Because Honesty Is The Best Policy...

Here is a highly entertaining ad which is making waves on the net at the moment. I have copied it while it is still live for readers of the blog...

Miserable, cantankerous horse for sale - $1400 (New Haven)

Meet Rotten Banana. My wife named him that before he was born 7 years ago, and for that reason I believe she is a true psychic medium.

Rotten Banana's father was a registered Paint we owned, who was a valiant sweetheart of a horse but was ugly as sin. His mother is an evil wench, but is built like a brick house and is afraid of nothing. We thought the breeding might give us a valiant sweetheart who was built like a brick house. Instead, we got.....Rotten Banana.

Banana has a lot of.....personality. He has great ground manners. He loves attention. He is probably the best horse I have ever seen about picking up his feet. My 6 year old daughter can lead him anywhere.

And that's where the good stuff ends, so....maybe stop reading here?


Still reading? Dammit.


Rotten Banana is very broke to ride and has hundreds of trail miles. Like his mom, he is afraid of nothing. He will go through brooks, mud, trees and not miss a step.

If he wants to.

If he doesn't want to, he won't do anything. Literally.

If you want to ride, he will just stand there. Whip and spur all you want, the best you will get is a half-hearted buck and a grunt. (The very reputable natural horsemanship trainer I paid $900 to work on this became as exasperated as i was.). If you want to put him on a trailer, and he doesn't want to get on it, he will go backwards. Quickly. If you want to put a bridle on him, he will actually point his nose to the sky like a timberwolf. When you are not looking, he will either steal the hat off your head with his teeth, or grab your shirt and give you a tug.

In short, he is an ass.

So, if you're looking for a project horse with lots of miles left in his- ta da! Here he is.

Someone with time could actually make a horse out of him. That person is not me.


UPDATE: I'd like to thank those of you who have emailed that you enjoyed this ad. A few points of clarity:

1. Yes, he is really for sale. To the right person and home, not the first person with $12 bucks in their hand. If he doesn't sell, I will not be dropping him off at an auction or anything stupid like that. (I thinks it's funny I said 12 "bucks" while talking about Banana. He loves bucks.)

2. I posted him on craigslist to sell him, not get unsolicited horse training advice. I'm neither the best, nor the worst equestrian around. I have owned and trained my own horses long enough to know I'm not a good match with this particular horse.

3. Not that it's anyone's business, but since a few folks have taken it upon themselves to call me irresponsible for breeding Banana in the first place- I bought Banana's father at a farm auction simply because we were afraid for his fate. He was 200 lbs underweight, not gelded, and no one would even bid $50 for him. I bought him, fed him up and started him under saddle. At the time, Banana's mother was getting older and my wife likes the miserable nag, so we bred them with the intent of replacing one of our trail horses. Banana's father was gelded and sold (for a loss after all of the vet bills and feed) and now works as a school pony at a lesson stable.

4. Banana got his shots and a Coggins test done yesterday. He tried to steal the Coggins papers from the vet. I doubt it was because he thought it would taste good.


This ad raises some interesting points which I feel are valid to equine welfare particularly in the current economic climate.

Firstly the breeding issues, for which the current owner has been criticized. Here we have a snapshot of what happens every day all over the world when many people decide to breed horses. They want to replace one, or they want to keep something that they like in their current horse going. This is how so many unremarkable horses are born week after week into a flooded market.

The first lesson as we know is that you can't guarantee what you are going to get from breeding and here, as the owner freely admits, the qualities he admired in the parents have not emerged in their offspring quite as he hoped! So if you want something particular in your new horse, go buy one instead of breeding it. Then you can pick out just what you want because you can see it in a living animal.

The irresponsible breeders don't spent time on the horse-that-is-not-what-they-expected and move them on with no training or time spent on them- much as this horse's father was. At least here we have someone who has tried hard to work with the horse and make it a useful animal. They have decided to sell this horse because they believe that they are having something of a personality clash, which can happen, and that someone else may get better results than them.

The owner has not just dumped the horse-that-is-not-what-they-expected at an auction, a common fate for so many of his kind. They have also said they will not do this which is to their credit.

So while the situation is not ideal I like that they are being upfront and honest about what is happening with the horse, deliberately trying to find the right partner for him. But the ad is also a timely warning to anyone with a pretty average mare they just looove for one random reason or another and want a baby from- you could wind up breeding your very own Rotten Banana!

