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Barnyard Buddies:  Horses abandoned in the West...  |
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queenofdreamsz4u
True Blue Farmgirl
3845 Posts
Stephanie Suzanne
Smoky Mountains Tennessee
USA
3845 Posts |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
 Posted - May 13 2008 : 9:16:18 PM
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That is really sad, and unfortunately there are a lot of back yard breeders that produce animals of low quality. Sadly a mare or stud that is marginal can pass along poor traits to their offspring. I feel really bad for the horses and like so many other issues- I fear there is no easy answer :(
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
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yasmine
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
yasmine
wappingers falls
ny
USA
173 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2008 : 8:18:59 PM
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| hey where do I get one of those horses? I did not look at the link , I really dont want to see any depressing sad stuff. But ill take a safe calm horse any day! |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2008 : 08:12:58 AM
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I could not bear to finish the article. Just imagining all those beautiful creatures and the fate that awaits them both in the slaughter houses (cringe!) and on the plains hurts my heart.
Alee hit the nail right on the head though-- too many "backyard" breeders. I have 4 horses. 2 of them (a Morgan Gelding and a 1/4-pony Mare) for a very long time, since they were both babies, and never bred either, nor will I, though they are both very conformationally correct and have the sweetest attitudes.
The other 2 horses we "bought" with a load of hay each this past Winter. That should tell everyone just how despearte the situation is becoming. When you can buy good, sound (REGISTERED) horses (though they are a little older-- 16&17yrs respectively) for a load or two of hay.....? (we are in California)
Of course, we are VERY blessed. Living on a farm and growing our own organic feed gives us an advantage. But still-- breeding animals strictly for profit and not for the deliberate perpetuation and preservation of the breed is where things ALWAYS go wrong in a big way!
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2008 : 11:18:04 AM
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Yasmine, if you really want a horse, you can google "equine rescue" for your area. But as Stephanie stated, many people underestimate the cost of horse care. This week is one of those weeks. Yesterday Doc came out to do teeth. It costs $56 to have him just pull up in the yard. With nothing serious such as molar extractions, I expect to pay $100 or so a head. He also did vaccinations on some of the horses (I'm not one to vaccinate annually), and xrayed the hocks of a gelding I just got. I also paid for the teeth of a horse I just sold. Doc will come out in a few days and inject the older horse's hocks with Legend and depo. So Wednesday should cost me between $800-1000. Monday the farrier is coming. A full set of keg shoes is $85 here, and a trim is $30. They're done every six weeks, and I have five horses. Then next Wednesday the chiropractor is coming. This guy is a DVM that is certified for chiropractic in animals. He charges $90 per horse. I get very choice hay delivered and stacked, and I expect to pay $4.50 a bale here this year. The group of them eats two bales a day, 365 days a year, with pasture as a treat, and a little bit of grain. Supplement needs vary with the individual horse, but three of mine are older and therefore on joint care costing an additional $150 a month. Veterinary emergencies cost more, which fortunately I don't have too often; but colic surgery and it's aftercare can easily cost $10,000 and up. Many people elect to put their horse down.
I read recently in the Wall Street Journal that the entire horse market is changing. Part of it is driven by the fact that many horse owners are of the Baby Boomer generation, people who got horses once they got enough leftover money to afford them after their kids left home. But the Boomers are beginning to hang it up and get out of horses. Another component is the lack of slaughter. Slaughter set the floor price for horses. Now unwanted horses are starved, set loose in state parks, abandoned in farm fields, or given away. A very few are euthanized by veterinarians. On the upper end of the market, people are having difficulty selling horses too. Not because they don't have money, but because they don't have stall space. Nobody's buying their unwanted horses either; and when they do, they're making some pretty big concessions on price. And fully two thirds of the horse owning population in the United States make less than $50K a year. When the price of veterinary care, feed, farriery, and other services are climbing rapidly, these people are really getting caught in a horrid cash flow squeeze.
