FFFS #5: The Curly Stud, + Updating A Prior FFFS

There are breeds of horses that I will admit I don't know that much about. I am, however, all about education and furthering our knowledge of all breeds, so when I was sent this ad, my initial reaction was something.... different. 

The Curly Horse is a horse I am familiar with, but only through a distance. There was a girl I used to be quite good friends with who owns a solid chestnut curly gelding. She raves about him, and so my impressions of Curly horses were pretty much based on him. He however, was solid chestnut, and thus I just rather thought that all curly horses were solid colors. 


They are not, as I am finding out today. This particular stud is an appaloosa colored stud. 


I will admit, I first started out today with a title of "The AppaCurlyLoosa Stallion", but while searching google for images of Appys and Curlys to compare the two breeds together, discovered that Curly horses come in ALL colors - Pinto, Appy, Roan, etc. Some are quite wildly colored! 


Oh wait - that means we have a rare breed, with some unusual hair coat, with... can we all say it now... KOLOR! 


Some of the Curly horses I have been looking at this morning are of course, down right stunning. 


Lets look at those, before our ad, shall we? The lovely mare below is a pure Curly. 

Granted she's a buckskin or dun pinto but she's got a NICE shoulder, nice extension, a lovely hip, deep hocks, and a very pretty head. Her name is Painted Dunn Deal. 


I also found a very, very nice looking stallion by the name of Sandmans' Magic. Here is a link to a video of him competing at First Level, Test 1. Its so refreshing to see stallions out there, being used, and given a job, isn't it? 

Now, having brought forth these wonderful horses, who have owners that have given the horses jobs, are out there doing their thing, and trying to properly promote their breed, we have somewhat of a breed standard to go by. 


Then - nasty 'ol craigslist comes along, and since its just a breeding cesspool for the cheapskates, the short-cutters, and the ones looking for a quick buck, you KNOW what comes is gonna make your eyes just BLEED. 




Are you ready for the ad yet? Oh, by now I'm sure you are. 

Ad Text: Curly Stallion - Available Stud, $200 Stud fee + $5 a day mare care - $200 (Fallon) My Curly stallion had his first baby born today. He had a Palomino Curly Stud colt with a white blanket on his but and Palomino spots. He has steel blue eyes, 4 white hooves and is a curly. I have included his picture on this ad so you can see what a nice foal he is. I've also included pictures of the dad when he is a blue roan and a red roan he changes during the year. If your interested in breeding your mare this year just give me a call. 

Mr. Curly Stud is on the top, and ..... we have another medicore, KOLORED, 'rare breed' stallion being offered for stud services that has done nothing to prove himself, and is nothing spectacular. That wild coat pattern on him they say goes from Red Roan to Blue Roan... so THAT must be why he still has his balls. He's a Majikal Kolour Changing Superstallyon! 

Kudos to "Sallywhoa" who sent it to me, her line about how her "mare would need a bucket of rufies before this would look appealing.  Curly AND Appy... double bonus!" made me laugh. She is right! Some roans are really nice... this guy just looks like someone melted a bunch of crayons together and dumped it over his back. Not terribly appealing, I will say! 

Before all you Appaloosa fans out there go bat-shit crazy on me for dissin' the color, lemme say that the color is just a side note. He's being featured because he's a no-name stallion that does NOT need to be breeding right now. 

See, even though I go on and on about the people that breed these wild colors, I really do not have any moral objections to seeing what you can get by breeding some of these colors together. Its when the stallion and mare are horses that haven't done JACK SHIT in their lives except breed and eat and poop and we get 'really nice foals' that AREN'T! 

There are just soooooo many horses out there that can not find homes that ARE well trained, and ARE wonderful family members for really low prices. 

I can't even tell what breed of mare she is! Is she an Appy? Is she a Quarter Horse? Is she a Curly? Whatever she is... she is certainly nothing special to look at in these pictures. 

