So How Young is Too Young?!

Some people just don't seem to think horses need any time to grow up at all. Here we have a baby horse- currently aged 15 months, that's a yearling plus 3 months- hard at it in the shafts. Dragon Driving again of course.

Future stallion potential they say- I bet. He probably won't be much good for anything else in a few years time, the state those overworked developing joints will be in. He even looks like a little baby still poor soul. It boggles my mind that this happens so much and no one seems to see the problem with it!

Advert of the Day

Who thinks this is an appropriate picture to advertise this horse with? Raise your hands please...

Anybody? Gee I sure hope not!

Here's the rest of the ad for this 13.2hh stallion...

Truthfully, I get the impression that the process of breaking to drive is not going well.. now I may be wrong but that photo is not inspiring any confidence here!!

Here is an unnecessary list of reasons this is not a good picture to sell this pony with:
1- pony in high state of p-off!
2- pony rearing in driving gear- definitely not something you want from your driving pony
3- can't see any of the pony properly only the back so can't assess looks and build
4- pony looks like is close to being yanked over backwards by its poor mouth

Anyway, if anyone wants to take a chance on this little fella- the link is here.

Extreme Reckless Child Endangerment

Eegads. Thanks to the folks of Bad Riding for this gem!

Most people agree that keeping your kids safe should include helmets when riding...

 But not everyone. Then there's those folks that see no problem with this...

 Ummm see the open 'escape' route should saintly horse be stung by a bee or other such unlikely incident...?

And this...

My thoughts on the relative virtues of standing on horses for sale ads has been expressed in the past... I reiterate that if the horse has a sneezing fit or jumps at the least little thing small child is high up enough to hurt themselves just hitting the deck from that height.

Finally we have....

Now this one makes me feel slightly ill, having only yesterday observed my kind-natured mare kicking at a fly on her belly in the sort of move that would have hit any child in this position square in the skull. 

Yes the horse looks sweet, but some nice shots of him in action with his little jockey would have put that point across readily without risking the prompt execution of said jockey! 

Horses are big and strong and react quickly and instinctively to all kinds of stimuli.. why put yourself or your family in the position where it's even easier for them to hurt you?! 

Advert of the Day

This poor hinny is almost screaming 'get me out of here!'

He appears to be living in a rubbish dump- lets hope that's a Parelli type rope closest to camera and not a random snake..! He also appears to be pretty thin under his fluffy coat- note the outline of his body in this shot:

They only want $15 for him. We have no idea how old he is but are told he is 'not tame'. Future looking bright there then!

Donkeys, mules and hinnies require the same care and attention as horses and ponies, shots, worming, feeding (FEEDING PLEASE!!), hoof care etc. This appears to be severely lacking in this case. Cross your fingers for the poor thing that a kind person picks him up and gives him an upgrade. Here's the rest of the craigslist ad.

With thanks to Horse Forum for turning this one up.

A Problem

Your horse is a stud, 9 yrs old, 17 hands and weighs in the region of 1,300 Ibs. Given that the rate of economic growth in the US is around 2.4, the ratio of available horses to good, caring homes is around 300:1 and you have priced him 0.00 dollars, what is his % chance of going to slaughter?*

huge free stud horse with cut 

I can't take care of this stud horse by myself he is 17 hands has huge bones and feet he has destroyed my fences I can't do this anymore he went through a fence and cut open his chest and damaged his eye his dad is a national champion warmblood but if I don't find someone to take him I will have to have him destroyed I doctored his cut for couple of days and when I attempted to doctor it tonight he struck out with both front feet I don't know if it hurts him or what this horse weighs about 1300 pounds he is very tall around here when you say you have a huge horse they think you mean wide he is very tall and very big boned and built like a Lippizanner. this is not a children's horse he must be well handled before anybody other than an experienced person gets around him and if you think you're going to turn around and make a quick buck on him it is not possible he needs to be handled and his cut doctored before you could ever be able to sell him my phone number is fifty two. Twenty. Seventy. Owe to. do not call me at a ridiculous hour.

Why exactly is this horse a stud?! He's hardly overflowing with desirable features, physical or behavioural by the sound of it! I don't find huge bones and feet a selling point, particularly not when he's using them to trash his environment.  

