A Jewel of a Horse

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

It was suggested in this thread: What keeps you going? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board

That I start a thread of my own on this subject, so… here it is. Not even sure where to start.

At the first of the year, I began volunteering at Hoof and a Prayer Horse Rescue, and in the process, began working with an Appaloosa filly named Jewel. Obligitory pictures:

Halloween: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v20/PapSett/Hoof%20and%20a%20Prayer/019.jpg

I have been the only one to work with Jewel. She was barely hater broke when I began, and while she is too young to saddle break, she is spook-proof now and gentle as a kitten. She follows me everywhere and will go to sleep with her head leaning on me. I love her like I have never loved any other living creature.

The rescue is having financial difficulties and no new rescues have come in in months. Several horses have been euthanized and several others sent to auction. The few remaining rescues remaining are being pushed for sale/adoption. Jewel is being featured as ‘horse of the month’ on CraigsList.

The owner of the rescue called me into the office a week ago Saturday and offered to give her to me. I had to say no because I cannot afford $300 a month board, plus vet bills, farrier, etc. The hardest ‘no’ I have ever had to speak.

Then, this weekend, I was talking to a friend of a friend who offered to keep her at his farm for me for free- he grows his own hay, I would just have to supply her grain. THIS… this I can do. So I called the rescue owner to discuss it a little further, and now I am told that since putting her on CraigsList, there are 2 or 3 (the number kept changing…) people that have already filled out an application for Jewel. She told me that if for whatever reason, they fall thru or decide they don’t want her, she will still give Jewel to me. So now it’s just a waiting game.

When I was forced to sell my first horse Star I grieved for him for 30 years. Jewel is what helped me to heal. More than anything I want to make her my own. Please send good thoughts, prayers, zen, whatever you have, that I am able to make this happen.

I am 52 years old. I don’t have another 30 years to grieve.

2

PapSett, I am holding good thoughts for you. Jewel is clearly the horse of your heart. I hope for both you that she can be yours the rest of your lives. I have two Appaloosas, mother and son, and wouldn’t part with them for the world. Keeping them is significantly impacting my retirement but I don’t care. They are my children

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

3

I hope everything works out. Is there anyone you could borrow money from? Would the rescue lady take payments? I would think you would have first dibs since you have done so much work with her.

4

I would think so, too, peedin. Pretty horse! Pretty horse!

Waiting games are Teh Sux. Best wishes to you, and to Jewel.

5

I don’t want to be a downer but this friend of friend still doesn’t cover the vet bills, farrier, etc. I know it would be hard but if they find a good home for this horse I sure hope it doesn’t cause you to grieve for 30 years.

6

Craigslist ads are usually local, correct? It’s possible that even if a permanant and stable home is found, that you may be able to keep contact with Jewel? Most horse owners know what it’s like to lose your heart to one; I sure hope Jewel gets to keep being in your life one way or another, PapSett. :slight_smile:

7

Thanks for the support everyone.

No, I would be paying the farrier and vet myself obviously. I have owned horses in the past, I am aware of the cost. It is the $300 a month board that was holding me back.

Rescue lady is going to GIVE her to me, free of charge, if for any reason the people that filled in applications for Jewel fall thru, either changing their mind or if their facilities are not up to standard. Right now, all I can do is wait.

8

She’s beautiful. Waiting is the worst. Here’s hoping things work out!

9

She’s gorgeous. She reminds me of my first horse–also an Appy filly (and also, kind of on the skinny side when I first got her. Well, really skinny.)

If this horse happens to just drop in your lap, that’s great. If not–then you can still do some good volunteering at the horse rescue, right? There are other horses, it sounds like. Maybe even other horses to take, now that your friend is on board.

Anyway, good luck. I know waiting is tough. Hope you don’t have to wait too long.

10

A legitimate rescue doesn’t renege on an adoption offer, doesn’t put horses on Craigslist and definitely doesn’t send horses to auction. Demand that they sign the horse over to you as originally offered and then RUN away from that organization.