This ad screams BYB to me. Just another family that needs to get a ride from the clue bus.

We ended up with a palomino horse with butt spots. Wonderful. Do you plan on keeping that baby forever? Because in this market, good luck finding a buyer for him. (Even if he's half/full Curly.)

_________________________________________________________________________________

In continuing with our run of updates this week, I was surprised to find in my inbox last night a note from Sheryl, who originally sent me the ad for the Saddlebred Stallion standing in a mud filled trailer park being offered for stud services. 

Well, I guess their pictures really didn't do any good OR bring in any mares (WHAT AN F'ING SURPRISE!) and now he's up for sale. 

Guess what! They also learned how to use a hose! 

Anyone in Fresno that can go save this guy? Or at least, know of any rescue groups, message boards we can mention him on? They ONLY want $500! I wonder if they might be willing to bargain down some, since they were willing to take $250 for the stud fees? If anyone is interested, please note that I posted the UN-Edited copy of the screenshot with the email address to contact the sellers, and HERE is the link directly to the ad. They did not post a phone number on the ad, so it is email only contact. If one of you all do go get him, please please let me know! I'd love to feature his story and you like I did with Comet if you want. 

Comet's Story

For all of you that have been following this week, last night I posted an update on the 2 1/2 year old Arabian Gelding, who was just not only miserable, but looked like he had been torn up by a paper shredder. I promised that when I had the full story, I'd post. I have part of it, what I can post now, I am. 

Who could forget him? I got email after email asking after his fate. I had NO answers at all. I could not find a re-post of the ad, and well, he was posted for the one or two days, and then just disappeared. 


Since he was in WI, and I'm in AZ, going to get him myself was not really an option. This blog had not yet gotten enough readers yet to be able to post that "HELP" message, and I wasn't yet familiar with websites such as the Arabian Breeders Network. 


Sometimes happy endings to happen to horses like him. His saving angel is an 18 year old girl that didn't even think twice about paying the $50 it took to get him out of that hell hole. Thats less than a full tank of gas for most of us. Sounds like a bad charity commercial, but thats the truth. 


So Megan and her friend, who also owns a 2 year old Arab gelding, went to go get him. She deserves a massive kudos for having the guts to step up and not just say "Oh thats terrible. Someone should help him."


There were also several others that did step up and make the effort to save him. Last night, I received an email from a wonderful reader (Katherine) asking for the phone number from the ad. I had many people email me and ask for the full ad but never specifically for the phone number. I wasn't even sure If I still had the original copy of the screen cap, but I did, and sent it off to her. A little less than an hour later, she let me know that he had found a home, and sent me the link to a thread on the Arabian Breeders Network Site. 


On ABN's board, they have a section for cases just like his, and had picked up on the ad as well. They were networking, and doing their best to try to find him a place. Several members called the phone number repeatedly trying to get a current situation report, but no messages had been returned by the seller. 


Well, here comes in Megan, who is already an ABN member, saying she went and got him! 
Her words, "I just wanted everybody to know, I bought him. I saw the ad myself on craigslist and picked him a up a day later. He's in really rough shape. He has hardly any muscle mass and absolutely no fat on him. His hips are sticking out, and his ribs are more than visible. He was so matted with mud and dirt that it took us 2 hours to try and brush half of it off. We also found a wire tangled in his tail. He is a sweetheart though. He just sat and let us take care of him for nearly 3 hours. "


Unfortunately, he's wasn't the only horse on the property. The seller has 6 other animals that are in nearly as bad shape as he is. 


The pictures posted on the ad... don't tell the full story. 

Do you SEE HIS SPINE? He would not go any higher than a 1. A few more days and he would have been gone. They parked him temporarily in the garage, but hey, that garage is STILL a better place for him than that dump he came from. 

Now, look very carefully at the end of his tail. It LOOKS like it might just be a part of his tail, rat-knotted, half fallen out, and just hanging, right? 


Wrong. 