I know a woman in our area who runs a very nice rescue. She finally had to disconnect her phone because she was getting so many phone calls from people begging her to take their horse. It's heartbreaking, but she has just so many stalls and so many resources herself.
IMO, the article was gentle. It will be really bad before it gets better. |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - May 15 2008 : 10:59:31 PM
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Oh, Mary Ann, how true are your words. Vet care is SO expensive! I do all my own treatment and care possible, right down to the shots and WHATEVER else it takes to keep them healthy. (I have to say, Vet care where you live is WAY cheaper than here in California!!)
I had an incident with my Morgan last year that would have cost a FORTUNE for a Vet to treat. It was something that actually required the care of both a Veterinarian AND a Farrier to treat, but I took care of the problem myself. It was a VERY long process, one that required constant treatment (2x a day) for several months. At one point, BOTH of his back hooves were literally coming off, but I managed to clear up the infections and keep the swelling down in his legs.
His recovery has taken nearly a year, but other than contraction in one hoof (which I noticed is now growing in normal and will soon be gone! YEAH!!!) my horse has pretty much recovered. He never lost his hooves and all the weight he lost during his illness has returned with a VENGENCE, along with that mischievious sparkle in his big brown eyes!
Most people, especially those who can't afford the Vet care that was required to care for him, would have had him put down. I know I couldn't afford it, but I made every effort possible to learn about his condition and just what it took to treat it. I never gave up hope, and all those prayers, not to mention the constant care, paid off in the end.
Like Mary Ann said, most people don't realize what it takes to care for even just ONE horse, and not just financially either. There is a lot of sacrifice and hard work involved. Other than bringing us humans pleasure at their beauty and the feel of the wind blowing in our hair when we ride them, they really are nothing but money burners. (or "HAY burners" as my husband likes to call them. Good thing we grow our own!!) And if people would stop breeding them "For FUN" we probably wouldn't be hearing such sad stories as those in the article! |
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yasmine
True Blue Farmgirl
173 Posts
yasmine
wappingers falls
ny
USA
173 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2008 : 05:13:59 AM
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| help me then! Whats up here in New York? I cant find a decent, safe, bombproof, large pony or horse, a gelding, for anything! Everything is soooo expensive. And here all I want is a backyard horse for us to trail ride on. Just sold a psyco pony for 1000.00 . paid 2500.00. Got a guy who makes hay, right across the street!!! .Now how do I find the horse of our dreams, when everyone is giving them away. Everyone is so sure there are so many out there, New York is the exception.(lol) Got two trainers looking for me , but they're no help! |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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eskimobirdlady
True Blue Farmgirl
700 Posts
connie
fairbanks
ak
USA
700 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2008 : 03:20:03 AM
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hi all! i am new here and hope to get to know you all!
it is truly sad to see what happens to unwanted animals of any kind. we live in alaska and vet care and hay cost double of anywhere else (we pay $8 per bale when we are really lucky! that is for barely useful hay! alfalfa is about $20 per bale and up!). i havent even checked into the cost of a farrier! we are hoping to get a couple of mules as they do better under our somewhat harsh riding conditions. for us they will be much loved "tools". right now i have 7 parrots that are all rescues. imho too many people dont think about the cost, the time, or any of the "intangibles" related to owning an animal! in these times of quickly rising costs for everything i am afraid that we will see even more animals in need of homes. sadly too many people dont care and will let their animal suffer rather than find a loving home for them! i had a friend years ago who bred arabian horses. she never even halter trained most of them and still thought they were worth top dollar. rather than lowering her prices to find them homes, she kept breeding and had over 20 horses in a very small corral. it broke my heart *sob*
peace connie in alaska |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2008 : 9:34:53 PM
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I just don't get horse owners who breed their animals like that. I have always felt that horse breeding is a VERY shakey business and have never wanted any part of it. Unless you have stock that's worth A LOT of money, I don't see the point in it. If I ever get the urge for a baby horse I'll just buy one. There are way too many horses in need of homes and I have no desire to perpetuate the problem.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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AlpacaRenee
Farmgirl in Training
10 Posts
Renee
Wilton
Ca
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2008 : 8:41:15 PM
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Dear Ones,
Be grateful that you aren't having to pay $15 a bale for hay! Four years ago I took on a boarder for $120/mo which would cover feet trimming, boarding on 10 acres with one other horse, grain and hay...four years later feed has doubled, hay has more than doubled, diesel has tripled, labor has gone way up, and the board price has stayed the same. Needless to say, I am losing on this deal. The owners have fallen behind with board several months and now they say they don't want the horse. This horse is not worth any money to anyone, including the owner. So now they say for me to try to sell the horse for them (they live 500 miles from here). The horse will NEVER pass a vet exam for sale, as she has a lever 4 heart murmur...so I am stuck. Everything happens for a reason??? sometimes I wonder...
