Eau Claire sale

[RnRs Lilnickers]

Come on guys tell us about the sale today, how were the prices and the horses? big turn out?

 

[shminifancier]

I would say about average for that sale... I really liked a John Mule that went through the sale... A nice one as what I could see...He went for $225.. and well lets just say He went for about 2 times more then a lot of the minis did..

Some went for a nice price but for the most part it was pretty low on the price side for minis..I am not sure what the average price was but lots went under the 150 mark that brings down the average quite a bit even if a very few did get to the 1,000 dollar mark...or even the 600 price with the low ones figured in that brings the average down..

But I did like the Mule

and if it was in the Spring of next year I may have bid on one like that.....

 

[Buckskin gal]

Sounds like it was good for buyers but not so good for sellers. Hope you had a fun day. Mary

I would say about average for that sale...  I really liked a John Mule that went through the sale... A nice one as what I could see...He went for $225..  and well lets just say He went for about 2 times more then a lot of the minis did..

Some went for a nice price but for the most part it was pretty low on the price side for minis..I am not sure what the average price was but lots went under the 150 mark that brings down the average quite a bit even if a very few did get to the 1,000 dollar mark...or even the 600 price with the low ones figured in that brings the average down..      But I did like the Mule

  and if it was in the Spring of next year I may have bid on one like that.....

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[Marnie]

It was a real bad day for 19 little minis. I never thought I'd see the day but a kill buyer was there. I didn't realize it right away, almost to the end before I caught on. There were people in line, two had stallions that I knew, I went and told them he was a kill buyer and both no saled there horse. the one thanked me after the sale for telling them, the one with the little dun pinto that is the sire to my two yr cremello filly.

Their just weren't many people there today, to even bid, the kill buyer was a fat sloppy dressed man, looked the type. Standing next to the auctioneer on the right hand side, in a sloppy blue striped shirt, if anyone wants to know who he was.

After the sale, we went out behind where they were loading, he'd put two studs together up front, they were fighting just terribly, the entire time, his huge trailor was just shaking from it, until I couldn't bare it any longer, I walked away. I saw him drag out several little weanlings, nice straight little horses with big eyes, tiny muzzles, clipped and looking pretty, nothing wrong with them except no one else had bid, he got them for about 130$ each. Approx. How can anyone kill those tiny babies. What kind of person would it take at a kill plant to kill them and what did he make off of them, it couldn't be much.

I was afraid to talk to him, afraid I'd rip his head off. Someone asked him how he could do this and he said the market was flooded anyway and this keeps the price up. When numerous people told him to separate those studs, one person heard him say that they were just going to die anyway.

What bugs me is that so many people don't know that their horse went for kill. One young girl came back to him three times with more instructions about her stud and if I had known then what I know now, I'd have went to her too and told her to take her horse and run and I'll bet she would have. I think kill buyers should be identified as such at the beginning of the sales.

I never thought I'd see one at a mini sale and I can honestly say that it's the last sale I'll ever go to. It's breaking my heart and I can't sleep, remembering those little weanlings, looking so confused, I think I'll see them forever. I'm sitting here crying instead of sleeping. One forum member rescued one, bought it away from him right off of his truck, it never dawned on me to even do that, I was so upset with him but bless her, I'm sure she'll come on and tell about him too.

This was a very sad day for me and I'll never go back, I'm done with all sales. This is the reason I don't go to big horse sales, so many unsuspecting people sell to the kill buyers. Maybe some people think it's ok but I don't, tears are still running down my cheeks as I write this, I can't get over what I saw today. So sad.

 

[Buckskin gal]

Boy did I get a lump in my throat just reading about those babies. I definitely have a strong dislike for buyers who have no heart, but why are people selling these babies like this? That is even more heartless because they are responsible for them being born.

I am so glad that a few sellers didn't let them go. These sales all need the Humane Society standing around to see animals aren't abused as you say they were. Is it really getting that our precious minis have so little value to them that people will actually sell under those conditions?.

Who were the people selling these babies? I think I woud have had to take his name and license and had some authority or another check that load of horses out for druelty to animals. So sad, Mary

It was a real bad day for 19 little minis. I never thought I'd see the day but a kill buyer was there. I didn't realize it right away, almost to the end before I caught on. There were people in line, two had stallions that I knew, I went and told them he was a kill buyer and both no saled there horse. the one thanked me after the sale for telling them, the one with the little dun pinto that is the sire to my two yr cremello filly.     Their just weren't many people there today, to even bid, the kill buyer was a fat sloppy dressed man, looked the type. Standing next to the auctioneer on the right hand side, in a sloppy blue striped shirt, if anyone wants to know who he was.