Advert of the Day

Here we have for sale on equine now- a blob.

This frankly terrible picture accompanies a horse for sale ad promoting a stallion for stud 'serves' or sale. 

We don't know:

-What height

- How old

- If he has ever been ridden or even sat on!

- What he looks like to be honest, other than that he appears to have four white legs

We do know:

- a breeding would cost 40-80 dollars

- He's a black and white paint

- He loves other horses. 

It's hard to tell what would possibly recommend this horse as a father. Or as someone's new horse for that matter. Please people, put some thought into an advert. Think about what you're trying to say and what your horse's strong points are. And if he doesn't have many, give him some. Get some work into him! 

Wow, so that's not Irresponsible...

Why would a legitimate horse rescue organisation post ads like this (Link, Link)?! These two are from Equine Now and are posted, as you can see, by a group called Second Wind Rescue.

Yes folks that is not one but two adverts offering a BREEDING STALLION FOR SALE.
No mistakes- that is the title of the ad and comes up under a 'breeding stock' search.

Here's the problem-
-Neither horse is in good health (melanoma/looks like hell and doesn't seem to have great legs- see below!!)
-Both are older animals- so chances of landing on their feet permanently if just sold off and not kept under some form of guardianship are slim
-Both are priced to appeal to the idiot backyard breeder (Hey Wilma- hitch up the trailer! Got me a stallion for the old mare out back, registered and everything! *head-desk*).

Most importantly-
IF YOU ARE A GOOD RESCUE WHY WOULD YOU EVER EVER CONSIDER THESE ANIMALS SUCH FANTASTIC BREEDING STOCK THAT THEY ARE SUITABLE TO BE SENT OUT INTO THE WIDE WORLD WITH BALLS ATTACHED TO CREATE MORE OF THEIR KIND!!!

Jeez they are just not that special, poor guys. At a time when people are trying to sell horse for peanuts/dumping them on roads and out in the country/abandoning them at boarding stables and livery yards/shooting them rather than have to find the money to feed them no one should be more aware of the problem than the rescues trying to tackle the mess.

I seriously question the ethics of this organisation. SERIOUSLY. Poor horses!

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.

Advert of the Day

Today's ad of the day has a slightly different slant, and it made me feel a lot of things. Firstly the cynic in me wondered if it could actually be for real. Then I felt very sad for the kid in question, and finally I felt terrified that someone might actually ring and offer her a horse!

Here it is:

AD CONTENT:

Hello im Kim im a 13 year old girl look i know my prices are small but let me explain my mare (Flicka a black TWH/Saddlebred mare) died on 9-11-11 due to colic for the 3rd time, apparently some horses are like born with a weakness to it which she had she was 7 when she died and i think we got her at 2 years old now im looking for a horse someone can hold for us my dad is taking extra precautions so the horse will be safer than flick was she would have never left us but we didn't make a very good fence with her but now dad said that he is gonna make the best fence in history lol i have been looking at many horses but still have not found one any paints will be welcomed i want to learn cross country so i need a good jumper and fast runner but i'll consider ALL horses i love horses my room is filled with them we have many animals so we are experienced 5 cats, 6 dogs and chickens i have had lots of horses in the past but flick was the only one who wasn't sold here is somethings i need:

-Mare or stallion (gelding will be considered because i may want to breed the horse in the future)
-All horses are welcome Paints will be welcomed with opened arms so will all
-any breed plus mixed breeds
-must be broken and young (2-4)
-Must be low priced

my parents are in debt but they try to get me what i ask for thats why they are great
There are so many areas of concern here that I can barely start.

Flicka a black TWH/Saddlebred mare) died on 9-11-11 due to colic for the 3rd time, apparently some horses are like born with a weakness to it which she had she was 7

Firstly poor old Flicka looks to have been very ill for some time. Can you see in the pictures where her hips and spine are jutting out?

From some of the content I wonder if the family really knew how to care for her properly. I wonder if there may have been something very wrong internally, maybe even a growth/obstruction of some sort. The cost of looking into this appears to have been beyond the owners- but if it was, by no means would I EVER recommend they jump in and get another horse!

my dad is taking extra precautions so the horse will be safer than flick was she would have never left us but we didn't make a very good fence with her

Um... so there wasn't a securely fenced paddock in place for Flicka? Surely this is one of the main essentials for horse keeping!

