Free horse

[undeterred]

I always look in the free section on craigslist...



Free paint horse 20 plus years old.
Great companion horse. Rode 5 years ago.

•Location: Juda Wi

http://madison.craigslist.org/zip/2692091869.html

[Shagbark Hickory]

1. Looks delicious.

How can I resist at that price?

[REP]

2. 20 years is mighty tough meat but make some mighty fine upholstery....

[Brother Buzz]

3. I see baseballs, lots of baseballs

[pink-o]

4. Awww, I'd share my porridge with him!

However, I live in the City, so much for geographical compatibility!

[Brickbat]

5. Sad. He'll be headed to a butcher soon.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. What's a companion horse? Does that mean I can take him to malls and stuff and no one can say no?

[undeterred]

7. What's a paint horse?

Can I get him to do some painting for me? :shrug:

[nolabear]

10. Pinto.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

14. Isn't he a moderator?

[nolabear]

22. No I think he's a gelding.

:rofl:

[Liberal Veteran]

19. They can't say "no", but they can say "neigh" - nt

[riderinthestorm]

8. I'll say it, there's no such thing as a free horse.

The actual purchase price of a horse is the cheapest thing about a horse (usually). "Free" means the vet bills, farrier bills, maintenance costs etc. are going to be even higher than normal to maintain this old guy.

[undeterred]

9. Theres gotta be a horse lover out there that will take him.

[Kali]

13. no

the problem is too many "horsie lovers" in the first place. dumbasses decide they want one and have no clue about the costs and work involved (don't get me started on the amateur "breeders" out there who are ruining breeds faster than puppy mills do for dogs)

combine that with the misguided anti-slaughter idiots and the shitty economy and this is what you get - thousands of people that can't even give a way a usable horse, much less a 20 year old pet that probably can't even be a kids horse. Or worse - starved or abandoned (same fate unless killed by predators before starving)


horses are livestock. no matter how much they are romanticized or "protected" they are ltill large livestock. They need to cared for as livestock not as backyard pets (and like too many of THEM just forgotten about soon after puppy or kittenhood) and sorry but the fact is there needs to be a way to dispose of them when they become either unusable or unsafe or unwanted. Not only are they not pets but even for those that insist on viewing them that way, euthanasia and disposal or disposal after natural death is not practical for many.

signed,
a VERY knowledgeable sucker who has several old "pets" in retirement, but also has the facilities and natural resources to do so

[RebelOne]

23. I would if I could, but the last free horse I had

did not like to be ridden. I can't count the times he bucked me off.

[nolabear]

11. Aw, poor old baby.

Sweet looking horse, hope he/she was loved well.

[Arugula Latte]

12. So sad.

Isn't it against the rules to list animals on Craigslist?

[undeterred]

16. No, theres even a pets section.

But this was posted under "free".

[Peregrine Took]

21. At least one person here has some humanity. n/t

[Arugula Latte]

28. Thanks.

I can find humor in almost anything, but animal suffering is not one of them. There are so many horses being neglected or abandoned because people can't afford to keep them up. The old ones have little hope of finding a good home in most cases.

[freshwest]

29. Thanks to both of you. Although Kali has a lot of experience and wisdom there.

I believe the owner is hoping for the best. It's possible that they are aged, bankrupt or being foreclosed upon. We don't know.

The animal looks very healthy but it is a tremendous responsibility to take on. I hope it finds a decent and loving place for its final years. Perhaps the listing could be referred to some of the safe haven places to see if they can take the horse.

Gotta fly now.

[undeterred]

26. Maybe you're thinking of eBay.

You can't sell animals on eBay.

[MiddleFingerMom]

15. Doesn't anyone else see the partial horse-within-a-horse?

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[Kali]

17. I'm glad to see you are uh...

enjoying? - your pain meds...:P

[KamaAina]

18. I didn't realize Troy had its own craigslist

:P

[Peregrine Took]

20. Reading the "funny"posts on this thread I feel I'm on Free Republic.

When did making cruel remarks get to be funny on DU?

