The auction was today. 60 horses went through. You weren’t there.
It was cold today. It was hot today. You couldn’t get a trailer. There wasn’t any gas in the truck. Gas prices are too high. You had other commitments. You’re short on cash. It was too early. You were up too late. You don’t have a stall ready. You can’t afford board this month. You were too busy to waste hours standing around at some auction. They probably won’t have the kind of horse you’re looking for.
Either way, you weren’t there today.
60 horses went through today. There were only 15 homes bidding. They only wanted one each. 12 of them found horses to take home. 12 horses with a new lease on life. A new chance. A new beginning. Safe.
What about the other 48? What happened to them?
You begin to see the posts on social media. Horses who are at risk of being shipped to slaughter. Horses that were purchased at the auction today. You know, the auction you didn’t go to. Now they’re owned by the kill buyer. Young horses. Sound horses. Trained horses. Bomb proof horses. Nothing wrong with them, horses.
Then you see the price. Wow! That much? Why so much? If they want to save them, why are they charging so much? They should lower the price if they truly want to save them. They couldn’t have paid that much for it. These money grubbing people – all they want is money. That poor horse. He would have been perfect in your barn. That mare would have been great for your kids.
~~~~~
The kill buyer went to the auction today. They gassed up their truck, regardless of the prices. They hooked up their trailer. They sweated in the heat or they shivered in the cold. They made time to go to the auction. They made sure they had enough money to buy enough head to meet their needs. They paid the taxes. They said no to staying out late last night and they got up early this morning. They have space on their trailer. They have space at their place. They have feed for as long as they need to take care of what they buy. This is their business and they treat it as such.
Yes, they will be paid for their time, effort, money invested, wear and tear on their vehicles and anything else they put into their business. Either someone will buy the horse from them or the meat plant will. They aren’t doing this for free.
How much is doing all of the things you didn’t do, worth?
The kill buyer saw the potential for this particular horse to go to a home. The home that wasn’t there. The home that opted not to go to the auction today. They could have shipped it. Silently. No one would have known. That would have been easier. Easier than dealing with the drama and BS. That’s what the other kill buyers do. They don’t need this crap. But this kill buyer sees the opportunity for this horse to get a home. Sure there’s the potential for a bit more money too – but it comes at a price. BS. How much is BS worth these days? Guess we’ll find out.
The kill buyers were at the auction today. Where were you?
randomslate 
Taking care of and working a 10 hour day to take care of the 10 I bought at auction on another day. Horses live up to 30 yrs. There are limits for all of us on how many times we can go because we can’t just bring them home and shoot them when they no longer suit us, right? Think before you blog!
I think you and I are closer on this topic than you think. I agree that people shouldn’t dump their horses at auction. When they do, they take a chance on slaughter being their fate.
Sell privately. Research the sales to find the best fit. Wait until the Spring. Put some effort into the horse to get them ready (restart, groom, handle, ride). Give them the best chance they can to make it out of the sale and into a home.
Arm-chair rescuers, criticizing the price of those who went to auction and picked up the horses need to realize they’re paying for their services too. That’s why you go to auction. To do it yourself. To get the best price you can. To take the chance. If you don’t, you’ll pay more to those who did.
Thank you for picking up your 10 at auction.
Where was I? Just like Roxanne, I was at work to earn money to buy feed and hay. I was at work to earn money to pay the farrier and the vet and the dentist. I was at work to earn money to replace the blanket that I’ve patched so many times that its original color can no longer be determined.
We have five horses. Four are rescues. That is the legal limit for our acreage according to town zoning regulations. Our horses stay with us for the rest of their lives…no exceptions. We are doing our part to keep these particular horses out of the slaughter pipeline.
Please don’t try to shame us for it.
Where was I? Just like Roxanne, I was at work to earn money to buy feed and hay. I was at work to earn money to pay the farrier and the vet and the dentist. I was at work to earn money to replace the blanket that I’ve patched so many times that its original color can no longer be determined.
We have five horses. Four are rescues. That is the legal limit for our acreage according to town zoning. Our horses stay with us for the rest of their lives…no exceptions. We are doing our part to keep these particular horses out of the slaughter pipeline.
Please don’t try to shame us for it.