Its that piece of wire intertwined in his tail, and most likely around the bone. 


The previous owner is currently being turned in by Megan. YES!!!!!! Should I repeat that she's 18? Most adults have semi-low opinions of teenagers - they are lazy, don't care about anything, self centered, know it alls, yadda yadda yadda. 


I'd say this lady showed up an entire FREAKING TOWN FULL OF PEOPLE.


I, on behalf of myself, and all of the readers of this blog, would like to humbly thank you for having the steel balls to stand up and do what many other people DID NOT DO. You went and REPORTED THE ASSHOLE to the authorities. 


Lets see that wire again, shall we? Its not just 2-3 inches long. 

The end of it gets a bit lost in whatever is coiled up on the bench, but you get the idea. It looks to be at least 6 inches, doubled up. 


How can any person do this, watch this, LIVE WITH THIS MISERY DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY IN THEIR BACKYARD AND ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN? 


Quoting Megan, "The guy had 6 horses, and they were all pretty skinny. Comet was by far the worst. The best looking horse he has is his mini. I'm in the process of turning in him in for neglect.

Then in a few posts down, "But the guy didn't want to get rid of any more horses, he was actually making room for another one. Pretty much it was terrible. "

OMG. Can we please starve people that do this to their animals? PLEASE? Hes getting ready to purchase another horse. Of course he is! 

These are the people that will not stop at abusing animals. I really wish I had this guys name, because I'd just LOVE to find out what kind of background he's got. 

But, I don't.

You just Gotta love the fact that he's IN the Garage. :)She said he stood there like a champion and just soaked up the attention. You can just see that is soooo true! This poor boy had most likely never received a pat, a kind word, a stroke on the neck, and we all know he sure didn't get any food! I am just floored by how much these animals will withstand.

Now lets compare that to his original ad pictures. The one to the top left is after, the one below is before. 




Abso-friggin-lutely amazing, what just a few hours of care can do. He looks sooo gosh darn HAPPY in that garage, doesn't he? How about that face? Does he not just look like he thinks he's died and gone to horsey heaven!? 


There isn't a person on the face of this planet that can't tell me that he doesn't KNOW his life was saved, and that his life is already better. The difference in expressions is priceless.   



Now. 












That was all back in March - uploaded to the ABN board on the 13th. The original ad was posted on March 8th. Its been a few weeks. Ya'll wanna see him after nearly 3 weeks of food, care, and with a knowledgeable, caring owner? 










Meet the new "Comet"!




Megan named him "Comet" because her friend that went with her to get him also has a 2 year old Arabian Gelding named "Vixen". I just LOVE that. :D

Amazing what hay can do, huh? Again, I simply cannot get over this. I just cannot say it enough. THIS is why I started this blog. Not for the entertainment value, not so much for my own blood pressure (though, daily venting IS helping), not to piss people off. 


I started it to be able to help horses like this because there are just so many. I am a single mom of two that simply can't get financially involved with rescuing horses right now... but this I CAN DO. This is my stand in the fight against this horrible epidemic that is sweeping the US. I can use the power of free speech, and free Blogger, and scream, rant, rave, plead, post, network, and maybe, just MAYBE, save a desperate soul or two. I'm not a religious freak, not doing it for prestige, nor fame. My goal is simple, and straightforward - 


To place and save as many of these as I can. 'Cause I'm in it for the long haul. 


So, please, I am asking you all. If you have just one friend that is into horses, owns, rescues, or just likes to watch them run in a pasture. Please tell them to start paying attention to this blog. I am not doing this for selfish reasons - the more people we can network together, the better chance that cases like Comet's here have to make it to that happy ending. I will definitely keep up with his progress, and as Megan posts pictures, I'll of course update everyone here. 


Now, tomorrow will be the Friday Featured Fugly Stallion as per usual. It will mark the 4th one for the blog - and I will have a new ad with a stallion that just ... fits the FFFS label soooooo well, as well as another update on one of the past FFF Studs. 