Perhaps this explains the colic- she may have been wandering into nearby wasteland and eating god knows what. Plus of course the risk of horses getting into accidents and injuring other people...

i want to learn cross country so i need a good jumper and fast runner

For $500 the poster is more likely to end up with something that would fall over a jump instead of take it! Also a horse that goes really fast and jumps doesn't always make a good cross county horse- they need to have that cruising speed, stamina, bravery and the intelligence to measure their fences correctly.

...but i'll consider ALL horses i love horses my room is filled with them we have many animals so we are experienced 5 cats, 6 dogs and chickens...

I am sure the readers of this blog don't need me to point out that keeping lots of different animals does not in any way make you experienced in horse management!

i have had lots of horses in the past but flick was the only one who wasn't sold here

I can only presume that most of the other horses just passed through and may not even have been with the family for long. Therefore any knowledge acquired is probably minimal.

Mare or stallion (gelding will be considered because i may want to breed the horse in the future)

AAAAAH!!! If you are going to buy a horse for about $500 I would bet my WHOLE RIGHT LEG that it's not going to be a good breeding candidate! I am presuming that the bit in brackets is a typing error as of course, geldings are not capable of breeding. Not to mention of course the experience needed to do a good job of caring for a mare in foal and her baby. Never mind safely and securely managing a stallion (without a proper fence possibly?! Feel faint...)...!!

-must be broken and young (2-4)
-Must be low priced

Again for $500 anything nicely broken and that age, fully sound and healthy (this could be where they get duped into taking on something with chronic illness) may be hard to come by.

The continual emphasis of a low price is a constant worry. $500 at current currency conversion rates (from those handy tools online) is only about £300. That's barely 2 months care for my horse. Keeping horses correctly is not cheap and that's assuming things don't go wrong. My horse once spent a few nights in a vet hospital. I had to pay the £250 (about $395) insurance excess, but if she hadn't been insured, I'd have been looking at a 2k vet bill. I tend to agree with the approach that if you can't afford to spend around what the type of horse you really want (in this case an allrounder/ cross country schoolie) will cost you, you probably can't afford to keep the horse anyway.

my parents are in debt but they try to get me what i ask for thats why they are great

Maybe this is why poor Flicka's recurring colic was never properly addressed. :-(

I do feel sad about this whole stituation. Heck I was a frustrated horse loving kid and all I wanted was to ride but my folks couldn't even afford to pay for regular lessons. I worry that the family could end up being presented with a horse that's either dangerous or sick at the price they are promoting. And of course I fear for the welfare of any horse that might end up with them.

If I could have one hope it would be that someone with a stables in the area and the patience to work with young people would call her and invite her over, so she can get the feeling of riding properly schooled horses and learn to go cross country as she wants, without putting herself or another horse at risk.

As an aside, I discovered this ad as I tried to investigate the other side of horse selling- the problem of buyers! More on that later.

When is a Broodmare not a Broodmare...

This ad is just full of contradictions...

Spotted the issue? Yes she's being described as a broodmare throughout the ad. And effectively she is- she's never been broken. She's had LOTS of babies. But you mustn't breed her. Because she's lame, and no one knows why. 

Question; why on earth decide breeding from her is not a good idea only when you finally decide to sell her? Maybe it would have been smart not to start breeding from her in the first place? Because the one thing the good old US of A is in dire need of right now is more chestnut quarter horses that are lame and unrideable. Without knowing why this mare is lame, there is a definite chance that she has passed some unseen defect on to her offspring. 

If the seller is serious about wanting this horse to go somewhere where she won't be bred anymore, they really should have taken the word broodmare right off this ad, because there are still people out there who are dumb enough to think breeding horses is the way to make money, and if it's got a functioning uterus, they'll have a go with someone's colt up the road. And they'll start by looking for cheap broodmares. And guess who'll pop up when they search for that- yep our chestnut friend up there. She could be hobbling on one good leg, and that wouldn't stop these people from thinking her foal would be worth millions (by some miracle) and getting her pregnant as fast as they can wheedle her away from her current owners with promises of lawn-mower duties. 

