Dutch harness horse drama. Update major mare/ foal neglect Nov 2023 post 1782 Update Kate Shearer responds post 1930 Nov 25/23

:+1:

Been reading. Have posted. Just somehow thought this thread was mentioned or linked to in the various MB YouTube screeds.

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It was mentioned, but no mention was made about YT. Just as a reading for head-scratching entertainment purposes.

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This is reportedly a foal of 2023, that was bred by Kate. There’s some concern about this animal’s actual age.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I direct you to one of my replies waaaaay up thread where I expressed concern about this happening a la Jill Burnell, Anne Shumate, etc.

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Reportedly or is actually?

There’s a difference there.

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I’m more concerned about its condition than its age. Poor thing looks malnourished and not right in the front pasterns and feet.

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Disgusting. That did not happen in 12 days, like she claims on FB.

And $25k for an unproven DHH cross? She is taking these people for an absolute ride. You can go to a program that has produced FEI horses over and over, with FEI proven mares, and buy a super foal for less than that. I know Chacco Blue was an excellent and proven stallion, but the mare is JUST as important.

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It was bred by Kate.

There’s concern about the age.

Ah, ok, so it sounds like it is legit. I wasn’t sure.

I recently viewed horses at a sale, and many of those horses were Dutch, and IMO far better quality and/or types, and the price tags were lower. Her horses might make some great horses for the right people, but they’re not quite the caliber that they’re priced at, IMO. Then again, if people are paying those prices, that’s on them.

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She’s basically owned up to it now. I’ll take “it’s not my fault” for $200, Alex.

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There is no way THAT happens in 12 days.

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If you don’t feed it at all, it might? :grimacing:

But who leaves their whole herd with a new employee without some way to confirm what’s supposed to be happening is happening?

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Yes this is on the other concurrent thread too. Where I won Bingo! By predicting she would defend herself by claiming Other people let me down boo hoo not my fault. someone over there also had a screenshot of a sales photo KS had on her own FB feed of a newborn foal and a scary thin broodmare at a Henneke 3/10.

So she is clearly lacking in some horse management skills.

There were other allegations of neglect a few years back.

So I’d say systemic neglect and underfeeding in an attempt to cut costs to the minimum.

But no one wants to knowingly pay top dollar for a neglected foal, there’s too many lingering effects.

As far as her blaming others and saying she can’t understand why it happens, this person has been caught out in so many lies online and is so fast to launch at other people, I wouldn’t believe a word of it.

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In the supposed 12 day ago photos the weanlings seem quite thin. Unacceptably thin. I keep my weanlings on the “thin side” meaning you can see a trace of ribs because of Physitis risks, but the neck and hip musculature on these indicate long-term lack of sufficient feeding. Mine have ample butt and topline muscle.

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And wormy to me. Those bellies on thin horses.

The other concurrent thread is Opinions on DHH for jumpers. And I didn’t start it!

It recently got revived by KS jumping on to brag about her sales foals. I’m waiting to see if she comes on to defend herself about these accusations of neglect. Or if she just sticks to FB because she knows she’ll get hammered here.

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Yes. I just pulled up some photos of my own weanling to compare. The way that pelvic bone juts out in these babies…wow. My foal can see a whisper of ribs, as he should, but his pelvic bone looks absolutely normal, smooth on both sides with no protrusion. That is what “normal” looks like.

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If she was local to me, our occasionally overzealous SPCA would likely be onsite and considering seizures. I’m not sure how AC works in the deep South.

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Yes, this is on Facebook now – her excuses are not legitimate and she is backpedaling like crazy but this is neglect and cruelty - unacceptable on any level, but especially in the case of young growing babies whose futures will be affected. She should be ashamed, and with luck this will help put her out of business.

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The rescue I volunteered with got a foal out of a deplorable starvation situation.
It appeared to be a weanling.
It was a yearling.

In that sense, it’s actual age very much could be relevant.

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It really depends on where you are in the south. Wealthier city? Sure. Common red state backwater? Nothing.

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My weanling the day after flying over from France (which I am sure caused him to lose a little condition)

I cannot believe the condition of some of these foals?!

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