See you back here tomorrow! I'm off to go back to the marestare cameras. I need more happy happy and watching baby horses being born is about as happy as things can get!

More Updates, and Yes, An Ad.

I am still gathering information on the story of "Comet", the little Arab Gelding. Just as soon as I'm allowed to post the info, I will share, I promise!


For today, I think I might just continue the theme I have going the last 2 days... foals! Since I got all the happy news last night about Comet and came home from work to find that "Pearl" had foaled, I'm not in so much of a 'fire and brimstone' mood today. :) So I'm going to post a bit of a lighter ad today. Still blog worthy.....


.....'Cept... this guy NEEDS a happy ending. I have emailed the owner to find out if he's been placed yet, still awaiting any possible responses. If I were any where near FL, I'd be all over this guy. 

She rescued him from starvation, and now she needs to find him a new home. She is demanding $200 'cash only'. Is this normal for this situation? 

Ad Text: C A S H - O N L Y! 

MUST find a home.

"Gage" was severly neglected when he came to me. His body score was below 1. He could not get up for two days. It was absolutely pathetic to watch him try to move around.
He was lethargic for days.
Finally with good nutrition, and antibiotics he is gaining weight VERY rapidly!
His heath is increasing everyday.
Now he runs around, and is very active.

I sadly knew the owners of this baby horse and had to watch him deteriorate.
He is built like a GOD when is is back to full weight and health. Dont let his bony
figure frighten you off! This boy will make a wondfully athletic and family horse in
the future. Hes got it all.

hes a very gentle little boy, very respectful. He has a bright eye and is ready to be loved on! Gage still needs a considerable amount of weight but is SO much better than when he first arrived.
He needs an experienced horse person that is willing to give time to this baby horse.
Hes good natured and will grow up to be a wonderful horse!
$200 rehoming fee.

313 xxx xxxx
(Both parents are registered horses, with amazing temperments, however Gage was not registered, and the stallion does not belong to the person the colt did so unfortunately i do not believe he can be registered.)

She does not list breed, OR age, yet she knows the sire/dam. Why did she not list bloodlines at 

least? She knows them. I'd like to guess that he might be an Arabian judging from the hip and neck?  Kinda hard to tell. He sure sounds like an 'oops' breeding that the mare owners wanted real bad to just 'go away'...

She seems have done a good job starting the rehab process... I'm curious to know why he's suddenly got to go. 

Any body out there in this area that can maybe check on him ? I'm willing to pass along contact info on him via email. 

Isn't he adorable? That little snip is soooo begging to be kissed daily. 

Speaking of absolutely adorable foals - I was checking up on the progress of Pearls newborn colt this morning, and was so pleased to see some pictures of the little guy. Last night he was being a typical boy baby and had decided that after the first 2 or 3 bottle feedings of colostrum (milked and bottle fed because thats just what they do to make sure the baby gets enough), that he wasn't going to make any effort to find the milk bar himself. 

Well that made for some serious entertainment as the world watched as he'd suckle every part of mom except her udder. Donna and helpers were on hand and watching very closely, every so often you'd see her come in, hold Pearl, and they'd assist the colt. She said on the HGF's that they had to make him think he was just going to STARVE! :D *giggle*. 

There is still a feeling that he very well might be the worlds first smokey cream thoroughbred - she has already pulled the hairs for testing this morning. 

Ya'll wanna see him? I'm SURE you do!

Here is the link to the HGF forum thread, for those of you wishing to follow along in this little drama. 

LINK to Camera Feed

(Can't be all serious all the time, now can we! Not during foaling season I sure can't!) :D

2 Happy Happy Updates!

I could not wait until tomorrow to post these updates. 


1st... the perlino TB mare "Pearl" that I have been obsessively watching on marestare and mentioned on Tuesdays blog foaled a colt earlier this afternoon! :D Owned by True Colors Ranch, they were expecting at minimum another Cremello or Perlino, but were HOPING for the worlds first smokey cream Thoroughbred. The colt on the black and white feed is dark, and reports from TC posted on Horse Grooming Forums. 