    After the sale, we went out behind where they were loading, he'd put two studs together up front, they were fighting just terribly, the entire time, his huge trailor was just shaking from it, until I couldn't bare it any longer, I walked away. I saw him drag out several little weanlings, nice straight little horses with big eyes, tiny muzzles, clipped and looking pretty, nothing wrong with them except no one else had bid, he got them for about 130$ each. Approx. How can anyone kill those tiny babies. What kind of person would it take at a kill plant to kill them and what did he make off of them, it couldn't be much.

      I was afraid to talk to him, afraid I'd rip his head off. Someone asked him how he could do this and he said the market was flooded anyway and this keeps the price up. When numerous people told him to separate those studs, one person heard him say that they were just going to die anyway.

      What bugs me is that so many people don't know that their horse went for kill. One young girl came back to him three times with more instructions about her stud and if I had known then what I know now, I'd have went to her too and told her to take her horse and run and I'll bet she would have. I think kill buyers should be identified as such at the beginning of the sales.

    I never thought I'd see one at a mini sale and I can honestly say that it's the last sale I'll ever go to. It's breaking my heart and I can't sleep, remembering those little weanlings, looking so confused, I think I'll see them forever. I'm sitting here crying instead of sleeping. One forum member rescued one, bought it away from him right off of his truck, it never dawned on me to even do that, I was so upset with him but bless her, I'm sure she'll come on and tell about him too.

      This was a very sad day for me and I'll never go back, I'm done with all sales. This is the reason I don't go to big horse sales, so many unsuspecting people sell to the kill buyers. Maybe some people think it's ok but I don't, tears are still running down my cheeks as I write this, I can't get over what I saw today. So sad.

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[capall beag]

So sad!!!!!!!!!!

It is so sad and depressing. To think of a mare going through 11 months of preganancy, hard labor and birth, a beautiful healthy baby making ot out of the sac just to be killed, it is truly senseless and heartbreaking!!!!!!

I am going to bed with a heavy heart after reading Marnie's post BUT do appreciate her posting because we should NOT pretend this does not happen

 

[Robin1]

Why on earth would a killer want with babies???? He can't possibly make any money on the weight of a weanling. I feel sick.

Robin

 

[Ashley]

There were very very few minis there that were actually quality. I can say that some of the ponys and the mule(yes I actually love him to) were better then most of the minis.

I wasnt in the barn most of the time as I couldnt stand to look at alot of them, that looked like they could just fall over anytime.

I felt really bad for one mare that was there. She had a nurseing foal, yet was so thin you could see and count every rib, her back bone was up and her hips shot out. At first I thought she was a stallion when she came in the barn, until I seen her little foal come in.

I was also horrified at how thin some of them foals were.

I however dont remember the guy you are talking about, but like I said I wasnt in the barn much.

 

[Bluebell]

I left early at about 2:00 so i didn't see this. I didn't notice the guy you are refering too. But i think the right thing to do would be everyone that saw this to confront the man in charge of the sale and let your concerns be known loud and clear! The auctioneer makes commission on the $ sales end but let him know too how all who saw this feel. Kill buyers are probably a fact of life but they should be made to treat these animals decently. Putting 2 stallions together in a trailer?? Unreal. Some one in charge is too blame for not making him treat those stallion humanely (sp?) while on the sale grounds. It isn't only the kill buyer to blame.

Yes i felt sorry for those foals too. I noticed by the sale date and the date they were born there were a few who weren't even a full 3 months old yet! Too many, from the same 2 farms, to think that they were weaned because of the mares condition.....unless they were fed the same way too.

But there were a few there that had some good potential also, i thought anyway.

 

[Margaret]

How sad... This should be a warning to those who breed minis and dont want to follow up on seeing them get to proper homes.. I am sorry to see that the market for pet quality minis to be headed in this direction at the auctions. It certainly should make people think twice before taking any thing there and just leaving it.

 

[DunPainted]

Well, I'm the person who "strong-armed" the kill buyer with kindness (difficult as it may be) into selling the last weanling colt standing in the stalls awaiting to be boarded on the death truck. I went to the sale (with my car) just to meet up with Qtr Rae and Marnie. When I heard the commotion in a trailer, then saw what was going on.......3 weanlings being "winch-loaded" into the trailer which had a 12" step-up, the fear in their eyes and screams from having their knees scraped on the way into the trailer. It was a restless night of sleep, as picturing those poor things being loaded will haunt me for the rest of my life.

