larrypoe
Banned
Registered: Jan 2006
Location: bronaugh,MO
Posts: 2595 |
Horse Market Blues
#1, as far as I'm concerned the ban on horse slaughter is the worst thing to happen to US agriculture of all time. I also believe its unconstitutional and cant believe the Supreme Court not only let it stand, they have refused to hear cases brought on by the plant owners.
#2, if you believe the ban is a good thing do me a favor and go cuddle up with your bunny on another thread somewhere.
#3, horses are livestock and no different than a cow, hog, or chicken. I personaly wouldnt want to eat a horse, but I sure as heck have no problem selling them to someone who does, and dont mind if my dogfood has them in it.
Now what brought this on. Our local Amish comunity has a sale every year where they sell extra horses, wagons and buggys, tack, building supplys, handmade furniture, ext. It draws a crowd of literaly thousands every year.
This years sale was the weekend before last, and was the biggest one yet. I watched every one of the 80+ horses sale, and just couldnt get over how bad the market was. While a few kids ponys, the best standerdbred buggy horses, and a couple of the best teams of work horses brought decent prices, most had little or no value at all.
The draft horses brought from $250- $1900 for singles, and $500 to $3800 for teams. The average was about $500 for singles and $1000-$1200 for teams. Draft yearlings and colts had to beg for a bid. All sold for less than $300 if they werent dead broke or acted like they had any fire. Most that brought any kind of price at all were kept within the Amish comunity.
Standerdbreds and crosses brought from $200-$2200 for dead broke ones, and agian the colts couldnt hardly be given away. All the good ones were kept within the Amish comunity as well.
Friggen miniture ponys and kids ponys had a super market, and the prices were as good as I ever saw at anytime.
I bought probably the best built weanling Ive ever seen. Haflinger/Morgan cross, August stud colt, built like a tank. Price:$30. Ive watched this colt in action for over a week and havnt found a fault in him yet. Lineback dun with faultless confermation and tons of action on the move. He's gonna be something on a buggy and in work harness next year.
I have wanted a team since we had to sell the mules I worked as a kid when the old man who owned them died. I worked them from the time I was 6 untill I was 16. I fell for an 8 year old Percheron mare instead, and have a pair of Percheron colts bought when there old enough to wean. The mare PO'ed at the sale and I bought her afterwords. I pick her up this weekend. The colts wont be old enought to be picked up untill fall.
The mare is dead broke for anyone to work or ride, and I will use her to break a few other colts to harness while Im waiting for mine to get old enough to work. She also has a date with a jack, as well as a job pulling hedge posts out Ive cut and I cant drive to.
I gave $800 for her, and I can remember when drafts started at that or more for slaughter and went up from there. At a time when the price of everything else has gone threw the roof, horses are at rock bottem with no end in sight.
I hope the congressmen who voted for it, and people in favor of the slaughter ban, choke on the market.
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