Renee
Finney's Fiber Farm Alpacas...where being dense is a GOOD thing! |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - Jun 16 2008 : 5:26:10 PM
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Sorry you got stuck like that Renee. You could always take the people to small claims court and try to recoup your loss AND maybe have the judge MAKE them take back the horse. You shouldn't have to be responsible for it.
As for hay prices, they were around $15-$17 a bale here a few weeks ago. Since it's officially "Hay" season, they've come down a bit, but I'm sure they will start to go up again as Summer moves into Fall. We grow our own hay and already have people stocking up for Winter. It's not cheap to grow, especially for those who use custom operators to take in their fields (cutter/rakers, balers, people who pick up the bales and the people who deliver them). There's also the cost of fuel and vehicle maintanence, not to mention all the hours and physical labor (at least on OUR farm) that goes into producing it.
We currently have 4 horses, but I can honestly say that if we DIDN'T grow our own hay, we certainly wouldn't have them! At least with the sheep we can EAT them if need be, the goats can be milked (and eaten as well-- but I just can't imagine that!), so they pretty much earn their right to be here. The horses don't do anything but eat, poop and look pretty!
Good luck with the horse situation. ~~Hugs~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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doglady
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Tina
Howard
Ohio
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Jun 16 2008 : 6:24:15 PM
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Hi Renee,
I would give them two weeks to make pick up arrangements first. As much as you would hate to do it, I would tell the owners that you have no choice but to call the local Humane Society that they have abandoned their horse. I would explain to them that you cannot sell their horse as it is not yours to sell. I would do all of this in a certified letter and get the receipt and then follow through. At the price of hay, this is a big burden for you. I would also send them a bill for your services with the letter. Yes, they will be mad but I think if you stick to your guns, you will get results.
Tina
You can tell your dog all of your secrets and they'll never say a word!
www.kennelcreations.com |
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tribalcime
True Blue Farmgirl
2963 Posts
lisa
lexington
ky
USA
2963 Posts |
Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 04:57:20 AM
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Yasmine --you might try craigs lsit. Here they are almost giving horses away on it. www.craigslist.org Is sad how horses are done. People i work for just gave a paint away not long ago for free . Just wanted a good home for it. They paid 10,000 for it 2 years ago . They wanted me to take it but i cant afford the upkeep on one living in the city.
LIfe is a witch ~~~ and then ya fly !! My blogspot .http://tribalwitch.blogspot.com/ |
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82kygal
True Blue Farmgirl
548 Posts
Laura
Somerset
Kentucky
USA
548 Posts |
Posted - Jun 17 2008 : 06:26:06 AM
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Hey Lisa, (I am new to the forum) I am from Somerset. Aren't they having a big adoption in Lexinton for abandoned horses? Or did they already have it? We paid 9.00 a bale for hay last winter for the goats and it wasn't great hay.
With God, all things are possible. (Mark 10:27)
What ever you are, be a good one. (Abe Lincoln) |
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Barnyard Buddies: Horses abandoned in the West... |
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Horses abandoned in the West...
