Really angry

[RKG miniatures]

Owners that bought minis last October and immediately placed the stud with mares. Now if they were in Texas it wouldn't bother me, but this is in ND and the baby is going to be hard to keep alive, since they have little access to shelter. 20 below and only 4 months old is a recipe for disaster and they refuse to sell mom and baby back to the original owner who has the barns to help the baby survive. Also, I have never seen the owners at ower stables and I am out there at least 5 nights a week.

I have to admit that I am upset cuz I work hard on trying to build my small herd and I lost a mare and 2 babies this year.

 

[cassie]

Sue thats so sad... I hate it when people are SO ignorant to their horses needs!!! can your report them? how sad for those poor horses!!! praying that you are able to help them

is stealing horses still a crime when its in their best interest??? LOL poor things!! please keep us updated on how things go!

 

[Ashley]

I have to disagree. A 4 month foal can do just fine in our winters. We have had a few accident foals that were born in late Aug-Sept-Oct. Even one purposely planned for later. They did just fine. We kept them on mom longer but they did just as good as the older foals.

 

[JAX]

UGH I have one due begining of November. Course I am in Texas and I do have covered stalls with cams and all but still... I really was not planning it this way...

I thought they were done being in heat. I feel so bad that this foal will have to be weaned all by itself without any other younger babies to keep it company.

 

[mrsj]

My 2 year old was born in mid August, we had a hard winter, the horses lived out rugless 24/7, had access to good shelter but rarely chose to use it.

His sire is 32", his dam was 38" - he has grown to 40"! Obviously I was feeding the mare grain and hay, plenty of water regularly and so on - but still

they can do just fine.

But I agree they need regular checks, shelter if they want to use it and plenty of hay etc. Mine live at home so it was easy for me to see how they were doing. And I totally sympathise with your loss, you can see from my website x

 

[Minimor]

We had one born in early September and she went through winter just fine. Granted she did have access to a shed so she could get out of the wind and snow, but we never blanketed her & she was never cold.

Of course it's worse if one of these mares doesn't catch for 2-3 cycles & then gets bred really late so that the foal will end up being born in November or December--then the foal would need extra care to stay warm the first while.

 

[ohmt]

Our august/september foals have always made it through winter just fine. People seem to forget that the horses grow an incredible amount of hair up here. They always have shelter here, but they don't use it that often. Only when I put their feed in it to make them stay in during a blizzard or 40-60 below temps. If the foal is fed well, it will be ok. That is what is important.

 

[RKG miniatures]

I wouldn't be so upset except these owners do not even look at their horses and depend on a very kind stable owner (who isn't getting paid by them)to help this foal survive. They let 5 horses freeze last year then were mandated by the county to move them here.

Our august/september foals have always made it through winter just fine. People seem to forget that the horses grow an incredible amount of hair up here. They always have shelter here, but they don't use it that often. Only when I put their feed in it to make them stay in during a blizzard or 40-60 below temps. If the foal is fed well, it will be ok. That is what is important.

 

[Genie]

Sounds like the authorities should be apprised if there is continued abuse.

However, if the stable is being compensated by the authorities for the care of these animals, then I would think the stable owners are responsible.

 

[Marty]

A man once came in our store who moved here from Canada and announced that his horses had "made it" through the winter. I was like: "What's that supposed to mean, they didn't die from freezing to death?".

I'm with you 100% RKG. No one like that would ever be allowed to buy a horse from me. Especially since you said had "little shelter" and didn't check on them. That's crap. If people want to own animals, they need to have ample shelter and WORK with the animals to make their lives good and PAY MONEY to PROVIDE the necessities and that means spend their time carring for the animals too. Animals do die a slow horrible death from exposure and I don't care how young or old they are, they all need to have shelter from the elements, warm water and plenty of hay. If they cannot do that they have no business owning the animals. Horses playing out in the snow happily is one thing, but left to suffer and die is another.

 

[ohmt]

I agree with you then RKG-when our foals are born that late (which we very rarely plan) we make sure they stay on their dams as long as possible (we wean around March if the mare is doing well, which we have never had a problem with) and they are fed free choice hay and plenty of grain. The massive amount of hair is great to keep them warm, but often very deceiving as many people don't rub them down every day to make sure they are still at a good weight. I would be very concerned that the horses didn't have access to shelter at all times and weights are not carefully monitered (daily!) as up here it takes A LOT of food to provide the energy to stay warm and still grow.

I think authorities should be contacted-especially once the foals weight starts to diminish. I do NOT like hearing about people who let their horses freeze to death. I am wondering though how the stable owner is not getting paid when the owner was mandated to move the horses there? I think the stable owner really needs to contact someone-i would never let a foal stay here if I was not able to provide essentials. I am sure there is an explanation there though?

 

[RKG miniatures]

The stable owner will fight like crazy for any animal. I have seen it happen. In fact, he has caught things with my animals before I did. I just hate irresponible owners.

A man once came in our store who moved here from Canada and announced that his horses had "made it" through the winter. I was like: "What's that supposed to mean, they didn't die from freezing to death?".

I'm with you 100% RKG. No one like that would ever be allowed to buy a horse from me. Especially since you said had "little shelter" and didn't check on them. That's crap. If people want to own animals, they need to have ample shelter and WORK with the animals to make their lives good and PAY MONEY to PROVIDE the necessities and that means spend their time carring for the animals too. Animals do die a slow horrible death from exposure and I don't care how young or old they are, they all need to have shelter from the elements, warm water and plenty of hay. If they cannot do that they have no business owning the animals. Horses playing out in the snow happily is one thing, but left to suffer and die is another.

 

[Little Hooves]

I have to disagree. A 4 month foal can do just fine in our winters. We have had a few accident foals that were born in late Aug-Sept-Oct. Even one purposely planned for later. They did just fine. We kept them on mom longer but they did just as good as the older foals.

Ashley, I agree with you. Most foals do just fine and will have the proper coat at birth, which is triggered by the mom's coat growth stage. A September foal should have a fluffier coat than a July foal when they're born. I breed late, too, and may have two late foals this year, even. I have a mare that is very difficult to get into foal, and eventually I try ALL SEASON to get her into foal. Sometimes it takes until the very end. I don't want to give up too early since foals with her are rare. I believe that usually there is another health concern if a foal succumbs to the cold weather. And foals can die from other causes any time of year... I just wonder if people blame the cold when they happen to die in the winter.