No feeding issues except for the feeding issues.
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I didn’t know this and I find it comforting.
I know it’s basically spitting into the wind to discuss with this woman but I will just add that I am also in Florida. In the summer months my pasture is knee high and it does give nutrition. I feed a ration balancer only. If stalled they get Timothy and alfalfa netted. When the grass goes dormant around Nov-December I feed alfalfa and really nice Timothy. Mostly Timothy. Alfalfa is probably about 25% of their total hay ration. It’s ignorant to think feeding horses straight on the sand. Brood mares no less 20 pounds of alfalfa is enough. Her entire operation is suspect. Her horses look like something you see on a rescue page for wormy unthrifty nearly surviving animals. And to say that Florida has no pasture is hilarious. You have to have the knowledge and stewardship to care for your property and to feed your animals. Not for a freaking photo op while you toss out a pad of your magical alfalfa into the sand in your paddock made of noxious weeds. It’s just gross.
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Her July 2023 filly (no name yet) by Jackaroo appears on the sales list as “KWPN.”
Shortly after the filly was born she said it would be registered BWP and she would attend an inspection in August.
Soooo… what gives? Is this filly even registered? She apparently still has no name. Kate’s asking $20,000 for her. And this was the most recent picture of her that Kate just shared. Looking a bit pot bellied, at about 4.5 months old, and maybe ribby… I can’t tell with the rough coat. Again… I wonder about the worming protocol…
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And pay a premium $$? Makes no sense to me. There are amazing breeders here in the US using proven dam lines in their breeding. Again, makes no sense to me why anyone is buying one of these foals.
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There is NO excuse to not feed horses correctly and keep them in acceptable condition. If you have more than you can afford, cut the numbers (with realistic prices for what are essentially rescues in the condition they are in). If your hay is so fabulous, then feed enough of it so those poor horses have acceptable weight and good coats. (and I call total BS on midwestern hay being awful because the alfalfa I buy is excellent and tests very high. Also, a friend grew fabulous hay in Tennessee that sold all over the USA)
The best thing to do when you’re this deep in a hole is to stop digging. Quit with the excuses and the blame. This is all on you. If all these many “caretakers” have let you down I’d say you are either an exceptionally poor judge of character or you are interviewing based on being as cheap as you can. Raising poor to mediocre quality foals by well known sires and out of sub-standard low quality mares, then expecting to get top prices when they are starving and poorly cared for in addition to having poor conformation…it boggles the mind.
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Wow… seems everyone else on this thread has no problem keeping mares and foals looking sleek and shiny, and older broodmares can still look fantastic. It must just be a KS issue keeping weight on.
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The pasture where I board is getting poorly, and not enough to keep weight on most. Over the summer it was nutritious, and the ones that lived outside 24/7 got porky from all the grazing. Now, the paddocks are essentially for the horses to wander around in and nibble. Everyone is supplemented with Timothy (fed in TUBS), barley fodder and a handful of hard feed to mix the minerals. Everyone is round and shiny from the hay, minerals and barley. My mare lives in a paddock that is mostly weeds, some grass and a lot of sand - she is well padded. Even with poor pasture, the condition of those mares is inexcusable.
I’m a bit north of Ocala proper.
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Sadly, KS only popped into this thread again to feed her ego. It (the ego) is thriving on being fed, the horses are not.
She’s delighted to find herself the subject of discussion and basking in it.
No matter the deplorable condition of these horses, how horrendous the images are - it’s about her -
“thanks for stalking me” is the only answer to any question relating to the horses.
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She has now deleted the photo of the poor grey mare from her Facebook post.
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She’s a monster. Covering her tracks.
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Honestly SOME people should not make a business out of anything that eats poops or needs care. Living breathing things are not widgets you can market. They suffer. For your cheap hubris.
Gross
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Shocker. She needs stopped.
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Her claim about Florida pasture being old watermelon fields is complete bull crap. Her watermelons are invasive weeds that only grow on depleted over grazed land. Go to Ocala. Look at the big thoroughbred farms. Their youngsters run around in lush grass. I have horses on a small acreage. My grass persists. Because I’m not a dodo. And I manage it. And supplement with hay when needed. There is no magical alfalfa that has to come from Arizona. And her coastal round bales are probably cow grade and complete garbage. Cheap shit hay
And by the way Florida grows coastal. Which I don’t feed. Remember when you said Florida produces no hay ? But they do also grow peanut hay which is a legume and akin to alfalfa. So please do some research. You are so wrong
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The photos are preserved here. Kathryn/Kate Shearer’s ( aka COTH screen name Kasheare) thin mares eating hay thrown on sandy ground including the gray mare. Note the gray mares tilted head while she’s chewing her meager ration of hay. Have any of these horses had dental care? Somehow I doubt it.
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Wow. Not breeder, but I am well versed, well versed, in hard keepers and how horses can get in this condition and how quickly they can go downhill if not managed well.
My favorite word from this thread is “unthrifty”. The difference between this woman’s mares and youngsters and other breeders’ on this thread is telling. Thank you for this eye opening education.
Just want to add: I can catch conformation issues, and the bad conformation in these horses on these foals, puts them in backyard breeder category. These are not 20k animals.
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I agree. You don’t have to be around horses for very long (if you can be bothered to learn) to see the conformation faults in these mares and their foals. You have to be interested in basic conformation faults, and then, learn functional conformation and know if the animal in front of you is suitable for a particular sport.
There is no question that breeders should be very well versed in this and Kate Shearer is definitely not an educated breeder.
Buyers should have an understanding of basic conformation as should the trainers or agents they have guiding them.
It is shocking to see these animals being marketed for jumping, dressage or hunters. Their malnourished state, and that of their dams, will only exacerbate the conformation faults of the dams that are then passed on to these young horses.
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Glad I grabbed those before she went on a clean up spree. Screenshots are forever Kate. LK learned that the hard way.
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