The owner says she has been treating the wound he picked up on the fence and now he's resenting it- 

I don't know if it hurts him or what.. 

Yes it probably does- anyone ever fiddled with one of your injuries?! Here's a thought, maybe an infection has started to brew and his patience has been exhausted by increasing discomfort. 

This bit I don't get:

He is very tall around here when you say you have a huge horse they think you mean wide he is very tall and very big boned and built like a Lippizanner.

His size and build is not a remotely positive feature given that he's already learned to use it against people and things that get in his way! How about telling us if he's ever done anything, ever been saddled etc? I am guessing not! 

I can't figure out how this person ended up with this horse in the first place. Maybe it was drugged when they tried it, maybe they bred it, threw it in a field somewhere and only thought, 'gee that colt of mine's got pretty fiesty' when they went to find it years later! But I am sure I am thinking exactly the same thing everyone else with any horse sense is thinking after reading this advert. 

if I don't find someone to take him I will have to have him destroyed

He is a STUD! A stallion!!! He wants to mate with things and if you're not directing that energy somewhere else, i.e. into serious competition work, he's going to go to any lengths to do that! Including through fences and over the top of YOU if you haven't instilled enough respect in him on the ground. 

So why, why WHHHYYY ON EARTH don't you just get him GELDED, remove the hormones and reassess the situation after a few weeks before puttinga bullet in his head, handing him over to a masquerading slaughter man or palming him off on some naive do-gooder who might end up getting pounded into the ground by their mercy 'purchase'?

Is it not that obvious to EVERYONE that this would be the next step to take?!

*- figures quoted are rough estimates and for blog writing purposes only.

Thanks again to horse forum contributors for this one.

Could You Care Less?

This is a sad little advert. Mainly because of this:

Yes we have here a whole herd of horses living on what appears to be a rubbish dump! One of the most terrifying items for me is that pallet. Just how easily could a horse get a leg stuck in that. It makes me sick just thinking about it.

It boggles belief that people don't consider how BAD this looks! I mean, you're showing the world just how poor your levels of animal care are. I can only pray that mare doesn't always wear that headcollar as she could oh so easily end up attached to one of those bits of junk and hurt herself badly.

Someone please go get poor Daisy (whose height is totally unknown) before she loses a limb. Here are the rest of the ad details for would be saviors:

Advert of the Day (2 for 1)

Eegads, what is going on here?

This looks uncannily like a woman fighting with a Shetland pony- and not looking that happy about it! Sadly (or perhaps fortunately) the image is very small but dressing it up with the curtains doesn't make it less worrying to an experienced horse person's eye. Finding out the shettie in question is a stallion is even less reassuring. From this picture he appears to be a bad mannered and possibly overly randy little sod.

So you'd be desperate to buy him wouldn't you? Of course! Yes this is a sales picture. No really, it is. Honestly. Proof below:

Soon after being shocked by the above, I came across the following...

Seriously, what's going on there? I presume and hope that the chap was executing a trick of some kind with this gelding, who is nearly two years old. But did he not then look at the picture before posting it and think- yeah, maybe not a good idea that. It looks like he's p-d off and trying to attack me. Which he does! And as we have previously discussed on this blog, teaching a large heavy animal that it's OK to put their front feet and their weight anywhere near a person's shoulders and head is pretty dumb. 

Lesson to learn? If you actually want to sell, maybe say a bit more about your horse or pony's good points before you so accurately illustrate that he's a little ****** or potentially lethal!!!

Advert of the Day

So at first glance this seems pretty inoffensive... Cute little horse, never gonna be a world beater, but nice enough for the price...

Content:

New Forest X Shire Gelding

15hh+ bay New Forest x Shire, 4 years old, not broken although wouldn't take much.

Good in traffic and with farrier, lovely temperament.

Ring for more info.

Price: £350

OK. Got that?

NOT BROKEN BUT WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH

Yes?

NOT BROKEN. Young horse, sweet and kind but NOOOOT BROKEN. So can't be expected to know how to behave under a rider of any kind and will need gentle, careful, sensible training.



