Would YOU Ever HIre This Farrier?

At least I think this guy is a Farrier. I can't think of any other reason anyone would build this...

So, I ask the question. Would you ever hire a man that feels the need to build one of these above, so he could shoe horses in relative safety and 'comfort'? 

The ad explains why he built this contraption, and its the contraption that is up for sale here, not the horse for once. 

Rock solid horseshoeing stock I built out of heavy channel iron and pipe when I had some hard to shoe horses. Pressure treated 2x8 floor. Big enough and strong enough to handle the bronciest draft horses or saddle stock for trimming shoeing or doctoring. That's a 14.5 arabian in the pictures for scale. (The dog isn't for sale) $700 OBO Serious inquiries only please. Please put Bronc in your title so I know you aren't some nigerian scammer.

I suppose out in Wyoming there might actually be a need for this contraption as there are still ranches that run herds of horses that aren't handled all that often. 

Right? 

Ok, I'm done trying to convince myself that this is a good idea. 

Not only is there straps around this horse's barrel like a front and back cinch, this horse also has his foot tied to the metal bar, with what looks to be NON-Breakable Nylon Webbing? 

You know...You have to have some semblance of control over your horse to even get him into this thing to begin with. A 'broncy draft' won't even get into it unless you either force him (a draft? good luck...) or he willingly follows you in. 

I don't buy this at all. 

This guy just figured out a way to shortcut the process. 

Stocks have their place in the equine world. I'm not against using them for veterinary situations. But to confine a horse just to shoe him? That screams a farrier that decided he didn't want to learn how to handle horses the right way, and built this mess to do the work for him. 

That tied foot scares me the most, I think. All I can see is a broken, twisted leg coming out of that...

Thanks Sue! Love what you send me!

Clothes Do Not Make The Man

It feels good to be back! I should have gotten this larger external monitor a long time ago with that little 10 inch screen the netbook has - this is pretty nice being able to actually SEE what I'm writing! Though, this new keyboard I got I don't think I like. *grumble grumble*


Lets dive right in to this, shall we?


I can't remember if this ad was emailed to me, or If its one I found, so if you emailed it to me, and I don't have you mentioned thats why! :) Lemme know you sent it, and I'll edit the post. 

KIDS/PLAYDAY HORSE/MOUNTED PATROL/TRAIL - $4300 (CROCKETT)

Buck is 10 yo Playday horse, excellent for any beginner. He has never offered to rear, kick, bite or buck. He has no bad vices or issues. He is currently being ridden by a 7 yo girl an my 10 yo daughter. My daughter pushes him an makes him go, the 7 yo girl is very in-expirenced an slowly trotts all the events. Buck had been used in mounted patrol in the past, trail rides great, not barn sour or buddy sour. He is a playday horse, excellent for a beginner. If any horse is Bomb Proof, id say he would be... He is about 14.3 hands, so not too large or tall. He is currently being used every weekend in playdays, and will be advertised there for sale too. If you have kids an want a trusty horse, with a good look, Buck is it.

Now for those of you that might be looking for a great kids horse, this might be it. He's the right age, sounds like he's got some decent training, and mentioning how he changes his manner of going for the two different kids is a great thing to mention. 

I am going to guess that he's a gelding, as they don't mention it, but don't mention breeding him either. I don't see anything about a breed either, so again, guessing grade. For a horse such as this though, grade is just fine. What this guy has been used for (gaming, mounted patrol, trail) doesn't require papers to play. Just a good head and decent training. 

So, if all I have to say here is good things, why is he on the blog? Smart and intelligent readers will have noticed I haven't put up pictures yet.... 

*sigh* 

This is where the good gets ugly.

Ready? 

Here we go. The idiots on parade. Playday kids without helmets. BABIES on horses without anyone holding the horse.

How funny, "Buck" is a buckskin. *roll eyes*. As an artist, I value creativity. 

I also value intelligence. 

The one thing I didn't point out above, that I will NOW, is that this horse is only 14.3 hands tall. 