11

Or gallop.

12

I agree. It’s pretty effed up that a horse rescue would be sending horses to auction (for those who don’t know, horses at auctions are often bought by slaughter houses to be killed for meat). If it looks like they won’t give Jewel to you I’d be tempted to threaten to expose them to the horse loving community for that (though Id only consider that a last resort nuclear option).

13

Hope it works out for you PapSett!!

14

Fall though craigslist people! Fall through fall through fall through… Go buy some other horse Dopers don’t care about, you craigslisters!

Jewel looks lovely :slight_smile: hope it works out!

15

The best of luck, PapSett. I had horses for over 30 years until I lost my last one a few years ago at age 24. I’ve decided to wait until the economy turns around before getting another one (might be a long wait), but gosh, I miss it! Having a horse is a lifestyle and I was very unprepared for the huge change in mine.

Crossing fingers that this all works out for you and Jewel.

16

Not all rescues aim to be a permanent home for the animals they take in. Many have the goal of making the animals fit for re-homing (for horses, this often means providing training in addition to food and medical care) and then finding homes for them.

If the organization is bringing horses to auction with a minimum bid well above the meat price (i.e., what the slaughter buyer is willing to pay), I don’t see a huge problem. My concern with auction sales is that the rescue may not have the opportunity to vet the buyers. Same thing with advertising horses via Craigslist - as long as the price is high enough to deter slaughter buyers and there’s some effort to ensure that buyers have sufficient resources and knowledge to care for the animals.

The OP says the organization has not taken on any new horses in a while (a responsible move, if they’re short on funds). It sounds like they are doing what they can to find homes for the horses they do have before they can’t afford to care for them.

PapSett, I do hope this works out for you. I understand that the cost of boarding can be such a deal-breaker. I just sold my own horse to the person who has been leasing her from me - I can’t afford to live where board is cheap, and I can’t afford to board her where I live.

17

They didn’t renege - she said no and before she changed her mind, they had other offers. Frankly, I think it’s a little insulting to PapSett that people are looking for little nitpicks to say she has been volunteering for a year at some fraudulent rescue group. I am sure she knows the kind of people there better than you.

Anyway, I know everyone here is rooting for you, PapSett, but I am pretty apprehensive. A “friend of a friend” isn’t necessarily the most sure thing for a 20+ year commitment. You are ready for regular shoeing and vet bills, but what about the inevitable surprise vet bill? I can’t see any wisdom in all sorts of finagling and tight budgeting to get, let’s face it, a pet, a luxury*. Especially when you get to enjoy horses all the time anyways by volunteering at this rescue.

I hope it all works out for the best and you can be at peace with whatever the outcome.

*I know it’s not the same as an iPad, I love my dog and cat, but in the end it’s a luxury.

18

Yes, I think that is certainly appropriate for a rescue. I’m not objecting to that part. It’s the fact that these horses are being sent to auctions that I find shady, considering that many of the auction buyers are slaughterhouses. I HOPE that they’re setting high prices for the horses to try to ensure that they don’t get sent to slaughterhouses, but it seems to me that most rescues do try to make more of an effort to be sure that the animals they’ve taken in end up with a reliable owner.
I’d be very upset if I had given up a horse to a rescue thinking they would find a responsible, safe owner and later found out the place just sent the horse to an auction.

19

I wish I had answers to these (very good) questions. But the whole auction thing is being kept very quiet. When any of us volunteers asks where this horse or that horse went, we are told simply ‘they found a home’, but one of the boarders I am friendly with was there when the last 3 were loaded & sent to auction.

What bothers me about that is they have all these rules & regulations about where the horse is kept if they are adoppted out, but if they go to auction, there ARE no rules.

20

I found a facebook page/blog by someone who seems to have a major axe to grind against this rescue: http://ahoofandaprayeradopterbeware.blogspot.com/
I don’t know if it helps to know that apparently someone else out there is very unhappy about how they run things. It does sound to me like even if this place had good intentions, something must have gone quite wrong in how they are running the place.