A REAL broodmare is actually a hard thing to find. The queries over the horse above are very obvious, but there are so many mares being touted as breeding prospects when they are anything but. Here are some things that DON'T make a horse a broodmare prospect, yet have actually been used on sale adverts as reasons for a mare being sold as one:

• The fact that they've already had a foal in the past- this doesn't mean they should necessarily carry on doing it!! 
• That they have strong 'mothering instincts'. Whilst it's true that not all mares do, most certainly will, very nice mares as well as the crappy ones.
• They are so 'sweet, loving and caring'. See above.
• 'She is stunning'. This is often a subjective comment. Anyway, just because the mare looks nice doesn't mean it's necessarily worth  breeding from, especially if she's proved utterly useless for anything else due to mental or physical issues. 
• 'Difficult ride/not novice ride/won't tolerate ridden work so best for breeding'. Yep, it's too crazy to stay on, so lets breed it. Cos everyone wants to own a horse with a screw loose. 
• Annnd our number one reason? They just can't be ridden anymore.

If a horse has never been able to stand up to being ridden, breeding would be a very bad idea- conformational issues can readily contribute to unsoundness and of course could easily be handed down to the foal. One of the most worrying things I've seen is the number of mares being offered as broodmares which can't be ridden because of navicular syndrome. This is a bit of a catch all description for a serious and often crippling foot disorder, but given that many experts feel hoof conformation is a major factor, why would you breed from a horse with this issue?

A good broodmare should be conformationally and generally correct for her breed/type (colour, height, build etc.), have a kind temperament, be fit and healthy (certainly no long term mystery lameness- although mares that are lame through accident and can no longer be ridden can have foals with vet clearance), and if she doesn't have impeccable bloodlines to speak for themselves and a family that have proven themselves in their field time and time again, have a good competition/show record. If that sounds like a lot to ask, take a look at the horse sale ads yourself. You can pick up an average horse for peanuts and there are already too many lovely horses unable to find a home. Why risk breeding something with little chance of at least producing a very nice foal when you could buy the same for less than the whole operation would cost?

Basically, if you ARE looking for a broodmare, I'd forget looking for freebies and expect to shell out at least as much as you'd pay for a competition horse of good quality. In the current economy, it's just not worth breeding from anything less. 

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.

Why Bother Looking After it if You're Only Going to Sell it?

So how old would you guess this horse is?

Would you believe she's only seven?!

She looks like a badly kept 20 year old- many well kept veterans would put her to shame. She's had foals, heaven knows how many- it doesn't say. That might explain the dropped belly, or she could be in foal again, or, looking at the overall picture, she could be in desperate need of worming. There's no shine at all in that coat, her scrawny neck and prominent spine, withers and hips indicate her lack of condition. Ad says she's very quiet... boy I'll bet. She could barely raise a canter in that state.

I know she'd probably look a lot better well cared for but working from these admittedly poor shots I would never consider her ideal breeding material. Her hindlegs appear weak, her hindfeet look to turn out significantly and I fear that upside down neck of hers might be a permanent and very unattractive feature which we can only hope her offspring did not inherit.

I can't believe anyone would be willing to stand and hold a horse in this condition for sale- maybe that's why the guy is hiding behind a pillar. Was it too much trouble to throw in extra feed and a good grooming for even a fortnight before you took these shots, cos really, that's all it should take to cause a difference in her, unless there are deeper health issues at work we don't know about.

Poor mare. Used up and unwanted. Lets hope her next ride was not directly to the slaughterhouse.

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.

She's Got What?!

Way to boost a gal's self esteem! This poor lady finds herself advertised with her most noteworthy features apparently the fact that she has fish eyes (doncha need a vet for that?!) and a moustache! I love the fact that they spend more time noting these markings than they do mentioning what actual work she has done in the past!

 

Aside from the odd expression for what I presume are something like wall eyes (enlighten me please anyone!) we also have the fact that she has been running with a BIBLE stallion? Again, never EVER come across this before, any takers?

 

Incidentally I think we could enlarge on 'running with' and make it 'pregnant by'... if these shots are anything to go by...

 

 

Also I wonder if that's last year's foal popping up over her neck?! Poor old girl, hopefully she lands on her feet regardless of her facial hair and dodgy eyes....

Why is it so Skinny?!