But with this ass standing on the horse, it makes the pony look like he's about 12 hands tall, and makes the guy look like a class A idiot. What exactly is this supposed to prove, anyways? That the horse is calm enough to allow a person to stand on their backs without moving? Thats wonderful, but exactly what situation would require a person standing on the horse's back during a horse's day to day life? There isn't a gymkhana event that I know of that requires it; I've never been on a trail ride where I found I had to stand on the horse for any reason; and even during the Extreme Cowboy Race I've never seen it - and I follow it pretty religiously on Craig Cameron's Website.

They even have a video on you tube...If you click on the ad picture itself, you'll notice that I left off the last line or two of the ad when I copied the text. I didn't think it was really that important, but I just watched the video and ... oh boy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggqBY8eDX1U

Folks, this is not the way to sell your otherwise awesome gaming pony. What a picture like this makes ME think, and other experienced horse people, is 1) OUCH! Thats a SPINE they are standing on with BOOTS! Saddle or no, there's still a great amount of pressure being exerted down on his back. 2) How many times has this idiot done this, and what injuries has he incurred to this animal's back while doing it?

Seriously people, why do you think that just because you have a hat and boots, and see other like-minded idiots with hats and boots doing this, that its OK? What exactly does it prove? These pictures are everywhere, and I *still* don't get why its popular for the biggest, tallest, wrangler clad moron with too much testosterone to do this with what is usually the smallest, skinniest horse in the pasture!

I, like many of you, grew up with Cowboys. Cowboys that would have yanked this guys ass down off of that horse and thrashed him for being a moron. Not the men that play dress up and are cowboys. There is a difference between a Cowboy and a cowboy. Just because you throw on the wranglers, boots, and the biggest hat you can find does not make one a 'cowboy'. Cowboys don't DO this shit. They treat their animals with respect, dignity, and that does not include walking on their backs!!!

Further more, some men I was around while growing up that didn't wear the clothes were still Cowboys because of their attitude toward the animals. Its not what you wear, its how you act, what you do, what you say, how you present yourself and your animals that makes you a Cowboy or a cowboy. Big difference.

Get a clue people. 

AND We're Back!

Kinda. 

The computer isn't actually fixed. I just went on craigslist, found an LCD flat-screen monitor for $35, with an external keyboard and mouse, we're in business!

Cheapest fix we could come up with. The netbook is acting like a tower basically for now, until I figure out what to do next. 

But it works!

Look for a new ad tomorrow!

The Disaster Gets Worse...

So its about 1:30 am here, and - am hit with another bout of insomnia. I got a response back from the manufactuer of my computer regarding the busted screen, and they wanted $199 bucks to fix it. There is no way I am payong that much. I know I can get a screen fow way less than that and we will replace it ourselves.
If there are wierd þypos on this post forgive me, blogger and blackberry phones don't mix too well and I literally cannot see what I am typing due to the way the posting screen comes up on here.

What a nightmare.

Disaster

Last night my cat decided to sit on my laptop. 

This is what I woke up to this morning. I am on the boyfriends computer right now typing this, but like sides of the bed, we are both very territorial when it comes to our computers, and while his computer is fast and cool, its still HIS. Its set up the way he wants, and I had mine set up the way *I* liked. 

*sigh* What happened? I was watching a movie on it till about 1am or so, and was 3/4ths of the way already asleep when I put it down on my night table. I left the screen slightly open, but this morning It was closed and THAT was what I saw on my screen!!!! I think my cat sat on it over night... those are high pressure marks on the LCD screen, we've seen them before here on other laptops. The screen can be replaced, but if the warranty won't cover it, we'll have to do it ourselves, effectively killing the warranty - or whats left of it.

(We, ie; the boyfriend and I, run a small computer repair business on the side, plus we have a stack of old broke laptops up in the closet... literally, theres 5 or 6 up there that we part out.)

I am currently talking to the manufacturer about getting it repaired under the warranty, but if they say no, then we'll have to find a screen off Ebay and replace the screen. 

Until then, I will have to take a forced 'vacation' from the blog. 

FFFS: How Many Studs Does One Need?

When you are getting rid of horses because you have too many, that puts a certain ideal, or image into peoples heads. When its too many STALLIONS you have...thats something else altogether. 


Like this guy, in Houston. 

