What Becomes of the Broodmares?

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re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Sarah — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:54:11 GMT

Losing a horse for whom you care is a heartbreak, one that not many people want to experience again. However, sending the horse "away" to die removes the owner from that feeling. Also, when a breeder (big or back-yard) is chasing after that "big one", that might be a goal they will never reach. They'll keep trying, though, and a habit like that is hard to break. It might take a real shock to deliver the message to these people. This sounds awful but, if a they were physically present when a horse they bred is sent into the slaughter chute, to witness that it's going to slaughter and take off its halter at that last moment, they might think twice about breeding "excess" babies. It's a harsh thing to do, but nothing else seems to be getting across to those "die-hards".

Life After Racing

The Five-Cross Files — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:39:02 GMT

Can a Thoroughbred be trained simultaneously for a racing career and a post-retirement sport/pleasure career?

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

vineyridge — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:49:47 GMT

As I see it part of the problem is that the racing industry has focused on breeding lines that are of little interest to the sport horse people, and sport horse people are where a lot of TBs end up. Another part of the problem is that many broodmares have not been ridden, so finding homes outside the industry is three times as hard as it would be otherwise.

If broodmare owners would take the time and pay the money to ensure that the sound ones can be ridden, that would go a long way towards overcoming the anti mare prejudice. There is a book that was published twenty years ago by Christian Goeldner called The Thoroughbred Field Hunter, and he recommends using TB broodmares as field hunters.

I believe that there are mares with wonderful pedigrees for sport that never get themselves noticed by sport horse people. I just found a mare in the OBS sale this year that I'm drooling over, but she was bred to a sire that doesn't interest me in the slightest.

Maybe there should be a place where people who want mares can specify the (currently unfashionable) pedigrees they are interested in and owners with mares with those lines could make contact. A clearing house for unwanted broodmares. Would that work?

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

sceptre — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:43:53 GMT

Richard's sentiments may be similar to what many out there feel, but haven't the guts to express. So, one wonders why a Richard did so. Is it, perhaps, because he is even more ignorant than those others? His utter lack of clarity, not to mention logic, lends support to the notion that he speaks from a profound ignorance. There's no changing one like that, but others may be more maleable.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Richard — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:25 GMT

I find most of the responses a bunch of pooie, pie in the sky unrealistic and other worldly. In the 90s when "meat price's pushed 70 cents a pound I sold several horses at auction and yet today communicate with several "buyers" surprisingly from Canada, who gave unwanted horses homes and careers after racing. There was a bottom to the market and a demand for horses beyond the processors for anything that was sound and well cared for. A seller could get a realistic price and recapture some value from a horse they were un able or unwilling to care for. Such responses as raising rgistration fees would probably elimante just as many owners as horses and such a suggestion hints of a deeper meaning and an anti racing agenda. I haven't the numbers in front of me but you will see the decline of racing the closing of tracks and the loss of thousands of jobs by such demands. Owners and breeders have to be willing to make the hard call, the ridiculousness of todays culture to spend thousands of dollars on a sick dog and cat is becoming pervasive and unrealistic while we have millions of people with out health-care, a few correspondents have the cojones to call for the hard choices, suck it up if you can't feed'em and you cant sell'em dig the hole and put them in it. The elimination of access to the meat market when a demand for such exist is the real basis of the glut of unwanted horses and because you may not have the stomach for it millions of folks all around the world do and they are hungry.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Carol Ann — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:05:14 GMT

Re JAJ coments about sending a pony to slaughter in Europe, I noticed the owner sent a groom with the pony rather than attend themselves. Perhaps that groom may have been slightly traumatized but the owner escaped.

Having kept several mares into their 30s, I am reconsidering euthanasia, hard as it is. These older mares generally don't just fall asleep in the night but actually have quite severe problems and end up being euthanised in distress. Obviously there are exceptions though. I think the worst action you can take is to put any horse on a truck to a slaughter house. What that horse goes through mentally is a terrible end

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Golden Gate — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:28:29 GMT

Several of the auctions I have been to had killer buyers show up. i was told that $400 was the break even poit for them to ship to Mexico. I decided to bid on a mare that had earned $74,000 racing and is a granddaughter of Hoist the Flag and Buckpasser and a daughter of State Dinner. She was 18 years old.