[beam me up scottie]

24. We just bought our second horse, both are young but were terribly neglected.

Yes, we paid for them because we know we can save them.

Unfortunately when horses get too old, are too ill and/or starved many of them cannot recover and don't make it.
Rescues require a great deal of care and a large amount of cash, it's not for novices.

They are giving them away for a reason.

It breaks my heart, I wish I could save every unwanted animal on the planet, but we all do what we can and try to remember that the ones we do save are happy, healthy and loved.

[undeterred]

25. I don't know anything about horses and I couldn't keep one.

But I certainly appreciate somebody who would take in an old horse.

I do know an older woman who adopts old dogs. She doesn't have the energy for a young dog, so she only adopts dogs who are 8+ and older. They are slowing down so they might have more health expenses, but they don't require as much exercise. Sadly, they die in a few years. I think she is wonderful for doing it.

I hope this horse finds someone like that.

[beam me up scottie]

30. People who adopt animals that will soon pass on are far more noble and brave than I.

I still grieve the loss of every one of my friends.

I wish veterinary care was more affordable, poor people love their companions just as much as the wealthy. How many more animals would be adopted if the cost wasn't so prohibitive?

[Arugula Latte]

27. A humane euthanasia might be the best for this poor guy.

It's better than being given to the slaughterhouse. :(

[beam me up scottie]

31. Yes, especially if he is in pain.

Aging horses suffer from chronic pain just as much as aging humans, if not more, because they cannot complain.

[undeterred]

32. It might be the owner who is hurting.

I worked with a man whose only child was horse crazy. I don't even want to think about how much of his income went toward her hobby. He built a barn and they had 3 horses plus all the lessons, vet bills, etc. I couldn't imagine what would have happened it he or his wife lost their job. And of the horses they had was non-rideable, like this one... just something to have around for company.

[beam me up scottie]

33. I see that a lot too, unfortunately. It's horrible to have to give away a member of your family.

There have been many cases of horses starving to death because the owners couldn't afford to feed them and refused to give them up.

Horses are herd animals, they do not do well by themselves, hopefully this poor old guy finds a home with lots of friends.

[riderinthestorm]

35. They aren't "given" to the slaughterhouse, they are shipped to an auction

for this guy it's probably Shipshewana Indiana, a good 6+ hours away. The killer dealer buys him for $800 and the poor old soul is then packed into a double decker trailer designed to hold pigs (no that's not a typo) for a 20+ hour ride to Canada or Mexico where by the time it gets unloaded at the Canadian or Mexican slaughterhouse it really has been through hell.

Of course, if we had humane horse slaughter here in the US, this horse would have been taken to the newly designed, humane Cavel plant in Dekalb IL, a mere 3 - 4 hour ride from Wisconsin. A trailer ride the caring horse owner would have probably done him/herself to ensure the horse's comfort. Yes, it would have been put in a pen with other horses also going to be slaughtered but it would have been put down humanely, a thing that even humane euthanasia can't guarantee (ever walked a horse out to the back of the vet clinic where the other dead horses are laid out? Your horse is freaking out because of the dead carcasses and the smell and they know what's going on, and the young vet - because it's always the young vet who has to do it - is struggling to get the needle in and it's all a wild freaked out chase at the end). Not everyone can afford to put their horse down in their back yard or at the boarding barn.

Since the Cavel plant in Dekalb was shut down because too many people have no idea what's really involved at the end of owning large livestock, a humane slaughterhouse doesn't exist anymore in the US.



(FWIW, I have 3 retired horses of my own at my place, plus 1 retired horse that's boarded here so the issue of a humane end for horses is one that's very close to my heart).

[Xithras]

34. Pretty common. Older horses have no cash value.

When I had to get rid of mine several years ago, I not only gave them away for free, but had to deliver them 80 miles to the new owner myself. After listing them on Craigslist for three months at $0, another horse lover called me up and offered to give them a home on her land with her existing horses, but only if I could deliver them myself.