2YR OLD STALLION FOR SALE, HE'S HALTER BROKE, LOADS WITH EASE, LEADS ON A LEAD ROPE, HE WILL FOLLOW YOU WHERE YOU GO, VERY GENTLE HORSE FOR A 2YR OLD STALLION. HE EVEN GETS ALONG WITH MY OTHER STALLIONS, I WAS GOING TO USE HIM FOR BREEDING, BUT I HAVE A STALLION FREISIAN THAT IM GOING TO US E FOR BREEDING NOW, ALONG WITH MY OTHER CLYDESDALE STALLION. THIS 2YR OLD WILL MAKE A GOOD BREEDING STALLION, I JUST HAVE TOO MANY STALLIONS RIGHT NOW. MAKE ME AN OFFER, AND HE COULD BE YOURS, WILL MAKE YOU A HECK OF A DEAL ON HIM, WILL ALSO CONSIDER TRADES. PLEASE CALL OR TEXT 713---0502, WE HAVE HIM STARTED UNDER SADDLE, AND HE IS DOING VERY WELL, IF I DIDNT KNOW ANY BETTER, I WOULD SAY HE HAS SOME TRAINING UNDER HIS BELT. 


If you click on the ad picture, and compare it to the ad text, you'll find it doesn't exactly match up - when I took the screenshot of the ad, it said what the screen shot said, but I neglected to copy the text into a text doc like normal. The ad was still up, but the ad text had changed some since, so thats what I copied over to here.


He has just too many stallions right now. 


How many is too many? How many did he have to START WITH? (Cause there's another ad of his you'll see here in a sec.) I don't get the mentality that a horse is ok to breed at 2, but NOT ok to ride at 2. I think in this case it might have something to do with .... dare I say it.... Penis Envy? 


Seriously. LOOK at these pictures. 

This guy has at MINIMUM 2 Clyde Stallions AND a FRIESIAN stallion, and he's taking pictures in front of what looks to be a HOUSE on the side of the road in the driveway???


Does this picture make ANY sense to you? 


Friesians are highly expensive - and if this guy doesn't put his Friesian stallion through the inspection process before breeding, the registry WILL kick his horse out of the studbook. They tend to NOT like their horses breeding without their permissions, because of the high inbreeding coefficient within the Friesian breed. 


But back to the Clydesdale. The horse isn't THAT bad. Stallion quality? I don't know enough about the drafties to tell... but at first glance, probably not. Or at least let him fill out some before deciding whether or not he's worthy of being bred. 


Its the decision to take the pictures in a freaking driveway in front of his house, in an area that looks like there is nothing 'horsey' about the area. 


Here's the other ad...


HAVE A HUGE CLYDESDALE STALLION, HE LOADS WITH EASE, LEADS ON A LEAD ROPE, GENTLE WITH MARES, ONLY GETTING RID OF BECAUSE I HAVE TOO MANY STALLIONS, HE GETS ALONE WITH MY OTHER STALLIONS, BUT IM GOING TO JUST KEEP MY FREISIAN STALLION, AND ONE OF MY OTHER CLYDESDALE STALLIONS. THIS HORSE IS A HUGE HORSE, BUT HE IS GENTLE AS CAN BE FOR A STALLION, HE IS WORKED WITH EVERDAY, HES AN EASY KEEPER, WOULD MAKE SOME WONDERFUL COLTS FOR SOMEBODY. CALL AND MAKE ME AN OFFER, WILL ALSO CONSIDER TRADES. CALL OR TEXT 713---0502 


At least these pictures are a teeny bit better... kinda ... 

If blurry is better than ghetto I guess. 

Long Back or Club Foot?

I decided to leave Tuesday's post up as the top post for an extra day so that hopefully a few more people could see it and maybe one or two more eyes would be opened up to the Big Lick Industry. I had typed up a big ol long reply for what Kat and CNJ said, and then I went to post it, and realized I was logged into gmail under the wrong email address... when I tried to log out and log back in under the correct gmail, blogger ate my post. I really didn't feel like retyping it out again, but the gist of it was that Kat, you are ok to correct anything I ever say on here about soring and the BL industry if I'm wrong and simply that its the 'good ol' boy' club that needs to be seriously broken up permanently within that upper echelon of the Tennessee Walker Club in regards to the Celebration Show for any serious changes to happen. I loved what happened with the Celebration where all but (correct me again please Kat if I'm wrong! :) ) I want to say 2 or 3 horses were DQ'd out of the Saturday Night Championship Big Lick Class, with some seriously BNT being told they couldn't compete that night for the Ultimate Big Lick Title. 