I am not against quick and humane as possible local slaughter but I am against shoving an almost 17 hand tb mare into a truck designed for a shorter animal and hauling it down to Mexico. That is why I bid on her...not that I needed another well bred horse.

I do not think her papers would have made it with her to Mexico. They would probably have been discarded before this and no one would ever know who she was.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

LD PHILLIPS — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:16:27 GMT

the folks that keep saying these mares will end up across the borders slaughtered are using a bit of scare tactics. most small breeders end up keeping their mares until they die.less than 10% of horses killed at slaughter are registered.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Steve — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:27:12 GMT

Thanks Karen - I had a contract the first time but it was just the standard contract I'd always used for pasture rental. Probably wasn't specific enough for rescue horse boarding.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

AMY ROONEY — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:05:11 GMT

For Dave and others,

Have you seen the video of the holstein cows that were pushed along the halways by forklifts? Did you see when they tried to run over the cows head with it? This is a slaughter plant in california. Worst part, this is the plant that supplies the meat to YOUR schools!!!

I am not against slaughter, the reality is too many to love,care for, and vet maintanence. The expense is very hard to deal with on an ex racer. But making it so pregnant mares and weanlings, do not go thru are my main concern. Plus horses that are viable and simply dumped by people who actually DO have the means to take care of them.

KUDOS to the farm that kept and took care of Princess Rooney. When it was apparent she would not be a producer, they kept her anyway. Now she babysits the newly weaned.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Karen in Indiana — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:53:46 GMT

I hope you don't let a bad egg stop you from doing a wonderful thing.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Karen in Indiana — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:52:42 GMT

Steve, I think writing up a contract that would spell out what you will do, what the owner's responsibilities will be and what the consequences of not following the contract will be would do a lot to weed out the 'impulse' rescuers who aren't going to stay committed to the horses. At least everything will be clearly spelled out and on the table ahead of time.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Steve — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:45:57 GMT

I once had an agreement with the owner of 2 rescued TB broodmares. I agreed to give the owner free board in exchange for some farm chores. The owner was supposed to pay the horses other expenses such as farrier, vet and worming.

It didn't work out. First, she kept bringing her two poorly trained dogs onto my property after being asked to stop. She let them run loose, they killed my poultry and injured my dog when he tried to rescue the poultry.

In addition, she abandoned the horses within the first year (stopped paying their bills and stopped visiting them). And she only did a fraction of the chores she'd agreed to do. Fortunately, I found good permanent homes for the mares but it wasn't an easy task.

Anyway, I'd still be willing to free board a couple of rescued broodmares in exchange for farm chores, provided the owner pays the horses other expenses and doesn't abandon them.

But my question - how does a farm owner like me avoid a bad situation like the one I got into before? I'm serious - I'm sincerely interested in providing free board but only if somebody can tell me how to steer clear of the deadbeats. Is there some way to recognize a potentially bad owner? Are there certain questions to ask? Any info would be greatly appreciated - post it here please.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Whatever — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:09:04 GMT

What will become of these borderline mares; figure it out.. Somehow they will make there way over the U.S. border into a country that will put them on the dinner plate. What do people really think is going to happen to them?--that they will all find good, loving homes. No, unfortunately, most of them will end up somewhere people really don't want to know about, its the sad truth.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

Dawn — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:21:46 GMT

Philosophy 101 aside, what will happen to these mares? We’re dealing with an issue that mankind has debated forever, so we can skip the euthanasia argument. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Now what?

Can’t the jockey club or someone keep track of the horses somehow, so that we can quantify the problem? After reading this article I went about my daily activities, and I had to write this.

A few years ago I called the closest local horse rescue to volunteer. They told me that they didn’t need any more volunteers on weekends. What? What? What? I was floored. I arranged a monthly payroll contribution, and this year I increased that contribution.

My annual contribution is within my meager budget. I certainly hope that the rescue is receiving the money, and that they are putting it to good use. I have never received so much as a thank you. The rescue was featured in a news story earlier this year, and they explained that they are at capacity, and are turning horses away.

A few years back I supported closing the U.S. slaughter houses. I live in such an ivory tower that I never imagined that the kill buyers would truck the horses to Canada and Mexico, which is even worse.