I would never shame you, I applaude you for it! Rescuing is not for the faint of heart.
This is about those who expect something for nothing. Or expect something at the expense of someone else. *If you are in the market for a horse or want to help one* go to the auction or pay to pull one from a KB. But you will pay for their services.
i would love to own a horse.but i dont have enough money for a horse!.i have rent to pay!
Donate your time to a rescue! There are many ways to help horses in need that don’t involve ownership.
I agree .I have 9 horses .Cost of upkeep .raising fast. ..I tend to keep mine till death do us part ..and care for them well ..29 to 32 years at least ..people need to think long and hard before they buy a horse …
Roxanne.. you are part of the solution! You have rescues.. you keep your horses… Thank you! I don’t believe this post was directed at folks like yourself who have stepped up and taken in rescues and have committed to their care forever.
Roxanne – I too rankled when I first started reading, until I read to the end and discerned the purpose/intent of the post. Possibly the article could have been written differently, but the point was to say that the kill buyers are performing a service and deserve to be compensated for that service.
I’m not going to say whether I agree or disagree with what kill buyers do. The point of this comment is to help people understand the purpose of the article, and encourage reading for comprehension.
You had best spend your efforts and energy focusing on the people who dropped their horses at auction in the first place not the people who buy. They are 100 % responsible for the outcome of their horses!! Your attitude leads people to purchase thru guilt the type who dont have the money to raise the horse or the proper accommodations and more often to hoarders who are desperate to help but in the long run do more harm than good!! What planet are you on?
That isn’t the point of this post at all which makes me wonder if you read it. This is about those who want to buy a horse but don’t want to pay people for their time and effort. They demand lower than auction prices (they weren’t there, they don’t know the price of meat today) and for the KB to lose the cash and time invested. It won’t happen. You may not like it, but it is a business.
If you want to help a horse but don’t have the know-how / ability to buy on your own, then pay someone to help you. Either way, someone is getting paid.
If you’re in the market for a horse and want to help a horse in need, go to the auction yourself. I did it. It’s heart wrenching not to take them all home. It’s not for the faint of heart.
If you can’t afford a horse, you’re not in the market to buy one. The purchase price is just a fraction of the cost of ownership. Please DO NOT buy a horse if you cannot afford the cost of ownership. That would be another post. 😉
You can help horses by donating to rescues. If you can’t buy one, help to support one that has been rescued until they find their forever home. They be appreciative for every penny, item donation or minute of your time you can offer.
rs: Some of us understood precisely the points you wanted to make. I would love nothing more than to see every kill buyer put out of business. Well-written and articulate post!
Thank you Rangegrad. I agree that the KB’s job is one that I would never do. However, they’re only a middleman in an industry. They don’t dump the horses into auction. THOSE are the people that we need to direct our angst.
The resellers, and feed-lot merchants who are often in bed with the kill buyers prey, too often, on those who don’t “want” to buy a horse, but those who feel they “need” to “save” a horse. They use crowd funding, and time sensitive threats of imminent shipping to profit from unknown, and sometimes unsound animals. The additional profit is funnelled through a private third party and ends up as tax free cash income. It is a lucrative, and seedy underside of an already flawed, and corrupt industry.
Shaming all those who cannot, or will not attend the auctions is reprehensible. Auctions are never easy to stomach. They are geared towards one thing. Profit. Individual purchasers are often ignored flat out by the auctioneers. They exist because people breed carelessly, and treat animals as disposable. You want to shame someone? Shame the dumpers, and the breeders, and the flippers, not the honest horse person who does all they can without supporting those who profit from death.
rtimlin, there are just not enough likes in the world for what you just wrote. I completely agree.
Spot on rtmlin. Though I understand this blogger’s post, it ignores the evil of the flippers, the KB’s. I wouldn’t call their predatory instincts business, I’d call it what it is, pure, black hearted, EVIL. Those that feed them, send many more to death than the one they saved. STOP feeding them. Those that pander these sweet souls that land there because of all you listed are the devil’s cousins.
