Out of curiosity, what would be better for a horse? Update! Post# 28

[babyblue2]

If you do get the horse I've got an extra waterproof winter turnout blanket, I think its a 78. I sold the mare that I used it on and the old man wears an 82, so no use for it. If the people do end up selling to you it will likely be in the dead of winter when hay is scarce and the horse looks like heck.

 

[ArkaFarmaMama]

Quote:
THAT IS INSANE!! I just bought a WELL BROKE, beautiful, fat, gelding for $400, delivered!
That guy is crazy! The horse will cost him more to feed this winter than you are offering him!
I'm in AR an we are selling our 6ft. round bales of FESCUE for $55. And people are happy to
pay only that!
Keep on him! I once tried to buy an imaciated, lice riddled, ugly, scabby pony from a man and
he refused. Tole me the pony was for his grandkids. Came home one day and that pony was
dead and burning on top of a brush pile. I walked over there and waived my $200 in his face
and told him "WOULDN'T YOU HAVE RATHER HAD THIS!!!!!!!!"

Stupid inbred, white trash, Arkansas hillbillies! I can say that because we're probably related.

All you will need at first is a rain sheet to keep him dry. They are pretty cheap. I hope you
get him!

 

[Elite Silkies]

Stupid inbred, white trash, Arkansas hillbillies! I can say that because we're probably related.


I love your sense of humor

 

[Elite Silkies]

Hang in there Grit, they will give. It took me almost 3 weeks to get an emaciated mare. She was so emaciated she drug her back legs, and they were riding her!!!!!

 

[jettgirl24]

God people make me so angry. I can't believe you can look out your window and be okay with seeing your horse in crappy conditions like that... Oh wait, guess you don't have to look at him when you've got cardboard over your windows!

I could be wrong but from your post it seems like you don't have much prior horse experience. Normally I would say don't buy a horse before a year of lessons, then lease one, etc, etc. In this case I say hound that guy until he gives. Just about any place would be better than where he's at and based on the description you've given of your property he'd be in horse heaven. I hope the owner changes his mind eventually for the horse's sake.

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
try again, and bug the county regularly. let the sherriff know you'll take the horse in if the guy wants to surrender it... but be clear you offered to buy it so the sherrif knows you're not just using the reports to get a horse for free.
you can enlist other people to make the report as well.
if there's no animal control in your area, and no animal welfare regulations, it gets harder, but persisting may work.

we had a similar situation, the folks next door to a job site my hubby was on were starving some puppies to death in their yard. the guy never left the house, his wife went out daily in a nursing uniform, and he had several school aged kids. we didn't know if he was disable, unable to find work, or just lazy, but we figured he might be deciding to feed the dogs or feed his kids. we figured if we offered to buy the pups, without mentioning their condition, and stated why "we'll be needing dogs for guarding on our construction project", we'd give him a way to save face and still give the dogs up. and likely providing money for feeding his kids. even if he was just lazy, it seemed the most functional approach. it worked, but it took several days before we got an answer, checked back 2 days after we made the offer and he took it.

dogs turned out to be beautiful 100 lb catahoula great dane crosses when they finished recovering, and growing, and growing... they're now hunting hogs for a living in Texas... perfect job for them.

point is, offer them a way to save face. come up with a reason they can acknowledge, and money, and pressure from the sherrif, and you may get a yes. people's pride is sometimes much bigger than their common sense or compassion.

in the mean time, you may have to decide if you're willing to save this horse's life by feeding him where he is. it's a plan I really *hate* because it enables their bad behavior, but if he's thin enough to be suffering, you can buy a lot of feed for $500.

we fed the pups next door, even when they weren't ours. guy could have called the sherrif on us for being on his property, but he never did. it's a risk, without legal standing, but we couldn't take seeing them starve (they were so thin I really don't know why they didn't die.)

keep working on it.

 

[WIChookchick]

Perhaps you can offer to take the horse to your property on the premise that you need something to keep the pasture down.. it would be free to them, and you can save the horse.
I would be leery of buying the horse, you could get it all nice and healthy and have it disappear.

If you can at least offer the horse a place to live that is healthy, with lots of good food and room to roam...
Also even if you get the horse away from them by using the sherriff... if I were you, I would Not take the horse in, not at your home, have it taken elsewhere.
If the horse comes to your home, after you offered to buy it, and then get the sherriff after them... they are more likely to make your life a living *ell.

I don't know if your state has a state humane officer OR a brand inspector, you can contact them about the horse though... I did in a case involving 2 starved horses in a county
in rural california that had a county humane society but they were bankrupt.
You may also try the untied states humane society or a national horse humane society or farm humane society...