Ingorance is Bliss

         There's always a hook, line, and sinker when it comes to the horse flipping business.  Call it tools of the trade, tricks of the trade, the scum on the bottom of a s cesspool, or just smart business decisions.  It really doesn't matter to me which label you use, pick one, pick two, but at the end of the day, there is a sucker to be had.  

Here are some helpful hints to allow you to avoid being one of those suckers.

1. If you are using pay pal, don't be cheap, pay the extra 3% in fees when paying for a horse, after all, you are already paying a absurd amount of money for horse that you know nothing about, what's a extra three percent, besides, when they ship the wrong horse to you, or scam you out of money, you will have buyer protection.  Don't be silly and send it as a gift, do that, and it's as good as gone if you get screwed.  

2.  Don't believe the sales recommendation, trust me, just don't do it.  Pay attention to the rider's body language, and the horse, you would be amazed at what a good eye can catch.

3.  Don't buy the hype, these are resale horses, don't let someone tell you different, after all once the shipping manifest is written, and the tags are on, there is no going back, that is the holy grail of the industry, unless the vet won't write off on a horse, it happens.  But, hey it's your money, not mine.  

4.  Just don't buy from the broker programs...simple.  Don't do it. Stop falling for the pleas, and heart tugs, and the crappy pictures.  Remember, there is a whole load of horses that you aren't seeing, and buying one of those horses, will condemn more.  

5.  go to the auction yourself, save your money, and go, there is more auctions in the world than just New Holland, trust me, and they are just as crappy as New Holland.

6.   STOP BUYING FROM THE BROKER PROGRAMS!  wait..did I say that already.  Yes, I did, but it needs to be said again..think I am wrong about them, go ahead, google is your friend.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

7.  Read the fine print people, look at these bullshit contracts these people are asking you to sign, which mind you have absolutely no ground to stand on, when it's said and done.  Better yet, they all seem to be from the same person, only the name has changed.   And ask yourself this, why are you signing a contract for a horse, that is technically not even threw their rescue.  They are just simply brokering a deal for the horse, they hold no possession of the horse.  


     While I am sure I could think of a million more things to write.  Here is your daily affirmation.  

They Don't Come Cheap

   Since the other morning's rant about AC$H, and the standardbred world.  I have been inspired to touch on a subject.  One that I do see a lot of.  Chip In for the purchase of a horse.  I see these pop up a lot, not with one particular group or another, but many groups. Fund raising for trailing expenses, the purchase price, etc.    

                Think about it this way.  If you cannot afford the rock bottom price of $500.00 dollars, which is a very reasonable price, dare I even say low price (if being sold privately, which, I guess well these are sales we are referring too.) of said horse that you want to save.  How do you intend to provide long term care, or even acute care, teeth floating can run between $80.00 in the upwards of $200.oo, not including the fact that you may have more dental problems that require repeat treatment.  Farrier services can vary also starting at $30.00 for a trim, and up depending on corrective shoeing, again we go back to a possibility that getting the hooves back to good shape can require more than one visit.   Vet services, most of the time we do a farm call, 50 to 65 dollars right there, shots 100 plus sometimes, sound checks, bute, antibiotics, holy sh*t right there could add up to 200 dollars or more.  So, there it is, and that doesn't include boarding fees (if that is the route you have to use), hay (and we all know there are many places suffering from extremely high hay cost), grain (and that can get higher if the horse requires a specialty grain), bedding, straw or shavings.  Water buckets, feed buckets, halters, leads, bridles, bits, saddles, saddle pads, riser pads if you need them, new brushes, shampoo, show sheen, detangler, treats, etc.  Are you picking up what everyone is laying down??  All of these things add up.  
                           Naturally some of you will say, but I have a saddle already, and pads, brushes, show sheen, bridles, bits etc.  But, the starting up cost of getting one of these horses that you don't know from Adam, will most likely come out to the purchase price, that person X is fund raising for, so if you cannot afford that measly 500, how in the world are you going to be able to pay for a animal that could potential cost you thousands, and to be fair I haven't added in the training fees if you end up with a behavioral challenged horse.  Food for thought on that one my friends.

                     These are the chances one takes when buying blindly.  When you get the chance to go to the sales, you have a chance to see the horse move, even if it is a flurry of 20 seconds of some jackass cantering the crap out of the horse in the ring. (Something else we shall touch on in another blog, a subject that holds a special place in my heart.)  And you can check the teeth, look at the hooves, look for any open wounds, signs of cushings (have seen a lot of them popping up), signs of strangles or other various illnesses, or even signs of the horses being drugged, yes it happens more than one thinks.  And then you will see just how high the mark up is on these horses when going threw programs.  I know many live a in fairy tale world of bliss, but that is one of the ugly truths of horse dealing, in fact the ugly truths of horse dealing, I could write a novel, or hell maybe a manual.  

