Minis going through slaughter auction on Monday

[Mocha]

I was suddenly deluged Friday evening with emails on this subject. I will copy here the information that is on the web site of a group in PA called A Chance 4 Horses www.ac4h.com

Perhaps with Forum member help, more than the 20 minis they say they have room for on their truck can be saved from slaughter. THe auction in question is in Iowa on Monday, Feb. 4.

Ponies, mini's, donkey's and mules Feb 4th "Valentine Rescue"

Contact [email protected] or call 610-621-5290

Monday February 4th there will be over 300 head of equines going through auction (Colona Iowa) and approximately half (1/2) will be purchased for slaughter by a buyer contracted from a Canada slaughter plant. We called and got information from the sale that the last sale there was 310 and 125 were sold to slaughter buyers. We first learned about this several years ago when a truck load of mini's with Federal slaughter tags were at a local livestock auction being held for pickup. I don't understand it but we want to help. We are calling this the "Valentine rescue".

Lots of Ponies, mini's, donkey's and mules... would you like to help one? The approximate cost for purchase, coggins and shipping to PA (Bernville) is $350.00 - gender is not guaranteed. There is room on the truck for approximately 20.

Thanks, everyone.

Cindy Moses, President

Northeast Miniature Horse Club and Rescue

www.northeastminis.org

 

[Songcatcher]

Approximate price $350 and gender (or anything else) not guaranteed????? Take a look on the sale board or LB Auction and have a choice of gender, color, and registration. Buy them and get your choice before they go to this type of auction. OH!

 

[Mona]

I agree with Songcatcher...sounds more like a "marketing ploy" than a true rescue in the works. There should be no price "set", and if people truely want to rescue, then all they have to do is outbid the slaughter buyer which I KNOW would not bid anywhere near that price on a slaughter animal of that size.

 

[crponies]

Is any one familiar with this auction or this rescue? I guess I want more proof than a website/e-mail about something like this. Also, it wouldn't make sense for the slaughter houses to buy minis way down in Iowa and pay to ship them to Canada. There are so many big horses going cheaply right now too that they would get a lot more meat for their gas money that way! So, I am very suspicious about this.

 

[Keri]

I would understand a price like that if they were up for adoption. But I rescued a mini from the meat auction for $60. And all I did was outbid the next person. I'm trying to set up a thing within the next few years where I buy minis for cheap that are neglected, etc., work with them and rehabilitate them, train them, and then sell them at a low cost to a loving family. Too many minis out there that just don't have loving homes and are in rough shape.

 

[Cedar Ridge Farm]

I agree...something doesn't sound right........I'll be waiting to hear how this turns out.

Keri,

Kudos for your venture!!

 

[Marty]

Thank you Cindy for bringing this information to the forum members and also to CMHR and getting the word out. If I understand it correctly, that price is only if you wish that particular horse rescue known as ac4h to go and ship one back to their place on their trailer and hold for you if you wanted them to secure a horse for you that way. That is the price they set for buying and shipping and a coggins test pulled; not auction prices. If you go there in person, to the auction, then it's fair bidding. We just had a large group of broke AQHA ranch horses go through here where I live for as little as $75.00 and up and ponies/minis for $10 to $20. Most of these horses were nice, nice, nice.

I am hoping there will be a large turn out to get a lot of those horses, both big and minis into good homes so they can have a second chance. The majority of these horses as I understand it have landed in the auctions due to lack of hay and just need some groceries. With spring just around the corner I hope there is a huge turn out.

 

[luv2ridesaddleseat]

I'm very familiar with the rescue. www.ac4h.com. They are amazing! BUT, I totally agree about the price. Perhaps it includes a 30 day quarantine, all shots up to date, feet etc. I don't know. Maybe I'll see what I can find out.....

 

[Mocha]

Thank you for clarifying, Marty. Approx. $350 is what they need to go to the auction and bring them back to PA with a current Coggins. If anyone can get to the auction to bid, obviously they will be much less. But this group is doing the organizing and trucking and most of us can't go there in person.

I also checked them out as best I could since last night, and they do seem to be a legitimate rescue group, incorporated as a 501©(3) organization, so donations are tax deductible -- just like Chances.

I also have received emails from some of the folks in charge and had a very favorable impression. They are committed and organized. One person told a story about a mini colt, not very old, who was ripped from its mother, tied to a post and left, because someone had bought his dam, but didn't want him........AC4H took him home.

I'm sorry I wasn't clear in my first post, but I was in a hurry to get this information out. By all means, if any of you are near the auction location on Monday, please see what you can do on your own if you wish.

 

[Carolyn R]

Sounds nice, but I'd be cautious.

I have seen horses, AND MINIS at a sale that was advertised to lead people to believe that a riding stable was going out of bussiness. Tack and horses for sale....

Go to check out the tack and low and behold, the horses were ones run through an area horse auction held every week. The auctioneers, the same from the horse auction. Worse yet, there are a small group of auction helpers that were bidding the prices up on the tack for eachother. It was so bad, legit people bidding on tack were telling the others they could keep the items and, well, place them somewhere very uncomfortable!

These people have very recognizable faces, if you had ever gone to one of these sales for tack, trust me, they don't have faces that are easily forgetable. People picked up on their ploy, but I am sure they do it elsewhere.

Worse yet were these horses. One was completely blind, and the blind eye was weeping, open sores on there legs. They people setting up the auction deffinately had the attitude "let's go take some of these animals and try to market them to those niaeve country bumkins".