When you put a horse up for sale, it's always a bonus that it doesn't look like a hatrack. These horses have both been breeding- but having a foal is no reason for them to be so thin. Yes it takes it out of them- that's why you UP THEIR FEED!!

The ad has gone for this mare, but here she is looking poor and bony with her foal at foot at Dragon Driving.

And then we have this poor soul. Her temperament is said to be very quiet. Not surprising, look at her prominent spine and hips- the shot disguises her flanks but I can pretty much guarantee if you could see those you could count her ribs. She probably wouldn't have the energy to argue with anything, she's using it all just hanging in there.

Fingers crossed both mares find a home where they actually get a decent meal once in a while.

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!



Advert of the Day

No prizes for spotting the issues in this little ad, but there's something about its simplicity and the information provided that made me smile!

It's Cute So Buy It!

Welcome all to my new Blog. Having been a long term horsey window shopper (ages 12- 32!) and extensive browser of horse sale ads, I felt it was time to share the knowledge I have inadvertently accumulated and start trying to show why certain ads are not good, not effective or just downright AWFUL.
Today's offering appeared on Chronicle of the Horse and is from Craigslist, Chicago. As the link will probably disappear quite quickly I include a full transcript of the exact ad and some of the pictures for your perusal!
 Here's the content:

Friesian & Gypsy Vanner crosses (sw wi) ~MAKE OFFER OR TRADE~All foals are healthy and sound more info paintsndanes.webs.com may consider trades, creative financing, and payment plans 6088two250two9 Gypsy Vanner Stallion Wes (son of charlie) http://www.gypsyvannerhorsebreeders.com/ Wes is the sire of Nevaeh, Rumshata, and Bravo.

Romeo(FriesianXPaint) can be registered with the FRIEISAN SPORT HORSE REGISTRY. He is my first foal this year foaled June 16, 2012. We also watched him be born into this world, a truely amazing thing to experience. I would like to share it with you in this video! Romeo is everything I could ask for, and more in a colt! Romeo sports a very friendly sweet personality, and EVERYONE who meets him falls in love! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLfrcXt8x-w

Nevaeh(GypsyVannerXAPHA) foaled June 19, 2012 she is my second foal of the year. She is just like her name heavenly. What a doll, and very spunky, we just love her! Nevaeh has a beautiful build and looks to match!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOxU0WaGPio

Vegas bay AQHA filly foaled 6/24/12.(angels willow X scotch skipnscoot) Vegas is such a cutie and will be offered for sale at weaning. She is a doll! Come check this girl out for yourself you will love her!

Bravo Gypsy Vanner APHA cross colt. Bravo foaled July 5, 2012 my last foal of the year. This tobiano boy is stunning, going to be big! Born with more hair, feather, and leg than any of the other gypsy crosses! This boy is a real gentlman loves people!

Already some red flags are waving for me- firstly the mention of creative financing and payment plans is a little worrying. Secondly the fact that they are selling multiple foals of similar ages but a range of crosses suggests a pretty random, and therefore probably not the best quality, breeding approach. The prevalence of the trendy and therefore all too often overpriced Gypsy Vanner and Friesian in the mix speaks volumes. There's no mention of whether these foals are well handled in the practical terms of having their feet picked up or leading in a halter, but plenty about them being pretty and friendly. And then of course we have the pictures:

Now lets see, what's right with them. Well the horses look nice and healthy, good weight, good condition, no scabs, lice, legs falling off etc. Then we come down to the people with the horses... AAAARGH! Lack of sensible footwear, carrying foals around like dogs, and encouraging them to practically climb on top of them for the love of god?! Ok, so it might be kinda cute now, but hey, that widdle fluffy foal is going to be a great BIG horse in a few years time, and when he puts his feet on your shoulders then, you're gonna KNOW about it! Honestly, the motto with horses ought to be think before you teach it. While the stallions pictured both look in good nick there's not much to say why they should be reproducing- they don't seem to have a performance record. And the mares seem an irrelevance barely discussed. What have these animals done to deserve having babies on the ground? After all, if they've achieved there's a good chance their progeny will. If they haven't... well you get the idea.
So in summary, lesson one. If you want to sell your horse think about what people actually want to buy. With babies that is usually an animal with potential for something more than just looking cute and doing some tricks. And possibly killing you with said trick in the near future. Class dismissed.