                            If you want a free horse, go to the track, take a look around and speak with the racing barns, owners, trainers.  Often times you will land a horse with minimal issues (if any at all) UTD on shots, coggins, and a health certificate, trimmed up, and a known history, that is the way to go.  Do not get me wrong, I am sure there are some shady people in the racing world, in fact I know there.  But, there are people that are honest individuals and would like to do right by their horses.  Sure on some of these occasions, you will have to retrain the horse, call in a professional etc.  But, the start up cost is minimal.  Leaving you with that extra dollars for other things.  You have a horse that has been exposed to heavy equipment, hoards of people coming in and out, handled from the ground up and down, will stall with no issues, pick up feet, etc.   Who in the world doesn't want a horse like that?  (*disclaimer I am no means saying that this way is all rainbows and unicorns, but seems like a good option*)  You want that feel good moment of saving a horse, by going this route you have done so.  You prevented a horse from going to one of the many hell holes we call auctions, becoming transportation that will eventually be discarded, and even ended up on the back of a truck and on it's way to Canada or Mexico, and landing in a so called Broker Program.  At what cost to you as the "rescuer" pennies on the dollars compared to some of the train wrecks I have seen people buy blindly.   

                   Going threw the track(s) or vocation programs eliminates a lot of the price, and the fact is that you are saving two lives, not condemn two, three, hell four more.  You adopt a horse from a vocation program, or retirement fund, you have just opened up space for another horse to come threw.   Just food for thought again.

        Feel free to check out some of these available horses threw various retraining programs.  These are just two of many listings, however there is no shortage of better oppurtunties out there to adopt a horse in need, and in the process prevent another from ending up in a bad situation.  

New Vocations
The Canter Program (nationwide listings)

Kool Aid anyone?

  This is borrowed context from a morning rant.  While this isn't just about AC$H, this blog will explore more than them, but for some reason or another everything seems to go back to the them.  However, there are very vailid points made here, when it comes to rescue and the racing industry.  Of course this is another aspect we will explore.  So many things to do, and only so much time to type.  Thank you J.Doherty for posting this on a public page.  

What exactly is it with people and AC4H? As a Standardbred owner and trainer, I have tried to add all of the "Rehoming" FB pages in order to network with people who may be looking for a horses that are coming off of the track....we always have plenty in need of homes - PLENTY. I've noticed that one by one, AC4H has spread to each one, even the ones that are supposed to be for FREE HORSES ONLY. Last night I commented on a post that Lara put up on "Rehome The Standardbred" for a horse they want $450 for. Not two posts down, one of the admins had posted, again, that this was for FREE horses only. So I asked why Lara's content was posted there and was told something along the lines of "Just don't go there." Really? Why is that?

     Then I looked down the rest of the page and every other post was as ad for AC4H including that Sadie Lynn mare that they failed to mention had a foal back in the Spring and had been re-bred. So I ask, WHY...what is it with them that makes people act this way towards them? Basically they seem to run rough shod all over the horse industry. Do they blackmail people? (Well, telling them that they will report them to the racing stewards if they don't fork over money would be that). Are people afraid of them? Does the general population NOT involved in the harness racing industry realize that we have so many free horses available that WOULD NOT end up with the Amish and then in turn in these grade sales sold to kill buyers if people would offer them homes when they are FREE? Do they not realize that the Amish buy horses essentially in bulk when they come around, some of the nice sound trotters are resold for $2500-$5500 and the lame ones that wont be any good on the road are dumped down there in the sale? Basically the Amish are providing a "removal service" and AC4H is getting people to pay 5-10 times what the Amish gave for them to begin with? A good number (MOST in fact) aren't even fresh off the track, most have had numerous Amish owners in between the racing connections. 

          Do people not realize that saying "this horse won over $24,000 for his owners and they dumped him" is a ridiculous statement when the horse is 11 years old, hadn't raced in 5 years and probably cost the owners three times that amount to care for while in their stable. Oh, this has now turned into a full blown rant and I have horses to get to in the barn, so I'll conclude this essay with this....a good way for rescue people to de-bunk the myths of AC4H and groups like them is to educate themselves and other horseman about how each industry "really works." Come out to the tracks and the training centers, talk to racing officials and track management...help the harness horsemen in evaluating their retirees and assist them in rehoming the horses.