Randomslate- you are right on. People don’t step up to buy a an auction horse, then get upset, angry, etc. at the people who do make the effort, spend the time and money to save a few horses from a horrible death. As if there is a horsey-fairly Godmother who pays for the gas, vetting, feed, labor and materials to maintain the property, etc. I’ve seen it over and over again… the nasty posts from people who think the horses should be given away for free or next to nothing.. Personally- I bought a kill pen horse over the phone with a credit card based on a picture. I had NO IDEA what he was going to be like.. if he had behavior issues or physical issues. I rolled the dice. He’s a great horse-no behavior issues at all- but did arrive with a raging case of shipping fever (burst abcess under throa) , and a bum leg- we’ve never ridden him in two years. Still-he was worth the effort and the money- all in about $4000 to get him healthy and stabilized. I am by no means ‘rich’- I work 40+ hrs a week. So when people complain about a $1500- $3500 adoption fee for a healthy, vetted, known quantity-they should consider it a bargain and be grateful.
I’m not sure of the comments, but I did not take that away from the article it was not shaming anyone, I have rescued a pony and it has cost me a lot more to rescue to start handling, break in etc I would say triple the price,( I have outsourced it all) than it had to go and buy an experienced pony. The amount of hours that go into a rescue, I’m glad there are people in the business that rescue horses and give them another chance and they be should paid for their time and expertise, (they are a few that probably give dealers a bad name but in every industry this happens) from my experience it is a very costly exercise and just because it is a rescue they need to cover their costs, I applaud you.
Brokers for KB’s are not rescues Vanessa. They are the buddies of KB’s making a cut at the expense of the public who hears the truck is coming. Rescues aren’t in it for money, nor do we EVER see a return that comes close to the expense. Nor do we care. Our highest adoption fee is $350, with most horses rehabbed, being in the thousands. It’s not about money with a rescue, so please don’t confuse the two.
Just so we don’t have to go down “that road”, KB broker programs are not rescues. They are however part of a rescue approach. They are the end of the line. The last hope for these individual horses.
These individuals were not rehomed by their owner. These individuals were not purchased by a home at auction. These horses were not picked up by a rescue during their spiral down towards slaughter. For whatever reason, they are now in the hands of the KB.
Yes, it would have been better if they had been sold, purchased or picked up by someone else. But for these individuals, this is where they are. They have one of two doors to choose from: to safety or to the slaughter plant. Sure it may sound dramatic. However for these individuals, it is their reality.
Going back to the post, buy them yourself directly from the auction or pay the cost of the people who do. But don’t not go to the auction and sit in judgement of the price set by the people who do go. You opted out of bidding when you didn’t go.
perfectly said.
Well said. I would never have had the time or money to search auctions, but a video by a KB’s broker shared on Facebook put me in contact for a pony who is blessing us and did not cost thousands.
This is thought provoking and encourages us to do all we can and then do more. We humans do have our limits too, and the reasons for that are varied. Guilt is not helpful to the cause if we helpers are stretched to our limits. Ideas of additional ways to help save animals are more useful. If I have no space I have no space and if I have no more money that is a reality NOT a sign of selfishness on the road not caring.
What else CAN be done? Reposting costs a few seconds of time. Looking through ads for equines at risk and posting them to rehoming pages costs nothing beyond the time invested. Pooling funds through rescue groups means that small amounts can make a big difference.
And last but not least: educate people who do not know about the dark underbelly of the equine world and be sure your representatives know where you stand snd demand that the slaughter pipeline be closed forever. Help work on the end of stopping the overbreeding, abuse, neglect and discarding of all animals. Help figure out other solutions for when shipping no longer occurs. We will need to have other solutions.
The slaughter issue is complex and needs people who care to work at all levels. Going to auctions and bailing horses from kill pens is HUGELY important and so are all the other related actions. Getting the big players in the equine industry involved, getting big related associations of breeders, veterinarians, farriers, trainers–anyone associated with this problem needs to be on board.
Thanks for the heartfelt plea for us to do as much as we can…and then to do more. Wherever we can and need to do just that.
“Pooling funds through rescue groups means that small amounts can make a big difference.” That’s a great point. I’ve donated towards bail to get horses out. I’ve gone to sales and picked up horses on behalf of rescues. I’ve donated my services and time to rescues as I can.
