I know this subject is getting kicked all over the playing field, but I felt compelled to comment.
No one has commented at all about the abysmal state of the economy in general for being the real problem about horses selling for reduce prices, farms folding, people not being able to feed their horses, if you can't even feed your family how can you make choices that are NOT going to hurt?.
Here in California there are so many people that have had to give up their horses, unfortunately many have made the very bad choice to try to get by on poor or little feed with predictable results, skinny neglected horses that break your heart. We see more and more horses headed for slaughter in Mexico and Canada because people simply cannot care for them anymore.
There was a while that high feed prices here on the west coast was blamed on the glut of horses on the market, now it seems it is the generally sorry state of people's pocketbooks. So I don't think backyard breeders (I hate that term) are to blame, it is the economy plain and simple.
Someone mentioned TB's, we have here in Northern California a man named Joe Shelton that has a rescue called TB Friends and I read his posts daily. It is truly heartbreaking what is happening to horse industry in general, Joe regularly posts about once busy farms closing their doors, some honorably closing down, some dumping their wonderfully bred horses at auctions with predictable results. Joe used to only post about his breed, TB"S, but now he occasionally takes in paints, quarter horses...
I really feel bad for any breeder that finds that has to reduce their herd, disburse their beloved mares, stop producing those lovely babies. Sad in deed..but things have a way of recovering, just give it some time, we are undergoing a leveling out, a monetary restructuring, give it some times.
Opinions are like noses, everyone has one, and I can see that many of you are very passionate about your point of view. I really feel that it is very easy to get pretty heated when you are typing on a keyboard, no one can see your facial expression, no one can 'hear' your voice inflection.
It is that old saw about someone saying 'Your face makes time stand still' or saying 'Your face could stop an eight day clock.' The way we state our opinion is bound to ruffle someone's feathers, we are human, we are prickly, we are vocal... We are people!
Now, everyone take a big breath and go take a big hug of your horse's neck, relax and just be glad you are alive, feeling the weather on your face and seeing the sun rise in the morning. Remember, two things, 'don't sweat the small stuff and remember it is all small stuff'!
Just some practical comments from an old lady,
Lee
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