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Another update from quarantine. Sweet girl should be on a trailer tomorrow or Thursday heading to Virginia. A bit concerning that she’s walking away from that alfalfa but hopefully we’ll get it sorted out. Tummy meds and teeth pronto.
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She looks like she wants to be friendly and with all that grass maybe her tummy is full. I’m looking forward to her glow up.
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I was told by a former kill buyer that they have quotas they have to meet. If someone buys a horse so he doesn’t ship, another poor soul fills his spot. The end result is good for one that was saved, very good for the pocket of the kill buyer, and bad for the horse that filled the empty spot.
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well, thanks. Now I feel worse.
Sorry.
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Not to take away from the awesome save stories here, but…
Horses from killbuyers are sometimes not as they appear, as noted. So yeah, some people can afford to gamble with the costs, financial and emotional and in training etc…
I worry about those who aren’t as equipped who can not. Who see a cheap, pretty horse with a sad story (slaughter) and bite and end up with more than they can “afford”.
That situation doesn’t do anyone any good.
Except the dealer who makes a buck.
Again, not to take away from the stories of those who can take the risk and have truly helped horses down on their luck.
.
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Buyer beware exists in every horse purchase. The caution mentioned above can be applied to every horse sale. And I agree, with the above sentiments in every way.
Many good horses end up at auctions through no fault of their own.
Many are victims of human circumstances that have nothing to do with soundness, ability or sanity.
And others sadly, are broken or aged and end up at an auction.
As someone who has purchased quite a few auction horses, I can give the the same advice as I would to anyone purchasing a horse anywhere.
If you don’t have a good eye for picking horses, get some help from someone who does. Or form a support team of experienced people to help you find what you want.
Just for the sake of perspective, here is a little general insight on the people that buy and sell horses at auctions.
The horse dealers that frequent the auctions are not all bad folks. Lots of them pick up good riding horses and some broken ones too at times. Sometimes they don’t know what the horse is dealing with, it happens to us all.
Many are “it is what it is” honest. And I can tell you that none of them want the horses to be in the poor to ghastly conditions they sometimes are. They provide a grim service at times, and it’s the owners that make that decision and are appreciative of their perceived burden being removed.
Horse dealers are horsemen after all, they want the horse to be sound and sell to a good home. It isn’t easy being one, I have a very good friend that comes from generations of it. And of course they try to make a buck, that being a profit. They are trying to make an income. I fondly refer to my friend as “the gypsy with a horse trailer”.
How a horse ends up going to slaughter is much more on the owner than the horse trader.
I do not hold the nice people at Bowie responsible for what ends up at their sale barn. They are trying to make the best of a bad situation. I appreciate the efforts they take to offer what they do online. I have a lovely gelding, thanks to them.
And if I don’t find a way to keep myself from checking what’s available several times a day, I will have another Bowie horse very soon. 
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She is gorgeous! I think her knee will heal, she is so young, hopefully, its not a chip but not thinking so because she puts her weight on it… The Dutch X gelding are gorgeous too
She’s desperate for groceries and love…
I am not too concerned about the knee, personally. I am still drooling and coveting over here, telling myself I am not looking. She is going to grow into a big, pretty girl and I really can’t fathom why nobody has picked her up yet. She’s a little more $$ than I casually spend on unintended/unplanned horse purchases, and Bowie is a 4 hour drive from me - not the kind of trip I can just squeeze in between chores - otherwise I’d already have her in my barn! Also, I need another horse like a hole in the head 
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I don’t think they are flipping, they are breeding, using them to pull stuff, not feeding or caring for them and then discarding them. Most of the Amish have no compassion for livestock. Many are neglectful. Also the root of many puppy mills.
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This.
Have you picked out names yet??
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Sorry, maybe I worded that unclearly. I was saying that horse flippers/traders are likely buying them from the Amish, either directly or via low end auctions in Amish-populated areas, and bringing them to Bowie. Probably in great big loads, because it makes no sense to ship a small load of horses that far to sell them that cheap.
Hush you! I just keep checking back, hoping to see her listing disappear. I even sent the link to a friend, hoping they would buy her and save me from myself.
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Well my little Bowie filly arrived this evening. We backed the shipper’s rig right up to my isolation paddock and then it took three of us about fifteen minutes to convince her to make the big step into the unknown.
Good news is she’s not feral. She allowed me to doctor her face wound a little, swapped out her rope halter for a soft leather one, and put a fly mask on. I rubbed on her all over and she was sweet and appreciative. She has a lovely big soft eye. Her head is much more attractive in person than it conveyed in pictures.
She went into the paddock and moseyed around before starting to graze. Found the water trough and drank quite a lot. No surprise since she’s been traveling since yesterday. I hand fed her some soft pellets while I rubbed on her withers. She had very little interest in the horses she could see in the other fields on either side of her paddock (14’ between fence lines) and surprisingly they showed little interest in her.
No runny nose or coughing. Her coat is gross but that should change quickly. She’s very thin but not skeletal.
I think she’s just a yearling. She’s tiny all over with a narrow little chest and spider legs. The vet will be out next week so maybe we’ll get some answers.
I hope she thrives and blossoms.
My heart is guarded.
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Oh, you want to fall in love with her, but you know you must protect yourself emotionally. 
I understand. But I really believe things will turn out great for this pretty little filly. She was meant to land on your doorstep.
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Yes. I told my DH, who thinks we’re all crazy but who nonetheless was holding the lead rope while I smeared triple antibiotic all over this filly’s nose, that at the very least she won’t die in fear. And if that was the only reason she ended up on my doorstep then that was enough to justify the madness of this exercise.
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This is exactly what I told myself for the elderly gelding I saved. He was in far, far worse shape than our filly friend and has gone on to live a very happy existence, so I think you are safe. 
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She is adorable.
Did she say no to the whole fly mask thing, or did you take it off?
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