There are a lot of ways to help. Donate money to rescues so they can go and pick up a horse at auction. Or donate money for feed / vet / blankets / bedding. Donate your time! They’d love to have someone come in and muck out stalls, groom some horses, work on handling some of the horses whom have already been rescued.
You don’t have to buy a horse to rescue one. And if you cannot offer a forever home for whatever reason? Please don’t buy one.
I am very new to the horse slaughter issue and perhaps am limited at this point of it’s reasons and details. I can do the math and do wonder if these horses aren’t slaughtered, just WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE WITH THEM? I personally will applaud any KB that re-homes/sells horses that are still viable. If someone feel preyed upon or purchasing out of guilt, for me that is the less of the evils here. As long as they can care for the animal for it’s ENTIRE life, i don’t really care how it came about. I’ve yet to hear good solutions to these horses that nobody buys or dumps. Please enlighten me with your thoughts. It sounds to me like horse slaughter is being used as a method of euthanasia for unbought horses at auctions, dumped (your article doesn’t mention this – perhaps another topic) and mentally unstable horses too. Some progress has been made in the domestic dog/cat world with these issues, but still they are being dumped around the country in alarming numbers. Must address the over breeding aspect as well as owners who had horses, just to have them. Didn’t really care much about them after they are done using them. A short-term to this (while personally reprehensible to me) might be to bring slaughter back to the US so that we can try to control it better than i believe Mexico or Canada does. Or at the least standards for their transportation out of the country. I pray for these poor, forgotten animals. I wish I could take them all…..
I have saved over 100 horses in 3 years from auction, kill buyers and Craigs list but one kill buyer paid $200 for a horse at New Holland. I knew the previous owner who is serving our country in Afghanistan and I vowed to get his horse who was mistakenly taken. When the kill buyer knew I was a rescue the price became 1000. Finally we got the horse for 675 but some kill buyers are just jerks in my opinion. Not all but some, playing on the heart strings of people who want to save them.
Where was I….Well I own and run a Animal Rescue and at the present I have more then I really should…Not only horses, but cats and kittens, goats, sheep and dogs. But if I had more room and time ( I run the rescue more of less by myself ) I would have been there. I do donate when I can and am always speaking up for the horses be wild or otherwise. So if you can’t be at a auction.. then Please help in other ways….Donate and always be a voice for the horses!! 🙂
Thank you for rescuing Suzi! Doing what you can, what you’re able is all that you can do. If you can’t rescue yourself, supporting people who do is a great option.
randomslate, where were YOU? Or were you able to save every horse out there?
I have rescued. I have donated money. I have donated my time and skills to those who rescue and could make use of what I had to offer them. I also enjoy writing pieces such as this to get the conversation going. Sometimes I’m just an ear to those struggling or frustrated while on their rescuing journey.
Not everyone can own a horse. Not everyone should own a horse. But to love them and want to help doesn’t have to mean ownership or large amounts of money. If you truly want to help, all you have to do is ask those who do and say “How can I help?” I’m sure they’ll find something for you.
In all of this… the great question is what do we do with all the horses that can’t find homes. Like dogs and cats, there are more of them than homes or even rescues to take them all in. More challenging for rehoming efforts for horses is that they do require a larger investment of time, space, money and knowledge. So what do we do with the horses that don’t find a home? I hate to utter the word- euthanasia or (and I’m prepared for the hate on this) not-for-profit, “slaughter’. Now before you go ballistic, hear me out on this…profit motive is what causes slaughter facilities to find the most efficient means to kill animals… uncaring, unskilled workers, facilities that meet the barest of minimum standards, do it fast..push em through. However, if there was a way (and it would need some thought) to create a facility that first tries to rehome, retrain, etc., and if after a certain time… they can’t rehome… creates a transport system, facility and a process which didn’t cause the horses terror or pain, and still allowed the meat to be used, as awful as it is to type the words and surely read them…it would be worlds better than what they go through today. This is not to suggest by any stretch that reckless, overbreeding cessation efforts don’t continue, that rescues don’t continue the tireless work they do, that people stop churning their horses for the newest, flashiest version…. all these things still need to happen…. but for those today, who toss their horses to a random auction, creating a kinder ending may not be the worst thing. I want save them all, but I know that’s not realistic- at least not in the foreseeable future.
thought. It was beautifully. Written. And. How I under stand it is that it is not shaming people who have real reason to not being able to go it just to point out a fact. To those who make up excuses. On why they cant go to the acution.and then Change their. Reasoning. When the buyer gets it and sells it for a price they think is too price when now they. Say the horse would have been great with them when bitched. Earlier that they had no room. Or money. Ect but that’s how I read it as if that’s not right it fine with me. And before. U all go after me for grammar. And spelling I know I suck at it. I just wanted to express. My opinion
I think most of you missed the boat.
