Yikes – if I were the owners at the two clinics that were just named – I’d be more than a little concerned about my reputation.
14 Likes
Because this whole situation just horrifies me, I have to add
- Kate Shearer - take care of your horses. Be there, day in and day out. Do the work yourself.
- Kate Shearer - be honest and clear about who your horses are and aren’t. The slight omissions make a huge difference. You are wanting top dollar simply based upon the stallion. There are 2 sets of DNA used for a baby. Both matter.
- Kate Shearer - what happened to the auction you promised would happen in December? I think that lot of us here on COTH would support you more if you were finding homes for these horses who are nothing more than a business plan to you. Calling them your “kids” is gross. Please dont ever have human babies.
27 Likes
Your post, while sensible, is pissing into the wind.
KS is in her own World & Decency has no place there 
16 Likes
Yeah I was thinking that myself 
3 Likes
I want to be fair and not bash any vet clinics unnecessarily.
HOWEVER… if practicing veterinarians really are attending to all the issues with Kate’s broodmares and youngstock… and have witnessed them on-site on the farm with body conditions like those exhibited by the grey broodmare and the Chacco Blue filly…
I really hope they decline to help her breed more in 2024. Because it seems irresponsible…
16 Likes
I haven’t been following that carefully, but a couple of observations…
There are sometimes legitimate reasons why you(g) might have a skinny/poor-looking horse on your property, or why facility conditions might not look optimal at any moment in time. Social media is weird— some people really over-share IMHO, and that’s a personal preference/choice. But if you(g) are presenting yourself as a horse professional, you(g) should be aware that the photos and stories posted reflect your professional ethos and will be subject to scrutiny. I don’t know if the pictures/stories showing up in this thread are from this breeder’s personal or business page, but they are easily linked to the business. I’m not advocating “hiding” scruffy/thin horses or weird paddock set-ups from public view, but posting pictures of thin/unwell horses, sketchy conditions (aborted foal on crappy bedding?) indicates intentionally or not that this is standard operating procedure at this business, and yes, you(g) will be noticed.
I’m sorry about the grey mare, and no, we can’t tell her quality of life from a picture. I recently put down a senior with GI lymphoma— after he was diagnosed, he got pretty skinny but we kept him going as long as he still seemed happy to be alive. But I sure wouldn’t have posted pictures of him if I was advertising myself as a horse professional lest someone think that I assume he was at an acceptable BCS. And I sure as hell wouldn’t have let anyone sit on him in that condition 
.
Good professionals don’t have to constantly explain why the horse in a picture is skinny or out of condition, or why there’s no bedding, or weird fencing, etc. etc. — if these are the pictures you(g) are posting, they tell a story about your operation.
44 Likes
Right, that’s more so what I’m personally thinking about.
There are many types of breeders, that is for sure. Boutique breeders all the way to Schockemohle. I believe Kate is breeding 10-20 mares a year which is certainly not a state stud but is still quite a significant # financially for the average adult amateur such as Kate. Usually NA breeders around those numbers are going to great lengths to cut breeding costs because they have a pre-determined number to price their foal. It is not at all uncommon for the average US horse breeder to take courses to learn how to ultrasound their own mares, artificially inseminate, etc., in order to cut veterinary expenses. Breeders will specifically choose stallions with affordable contracts that offer flexible semen doses, the best semen possible with cooled/fresh, etc. It is common to pull whatever strings necessary to cut costs. Largely because many unforeseen expenses happen with breeding and foaling anyways.
Apparently Kate does the total opposite. She uses expensive or hard to find frozen semen, she uses ICSI as standard protocol with all of these mares, while boarding her horses and allegedly paying staff to feed her horses for long periods at a time (I don’t know any breeders breeding 20 mares a year who board), also while doing stupid things such as bringing in ridiculous alfalfa when she could use better available resources locally, have something with a little less protein but still great hay - and FEED MORE OF IT. Jesus.
I believe Kate said she spent 30k getting one mare in foal? That is absolutely bonkers to me given the mare she used. I’ve gone to great lengths to get a mare in foal but to spend 30k just to conceive from a poor unproven harness mare to a nice jumper - what the heck.
25 Likes
I definitely wasn’t meaning to bash either clinic, but I was posting more as a “OMG I wouldn’t want to be associated with any of that if it were me”.
Definitely agree with you about the upcoming breeding season.