Quoted from the thread, "She said he's coloured like nothing she's ever seen, is quite dark, has a dorsal stripe and a chocolate brown tail. I've just texted TC Junior to bring the camera to mom so we can get some colour pics. Donna said she'd do it tomorrow... I said no.  That's where TC Junior is being dragged in. But the most important thing... both are doing great!" 


Congratulations to Pearl, True Colors Farm and to the buyer in Germany who purchased the smokey cream and perlino options in utero. LOL. As his color is determined to the best it can be, I'll update here. Cause this is just cool :). 


2nd... and this is even more exciting to me than the foal's birth!


On my March 9th blog post, I posted three ads with three horses that needed some serious upgrades. 

The third horse was this 2 year old Arab Gelding, being offered for $50. Remember him? 


His story affected a lot of our readers, though there are no comments on the thread itself. I received a few private emails regarding him, and was unable to find any updates, repostings, or news on him in the WI Craigslist. He haunted me, just like a lot of others, and It really bothered me that I wasn't able to follow up on his story. 


Earlier tonight I received another email regarding him. She was asking for the phone number on the ad because she was going to follow up on him and see if he had found a home yet or not. I went through about 30 minutes of panic, searching through nearly a gig's worth of saved ads to find the original ad. Luckily I had the original copy saved from before I removed the contact information, and sent it back to her. 


She did some research, and within an hour had emailed me back with some good news. 


She found a thread on the Arabian Breeders forum - apparently they had also seen the ad, and were trying to find a placement for him. Several calls had been made to the seller, with messages left, none of which had yet to be returned. 


Well, this guy DID end up with a happy ending! A wonderful lady saw the ad with a friend, and within 24 hours, had paid the $50 for him, and had gotten him out of there. His name is now 'Comet', as her rescuer friend has a same age arab gelding she named 'Vixen'. :D 


I am awaiting account approval for the forums as we speak, so once I acquire permissions to post, I will contact the person who rescued him, and see if I can get also get permission to post more pictures here for you all. 


She reports that he's a doll, btw! Thank you very much Kelly for your research, and for being willing to take a chance that he'd still be rescue-able! 


See, this is exactly the reason I started this blog. Even though it wasn't because of this blog that he found a loving new home, I really had nothing to do with it, it just makes me that much more motivated to keep on keepin' on with posting these horrible ads - because someone somewhere out there will feel that pull deep down to find an extra place in their barn for a soul that deserves that second chance. 


Keep checking back for more updates... there's definitely more to come on his story! Once I get permission on reposting the pictures, I'll get them up asap. I just couldn't wait till morning to post this great news!!!!! 

WTF Wed; Generalizations Don't Do Any One Any Good

This one is always a hot topic. Those of us involved with horses, inevitably always end up with a favorite breed or two, and we will stoutly and stubbornly defend 'our breed' to anyone else that cares to be a critic. When a sweeping generalization is made we just can't help standing up (either literally or figuratively) and saying, "Hey, NO, thats NOT correct!"


Well I am no different. I found an ad that had one of those sweeping statements about one of 'my' breeds, and I'm going to expand on that a little. I literally said out loud "WTF!?" when I read this, which really doesn't happen that often anymore. 


The breed in question is the Paso Fino. The breed became one of 'my' breeds as a teenage girl, when I responded to a local newspaper ad that wanted help feeding and cleaning stalls in exchange for riding lessons. I was a few weeks away from turning 16, I had to sell my last horse at the age of 12, and was basically "lessonless" and "horseless". The barn that placed the ad was a paso fino barn. I had never heard of the breed before, and totally fell in love with the horses. I worked there for nearly 4 years, then came back to work for the same barn 3 years ago for a period of a year. The barn was a very competitive show barn, and her horses through the years have won multiple local, state, national, and world titles.  