Scrolled down yet?

AAAAAAH!!! That's high up for someone so little, with no helmet!! Plus one of these little girls is VERY YOUNG! Absolutely of the age to suddenly decide to do something really dumb like just get off. Or lose her balance and grab at her sister. Or boot the horse somehow/somewhere. And he's 4. And he's not broken. AND NO ONE IS HOLDING HIM OR THE CHILDREN!!!! HOW CAN ANYONE THINK THIS IS OK?!!

I feel queasy just looking at this shot- get me social services on the phone STAT.

Again, yes, probably the sort of thing people do a lot, but for the purposes of selling a horse, showing that you think doing something INCREDIBLY stupid is fine enough to share with the entire world doesn't fill me with much confidence. It just scares me half to death.

She Did it on Purpose!!!

Today's post is courtesy of the blog Snarky Rider and comes from the source of a great many American selling horror tales, Craigslist.

Yes you are reading this correctly. The owner was 'mad that she didn't come out in the right colour so has not paid any attention to her'. A bratty comment if ever I read one- do they think the foal deliberately chose to come out this colour just to annoy them?! Part of me wants to pray that the owner is a child/teen as if adults are using this prejudiced, pathetic response as justification for ignoring a living creature I fear for the state of the world today. That said, are there NO responsible adults in their life to say hey, suck it up, you bred this animal, you are responsible for this animal, so you can at least teach her to be touched and brushed, to pick up her feet and lead politely until she can be sold.

Someone should have lectured this person on the realities of breeding- you can put the two horses MOST guaranteed to produce the foal you want together, and mother nature will decide to have a laugh and send you something random instead. Ask the top competition and racing breeders- everything can be in your favour- physical excellence, talent in each parent, bloodlines going back generations- and you will still get something completely unexpected at the end of it. Heck most sensible breeders would want to lecture this person on the joys of having a smooth pregnancy and a live mare and foal at the end of it- the experienced people know just how badly wrong things can go at the drop of a hat, despite every precaution.

NEWSFLASH: If you want a horse of a specific talent, sex and COLOUR- go out and buy it!!! That's the only way to be sure!

Oh the irony that her hated colour is the main feature in the title of her advert!! We don't even have a clue about her breed- no breed one presumes.

Poor little mite is headed no where good. That's if she survives grazing on a junkyard for the few weeks before the meat lorry collects her. That thing she's almost on top of looks like a leg breaking device- and hey, the person taking the shot didn't even stop to think hmmm that doesn't look great- HOW SCARY IS THAT?!

More commentary on this sad little ad over at Snarky Rider.

Advert of the Day

Sorry for the absence folks- virus. Ugh.

Anyway I return to bring you this jaw dropper courtesy of Done Deal:

Ok, trotters for sale, no biggie, shown trotting nicely as you might expect, but also shown doing THIS (warning, slightly X-rated).

I am not really getting why they included this shot! Not only is it irrelevant to the ad itself (none of the horses are being promoted and sold on their basis of their being breeding stallions, although hey, apparently one is!), but it is not an attractive shot in any way, by any means, and is also an example of sheer idiocy- a CHILD, wearing NO HAT, clinging to a mare by it's halter for covering is MADNESS- oh and hey he's standing directly in front of said mare who could very easily decide she didn't fancy her date after all and make a sharp exit straight over the top of him.

I am also a little disconcerted by the mare herself, who really looks no age poor thing.

Anyway, erratic and a glimpse of near insanity. Had to make ad of the day.

Why I Wouldn't Buy From These People...

I found this ad on Equinenow and have to say I am doubting the professionalism of these sellers, website and all.

I've ranted in the past about wanting sellers to look half smart, at least safe. I am not a big fan of the no hat and casual clothes approach. But apart from that, fair enough one shot of riding a quiet horse in just a headcollar and leadrope...  But all of them?

 

Do these people have any tack? Can the horses even wear tack? And then we have this...

Small child totally helmetless and completely barefoot on a horse so tall that he could easily give himself a decent amount of brain damage just sliding off the side! Yep, real smart. Oh and in an open field with other loose horses who might at any time, being horses, decide something terrifying is going on and do a runner? Prompting normally quiet horse with kid on board to have herd instinct kick in with a vengeance and go hell for leather with them?! This child better have a velcro seat!

