Someone with no heart or empathy for the horse!
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Poor thing has a bad case of DSLD to boot. Such a shame.
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I wish I had a farm. I’d go get him (not for 3k though). He looks like a really kind old soul.
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The horse was a Dutch Harness Horse. The ones I’ve seen don’t usually have feathers. For 30k, I expect to see a clipped, well presented horse that makes me ohhh and ahhh…not a scraggly looking beast LOL. The head shots on this horse are NOT doing it any favours BTW!
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this breaks my heart. that horrible person…
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Without getting into an argument (because yes, in a perfect world, no one should be in possession of a horse they can’t care for properly), sometimes the situation can be complicated. Chances are good this is an asshat. But it’s also possible it’s just a complicated, sad story.
Those of us who have been around COTH for a while probably remember the saga of “Old Chestnut Mare”, a heartbreaking CL sale ad for a very old, skinny TB mare. Long story and I don’t remember all the details but the ad was posted due to a sad family situation (I think the elderly owner went into a home and there was no money left) and non-horse people ended up with a horse they couldn’t care for. Some amazing COTHers stepped up, formed a syndicate, offered a place to live, chipped in for board and other expenses, and made a soft landing for the old gal. Always Funny lived in comfort and care for another 5 years and died peacefully in April ‘17 at the ripe old age of 34.
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The difference between that story and this ad is in that story asking price was not crazy high. In this case the asking price is kind of silly. And I get the reason why no free to a good home and such. But $3,000 is well beyond that.
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There’s value and logic in asking substantially over meat price. There’s lots of heartless jerks selling horses; you can’t always tell from the wording of an ad.
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I think there is value in asking over meat prices.
I do not think there is value and logic in asking substantially over meat price.
The number of people willing and able to take on an old lame horse with a medical condition that needs treatment is a pretty small amount.
The number of people who are willing to do that plus pay for it is even smaller.
The number of people who are willing to pay a substantial price is almost none.
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I’m not an expert on selling aged, unsound horses because everything I have owned and currently own has died or will die in my possession. With all my horses, I am aware of the “point of no return” for sales — if I don’t sell them while they are young enough and sound enough to attract a serious buyer, they get moved into to the “lifer” category (they’ll retire and eventually die with me). That’s how I like to do things, and so far I’ve been lucky. Not everyone can or must do it this way.
This ad belongs in the “ridiculous” thread because it’s hard to imagine spending $3K on this poor guy (although he does look sweet - a great temperament goes a long way). It’s possible the seller thinks that anything less than $3K will just attract the wrong crowd. This logic might be deluded, but it doesn’t make them “horrible” as was said above.
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i think it is horrible to turn out a horse that is spiraling downhill. The price? well, i get-that you should never sell a horse for less than the going price per pound*, but selling a horse with Cushings and a failing limb that is 25…that is the horrible part. Nothing good can come of it.
*I bought a mare and a stallion from a breeder and their contracts specified this exact thing. As did it also did that i needed to offer breeder back first right of refusal should i ever sell
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Unless any number of life’s tragedies has just hit you and rehoming a beloved horse is just one of the sh*tty tasks that faces you…. Look, I’m being pedantic and I know it — chances are, the ad is exactly what it looks like, a jerk tossing a no-longer-useful horse like a used Kleenex. But it’s also entirely possible there’s a very sad story behind it so I don’t like to judge why this horse is on the market.
However, I have no problem laughing at the “magikal pooping butterfly” ads. Or ads that tell me the horse’s preference in treats.
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well, what can i say…i’m judgey.
i read, i put-through my filter, and that’s what i got. I hope that person comesback as some other unfeeling asshat’s horse.
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I wondered about the price. My first thought about it was perhaps it was an excuse for later. An “I tried to sell him but nobody would buy him” sort of excuse.
Who knows?
I hope he finds a good place or a kind ending.
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Me too. He looks like a good egg.
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Quoting myself because I saw a new ad for this horse this evening. They are now asking $2500, and apparently were asking $3500 two weeks ago.
I doubt, given the area that this horse is in, that it is a situation of wanting to protect him from the killer market. My gut tells me the owners are trying to capitalize on the outrageous horse market that we presently have.
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It is hard in these situations. I have what I have been forced to admit is a lifer. 17yo PSG schoolmaster. He is IR and has well controlled Cushings. He’s still happy, enjoying the work and interesting to ride. The problem is that I also have a 4yo and only enough time for one horse. If I was selling him, I’d probably price him in the 15k range recognizing the cost to keep him on pergolide, legend, and his monthly massage, which keeps him happy in the upper level work. But I just can’t bring myself to risk him ending up unmedicated, foundered in a field.
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Giving the seller the benefit of doubt… It is really REALLY easy to drop the price to a good home, it is very difficult to “up” the price to discourage a bad one or to have the guts to say “NO”… Best wishes to the horse!
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If he is a PSG schoolmaster that isn’t too difficult to ride you could lease him to someone - amature friendly schoolmasters at that level are hard to come by. That way you could get some help financially, free up some of your time, and still keep an eye on him.
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This was my exact thought when I read that post too. Darn, this horse would make so many people happy to ride and the owner can keep control over his care (with a good contract and regular checks and the ability to quickly take him back if his needs are not being met to the contract).
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