might have been a Clydesdale ?
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There was actually an ad a few years ago from some mother who wanted to off-load her kid’s 25 year old horse who had carted her around at numerous gaming events for years because “she wasn’t young and fast anymore, LOL.” This was the actual quote. I was floored and very sad.
At least trying to find a home is better than someone I know whose horse served him faithfully for years carrying him through the mountains. When the horse needed to be retired, do you think they had a spot for him on their farm? No, he sold him to a feedlot because at least they could “get a few bucks for him.” How do these people sleep at night?
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Why can’t people do the right thing?
A HORSE’S PETITION TO HIS OWNER.
Going up hill, Whip me not.
Going down hill, Hurry me not.
On level road, Spare me not.
Of hay and corn, Rob me not.
Of pure water, Stint me not.
Of fresh air, Deprive me not.
To damp bed, Subject me not.
With brush and sponge, Neglect me not.
Home from grass, Physic me not.
Tired or hot, Wash me not.
Sick or cold, Chill me not.
With bit and reins, Jerk me not.
When you are vexed, Strike me not.
When old and grey, Despise me not.
When past my labour, Work me not.
When sick and dying, Leave me not.
And, when dead—
FORGET ME NOT.
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I feel like “Broke the best” originated in Amish draft horse sale ads & sort of oozed over into the western/backyard trail horse world. I never saw it anywhere but Amish ads until fairly recently.
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I would have called immediately, thats what I’m currently looking for. Last kid friendly horse I looked at looked like a rodeo bronc at the canter… they seller goes… we usually only w/t on her. Ad said well-broke w/t/c aged gelding. Ughh.
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I learned the Amish Sale Code from a friend who lives near Shipshewana & reading ads in The People’s Exchange:
TSS = Traffic Safe & Sound < this one is legit
Ladies Horse = Broke to death
Boys Horse = Hold on to your hat
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Or even better, I saw recently “Looking for their next forever home!”
Their next one?? How does that work?
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“Will go through anything.” I see that one a lot around here and it always gives me pause.
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Same! Once saw a Craigslist ad for an aged gelding that a trail outfit close in to DC was off-loading. $500, and a pic of this sweet soul plodding across Chain Bridge Rd in McLean with a tourist on board. Someone else supposedly got there first. I prayed that someone wasn’t the meat buyer 
My ex husband once derisively called me the “last refuge of the aged & ailing equine.” But I don’t care, lol. If it is something I plan to keep at home & not in a program, I’m under-horsing us. And I will happily shell out for Adequan, alfalfa pellets, & corrective shoeing that costs more monthly than my own entire wardrobe to keep a senior with a good head on his shoulders trucking along.
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I can’t go to Shipse anymore. Too many draft pairs up for auction, used up and broke down, standing shoulder to shoulder for the final gavel drop. Breaks my heart.
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Fancy broke. Usually this describes a horse that steers, stops and changes gaits without impersonating a rodeo. Yes, very fancy
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Me too.
I cannot go to the Sales barn with the Kill Pen without wanting to scream at & shake the wits out of those who consign their horses here.
Had to bite my tongue very hard when a friend sent her 5yo homebred Spanish Norman there. I understand needing the money, but hope I could never be that desperate.
Some nice horses do go through the auction & have happy endings, most do not.
If I won a Powerball I would buy out the place & start my own Gentle Giants & Others rescue/retirement farm.
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Amen to that. Thank god I didn’t come with a trailer the last time I was there, or I’d be the owner of an aged belgian pair. When/if I get land, I’d love to have one senior that was pulled from a situation like that - I doubt I could afford more though.
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“Broke good”. What, his leg?
“Jumps 4’ easy. 17hands”. Do they mean with a rider? And how many inches in their Feet and Hands measurement.
And then theres all these descriptive colors described in ads. Get there and they are all plain old brown. And if you ask them to send a pic, you get one of a nicely posed horse of the described color. After driving out, you find its not him, he’s the brown one standing in a muddy field in the background next to the goats, wrecked pick up and junk pile
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There was an ADORABLE young hackney stallion there last time. If he was just a liiiiittle bit bigger I could have broken him out and gotten him sold (after gelding of course!).
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"Up to date on…" I get a good chuckle when you’re looking at an ad for a significantly priced competition horse and the seller mentions that the horse is “up to date” on farrier, vaccines, coggins, dentist, etc. Is that even necessary to say? If you’re buying a five figure horse who is currently working or competing, that’s kind of a given. And if by some odd chance the horse isn’t current on those things, the cost of getting the horse current is a drop in the bucket compared to the sale price.
"By no fault of his own" I just think that’s a funny phrase even though I understand the sentiment.
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Then there’s the size of the horse.
My husband and I drove 4 hours to look at what was described as a 15.1 hand appy gelding. Get there and find a 13.3 appy gelding. They must have measured him standing in a hole. Man, we were not happy; that’s one day in our life we’ll never get back.
Also went to look at a young, 15 hand morgan gelding. It was actually about 14 hands and looked unhealthy as well. Had all the pre-requisites: muddy field, junk car, garbage laying around. Poor little guy, hope he had a soft landing.
And videos, the funniest one I saw that really made me chuckle was for a horse that went both english and western. For the western part of the video, no helmet, rode around like a western pleasure horse. When the english tack went on, the rider did wear a helmet, still rode around like a western pleasure horse. I never did figure out why she didn’t wear a helmet for riding in a western saddle, but did for the english. Maybe the horse was Parelli trained and wouldn’t have the audacity to trip but that went away when the tack changed?
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@Spudsmyguy Shopping online with a friend for Husband Horse, video included footage of horse ridden on trails.
Nice, except soundtrack included husband riding & wife recording, complete with soundtrack of them bickering about some BS trivia & lots of nausea-inducing camerawork.
Video ended with hatless(let alone helmetless) husband riding horse onto a stock trailer 
Friends bought the horse, he turned out nice.
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