Finally there's this...

Now feel free to enlighten me as I haven't dealt with this fencing myself before, but this REALLY looks like two horses tied really tightly or inappropriately (a knot in the first and oh dear god... is the last one tied on directly by the headcollar?!) to non-permanent fencing that, should the horse panic in juuussstt the right way, could be readily lifted from its hinges, dragged, and given it's open framework, immediately trap and break a leg?

Yep, real smart these sellers. I wonder just how long they've actually been around horses- a short enough spell not to be aware just how quickly things can go HORRIBLY wrong I guess.

Advert of the Decade...

Seriously, someone designed this cracker over at Dragon Driving just to play on all my horse selling pet hates!

 

Non professional rider slouching all over and hanging off horse's head with random tack on it that fails to show off horse at all? Check!

 

 

Horse's apparent living space full of random junk and standing on said horse for no discernable reason? Check!

Using horse as jungle gum while at the same time managing to be utterly oblivous to the multitude of stains on said horse which could easily have been brushed off and are now transferring themselves to pants? Check!

Randomly dangerous manoevre which further illustrates complete lack of safe riding gear? Check!

I never look at one of these shots without hearing a voice in my head saying ' an' this 'ere's the last shot we got of yr uncle George, right before ole Bertha got a nasty wasp sittin' on her big behind...'

Anyway, gotta be a classic.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

So I swore I wouldn't do another equine now ad so soon but this one just took the biscuit. No prizes for spotting the problems here...

So hey, does this look like a foal to anyone else? Well maybe that's because it certainly was when they began the poor soul's 'training'. At best he was a year and a little bit!

Yes that's a little girl on board, bareback, hanging on by a handful of mane with NO HELMET!

Did I mention he was lucky to be a year old when they started him by the sounds of it?

Also no shoes on child who obviously has feet impervious to being trodden on by the surprisingly tough feet of a foal... which by the way, they have been riding.

Just a heads up for any kind potential buyers; with those ribs and that round belly I'd be looking to worm this fellow ASAP.

Did you notice he's been out on trails? I think it's too much to hope someone was leading him in just a headcollar... I'd put money on him being ridden.

Quiet?! I bet he is. He probably can't get his BABY brain about what's happening to him. Would you send that little girl out to work in an office and expect her to do a half decent job and not end up stressed and resentful in a few years time? No? Why do people think horses should be any different? Where's the rush! He could have a good 30 years useful life ahead of him, given time to mature. At this rate he'll be knackered and riding to slaughter by five.

*Head-desk*

What's the Great Big Advantage in...

A horse that is happy for you to stand up in the saddle? I am bemused by the increasingly regular appearance of sales shots of people standing on the offered horses... and the use of these as the only or biggest photograph in a horse sale ad as if it is some amazing plus point. If I want to pick apples out of a high branch I'll use a stepladder. If I can't see what's going on at a busy show I'll find a fence to sit on or a different place to stand. I don't need a horse as a means of gaining height thanks!

Here are just two adverts where this random talent is apparently the horse's big selling point! Don't get me wrong- this chap looks a sweetheart, but as I can count on er.... no fingers, the times when I am ever likely to want or need to stand up on his back, I'd rather see a nice shot of him being ridden properly please? If you want to show me how non spooky he is, ride him and carry an umbrella or balloon or something... that's at least more relevant to my normal everyday requirements from my horse!

Now I have more of an issue with this one...

So on the plus side child has hat and correct footwear on. On the negative side, she is A CHILD and she is standing on a pony which is not being held, in open pasture and apparently not tied to anything. I don't care how quiet a horse or pony is, things can still happen! What if an insect stings quiet pony, and quiet pony reacts  instinctively to sudden pain and bucks or takes off up field? Child doesn't have a hope of staying on pony and could easily break an arm or even a neck hitting dirt from that elevated height. Her parents appear to be taking the picture- at least our first guy is an adult making his own educated decision on risk. Kids can be a bit too gung ho for their own good- this is REALLY a time where mom or dad should be saying... gee honey, don't think that's a good idea...

