$1 horses.......are these people for real??????

Most every place is over run with unwanted horses. The unintended consequences of certain legislation. So yes, $1 is not a surprise. There are sales pavilions near me now where they lock up people's trailers because reports of people loading unwanted horses into trailers while folks were bidding on other horses.

 

All you can do is check with people in the area who may know them. Look up the local feed stores, I'm sure they know.

 

I don't think it sounds odd at all. As it gets closer to winter we will see several around us practically giving away horses with the understanding that you will provide vet care, proper shelter, and basic good care. I know some of those who take in rescue horses start getting desperate as the year moves toward winter and they have a few too many. Their fees drop big time and they just start looking for good homes where maybe the person cannot afford the 3500 fee. We have 2 horses right now that were given to us outright for exactly that reason. We had the fenced in fields, barns for shelter and plenty of hay and other horses that were taken care of. They just wanted them to have a good home. Ours our beautiful too. Won't hurt to check it out if your interested.

 

Nope. Not odd. There are *many* registered, broke, healthy, and young family type horses up for grabs right now in my area.

Even sadder, there are a *greater* number of unbroke, unhealthy, or neglected animals being taken away or fostered.

The "certain legislation" cbatz refers to is the fabulous piece that closed the last horse slaughterhouse in IL. Effectively, the majority of the voters were Cook County (read;Chicago and suburbs) and urban.

Couple the FANTASTIC timing of this legislation, along with one heck of a recession, and you get a huge amount of horses with not even a meat value. End result= horses starving, being let loose in state parks (Gov. Dodge here in WI is real popular for that) and, as you have found out, 1$ horses.

Enjoy your new horse!

 

if a organization hard core screens there adopters its not that bad

 

Quote:Sadly enough it's true. Horse slaughter is now illegal in the US, resulting in a major overpopulation in such a bad recession. We live in a pretty rural area of Colorado and its so sad to see the consequence of taking away the industry. So many people don't have the money to pay for feed, unemployment here is 10.2% last I saw for my county, and since so much of the county is BLM people are just turning their "extra" horses loose into the BLM. At the auction papered yearling quarterhorses and paints are going for $25 or so... no more than $80. At $25 the seller is actually paying people to take them after the manditory brand inspection, auctionier fees, lot fees etc.
Last fall we sold two horses, 1 8 yoa mare, 1 3yoa gelding... both green broke and total they we took home $300 after the $50 in fees for the two. But that's two less mouths to feed, had to do it... and might have to sell more.

 

The sad thing is that for years people advocated to 'Stop Horse Slaughter!' 'It's Cruel!' bla bla bla...now a lot of those same people are having issues giving their horses away.

I wouldn't be surprised if it actually comes down to people slaughtering or butchering their own horses, because the animals are starving and theres no one who will take them. Its really affecting the middle-class and lower class horses, i.e, non-competition horses, trail horses, play day horses, the babysitters. And especially, the old, the green broke, and the young. Popular breeds especially, paints, QH, Mustang, Arab, mainly because their a dime a dozen. Everybody loves them, so most everyone has them.

You bet that those high-end competition horses aren't having much of a problem. Mainly because the people who can afford a $50,000-$100,000 don't have a real money problem (doctors, lawyers, etc.). Some do, yes, but the majority don't.

 

If you attend the livestock auction around here you can buy horses for $3 (my neighbor attends weekly and keeps me informed of the prices). They are being bought up at that price and shipped to Mexico. I don't even like to think about what happens to them once they get there, let alone what happens to them on the trip.

 

The horse industry has been hit hard as a whole between the legislation and the economy. Thoroughbred racing has taken hits all over the place. The Pin hookers and the small time owners(like myself) are struggling and going under daily.

It has gotten so bad that there are stakes winning horses ending up in kill pens at livestock auctions all over the country. I know of two stakes winning mares in foal with $100,00+ stud fees who were pulled form the kill pen in PA this spring. Not to mention stories like this one http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30154365 .

It's such an epidemic that the racetracks have started enforcing rules regarding owners and trainers who's horses are found in kill pens. I know several tracks on the east coast have revoked track licenses of people who have had horses "rescued" from local auctions.

I have 5 horses. I am praying the sales will not be horrible this winter. I can't afford to hold on to these foals through training and racing. If I can't sell them, I'm sunk. The registration and sales fees for two foals is going to run me aprox $1100. I am praying to at least re coup that amount.