Part of the barn's business of course was riding lessons. As a teenager, and as part of my 'pay', I learned to ride the pasos, plus assisted in many riding lessons given to other children and adults. Its that experience that made me really stop short on this ad, because the ad could NOT be farther from the truth. 

So, the Ad Text reads: PASO FINO FOR SALE - $1200. Amigo is an 8 yo Paso Fino gelding. Bay with black points and small white bands on his front feet. Very smooth ride. Pasture friendly and the easiest to catch. Stands about 14.2 hh. Paso Finos are generally not suited for beginners or timid riders because they have alot of energy and are very responsive. For someone with a little more confidence they are the smoothest ride and look good doing it. For sale for $1200 or best offer. Video available upon request. Respond through this add or contact us at foxrunfarm@rockexxxl.com Thanks 


Ok, see that big bold text? Paso Finos are generally not suited for beginners or timid riders because they have alot of energy and are very responsive. This is the statement I said "WTF" to. 


Arabian fans - don't you just all hate it when someone says, "all arabs are stupid, brainless, flightly, dumb airheads". Thoroughbreds get the "they are all flighty, highstrung, hard to control, and all they want to do every is run away with you". Quarter Horse lovers get sick of hearing that all qh's are "lazy, slow, bumbling deadheads that all do that weird lame western pleasure canter thing". All Appaloosas hate white people. Paint horses are all crazy. All Shetland Ponies are mean, spiteful, and hate children.

Ok, you know I could go on and on. 


We all have them. We all know them. Do we try to stop them? Some of us do. 


<< This is the gelding for sale. He's a decent pleasure type trail paso, and the $1200 asking price is a very accurate amount for this horse. 

As we all know, there are extremes of behavior in every breed. Its most often the extremes that people remember and then classify all of the horses of that particular breed together as behaving the same. They see the Arabian Halter Classes (with the animals loosing their minds) in the show ring and assume that ALL Arabians act that same way. The hard truth of the matter is that an older Arabian mare, especially one that has had a few foals, is often the one of the best types of horses for children to learn on and around. They were bred to live with their families, in the desert tents. They were bred to be 'watchdogs' of sorts for the families. They were bred to take care of their humans. Send a child into an older Arabian Mare's stall with a brush, they are gonna come out with their hair all licked and ruffled, and wet marks from where she snuffled the kid to death. Truth be told, I would further trust that Arab Mare than a Quarter Horse Mare with a kid in the stall. Quarter Horse mares are tough, catty, and can flatten a kid up against a wall without thinking twice. Its the way they were bred. QH mares are bred to be thrown out into a pasture, carry the foal, deliver the foal in the pasture with no help, and make sure that foal stays alive - without any human help. We bred them that way. These aren't generalizations, they are part of the history of the respective breeds. Are there Arab mares of ANY age that I would never send a child into the stall with? ABSOLUTELY. Same with the QH's. I owned one such qh mare who just LOVED kids. It all goes back to knowing your horse, as well as knowing how the breed came into existence, how they were handled over generations, and what humans did with them to gain understanding into an individual horses' behavior. 


The Paso Fino stereotype spouted above irked the hell out of me for those very same reasons. I seriously doubt the owners really and truly know the Paso Fino breed as a whole. Going back to the barn I worked for as an example - one of the lesson horses that we used for BEGINNER CHILDREN was a mare, around 15 years old, who when put into a show ring, was as Hot as Hades on a summer day. Mercedes (she's the very top horse on the page) is classified as a solid Performance type Paso, she knew how to turn 'it on' and as a result had a list of awards, ribbons, and titles as long as a mile. You'd think a horse like that would be nearly impossible for a child to handle, right? Reality was you put a child up on her, and she'd become the slowest, most careful, conscientious horse. 