If pony happens to be tied in a fashion I can't make out, I don't need to tell horse people here about the dangers of tying him to a gate, which could be lifted off hinges and trap and break delicate limbs. Also as he's for SALE it's not really a great shot of him as it's a bad angle and you can't see his head properly... honestly, I'd sooner see him in a halter stood directly side on to the camera and with no one using him as a makeshift jungle gym. Or hey, he apparently does get ridden like a normal pony, could we see that please?

BTW you will also notice for the description of pony that the child walks UNDER HIM. Which is another thing which seems like a great idea (to some people), at least until a fly lands on pony's belly when child is mid walk-under and pony lifts hindleg fast and sharp to kick it off. *head desk*

Here we have yet another child taking unnecessary risks... and this time no helmet, so gets to knock herself senseless, possibly permanently, when she hits the deck. Here's a thought- what if quiet pony shifts back leg and child loses balance- now that would never happen right?!

It's like an epidemic!!

Pictures like these just remind me why one of my favourite sayings is- particularly with horses, just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD! Come on folks, people get killed around horses everyday when they are just leading them in from the field and have followed every basic safety rule- I just can't see the point in making a dangerous activity even more dangerous for absolutely NO REASON!!!

Here's someone who does need a horse that's happy to have him stand on him.. but I can't say I know many riders who will have the same requirements!

Newsflash- Gelding Costs Money!!

Following on from the post 'The Survivors Guide to Classified Horse Adverts' , I wanted to take one of the humorous statements and point out the truth in it- sadly there’s too much truth in many of them as I am sure you know, but let’s start with just one:

IDEAL STUD PROSPECT- Can’t afford to geld it

Here in the UK gelding can cost anything from £200 to nearly a thousand if there are any complications. At a time of recession that’s a pretty serious sum of money. Horse charities have reported finding whole herds of colts abandoned on wasteland. Dealers buy job lots of youngsters, weed out the fillies and dump the colts rather than pay out to have them gelded.

So what does an irresponsible/broke breeder do when they have a horse they want to sell but they don’t want to fork out to geld? Two options really- number one is try and convince some mug it’s fine to keep them as stallions as they are so easy to handle and number two is to convince them that they are overflowing with stallion potential.

I mean why in the name of humanity should THIS horse still be entire?!

 

In case you thought that was just a bad picture- think again- here are the rest:

 

Poor soul is a conformational trainwreck, but don't worry he's 'quite' (quiet) and easy to handle. Here's another without many physical attributes to justify keeping him as a stallion, horses like this are EVERYWHERE in this area and he's not a good example:

Here's another stallion for sale. This poor chap looks quite ribby in many of the pics. I wonder if he's been running off his weight trying to get to some mares in a neighbouring field?

 

 

 

And here's some creative marketing. There's absolutely no good reason for this 'so ugly it's almost cute' pony to still have balls. He could have made a great child's pet/ride as a gelding. As it is, he's being sold as a teaser- at least even the current owners realise he shouldn't actually reproduce!

 

 

Here we have a pony being sold specifically as a stallion prospect, having already reproduced several times apparently. Here's my main problem with this one- they thought a picture of him apparently rearing in someone's face was a real clincher! If you have a stallion, you need it to have basic manners and THIS is not appropriate behaviour!

 

 

His other pictures aren't the best either! Here's a similar one... no evidence of a performance record but he sure can stand on his hindlegs and pop out babies! These shots are not convincing me he's the most cooperative of animals... the guy at the end of the line looks like he's about to leap out of the way!

 

 

 

Here's what I would call a good stallion ad.... Cute little pony, purebred and registered, and LOOK! He actually DOES THINGS! He gets ridden and jumps fences and everything!

 

 

Bottom line? Keeping a stallion can be a real pain. You need to have somewhere with the right facilities and you need to be able to manage a strong, spirited horse and keep his mind on the job in all situations. However 'quiet' the sellers may claim these horses are, they won't stay that way with maturity- I can almost guarantee it. Factor in the cost of gelding if you are looking at a horse that still has his equipment. In the majority of cases he won't be worth your keeping them attached!