A couple women were heckling the kill buyer and the Amish woman/man that were helping "load" the horses. The breeder of these particular horses just stood by emotionless (talk about a heartless mini miller) as he watched the fruits of his "labor" get sent to kill in a less than pleasant manner. I turned to the women and said "IF IT WASN'T FOR INDISCRIMINATE BREEDERS, THIS MAN WOULDN'T HAVE A JOB!" I'm not betting the farm that this situation he witnessed had any affect on him. HOWEVER, perhaps he'll run the numbers and realize that the market for pet quality minis is at a SUBTERRANIAN LEVEL and get the heck out of "the business".

I turned to go inside and see what he had left to load.....one more weanling pinto colt....absolute doll that was scared to death. When the kill buyer and his accomplices came to get the colt, I said I'd like to buy him just so ONE horse didn't have to see the inside of THAT TRAILER. They all figured this crazy woman wasn't gonna give up the notion of relinquishing this foal to its intended fate, so a deal was struck with the devil. The Amish people kept trying to take the horse from me while the meat buyer was paying for his "kill" and met with no success. (Why didn't the guy pay for the horses before loading....but, then again, I'm not in the business to understand the intracacies of his profession.)

If I had a wish, it would be that folks that are back-yard breeding minis on a LARGE SCALE would have to witness what Marnie and others did yesterday! By "doing the numbers" they would find out that they're losing money and wasting their time by such an endeavor.....they've flooded the market and the horses are paying the price.

If folks have a mediocre stallion, perhaps they might consider gelding it and training it to pull a cart. Geldings trained to pull a cart brought higher prices than bred mares. Us baby-boomers don't RIDE horses anymore...too far to fall and our bones are brittle. That said, "boomers" are taking up driving minis because we can handle them and we still get our horsey fix.

I'm not a real religious person, but I do know that Jesus hung out with some unsavory characters and took the heat from "normal" folks. Guess I figured that if I showed kindness to this man and explained that the horse we were buying would have a nice home (my autistic son and I will "place" him), perhaps it might give him some "food for thought". That's all I ask.....one horse saved from slaughter and one man's conscious being pricked (and the kindness being shown seemed to humble him a bit....that was nice to see). Call me a weirdo, but I profusely thanked the kill buyer for "allowing" me to purchase the horse (with an upcharge) gave him a hug, and said "God bless you"!

Just want to say thank you to Donna Herold (Qtr Raes) for trailering him to her place until I can get down there to pick him up. Wanna know what I'm gonna name the little fella.........DUN PAINTED A CLOSE SHAVE (aka, Shaver) !! Here is a photo of him....the next is of the filly Donna purchased (in desperate need of grooming). Here's Shaver........

Here's Shaver and his girlfriend (Donna's new filly)!

Now, if someone sees the most gorgeous chestnut pinto colt on the Sale Board and wants to call me a "horse trader".....feel free, my shoulders can handle equal amounts of heat and weight.

Cindy

 

[Mona]

Marnie, there is no doubt in my mind that indeed there are minis that go to slaughter, but maybe to help you feel a little more at ease, I wanted to respond to this with my thoughts.

I DO believe he was a "killer buyer", and I do believe he bought all those horses, but I also believe that they are not going to slaughter. These killer buyers not only buy to sell direct to slaughter houses, but they also buy CHEAP to resell at a profit on ones they know they can count on for this. Minis are "cute", and they do play on people's heart strings. These buyers own HUGE sections of land and have lots of space to keep horses and cattle until their "time" has come.

There is a guy about an hour from here...he goes to all the sales(horse and cattle, but not mini sales) and buys either to ship for slaughter or to resell where he can. He brings them(horses) home and turns them loose on his property and people go there to buy horses from him for a "good price". He has in effect, become a "supplier". He goes to the sale, buys cheap, and sells higher. It costs him nothing as they graze all summer...no grain or handling.

I would think this is the same type of person that went in and bought those 19 minis. He is not going to get anything for a weanling...there is no way he would have paid $130 a piece if he planned only to send them to slaughter, as he would be losing money. I am sure he will do like this guy around here, and bring them home and turn them out, waiting for the "buyers" to show up looking for a cheap new family pet.

 

[dbarjminis]