It's just one of the realities of horse ownership. A younger horse that can be ridden or do work will sell right away. Older horses that can't do either of those are almost impossible to give away. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, one of my neighbors actually SHOT HIS when he couldn't find it another owner (he did it legally, but it's still a damned shame...)

[undeterred]

36. I think that's better than letting it starve or

turning it over to a fate that is frightening or unknown. At least its quick.

[beam me up scottie]

37. Agreed.

If it was quick and he never saw it coming, it was much more humane than letting him starve and/or letting his hooves grow out until they crippled him.

[riderinthestorm]

38. But even if you shoot them on your property, you have to have a few hundred dollars for the renderer

to come pick up the carcass. Or you have to own a backhoe to dig a deep enough hole to bury it (or a few hundred bucks to rent one). Plus you have to have enough land to bury it, legally or not!

In your case, you had to have the financial means to get your horse to new home - gas, trailer and the ability to get time off from work or family to do the hauling. And the good fortune to find someone to take them.

That's beyond what some can do. We've "fostered" horses for HAARP, and HAHS - two hooved animal humane societies in our area - and the neglect and abuse for these poor things... (shudder). I've also written on DU about my experiences with a major tractor trailer wreck in 2007 in Wadsworth IL of young Belgian colts being shipped to Canada for slaughter and what a terrible, hideous disaster that was. It completely changed my perspective on how we "manage" (or don't) horses at the end of their lives.....

My world had always been humane euthanasia, burial on site. But the real world is starvation, killer pens, horrific rides to Canada and Mexico and worse.

[beam me up scottie]

39. Don't some renderers pay for the animals?

I've seen ads in our local rural "Browser" which offer cash for dead and down livestock.

I've always wondered why we can't donate deceased livestock to animal sanctuaries to feed big cats, wolves and other predators.

My world had always been humane euthanasia, burial on site. But the real world is starvation, killer pens, horrific rides to Canada and Mexico and worse.

Contemplating all of the suffering that gets a pass in the real world makes me never want to leave mine. Thank you for doing what you do.

[riderinthestorm]

40. Not in our area (Northern IL). It costs $350 for a dead horse pickup.

And they can never get here for several hours which is... well, awful.

We have ads in our local "browser" (named oddly enough The Orange Peel) for killer dealers looking for live animals to take off your hands (and ship to Canada or Mexico in their wretched trailers!)

I read upthread that you also now have a pair of retired horses. I'm glad you have two, they really do better with a companion. :hug: You are a good soul. 2/3 of our retired oldsters are mother (24 yr old retired competition horse) and daughter (14 yr old debilitated from EPM) who are pretty much inseperable.

[beam me up scottie]

41. Our guys are quite young, actually, 3 and 5. But we're their last chance.

Captain Jack was born to backyard breeders who only sold quarter horses, anybody who is familiar with the breed can immediately tell he's no QH. So they put him in the paddock with a stud who bullied him and ate all the feed. Dude was half starved but sweet and gentle. The geniuses decided he wasn't worth anything and got rid of him for $300; we're fairly certain he's a Haflinger/cross and is going to be an absolutely gorgeous guy once we get him back in shape. We won't ever sell him, but if we did he'd be worth quite a bit.

Stella is a very well bred Warmblood who was slightly injured before being started on *anything*. She was purchased twice but was too much to handle so they left her out in the pasture to rot. For 3 years. Not a mean bone in her body but she's dangerously spooky.
Bf thinks she's going to kill me, I told him I'd rather die with my boots on now than falling out of bed in a nursing home later.

We are looking for a burro to adapt, I read that they're still shooting the wild ones out west. Despicable.

Thank you for the info re: death trips to Canada and Mexico, I'm going to educate anyone who will listen. :hug:

[Xithras]

42. Nope.

He has an old busted concrete water trough at the back of his property. He shot the horse next to it and pushed it in. A half cord of firewood and a whole lotta diesel fuel took care of the rest.

Not a solution for people with weak stomachs though.