He/She isn’t calling out those who are doing all they can and have a full plate already. I think it’s more focused at those on social media talking a big talk but actually doing nothing, and also those who patronize the feedlots and broker programs while at the same time decrying the slaughter industry.
Buying from those lots does not save any net lives, as the money spent with them is reinvested in a kill buyer’s business (which is, of course, buying horses for slaughter to fill a contract; one bought from him only means others ship in its place). It also continues the cycle of abuse and mistreatment (as conditions on the lots are horrid), and the cycle of impulse buying and irresponsible horse ownership.
Horses are large, expensive, long lived animals that shouldn’t be purchased sight unseen over the Internet, especially by anything less than an expert horseman, from a shady horse trader. They are expensive to maintain, and daily you see social media posts begging for “bail” money to buy a horse off the lot for someone.
Someone who cannot afford a 400-600$ purchase price. How will they afford day to day or emergency expenses? What happens when the horse arrives I’ll, or dangerously misrepresented? What happens to the horses then?
Same thing goes for shady “rescues” buying horses off the lot. This is not rescuing. This is what has historically been referred to as horse trading. Changing the name does not change the action.
So, people doing right by their animals and those who stepped up and are doing their part as responsible owners: relax, this wasn’t directed at you.
Hmmmmm being one of those that does attend this type of auction regularly I can say I agree with most of the comments, good and bad…there is truth in all of them but I must say this..emotional blackmail is still the worse way to “sell ” a horse..it puts everyone in a position to spend money they really shouldn’t or take on a horse that they are not really prepared for..the “buy it now or it ships tommorrow ” is too much pressure to put on a person’s conscience….and how a lot of horses end up at these sales is not being “dumped” by heartless owners but brought there by unscrupulous “dealers” taking/buying and promising to find them a good home and taking them directly to the meat sale to make a quick profit!!! I believe the only answer to the slaughter situation is to eliminate both the supply and demand..make euthanization more affordable, have only licensed breeders, make every breeder responsible for the aftercare when done racing/showing/breeding and make people more aware of just how tainted horse flesh is…and how non-consumable it actually is..and yes the killbuyers are in it to make a profit…but what type of person is it that makes his living/ profit from sending this most noble beast to a cruel and inhumane death?? That’s what I want to know….
Lets just say there were 100 horses at the auction, brought to the auction by people that just couldn’t keep their horses any longer…age, health or finances.
No kill buyers were present at the auction and no general horse buyers. Were would these 100 horses go? Remember this is just one of many weekly auctions. Does the auction company keep these horses to sell at their next weekly auction? If so now there are 200 horses and no buyers.
The BLM is faced with this same problem. Too many horses and not enough forever homes. Everyone wants a cute little foal but the cute little foal grows up. If you’re not prepared to keep this, now horse forever, don’t breed and pass on your mistake.
Remember, buying a horse is the cheapest part of horse ownership.
I really respected the author more after reading the balanced and sane responses to the comments. This has been an issue on my mind lately. Auctions are for experienced horse people who can judge lameness by sight and feel of the legs. Attending an auction should not prevent someone from calling out the shoddy business practices of some KBs and other traders who make the process even more dicey for everyone involved. I do wish those critics would be less ideological and more rational and topical. I wish people could be as balanced on the topic as this author, and maybe the shady ones can be exposed based on factual evidence, and the more honest ones be supported.
Thank you KK Icons. In the end, I’d like to see more homes attend auctions.
If you cannot attend auctions but want a horse, either get someone who does go to auctions to pick one up for you or go to a rescue! Rescues do an incredible job of assessing, evaluating, vetting and making adopting of a more ‘known’ individual possible. Don’t forget those individuals that have been rescued still need a forever home.