I wasn't there, just checked in to see what people said about the sale yesterday. Sounds pretty sad. BUT, what I can say is I know exactly who you are talking about that was at that sale. He's had his license suspended for a killer as far as I know. We turned the SOB in this summer as we went by a pasture he has 20 miles from our house. Had 18 horses in it (big ones) and one was quite dead, right next to the road, another was gonna be dead, one had a broken leg, quite a few had strangles. He is a real piece of crap. Those horses were turned into a swamp he pastured in that only had a small muddy waterhole when it rained otherwise only swampgrass. All horses were skeleton thin. After 3 calls to the Clark County Sheriff's department, they finally investigated and as soon as the guy caught wind of it, he immediately shipped all remaining horses. There were 2 more dead ones. Last I heard as he was buying out of state horses without coggins and keeping kill only horses like this on a property instead of being immediately shipped, he was gonna be suspened from his license. He's simply disgusting. I betcha the only reason he was at Eau Claire, is cause he normally is a big buyer at the big Neillsville sale, which was Wed-Sat also, and they'd be looking for him there. We were at the spring mini sale and that slob was there then too. We had only gone for tack and watched about 6 horses go thru and he already had 2 then too. He lives in town in Abbotsford, WI (Clark County) and actually rents a barn from somebody, but I have no idea where this barn is supposed to be, only knew where that one pasture was, but he took down the fence there after the cops got on him. His name is William Kevilus, and he's got a long list of misdemeanors and felony's. I will contact the sheriff and let him know he's buying horses.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Cindy.......[SIZE=14pt]THANKYOU[/SIZE]

 

[shminifancier]

I will also agree with MONA Goodness sakes think of what those small minis would weigh? what 175 At best....those real small ones even a lot less then that ..Well an animal MAY yield as much as 40% of Body Weight for any useful "meat" at best on a small one not skinny but sure not fat either So say a mini at 150 lbs would yield a "meat" weight of about 60 lbs~! Now at well say 30 cents a pound that is $15.60 to get for kill weight not worth it~! In my book..So hopefully the majority of those that the Killer Bought will SEE new homes Hopefully because the math just does not add up other wise. and really that yield maybe way high as a steer may yield 50 to 55% and that is a fatten animal for meat...so that 40% maybe high it may only be 30% at best which would put the Total end figure at around 10 bucks per animal... That is not a profit at all but a loss..So reselling is the only way to come out or even break even.

 

[DunPainted]

Oh, Mona, thanks so much for your input! I try to find the best in people and this man did say that the horses were not going to kill, rather he had a buyer for the lot of them. No, I don't like the way the horses were handled and the "end" buyer will be stuck with a horse that's frightened of people....and who can blame them. They get ripped from their mamas, probably hog-tied to be clipped down (probably with electrical cord for maximum effect if my gut feeling about the BREEDER is correct), run through an auction, then RAMMED into a trailer. The only saving grace is that the weanlings know and have "each other".

I feel so much better, Mona, since you took the time to post. My husband is from Switzerland where horse meat is used for fondue in restaurants. I asked him if young horses would be the equivalent of veal to the European palate...he said NO. Truth be told, while dining in a Swiss restaurant, I had no idea the shaved meat I was eating (fondue) was that of a horse. As an American, who would've guessed that horse flesh would be served in a fine restaurant....any restaurant for that matter! Boy, did I feel just awful when my husband told me what I just consumed.

 

[shminifancier]

Yes I agree with you as the Yield ratio just is not there on a mini especially those real small ones 30% of body weight at best for any useful meat...Just does not add up for making any kind of profit for the killer to really kill those animals..10 bucks at best for each one in real meat value..The math just does not come up to make a profit in buying minis as a kill animal.. Better to resell to buyers of homes for pets..at even 50 bucks a head or 75 to a family And He paid more then that for each animal Or to break even a 100 bucks a piece but sure won't be getting any wheres near that in a kill price situation..

 

[chandab]

I would think this is the same type of person that went in and bought those 19 minis.  He is not going to get anything for a weanling...there is no way he would have paid $130 a piece if he planned only to send them to slaughter, as he would be losing money.  I am sure he will do like this guy around here, and bring them home and turn them out, waiting for the "buyers" to show up looking for a cheap new family pet.

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I agree. It's not likely these little weanlings are going to slaughter. There just isn't enough meat on a weanling to make it worth the effort.

There are a couple of "kill" buyers that come to the local sale yard; they buy many horses haul them out of state and then train and resell those they can for a profit. One told us (a friend and myself) that slaughterhouses don't take the really small horses, it's not worth the effort for what they get. Now, whether he was feeding us a line to make us feel better or telling the truth, I just don't know.

 

[RnRs Lilnickers]

I am kinda sorry I asked about the sale but I am glad to know what goes on that we all don't see, it is horrible to think of those poor babies going through all that. I am glad to that I wasn't there to see it as I would have tried to take some of them home with me and I can't really afford anymore right now. I sure hope enough people complain to the people running the sale to see if anything can be done about it. Perhaps if sellers were all made aware of the kill buyers they would change there minds about selling them, is there anyway they could post a sign of some kind that this could happen to there horses? There has to be some way to make sellers aware of this.

 

[shminifancier]

I know that people just because they see a killer buying horses they always think the worst,, But not all even in Big horses go to the kill pen..