I’m pleased to announce that with the help of money several people specifically set aside for this, we were able to pull two at-risk horses from a livestock auction. This particular auction is heavily attended by “kill buyers”, professionals who are contracted by horse slaughterhouses to purchases ‘meaty’ looking horses to fill orders. The kill buyers treat the horse like a commodity, putting as many horses at possible into a tractor trailer and shipping in all weather, no matter how hot or cold. The loads eventually end up in Mexico or Canada, where the horses are killed for meat for people to eat.
When we do this, we have to pass over the beautifully groomed or perfectly trained horses. Those types of horses go to riding stables or individuals. The horses most in need of saving at this sale are the ones who are dropped off without being groomed first. Usually they have no registration papers. Sometimes they’re ridden in the ring, sometimes not. While it’s a little riskier than buying the flashy horses, these are the ones who fall through the cracks and will end up on that over-crowded meat truck, if nobody steps in.
At the auction, the goal is to focus on ones going to the brokers and not to individuals. Brokers are the ones who buy horse after horse. You’ll hear their number repeated throughout the day. They often arrive in a tractor-trailer. Some wear the name of their meat/livestock company on their hat or jacket. If you visit the same livestock sale repeatedly, you get to know their faces.
Today we found a Belgian and a Haflinger that seemed to be overlooked by most people. The only other bidder for either of them was one of the brokers. Using the money we were budgeted by these sponsors, we were able to aquire the Belgian for $450.00. She is a mature mare, and we were told she was a trail horse. The Haflinger mare was $300.00. She is very young, and the vet doing the Coggins estimated only 3 yrs old. Little information was given about the Haflinger. Both are in very good weight (meaty!). Both appear to be healthy and so far seem to have good temperament.
We used our own trailer to transport them back, once the vet’s paperwork was completed. They lead nicely and loaded without a problem. They hauled nicely for the 1.5 hour ride back.
Because horses at auctions, kill-pens, and broker’s lots are stressed & exposed to many other horses, strict isolation quarantine procedures are followed as a precaution. After unloading, the trailer must be stripped, power-washed completely inside and out, disinfected, allowed to dry, and rinsed again. Everyone along had to shower, change clothes, and disinfect their shoes before going to handle other horses. The inside the truck was wiped down with disinfectant wipes. And any items that touched the new horses must stay with the new horses, as they can carry germs back to the others. The new horses go into a special field that is several hundred feet from any other horse fence. It may seem like a lot of work, but the only way to control disease is to do an isolation quarantine for a minimum of 3 weeks. Quarantine must be extended if any new horse shows any signs of sickness, such as wet nose or cough.
The new girls settled in just fine and were content to just graze and rest, after their long day.
You’re welcome to email us to be notified when they are ready to meet prospective adopters. But for the next few weeks, they’ll be in quarantine. Be sure to check back on this site or follow us on Facebook for updates on these girls.
