Lately, I've been pondering this whole 'horse' thing. On one of the popular social networks, there are comments, sales; anything from horses winning at A rated shows to those horses on their way to be slaughtered. Not much stands in between a horse winning a huge race, then a few years later getting slaughtered. Foreign countries don't seem to care how wonderful the horses' life and what he/she did for the humans who owned it- and apparently, the USA has many who don't care either. I'm more than sure all of you understand the 'slaughter' issue, so I'm not going to get into it. Nor am I going to delve much into the horse rescue part of it all.
Basically, it is all a way to make money. Either on the side of shipping a big load of purchased horses to either Mexico or Canada to be killed for their meat, OR to "rescue" those horses in the name of saving a life. How many have seen those posters about how saving one horse might not mean much but to that one horse it's the world ( or something similar)? I have and it does tear at the heartstrings for those who truly love them. I have owned rescued horses, and have saved a few myself way back when. I stopped when I realized I was putting my hard earned money into someone else's' pocket for the sake of 'saving'. They'll just go buy another horse to take its place. These so-called kill buyers who actually head out weekly to the auctions, buy sad looking horses, ship them to their place, slap a "rescue" addition to their logo and make a killing financially. ( no pun intended) Whatever doesn't sell, is then shipped on to be sold again at some auction or to be killed for meat. They bump up the fees for this n' that- and again, make a bunch on each horse for very little effort. Of course, these horses WILL and do get sick from all sorts of diseases and germs at those auction houses. (and at the "kill buyers'' farms). Expect it- they are going to be dreadfully sick. "Shipping Fever", Strep- Equi, or whatever upper respiratory infection they come in contact with. If I got a 'rescue' in, it was immediately started on antibiotics. Very few got really sick thanks to my doing this. Then there are those folk who'll "pull" a horse from a sale, and ask others to help "save" the horse. Big bucks if it's done right.
So do I still do this? No. Not wanting to put my personal horses at risk nor having a barn that has germs or whatever on the stall walls, or in the pastures- there's no way another 'auction horse' is coming here. Which brings me to another point- the Quarantine Barns. These are horse farms or just barns whose owners see another way to make money from this whole business. They tell those who want to rescue horse that 'sure, they'll keep said horse, feed it, care for it when it's sick (at the owners' cost- nothing is free) and hopefully when the horse leaves after 30 days quarantine, it will be literally healthy as a horse! Now, these kinds of well-meaning people charge anywhere from $12.00 - $18.00 a DAY for caring for your horse. That's not a bad deal for keeping a horse in a small pen or stall for a month! You do the math... x 30 days. There are some farms who do a splendid job of horse care and whatever veterinary care needed. Those horses DO become healthy and are much happier when they leave. There are also those who don't feed the quarantined horses enough (usually they arrive thin and needing a lot of love/ good knowledgeable care- after all, many have been thrown away by former owners). They let horses owned by others get injured, wounded, or even more sick than when they first arrived. This kind of thing makes me cringe. Again- they'll tug those heartstrings big time.
From all of that to those who don't get into rescuing horses but choose to actually purchase well trained, well cared for, loved animals for a lot more money - I commend you. The end result is usually a very happy ending. I have chosen to do it that way as opposed to buying someone elses' problems. At my farms, I've owned the horses are able to be horses ( turnouts, etc)whether they're $30K worth of show horse or a mere "lesson" pony. They all get the same care and love. Their jobs are just a little different. Even though I have dabbled in the rescue routine and have gained a lot of knowledge about how it all goes, here? No more 'rescues' as they always come with some sort of problem. Whether it be a physical one or a mental one- there's always a reason. (I spoke to a woman years ago who was selling her daughter's show pony because she and her husband were getting divorced- now THAT pony would have been a wonderful purchase for someone) People nowadays lie; tell you anything they think you want to hear to unload an equine they have for sale and it's worse at the sales. So, take what one is told with the proverbial grain of salt, because most times? It's a lie.
I owned a World Champion mare for 27 or so years, (and many Nationally shown horses as well) and know what it takes to create a horse of that caliber- and have had cheaper animals which simply weren't going to be what I wanted. In the long run, it's wiser to save those hard-earned pennies and buy a horse that will truly become a partner or best friend. One who has a history and when you hear it can be confident it's the truth. ( the fact that even those selling a well-priced horse will give you a run around is another post.. :) ) Horses who come with the correct registration papers, and have been cared for properly. Granted, a smart person will learn the " I wanna sell ya this horse'' lingo and be able to read between those lines but generally speaking, the horses are worth what one pays. I'm talking a horse selling for over $5 grand- not the $500.00 horses. There Are those wonderful tales of folks who buy a cheap horse at a sale and it goes right to the top in shows, but those are the things stories are made of.
I guess basically what I've been thinking of is whether it is worth it to take a chance on a horse who hasn't a history but is 'cheap' or a quality horse who is worth every penny paid for it. Personally ? I'll spend the money and create another world champion.
