In the midst of other political issues, the roar over slaughterhouses and what to do with unwanted horses or wild horses has been dampened, but the issues are still relevant and important nonetheless. Today I am so happy to have a guest post by Caroline Betts and Dr. Laure Ross, DVM of Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue to share how to purchase a slaughter-bound horse from auction, which as you will soon see, is not for the naive or faint of heart.
A photo of TB "Louis" at Auction the day he was rescued.
Photo Courtesy of SCTR
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STEP 1
“Our Hearts Were Bigger Than Our
Wallets”
Can you commit the financial and
physical resources, and do you have sufficient horse experience, to
provide feed, veterinary, and farrier care, exercise and training for
a horse whose health conditions and temperament are entirely unknown
to you at the time of purchase? Will you provide lifetime care for
this horse if you can never find an alternative good home for it? Are
you emotionally and financially prepared to rescue a horse which may
require immediate humane euthanasia by a veterinarian?
Yes? Then read on…
STEP 2
“We Got To The Auction And There Were
No Kill-Buyers There!”
Every week, horse auctions occur across
the United States and Canada through which hundreds of equines may
pass in a single sale session. Auctions provide convenient,
centralized outlets in which “kill-buyers” can accumulate in a
few hours large numbers of low priced horses for the purpose of
shipping them to slaughter.
However, not every horse auction serves
this purpose, intentionally or otherwise, and not every horse at
auction is slaughter-bound. Some auctions set minimum bid limits to
deter the purchase of horses for slaughter. And at any auction,
consignors can set reserve prices to protect their horse from selling
for slaughter price.
Research your local auctions. Some have
websites. Contact several reputable, organized equine rescues in your
area ahead of any sale you plan to attend and ask them what the
market served by that auction house is. Ask them who the bidders are
that you legitimately compete with for a slaughter-bound animal. And
ask them what price you can expect to pay in your local market
competitively bidding for an otherwise slaughter-bound equine.
STEP 3
“I Just Rescued A Horse - Who Can
Haul It For Me?!”
You have several hundred dollars in
cash in your pocket, as well as a card accepted by the auction house
and your I.D. You have a facility lined up ready to accept your
horse, one at which the horse can be quarantined (effectively
segregated from all other horses) since it has likely been exposed to
illness or disease on the auction lot and its vaccination history is
unknown. You may even have arranged a vet appointment to assess your
auction horse within a day or two. And you definitely have your well
maintained truck and trailer, your truck filled with gasoline - or
that of a reliable friend - ready to transport your horse home from
the auction lot in a timely manner. Some auction houses allow you to
leave your horse overnight. Some don’t. Be prepared.
STEP 4
“I Didn’t Know She Was In Foal!”
There are no radiographs or ultrasound
records or devices on a low end horse auction lot. Arrive several
hours ahead of the start time of the auction to examine the horses.
And before you begin, purchase your bidding card from the sales
office which you need to be able to bid during the auction and which
usually requires a cash deposit and your I.D.
Make a list of several horses that you
are interested in helping find a safety net in your care, since other
people may be interested in any one of the horses which therefore may
not require you to rescue it from slaughter. While some horses are
haltered for viewing, some are not, many are in large pens where
it can be difficult to catch them to examine them physically, and you
may not be allowed to enter the pens with the horses. Take
detailed notes, recording each horse’s hip number, and shortlist
some horses. Do check the auction sales office for any paperwork and
registration papers which are logged with each horse’s hip number.
However, the latter may be completely inaccurate and the former may
actually not belong to the horse they are supposed to belong to…
STEP 5
“It Was So Fast That I Had No Idea
Who I was Bidding Against!”
Auctions are chaotic with sometimes
several hundred people gathered into benches and standing rows deep
around the auction ring. Bidding usually takes 2-3 minutes per
horse - it's very fast. The horses may not come through in “hip”
number order, and many times the papers and the hip numbers are mixed
up. You must know your horse’s hip number, be ready at all
times, and be seated or standing where the auctioneer and/or
“spotters” can clearly see you bidding. Bid by raising your hand
and calling out your bid if need be to attract the auctioneer’s
attention. The auctioneer may briefly look at you to acknowledge your
bid.
You have seconds in a very crowded room
to figure out who is bidding against you. Again, contacting a local
reputable rescue ahead of time to establish identities of local kill
buyers and a practice or protocol for bidding against them is highly
recommended. If a horse you planned to rescue sells to a kill buyer,
you may have a brief window of time in which to retrieve it
(repurchase it at a higher price than it sold to him/her for) but
this probably requires the advice or intermediation of a local person
or rescue familiar with the buyer. No horse in this situation is
safe until it is on your trailer.
"Louis" after he was rehabbed by SCTR and adopted by his new owner.
Photo Courtesy of SCTR
Find more inspiring before and after pictures on the SCTR Facebook Page or @socaltbrescue on Twitter
(They have an excellent photographer who takes beautiful pictures of the rescued horses!)
Addendum
Please remember that you are a customer
of a legitimate business when at a horse auction, and a guest on
someone else’s private property. The corollary – behave as you
would at any other local business that you wish to frequent!
An alternative way to rescue a horse
from slaughter is to ADOPT a fully rehabilitated and possibly even
re-trained horse from an equine rescue. Adoptions free up the space
and financial resources required for an equine rescue to take in an
additional slaughter-bound horse.
