you’ll have to pay rent, utilities, etc. etc.
There are plenty of us out there who support ourselves, kids, animals all on one (often small) paycheck. You just have to prioritize and learn to do without some things in order to have other things.
You can give away horses safely but it does take some work. You have to be willing to do background checks, check references, site check and have them sign a contract. After all, that is what rescues do all the time with horses who are companion animals only and cannot command an adoption fee.
The secret is follow-up. I’ve given away, and it’s worked out brilliantly. That, and I’m quite sure everybody I’ve given a horse to knew I wasn’t kidding when I said that if they dumped said horse, I would both sue them and make their life a living hell. You can say that with a smile on your face, and still be taken seriously. You also must be willing to take the horse back yourself in the event of an emergency, if only temporarily so that you can choose the next home yourself.