The rescue may be legit, but quite honestly, I would never buy more than tack from one of these sales.

 

[Katiean]

I bought a TB weanling years ago at a slaughter auction. I paid 75 cents a pound for a total price of $95. That rescue is asking a lot for transport and coggins.

 

[Hosscrazy]

Ditto - sorry to say, but something doesn't sound quite right here. Glad to hear there are people asking these good questions and looking further into it.

Liz R.

 

[stormy]

This is a well known and highly respected rescue group, go to their web site and look at all they are involved with. In addition many breed specific rescue groups work with them to place horses. It costs them to go to sales like this, costs them to transport and rehab animals. $350 is very far from unreasonable for what they do. If you are not able or interested in working with this group go to any auction near you, you can pick your own, pay less and transport and quarantine yourself...just don't write these poor horses off because they are in a bad situation! I have purchased several horses from the auctions, large and small, some directly from the killers and have never found one that did not appreciate and deserve a second chance.

Do not be badmouthing a rescue you know nothing about. If you want to know more contact them. They are out there making a differance.

 

[Songcatcher]

I have absolutely nothing against going to an auction, finding what you want and getting it for the highest bid. I have done it and been very pleased. However, it infuriates me when people try to use emotions to persuade someone to buy a "rescue" when often times a good horse can be bought for less money and save it from getting into the rescue situation.

I have said it before. When you pay more than something is worth in order to "rescue" it, you are increasing the demand and making the problem worse.

There are at this moment 9 miniatures listed on the LB Auction with starting bids of $500 or LESS. Some as low as $200. Only one of them has a bid on it and that is at $250. How about a plea to "rescue" them? Check out the LB Sales Board or any other internet sales board. There are hundreds of horses available which could be purchased for less money and prevent them from getting into a "rescue" situation.

I know there are some legitimate rescues, but I also know that many of the so-called "rescues" are simply a scam to sell low grade horses for more than they are worth by appealing to emotions.

 

[Katiean]

I was not badmouthing anyone. I am truly sorry stormy if you have the opinion that I was. I have been to slaughter auctions and most horses don't go for near that much ($350). I understand that it costs them to go to the auctions. However, it is their choice to do so. I guess I am just having a hard time with people telling me they have costs too and that is way they are so much. The reason for this is my 14 yr old yorkie had a trip to the emergency vet last night. they wanted to keep her over the weekend for a cost of over $600 (no meds to be given) and put her to sleep on monday. He said he had to cover his bills at the clinic and that was the reason for the charges. We were there 10 min. and he didn't do a darn thing and charged me $120 for opening the door and letting us in (they are there anyway. they are 24 hours). So, especially today, if I think the charge is excessive, I don't want to hear "well, they have costs to go to the auction" when they are going anyway.

 

[Reijel's Mom]

Hi -

I live about 45 minutes from KALONA, Iowa, where they have a horse sale the first Monday of every month. I think this is probably the sale that is being referred to. I have been to the sale a couple of times, I have been to Kalona several times.

It is Amish country, and I've no doubt that a number of these equines do go to slaughter. Some of them are very broken down and others are fine, it's just there are so many of them.

There are frequently ponies and minis there.

I'm not sure why this sale is being marketed as any different than what usually goes on there? Guess I need to check out this rescue website.

Renee

Conroy, IA

ETA: I did just e-mail the rescue to see if there was anything I could do to help and see if they are talking about Kalona, IA. I have 2 sales around here (Kalona, IA and Belle Plaine, IA) where I could take home rescues every single month for very little money. I just don't have the space/resources to do it.

If anyone from Chances wants to talk with me about this sale I'm available. PM and I'll give you my phone # if you don't already have it.

 

[stormy]

Please remember when you are working through a rescue they have an adoption fee per horse not because the horse cost that much or because they want to make a profit but because they also rescue horses that need major medical care, some horses are in the facilities a long time before they find a home, some never make it but have still received care. They must also cover facility costs, transportation fees, coggins, farrier care, and all else. What you pay for these minis may be covering a surgery for an injured draft horse. If you have questions about the way a rescue works you can ask to see their finacial statements required to be provided by any registered non-profit.

I just wish horse people could manage to work together to salvage some of the throw aways instead of attacking others attempts. If you don't want to help through a rescue OK, find another way.

 

[ruffian]

? I thought a bill was passed preventing horses being sold for slaughter?

 

[Riverdance]

I woul d be very suspicious of this sale too. I am not saying that the rescue people are at fault, but that they perhaps have been misinformed.

Can you imagin the cost to haul all of these horses to Canada? Then trying to get them across the boarder? Not just the gas, but they would all have to have regular health certificates, US state health certificates, coggins and... there would be extra taxes that would need to be paid to Canada for purchasing these horses in the US when trying to transport them across the boarder. Especially for food cunsumption. Where would their profit be?

Also, Canada has plenty of their own horses that end up in slaughter houses. And they do not have to pay all of the fees that they would need from buying from the US.

Canada, like the US does not just let any old meat or slaughter animals into the country.

I think someone is playing a game by tugging at the hearts of rescue organizations, and the people running the organizations are falling for it. they need to get more informed.

 

[Manyspots]

From what I have heard don't know how true the horses often go to slaughter in Mexico and Canada from the Iowa sale barns. I may be wrong but I think that horses can not be slaughtered in the US but can be transported to Canada and Mexico.