Maybe the situation JAJ describes regarding the show pony is the best we can do. At this point it would certainly be an improvement. I could barely stand to read a veterinary article regarding the methods of euthanizing of horses but I read it to gain a better understanding of the specific methods. It can and should be done in a humane manner that does not involve being shipped to an auction or feedlot in fear and pain, and then shipped to a slaughter house of any significant distance.

Every single person who knows about horse slaughter should contribute to saving horses. If every track in the U.S., every fan, owner, breeder, trainer, jockey, contributed as little as I do, or if they contributed an equivalent percentage from their own budgets I believe it would help a lot. If everyone contributed a fair share it still would not solve the problem.

I understand the position of those opposed to euthanasia, I too love horses and would like every single one to live a good life. However, I am not a vegetarian. Nevertheless in my opinion, all meat animals should be treated humanely. When I reach the end of my life I would not like to linger in pain and suffering, but I will move to one of the states that allows people to die with dignity. I extend the same sentiment to my fellow mammal the horse.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

WWSTP — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:44:30 GMT

I think that first, we need to find a way to follow these mares and see just what these breeders are actually doing with their excess and unaffordable mares. My guess is most are finding their way, via a convoluted route, to the slaughter houses. That is just unacceptable! With the massive amount of breeding going on just to be able to filter out one potentially great horse, I do believe breeders should have to register their foals and mares so that they can be tracked...something like a driver's license or car license is traceable. If they bring them into this world, or buy them for breeding, then the responsibility must become theirs… the responsibility to make certain they have decent living accommodations for life!! This over buying, over breeding mania has gotten so out of hand, as has the perception that what ever becomes unaffordable or excess is simply disposable. It does nothing to clean up a dismal reputation for the sport, and it simply is not right for the horse. Perhaps the industry as a whole should be the ones to develop land and accommodations for retired and injured race horses, as well as those yearlings that get thrown away, along with the broodmare. Perhaps this funding could come through percentages from horse registration fees, perhaps it could come from a percentage of entry fees. More industry driven accountability to a moral obligation to these horses will stop much of the over breeding and over buying/selling. Really, if some industrious and well-connected person dug down and got the hard cold facts and numbers on what happens to all the horses in the racing industry once they have proven to be undesirable, and if that information got widely spread around in the public media, this industry would be toast. Especially if some of the abuse and slaughter videos available were widely exposed. Why not as an industry, address it now and clean it up.

re: What Becomes of the Broodmares?

onechaser — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:31:34 GMT

Lets face it..right now, the Stallion owners and the vets are the only ones making money. A mare owner pays to feed, vet and transport the mare to get her bred. So lets say she is in foal. The stud fee was 40 thousand dollars. The mare goes to the sale ring and sells for 50k. Now the mare owner lost money because they paid for consigner, fees plus the 40k stud fee is automatically deducted from the proceeds and goes right to the stallion farm. So the breeder is at a loss. Now lets move to the new owner of the mare. They just thought they got a bargin on this mare by only having to pay just above the stud fee..and they got a good mare..everyhing looks great until that mare aborts....oops...now that new owner is out a foal, and they are out 50k.( 40 of that was stud fee ) The stallion farm is not a bit concerned, and why should they? The stallion farm got their stud fee long ago when the mare was sold. No live foal guarentee with that purchase! Try getting that 40 k back and they will laugh at you...if they don't hang up first. Just a suggestion..how about if you buy a mare in foal at the auction..the breeding contract has to be signed by the buyer and the live foal guarentee transfers with the mare. When that mare foals, the new mare owner pays the stud fee. Everyone would be happy. The original mare owner got the real value of their mare at the sale ( based on pedigree ) this should keep people from breeding poor mares...The new mare owner is happy because they got a mare in foal to a stallion they want without having to go through the breeding process etc...and the stallion barns should be happy when the live foal report comes in and they get paid. Why is that so hard to do? This way Stallion owners can keep the stud fees where they want,approve the mares they breed and keep it to reasonable number. Only good mares will get bred thus improving the sales of weanlings and yearlings. All for the better. Stallion owners DO NOT need to be paid for foals that are never born. The sales company can hold the breeding contracts to keep things honest and pay for that foal WHEN IT IS BORN. Or leave it an option.. the sales company can announce if fees are paid and if the contract is transferable.