I'd love to see more of that, as would a lot of other people. 


That posting also had the very small distinction of being post number 70 for me on here! I should do something fun or snazzy for post 100, I just don't know what yet. 


I also have a very awesome update, that I've been dying to put up here too, I think after the nastiness of that photo, we need some goodness here, yes? 


I'm sure all of you will remember this little donkey from the "Can't You Hear Him Braying Ouch!" posting. 

He was rescued out of that dump and here's his story! 

One of my borders did decide to go and buy him.  Of course we got about 4-5 stories from the owner of how long he had had Donkey and where he got him, so we are really not sure of his background.  He was still intact, so our first matter of business (after his feet, of course!) was gelding him.  He has been a trooper right along.  He has been beaten in his past (was VERY scared to be hand grazes at first), but he is amazing with my 3 year old daughter, just melts for her.  His feet are MUCH better.  Our farrier did a great first trim and Donkey cantered off after and moves soundly!  All of our horses are scared of him, and now he is starting to be scared of horses because of their reaction!  He is fun to have around.

The Barn Owner that sent me that email also gave me a link to a facebook album with a few more pics of him. She also included pictures of his gelding surgery, so there is some blood, but its not terribly bad. Those are his feet from before - I'm thinking the top is front, the bottom is hind, from the angles of the legs. Either way, no animal should ever have to walk around like this.

There's a few more pictures in there than what I can show here, but I have to include this one. I just LOVE donkey faces! This guy sure looks TONS happier now.

And AFTER the first trim... loads better. The farrier has estimated about 6 months of trims to get his feet back to normal but he will get there.

There are also some really adorable pictures of him with the BO's daughter... like most donks, he's got a soft spot for kids.  They named him Otie! LOL.

Thank you so much Francine for sharing that and allowing me to put it up. We need more good stories like Otie's! 

I am still periodically checking up on Comet and Valora, I'll try to get an update on them soon as well.

Ok, shall we move on with the icky stuff? Today's not to bad, I promise. Just mild ickyness. 

I named today's post "Long Back or Club Foot" because one of the ads features a very long backed horse, and one of them has a club foot... but do very similar jobs. The price point between them is substantial, and while I'm very sure the vast majority of us will agree that one of the price points is more than outrageous, I'm interested in the question of what conformational faults would you be willing to overlook if everything else about the horse is spot on. 

Rope Horse/Kids Horse/Trail Horse Bay Gelding $1000 FIRM (Maricopa)

Finished Bay Head and Heel quarter horse for sale. "Doc" is a sound 1990 model that loves to be ridden and roped off of. He has been on vacation for the last few years and I just can't stand to let him sit in the pen and go to waste any longer. He shoes quiet, hauls well (he should know because he has been to all corners of the southwest). He would be a great horse for a #3 roper or better. I have hauled him to anything from USTRC ropings to rodeos to local jackpots. I have made quite a bit of money off of him roping. He is a wonderful horse all the way around. I am the second only owner of this horse which means he hasn't been passed back and forth from one ranch to another. "Doc" has blood lines from Doc Bar and Hancock. He is not current on registration papers but everything is in line to be set up. I bought him from a horse breeder in Colorado that produces pristine looking horses. He won a reigning title as a 2 yr old. I am comfortable putting my kids on him and not having to worry about them. Doc would make a good kids horse too if that is what your looking for. He is one that knows the difference in experienced and non experienced riders - A good babysitter! . No bad habits and loves to be taken care of. Current on West Nile Shots. Doc has also been around cattle in the pasture and on the mountain. He is sure footed when it comes to ridding on hills and trails. "Doc" has also been on a few hunting trips and knows how to pony and pack. I hate to get rid of him but knowing that he will live out his life doing what he loves means more. Please call Jessica 480---0969. 

p.s. that is a fly tag around his neck.

