Rescueing from a kill pen

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Bigfoot

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I see information here, there, and yonder about rescuing a particular horse from a kill pen. There will be videos, and pictures of the horse being handled and rode. Then there is a $900 adoption fee, $75 farrier service, and then list goes on and on. Are these scams?
 
I don't know if they're scams, but I'd still be careful about buying a horse from the kill pen... just like a cow, they're probably there for a reason.

a horse as yard art is cheap and easy to find.. a *good* horse will always be expensive, and probably not so easy to find.
 
x2

If it's an ad from an individual, he got the horse bought cheaper than what he's gonna make cutting his head off. Trying to make more money off him. It may actually be a good horse that he got cheap because the owners were tired of looking at him. Who knows.
I saw several good "trailriding" horses go to the killers in the late eighties. Guys would go out and drive around and just stop and ask people about the horses in their pasture. Of course they would come up with, " I'm looking for a good horse for my daughter, wife, etc" , "going to a good home" to start the conversation with.

I also saw some go that should've went long before they did.
 
Seen an add the other a man had a mule for sale that he had rescued from the kill pen. Said it was a nice mule till you went to get on it then it went crazy. I told him to take it back to the kill pen very few, if any good mules end up in a kill pen, some good horses may but I think more of them has problems than not. He was trying to get a 1000.00 for the outlaw mule.
 
My wife is a horse vet, she has dealed with several rescue groups. I think most have good intentions. But by numbers is you save a horse with 200 bucks and find it a home for 1000. Well seems pretty profitable.
 
You could see this coming from a mile away. Something hap to be wrong cause horse would not do anything more than jog in the mornings for like 2 weeks.
 
Looks like somebody just trying to make a living. They probably buy from a buyer and try to peddle them. If the don't sell they ship for slaughter. The sad story may help sell them like those SPCA commercials on TV.
 
I knew of a lady that did this. She would get a list of the horses that were in decent shape and broke that showed up at the shipping yard every week. The shipping yard is owned by one of the larger kill buyers in the US and if they aren't sold within a week the horses go to Mexico. I believe they were priced $25-$50 over what they were worth to kill and the kill buyer made the money on them to make it worth his time. The lady that ran the program did it for nothing in her spare time.
 
There's a guy up our way who runs a "rescue pen". I'm sure he's making money, but there are also some dang good horses that go through at no fault of their own. Prices are above kill, but still can be a really good deal on the right animal. Just remember, buyer beware. Someone with plenty of horse handling experience and common sense should have no problem picking out and working with one. Recently, a grey mare with some killer breeding went thru the local pen, but I thought about it too long, and when I made up my mind, this very pretty, prime age, dead broke mare with the same breeding as Jill Moody's Dolly, was already bought. :x
 
I wouldn't doubt there are some good horses in kill pens. I and the barn I'm with have gotten many from kill pens that have turned out to be phenomenal horses. Some of the best ones I have met have been either from auction or kill pens. Some good ones just fall through the cracks.
 
I have a 8 year old gelding from a kill pen. Chestnut, chrome on all 4 legs, blaze, 13 hands, fantastic kid horse. Friendly, follow you anywhere, great little horse. He was skinny, but roly-poly now, easy keeper. Cost $800 and worth every penny.

There are some real nice horses that go to slaughter that don't deserve to be there. I support horse slaughter because some horses are just crazy or dangerous, sick, crippled or whatever. But some just don't belong there.
 
Baymule":3gk1ezme said:
I have a 8 year old gelding from a kill pen. Chestnut, chrome on all 4 legs, blaze, 13 hands, fantastic kid horse. Friendly, follow you anywhere, great little horse. He was skinny, but roly-poly now, easy keeper. Cost $800 and worth every penny.

There are some real nice horses that go to slaughter that don't deserve to be there. I support horse slaughter because some horses are just crazy or dangerous, sick, crippled or whatever. But some just don't belong there.
there is some good ones that that end up in a kill pen BUT I think most that end up there is there for a reason. I was at Ozark Mule Days this past week end and saw a nice-good mule that was a rescue from a kill pen when he was , if I understood them right, 2 yrs. old and now I think they said he is 9. so yes he was a good young mule that ended up in a kill pen but as for and older mule that's been rode and used if it end up in a kill pen I bet more times than not he has a real problem of some kind. Horses may be a little different being there is more of them, more good ones may end up there. I have also seen a bunch that needed to be there that never went because some tender heated person would not send them there. Mater of fact I saw a couple mules this week end that I told the guy I was with if they were mine they would be taking a one way trip on the ''kill wagon''. A few years ago I had a big nice mare she rode good and could turn on a dime but every few days she had to buck a couple times and some times if you got close to her she would run backwards to try to kick you and some times when you went to get in the saddle she would try to kick at you. Well she did it one times to many and I sent a very pretty ,well built , young mare on that one way trip I call the ''Kill Wagon'' I think it is a great way to get rid of out laws, yes some good ones will end up there and some out laws never will get what they need but it beats shooting them and feeding them to the coyotes. just my 2 cents I know not every one agrees.
 
Bryant, you summed it up and I agree whole heartedly with you. We have 8 acres and 3 little grand daughters. ANYTHING on our place that doesn't get along, is mean or dangerous cannot stay here, from a chicken to a horse. A mean rooster makes a nice pot of soup, a ram makes "ramburger" can't make myself eat a horse though.....LOL
 
those poor horses. Particularly awful as there was all that hay piled up there that obviously wasn't going down them. How can you have feed to feed your horse yet let them get so skinny they can't stand?
 
Wendyfhdqs":2eh9huzw said:
those poor horses. Particularly awful as there was all that hay piled up there that obviously wasn't going down them. How can you have feed to feed your horse yet let them get so skinny they can't stand?
the ones I see in the kill pens aint skinny they are fat and slick. Its just like with cows they like the fat ones that will cut out good and they cant afford to ship a weak pile of bones.
 

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