(And, while I'm thinking about it, under News & Events, page 4, under the Southwest Classic heading, in the large picture on the left... thats your's truly in the middle wearing the green shirt. That was during 'happier' times during my employment with the barn. I'm also in some of the pictures for the Fiesta Show as well.)


We sold Paso after Paso to families with younger children simply because paso finos are very people oriented horses. Even the hot, hot, hot show stallions - put a child on their backs, and they just KNOW. I've seen and ridden with children that haven't been riding more than a month be able to ride a paso fino out on the trails, with their families, and have the best time. Once mature and fully trained, they become excellent, sane, levelheaded mounts that literally anyone can ride. That is why the breed is one of the very very few that are increasing their registry numbers yearly - in both horses and members.


We sold Petroleo (second to last from bottom) and Preludio (small black gelding) both to families with children under the age of 10, as childrens mounts. Exitoso (the steel gray gelding) went to a 60 year old lady who had recently retired from riding Cutting horses her entire life, and wanted a horse that wouldn't jar her back any more. Tentacion was being used as a lesson horse for children until her owner decided she was going to sell her privately. 


The whole point to my ad today was simply that stereotypes exist in every breed. We can choose to allow them to propagate and spread, or we can make a stand and say something, loudly. 

I know most of you don't know much about the breed, and what they can/can't do. 


Here are some links for further reading.


http://hubpages.com/hub/Paso-Finos-Are-They-Suitable-for-Children - Article covers basically what we'd say for any horse, make sure the individual horse is well trained, easy to handle, and has the right personality for kids. 


http://www.pfha.org/ - The main breed registry site, some background and information on the horses themselves. 


http://www.gaitedhorses.net/BreedArticles/PasoFino2.shtml

This One Made Me Speechless

I will admit I have been holding on to this one for a while. It was originally sent to me and I have since lost the name of the person that sent it, so whomever you were, thank you again. 


I think its about time to bring this one out, as a good friend of mine sent me a link to a 'marestare' foaling camera feed from True Colors Farms. So guess what I've been doing all night long tonight instead of looking for the next juicy ad for you all :P. 


At any rate, I'm don't want to discuss the unusual colors of the Thoroughbreds they are breeding. Love it or hate it, lets save that for another day. I just found the feed absolutely fascinating - and watching this mare on the feed who is very close to delivering (if not tonight then most likely in the next few days) made me think of this ad, and figured why not. 


So, on with the show (as I flip back and forth between this page and the camera feed :D). 


Foaling Stupidity!


I think I'm going to add my commentary as you read the ad. This one just begs for it. 


Ad Text: Experience Foaling in 3-4 months (Weeping Water)I have some really nice broodmares that I am going to let go (sale). IT'S SELL! NOT SALE~ GRRR THIS DRIVES ME INSANE WHEN I SEE IT!


I have all colors and super pedigrees. These mares produce some awsome babies. They are in foal to a gray stallion we own. I have several of their foals that you can see, pretty much a 90% chance will all foal gray colts. Hmm, what a surprise, wanna bet its a back yard breeder with a no-name stallion who's done... *gasp* nothing!? Breeds of the mares and stud aren't even listed! Are they registered? Apparently its not important! Also, it seems this person has a magkical glass krystal ball that she can divine the future in...she knows what color the foals will be and what gender they'll be! (Oh, I KNOW gray horses tend to produce graying out foals. Its those darn genes. I'm still not cutting them any slack here.)


Some mares are broke to ride, so you don't have to re-breed them, (OH WOW NEW CONCEPT! RIDING your broodmares that you don't breed back for a few years!) you can ride a mare with a colt by her side down the road or trail and they do great! UM NO, what will happen when baby decides to run hell bent for leather into the wilds of whatever area you are in, and mom decides she's following.... at top speed? Sounds like a great ride to me! Seriously, NOBODY should ever EVER allow a foal to run loose at mom's side while out riding trails. This is one of the stupidest lines I've ever seen used to "SALE" a horse. The possibilities are endless for that baby to get hurt, tied up somewhere, fall off a cliff, get attacked by other animals/dogs/horses/cows/coyotes/PEOPLE. 


