Sunday 31 March 2013

Epic Fail

If you took out all the accurate/responsible/intelligent stuff in this advert, you wouldn't have much of it left. 

Cheapest Saddlebred..... - $250

Hi, just got this horse not long ago (3months). Its a Saddlebred/Walker stud. He is too small for my boyfriend and im not into riding horses. From what I know he is a pretty good horse. No kick, bite or buck...just nred love and we having to much going on. Was purchased for $500 from a very good friend in Houston. The only problem the horse is too short. He is about 14.5 hh, we are willing to take $250 obo. Yes $250 obo for a stud thats not bad, and plus you will make your money back breeding. He has never bred before and no bad habits. Need gone by this weekend because we leaving to go out of town.Kids have ridden him,with no problem, he is more suitable for kids, women or small adults.
Has Pusher's walker in his bloodline. Not registered. Can email pics.or text 469~684~8992



1- If you're flogging a horse with the biggest positive being that it's cheap, the poor thing probably hasn't got a lot to offer. Annd that's not really accurate advertising either- read on to discover the horse is actually a saddlebred X Walker. 

2- I really hope that someone is holding that rope (so could drop it or do something about entanglement) and it's not tied to something (which the low rope makes me wonder) since he's now stepped over it and could end up giving himself a bit of a jerk/fright/serious injury. 

3- Hi, just got this horse not long ago (3months).

You've had him all of 3 months? Wouldn't it have been easier just to think harder about getting a horse at all/go evaluate the horse properly before you bought him?

4- Its a Saddlebred/Walker stud.

He's a stud. Of course he is. Cos that price, + nuts, is going to make finding a lovely new home even easier.

5- He is too small for my boyfriend and im not into riding horses. 

Yes. Yes he is. 



(Obviously I am assuming this is the BF in the picture!). 

Here's the thing. I know some very large riders who are very skilled. They ride light. This is because they know how to balance themselves to cause least convenience to the horse. If this guy was at least riding in good balance I wouldn't be cringing as much as I am. But look at the weight hanging over to the left here! The horse will find this difficult to manage. 

There are ways to assess how much weight a horse can safely carry. One of these is bone- basically the circumference of the foreleg, just below the knee. A horse with good solid thick legs at this point is generally believed to be able to carry more weight than one with a narrow leg here- check pictures of welsh cobs as opposed to thoroughbreds to see this. I wouldn't class this horse as a weight carrier from the shot above! 

Weight carrying capacity at any one time is also influenced by other things, including what you are doing with the horse- so yes, at least here they are just walking, in this shot anyway- and it's age. You wouldn't want to charge in piling excess weight on a youngster who is still getting used to just carrying a rider for example. 

On that note I am a bit concerned that this horse could be a youngster- he's either a growing colt or a very badly put together adult! His age isn't mentioned anywhere. This heavyweight riding could be doing some damage to an immature skeleton if he is the kind of age I think he may be. 

Here's the kicker. I know horses grow when they are young but only slowly! Didn't these people even go look at this horse before he came home? Why did it take 3 months to decide he was too small, did they just have him thrown in the field and only notice his size when they got close enough to catch him? 

6- From what I know he is a pretty good horse. No kick, bite or buck...

This no bite, kick, or buck seems to be the craigslist mantra for 'good horse'. I know a lot of very good horses which do occasionally buck (often when out and excited!), sometimes kick and sometimes bite (though mainly other horses!) and similarly I know some god awful horses that never do any of the above (you'd need to light a rocket behind a lot of them to get any impulsion at all, but that's another story). It'd be good to hear more about what the horse can do rather than what he doesn't do, like ride out on trails, jump a little fence, stuff like that, but nothing like that here. Or in a lot of ads where 'No kick bite buck rear etc' appears as the big selling point to be honest.  

7- just nred love and we having to much going on. 

They had too much on to even check the poor beggar was the right size in the first place so that doesn't surprise me. 

8- The only problem the horse is too short. 

Annnd again, he could have been measured before you brought him home surely? 

He is about 14.5 hh.

No he's not!! 

9- we are willing to take $250 obo. Yes $250 obo for a stud thats not bad, and plus you will make your money back breeding. 

UUUURRGH!! Brain bleach please. Does anyone see anything about this fluffy, leggy, flat backed little guy that begs to be reproduced? Seller- you are trying to offload this horse for $250- UK peeps that's about £165 at today's currency conversion rates - it probably cost more to keep the mare adequately fed and vet checked in the pregnancy that produced him than that! If you don't want a horse like this, why will enough other people anywhere to make breeding him such a good idea?! Seriously, what on earth makes you think Shorty's sperm is in demand anywhere in the entire FREAKING country? 

He has never bred before... 

Thank whatever deity oversees us that this is the case. Please someone go get him just to remove his lovespuds before he meets miss right (or miss you'll do) and gets her in the family way. 

10- Need gone by this weekend because we leaving to go out of town. 

You know what- this is one thing that irritates the heck out of me and I keep seeing on CL especially. Sellers- cos this isn't the only one by any means- at the time you place an advert you are responsible for that horse's whole future. If you don't take adequate time and care over finding someone who wants him for the right reasons, has the facilities to keep him and knows how to look after him, you're going to end up handing the leadrope to that nice guy Gus who showed up with a trailer, paid cash and has a farm out west somewhere. Gus being the smiley kill buyer who'll be only too happy to take the horse off your hands for an even more knock down price and ship him right off to become mince. In this case the horse's main fault appears to be that the current owner bought something too small. He doesn't deserve to be put at risk for that. Man up, put your damn weekend trip back if it's that disruptive and spend some time protecting the life of the animal you brought into yours. He deserves that much. Rant over.  

11- Has Pusher's walker in his bloodline. 

Somewhere. 

Not registered. 

Of course. 

Good luck Shorty! I think you may need it.



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