But I don’t remember the name of it. On Facebook, they often post these cute, but BIG, “herds” of foals (e.g. many in a single paddock). I describe that with the hope that it will help indicate which facility I’m referring to since I’ve searched via Google and found several, but don’t know which his the particular one I am looking for (for a friend who is thinking about raising two foals for the fun of it).
Thanks in advance.
did you try using the term “nursemare foals” ??
Is it the one in Ohio that rescues nurse mare foals and had the page of misinformation about nurse mares?
Last Chance?
Not sure which you’re referring to, but I’d google “PMU foal adoption [your state]”
Last Chance Corral is the one I always see.
I believe it is Last Chance Corral … I see them regularly on FB as well
Yep, it’s Last Chance. Promotes untruths about the TB industry’s use of nurse mares.
Actually, there are probably some nurse mare facilities right there in Ocala with some spare foals. Much closer than Ohio.
I bet you’re thinking of Last Chance Corral. They require adopters to take two foals at the time.
A friend shared one of their FB videos. I was so upset after reading their page - which claims that every single TB bred for racing is raised by a nurse mare, whose actual foal is then disposed of - that I searched on the Racing Forum here to reassure myself it was a bunch of alarmist hooey.
[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;7704417]
I bet you’re thinking of Last Chance Corral. They require adopters to take two foals at the time.
A friend shared one of their FB videos. I was so upset after reading their page - which claims that every single TB bred for racing is raised by a nurse mare, whose actual foal is then disposed of - that I searched on the Racing Forum here to reassure myself it was a bunch of alarmist hooey.[/QUOTE]
I think it was on the COTH Racing Forum that a poster said she has been to Last Chance and seemed to think the gal was just making a good living off this “rescue”.
Unless TB management is VERY different in Ohio than KY or CA or MD or NY, nurse mares are the exception, NOT the rule.
[QUOTE=Kyzteke;7704305]
Yep, it’s Last Chance. Promotes untruths about the TB industry’s use of nurse mares.[/QUOTE]
Im really interested in what “untruths” you refer to. I live right here in the midst of it and while the industry has improved, there are still many nursemare facilities that “dispose” of foals when the mares are needed. Others keep them until they can be dumped at auction (this year they had one with an obviously fractured leg and no medical attention at all.
LCC is far from perfect, but they did take in over 160 foals this year and provide them with medical attention, worming, handling and social skills and adopted them out for about $200.
[QUOTE=Iron Horse Farm;7704443]
Im really interested in what “untruths” you refer to. I live right here in the midst of it and while the industry has improved, there are still many nursemare facilities that “dispose” of foals when the mares are needed. Others keep them until they can be dumped at auction (this year they had one with an obviously fractured leg and no medical attention at all.
LCC is far from perfect, but they did take in over 160 foals this year and provide them with medical attention, worming, handling and social skills and adopted them out for about $200.[/QUOTE]
Well, back when I was involved in racing I think I saw ONE nurse mare used. Other COTH posters who currently breed TBs and live in TB breeding country also maintain there is very little use of nursemares in the industry; it is the exception rather than the rule.
And none of us ever recall a nurse mare being use for convenience so the dam can be shipped for breeding. The real dam of a foal ALWAYS traveled with her foal to be bred, although the foal was either left in the van or the stall during the actual breeding.
BTW, I could go to our local auction and come back with 2-4 foals under a year each time…none of them being nursemare foals.
Educate me- How can someone make a good living when they sell foals for 100-300 each after feeding them milk replacer for several days/weeks?
This rescue has also brought home foals that were nearly dead that eventually passed due to the neglect prior to being rescued. I don’t doubt for a second there’s some funny business going on with some facets of the nurse mare industry.
[QUOTE=back in the saddle;7706716]
Educate me- How can someone make a good living when they sell foals for 100-300 each after feeding them milk replacer for several days/weeks?
This rescue has also brought home foals that were nearly dead that eventually passed due to the neglect prior to being rescued. I don’t doubt for a second there’s some funny business going on with some facets of the nurse mare industry.[/QUOTE]
You’ve been to this rescue? You know the lady that runs it?
When someone makes statements on their website that are so “off” from what my personal experience/knowledge is, it sets off alarms. Those alarms just ring louder when others share the same experience/knowledge of the subject.
Of course there ARE other horse raising industries (like Standardbreds), but as someone pointed out, the general cost for a nurse mare is $5000…that’s a pretty big piece of change for a whole herd of TB foals to have nursemare dams.
So I would want to know which farms/breeders are doing this and do some fact checking myself.
Unless I’ve been there in person, I reserve judgement. The one poster who (says) she was actually there was not impressed with the facility or it’s founder.
Remember what you see on the Net doesn’t have to be an accurate representation of the truth…I think Jill Burnell is a great representation of that fact.
My guess is that plenty of the foals she rescues simply come from auctions & kill pens. In my area they (sadly) usually separate the mare & foal for selling. I’ve seen 1-2- month old foals run through without their dams.
“My guess is that plenty of the foals she rescues simply come from auctions & kill pens. In my area they (sadly) usually separate the mare & foal for selling. I’ve seen 1-2- month old foals run through without their dams.”
That would be my guess also based on nothing but a guess and that foals cannot be shipped to slaughter but their dams can and that to my knowledge nurse mares are the exception not the rule–it is stressful and risky to a foal to do it just for convenience.
I have a completely unproven (but informed) suspicion that some of the farms in Canada and northern United States that lost their PMU contract are still breeding and shipping foals to be “rescued” in the United States. Some of the rescues called them PMU foals for several years after the change in the industry. For those that are not aware, PMU foals can no longer be sold through rescues. Not to mention the numbers have been greatly reduced, and are limited to farms that have other outlets for selling the foals.
Finally information and people who knew what they were talking about caught up with them. In other words, the veracity of their PMU claims started to be questioned. And, oddly, the groups of foals suddenly became nursemare foals. It left me scratching my head.
The underbelly of the horse world - sigh - for all the good places, other, not so good places, pop up.
I actually do know this woman and I can tell you all this-she is not living high on the horse, or channeling donations to fund a lavish lifestyle. She lives in a very small, very old log cabin that has the foal barn attached. She dismantled the other two barns that were tear downs for the highway dept. and reconstructed them on her 2acres. There is nothing glamorous at all about the facility. It is very humble. I have never had a foal from her, or gone with her to pick them up, but I do know that she has actually witnessed one of the farms throwing an induced labor foal on a manure pit to die. I have no clue where in KY she gets them, but why don’t you call her and ask if you are curious? I have always found her to be willing to chat about all of it. I tend to throw her a bone for her short comings, because she more than makes up for it in her love of the animal. I couldn’t do what she does, every day of the year. She loves horses and is pretty knowledgable. Call her and ask her about the foals. Don’t listen to hearsay and speculation. You won’t know anything until you go to the source.
Pwynn, if they have you as a resource then it should work out just fine.
I’m not positive that someone I know got two foals from Last Chance, but they did get two foals with a large age difference, the elder did just fine and the very young one died after a few months. Last Chance is the logical place as it is nearby.
Best of luck!
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