You would just love having the experience of having a mare to foal a newborn in about 3-4 months. Yes, these people actually wrote this. Eye-Bleeding, Mind-Numbing, Makes you want to PUKE and smack them upside the head, I know!


They usually come right up to you to nuzzle the very first day they are born, (has anyone ever had this happen?) and would rather follow you, than their mother. Theres a book called "Horses for Dummies". I would gladly mail them a copy if they would stop advertising this shit. 


Kids love these colts, it is a great experience for the whole family. They will never forget this experience , compared to all of the other sports activities. Sports activities at least don't involve LIVE ANIMALS that turn into 1000 pound eating machines that rear, strike, kick, bite, and otherwise figure out how to intimidate those they perceive as lower on the totem pole as them!


The experience of watching an living being being born is unforgettable. Watching a foal being delivered is nothing short of miraculous. That is something all horse lovers, and animal lovers really, will agree on. Birth, while messy, violent, bloody, exhausting, heart wrenching, and just AMAZING, is a part of life, and should be introduced into to a child as part of the 'life experience'. I know my first foaling will never be forgotten - an Arabian mare that delivered just fine, but the colt didn't break the sac on his own. I was there just to quietly watch and learn, and as a responsible 16 year old I understood that I was to stay out of the way, keep Quiet, and just watch. 


But advertising your foals that aren't even here yet as some side show circus that your family can enjoy while eating popcorn and sitting in lawn chairs is way more than most of us reasonable people can handle. 


I'm sure that most of you reading this blog have been around horses, and are familiar enough with the whole horse birthing process to know that there are way too many things that can go wrong so fast. This ad is targeting families that have little to no knowledge of what can happen, what should/shouldn't happen, and what they need to do once the foal is born... these families will be suckered into a situation that will quickly get out of control when they suddenly realize that they have 2! horses and while cute, foals are a real pain in the butt to handle! What happens if the foal is breech? What happens if its still born? What happens if its born with a birth defect? It happens to the best of breeders. Its not controllable, and if these people that placed the ad think they are selling some sort of romantic fantasy with the pregnant mare... well to borrow a well known phrase "the bitch slap bus is a-comin' to town!"


This is how we end up with 2 year old stallions still in the pasture with their dams, with owners that don't have a clue about what to do with them. They don't believe that the son will actually breed his mom! Then... WOOPS! We have 3 horses! Do they think that the new foal is as inbred as they get? NOPE. Suddenly we can't afford to feed 3 horses, and around the merry-go-round we go. List them on craigslist, and if that doesn't work we try the local auction and we all know how that can end up. Or, if the horses are 'lucky', they don't get sent to the auction, but rather just starve a slow death in the pasture full of dead grass and weeds cause the owners don't even know they don't know that its not enough. 


As for the pictures with the ad, they did post 4, however the screenshot I had saved only had the top two in it. 





Yea, nothing spectacular there. But, none of you are surprised about that, I'm sure. Hmm, think the dam of that 'white' foal was tested for the Lethal White gene? I'd lay pretty damn good odds that she wasn't!


I see the mare on the cam has moved around quite a lot while I was writing this, but she's currently sleeping :). While its 1am for me, its 4 am for them. I'm half tempted to stay up a bit longer and see if she does anything as dawn approaches - but then again its been a long day and I'm quite tired myself. 


You know, these camera feeds should be advertised more often online for the same families that would be interested in buying one of the mares above just to watch the delivery. Its free, there's no financial responsibility involved, the kids can make popcorn too, and if you have a big enough tv, heck, even the neighbors can come over and watch! What a perfect solution :D. Oh, she's up and bumping around in the stall. Doesn't look like the mare is going to do much of anything except wait for breakfast, oh well. 


She'll be fun to follow this week.... I think I'll do a daily update on her :).