The auction is over...and three horses were saved, one directly off the truck, after she sold for a very low sum during the auction.
Rescue politics and auctions are a bizarre mix. But they are plentiful. In Central California, one group raises $6,000 every month, only to - as they did tonight - allow several horses sell to slaughter, while proceeding to only bid when we raised our hands. In full view, they stood, watched, waited for us to raise our hands...and then, would bid. They've done this at prior auctions, only to brag about it later.
Quickly picking up on this groups M.O., yet again, we decided after rescuing the Arab mare and QH filly, to sit out the rest of the auction, and allow them to take the rest of the needy horses they kept outbidding us on. And we were glad to let them take.
But when Hip 259, after selling for a very low sum during the sale, which we presumed was to the other rescue...we were dumbfounded to see her, instead, load onto the dealer's truck. So...for the now-inflated price of $400, we paid to keep her from shipping out.
We're just glad the horses we rescued are going to good homes. Hip 272, the underweight Arabian mare, Hip 263, the 2-year-old QH filly with overgrown feet, and tonight's off-the-truck rescue, "Lacy," the little scared Quarab mare, are our lucky three.
But, it's dismaying to see large sums of money, collected under the guise of keeping horses from selling to slaughter, was instead used to bid up another rescue....while still allowing several to go "that" way. Late after the sale tonight, we scrounged up enough extra cash to keep one of those horses off the truck, but she wasn't the only one. And the way the rescue politics are up north, how things are currently being conducted, this will - unfortunately - continue to be the outcome.
Rescue politics and auctions are a bizarre mix. But they are plentiful. In Central California, one group raises $6,000 every month, only to - as they did tonight - allow several horses sell to slaughter, while proceeding to only bid when we raised our hands. In full view, they stood, watched, waited for us to raise our hands...and then, would bid. They've done this at prior auctions, only to brag about it later.
Quickly picking up on this groups M.O., yet again, we decided after rescuing the Arab mare and QH filly, to sit out the rest of the auction, and allow them to take the rest of the needy horses they kept outbidding us on. And we were glad to let them take.
But when Hip 259, after selling for a very low sum during the sale, which we presumed was to the other rescue...we were dumbfounded to see her, instead, load onto the dealer's truck. So...for the now-inflated price of $400, we paid to keep her from shipping out.
We're just glad the horses we rescued are going to good homes. Hip 272, the underweight Arabian mare, Hip 263, the 2-year-old QH filly with overgrown feet, and tonight's off-the-truck rescue, "Lacy," the little scared Quarab mare, are our lucky three.
But, it's dismaying to see large sums of money, collected under the guise of keeping horses from selling to slaughter, was instead used to bid up another rescue....while still allowing several to go "that" way. Late after the sale tonight, we scrounged up enough extra cash to keep one of those horses off the truck, but she wasn't the only one. And the way the rescue politics are up north, how things are currently being conducted, this will - unfortunately - continue to be the outcome.
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