So before I post the picture of this guy, let me point out a few things. He's older, (19) which can be a double edged sword. He's an ex-roping horse - which means he really might have that 'seen it done it all' attitude. Most of these old rope horses really are as close to 'bombproof' as one can get... though as always, there are exceptions. One thing that concerns me is the 'reigning title as a 2 yr old'... that means he was broke way early, and combine that with the roping life... soundness would be a serious consideration with this guy. 

"I bought him from a horse breeder in Colorado that produces pristine looking horses." 

This sentence by itself would make me stop and wonder what a 'pristine looking horse' is, but I think I'll throw out the picture for you all now... 

E-YOW! Gotta wonder what some people are thinking when they write these ads. Why this chick chose to use the words "pristine horse" to describe this guy I have NO clue. I've seen swaybacked horses before, I've had them here on the blog before. You'd think though, that she'd SAY SOMETHING about his back in the ad - instead of trying to pass him off as "pristine" - whatever the hell that means. Sway backed horses most of the time can be ridden, but good saddle fit is a very high priority here. 

Honestly though for him at this point, pasture life with a few 'pony rides' for the grandkids might not be a bad life for him; add in some Light trail work to keep his mind active and sound... but he's not going to hold up to hard work - that back will simply give out on him one of these days. She's only asking for $1000 - which I think is a great price for him, considering that his personality/mental soundness will be well worth that price. 

He's obviously the 'long back' for this post lol. Let's move on to our club foot, shall we?

!!^MADE BARREL HORSE READY FOR ANY LEVEL RIDER!!! - $20000 (East Tucson) 

Creek is an amzing horse she has beat the odds! she is not registered and has a clubfoot but yet she places at the top of the 1D consistantly when she is in shape unfortunetly my ground is too hard for me to work her and i dont want to take the chances. She is automatic and is quiet at the gate she is automatic enough for a little girl to start on or high school rodeo. I only want to take one horse to college with me and that is also why i am selling her i am negotiable on the price depending on the home, because she is out of shape. She can do so much but we dont get along as well as i would like i ahve seen her go so much faster with other people so come try her!! she is you next money earner!! 

please call or text 520--1184 

Yea, I told you that one of the price points was outrageous. *Dissection knife at the ready*

1st of all... a club foot isn't a work death sentence. The sorrel mare you see on the side bar had a mild club foot, and while she wasn't that comfortable to ride (the worst jackhammer trot and canter you've EVER been on), it didn't affect her that much. I have no idea why the hardness of the ground would affect the mare...unless there's other soundness issues going on with her as well? What I want to know is do you work your OTHER horse on that same ground...

2nd ... This mare is NOT registered. I will never say unregistered or grade horses aren't worth buying. But when have you ever heard of a grade horse going for $20,000 WITH a club foot? 

3rd... its ok to admit that you are going off to college and can only afford one horse. Most people will understand that. However, admitting that the two of you didn't get along is not the best selling point! 

4th... I get the feeling here that she's looking at this mare as the possible start to her college fund... I mean come on. $20,000 for this mare? In NO WAY will she ever get that close to that price. She claims she's negotiable on the price to the right home, and I can see her maybe using the uuber high price to turn unsavory people away. But how far exactly is she willing to come down from that mountain top? What is negotiable for her? $5,000? $10,000? Would YOU be willing to drop the price by TEN GRAND if you were heading off to college? Why set it THAT high to start with? $10,000 is plenty high enough to scare away those same types of people and still give you some negotiating room without making yourself feel like you just got robbed. 

I *think* just by looking at the picture the left hind might be the club foot, but It might also be the shadow crossing over the hoof too. Since you can't see the right fore, it might very well be that one too.

Can't tell from the action shot as well. She had two other pictures of her barrel racing, but they were covered with "Proof" watermarks, and I wasn't about to repost those. 

So back to my original question. Here we have two similar backgrounded, but different horses that did similar jobs. They both have pretty serious conformational defaults. Neither being one you want to pass on. The gelding, at least there's no possibility of that happening... but with the mare, there's a very GOOD chance she'll be bred, if she hasn't been already. 

Out of the two, which is the lesser of the two evils?