14 Likes
Oh , I gotcha. We are on the same page. I just.figured that sooner or later they will get a heads up about the thread and I wanted to be clear we aren’t bashing them, we are just underlining and questioning the claims KS has made
2 Likes
A well respected vet practice treated Byrd’s horses for ages and did nothing about it. i never paid attention to BCS scores on paperwork but I also have noticed most don’t actually do the full exam to grade them and just put something random in there unless it’s specifically relevant to what they’re treating. My horse with the the sinus infection was given a BCS 5 when he went to surgery for it and he was a blimp. I think many vets won’t confront a client over bad management or inadequate care because they figure it’s better they’re still allowed around to help them how they can than fired and now the horses have no eyes on them. Who can blame them really for not wasting their breath, look at the reaction.
9 Likes
Yes, totally. I so rarely post on threads like this, but I just could not let that one go. My best friend is a vet - and she would NOT be pleased if that was her clinic name being thrown out there.
6 Likes
Just catching up on this thread…
I can answer that just based on how KS presents herself and her horses all over SM - very. I also better add some LOLs. Because apparently this is all very amusing and trite.
I had that happen here. We did not know the tumor was there and our mare looked great - but she was “running the herd” and “spicy”, acting up and obviously NQR. She was scheduled for an exam - and then had a bad colic. U/S revealed a large mass taking over her abdomen - and she was PTS and freed from her pain. That poor grey mare is a hot mess. Why not send her out on a happy note instead of waiting for her to suffer even further? Or is the vet bill a concern… like a feed bill apparently is… and adequate fencing… and facilities… and horse care…
Mare is not sound. When the time comes you will not be there when she is in agony and then you can blame someone - ANYONE - else. And I have my doubts that any vet actually “does not authorize” euthanasia. Or that there have been “exhaustive” tests done… because that costs $$$$$$$.
Shame on you.
The warmblood farm I worked on never had foals and weanlings that looked like they came off a rusty trailer and were dumped in a mixed livestock sale in some small town to get rid of them. They looked great at their evaluations - and so did their dams. Quality and care shines through.
My non-warmblood weanlings here also do not look like those scrawny, scruffy youngsters you are demanding $$$$$$$$ for… without putting $$ into their health and care.
30 Likes
No. Most horses have a suicidal streak.
I thought you were going to do horses everywhere a favor and get out of the horse business. That’s what you said a while ago in announcing your clearance sale. I find it disgusting that even after the public outing of these poor neglected horses, you actually have no shame and continue on as usual.
34 Likes
If the tumor is actually in the stomach as she said the vets suspect, couldn’t you take a look and possibly a biopsy via gastroscope?
Not saying internal melanomas might not be a problem also affecting digestion and absorption of nutrients (went through that myself with an elderly gray pony). In any event, the mare does not look well.
4 Likes
13 Likes
Yes, but use of Kate Shearers name multiple times will improve the odds of this discussion showing up on google searches,
12 Likes
My 30 + years as a DVM would indicate otherwise.
81 Likes
If it’s possible for a horse to hurt or injure himself/herself, they will. If it’s impossible for him/her to hurt or injure themselves, they will.
“Horses self-preserve” is asinine, as is finding it funny or amusing or lolling at risking same horse’s life or limb.
26 Likes
Okay, an outsider on this thread here, so to me, besides the deplorable condition of these poor animals, i want to know what in the ever loving holiness shining brightly down on us all is wrong with these horses haunches? Never mind the shoulders so straight I wouldn’t want to ride them, much less jump them, I can’t stop staring at the conformational multi car pile up of a back end on these mares and babies. Their movement is sad. I am sad. And then she posts movies of people harrying them around pens and over things showing them off? I have rarely seen a bigger train wreck more ignorant. Nor more negligent of herself and of horse care than this person.
30 Likes
The chasing them around the pen is supposed to show us how amazingly they move so we are impressed at wonderful breeding that was done here. Silly you @Ambitious_Kate for not realizing that is what is going on.
I think if you only look at the front legs of the foals running around scared in the latest videos you might forget the rest of the horse is not really moving nicely. Well, unless to you, the back end floating around behind the animal doing who knows what back there is your idea of moving nicely. But who can blame the poor things, like you said so well, that is how they are built.
I can’t get past the upside down neck on so many of them.
12 Likes
