Knowledge is power... and I took some time to jot down my thoughts that I developed through personal experience over time. It’s a brutally cold day, so I figured what better time to discuss a brutal subject that revolves around much misconception-Loose pen auctions, equine rescue and horse slaughter.
I wanted to share and hopefully educate likeminded individuals like myself in our local area. If this topic interests you, read on, if not no worries-carry on.
Horse auctions are a public hub where individuals can gather to buy and sell. Those include horse traders working to make a living, individuals and families looking for a new companion, trainers and clients, rescue operations and sadly meat brokers who ship unwanted horses to slaughter. Each and every individual has a right to attend. Auctions have been, and always will be public. One would think humans would treat each other with respect in a public environment like this but that is far from the case. The chaos and disgusting treatment of animals likely brings the worst out in people in so many ways, and it’s apparent in how they treat one another as well, auctions are unfortunately never a safe or trustworthy place.
There many players in the game, and each are necessary to the grand scheme of things. What is so difficult though is the backbiting that ensues when individuals who set out with the same intentions can’t come together and work together. Sadly some rescues are fully charity based and they panic when they actually have others attempting to help present, so they spew negative assumptions that they are getting bid up purposely, and create a victimized fabrication to secure their funding. When those behaviors are posted online, it proves that in reality the person running the rescue really doesn’t want to except others helping where it’s needed most, at the auction. The only thing it proves is that these large scale rescues have a self centered, hero complex and that they are threatened of being uncovered, and potentially loosing donations. Greedy much?
Furthermore, it’s also unfair that they are still pulling on the heartstrings of others to secure income by putting a victimized “the world is against me” plea out there-and at that rate, they really are NOT doing what’s best for the horses. The horse is not the top priority, keeping their following and funding flowing is what becomes top priority. If the horses at risk were top priority, they would be big enough people to come forward, and communicate maturely at these auctions so that confusion and potential for rescue bidding against rescue could be eliminated.
After all though, the reality is that an auction is an auction due to the fact it is run by BIDDING, it doesn’t mean that people are in competition with each other due to jealousy, or because they don’t want to see someone successful-it just means that an auction is being run as an auction. Without these auctions can you imagine where these horses would end up? Perhaps starved, injured and perishing in a confined field. Horses ultimately suffer as they are the playing piece in this game when humans don’t unite and act selfishly.
Above all-don’t fall for the scam and trap that KB’s have set over social media. Buying or “bailing” directly from a kill-pen page on social media for the price set by the feed lot actually results in MORE horses in the feedlots being purchased by kill pen brokers. Some high rollers in the slaughter industry are Kauffman, Stanley Bro’s. to name a few. If you are concerned that you were purchasing directly from a kill buyer, there is a list of all US kill buyers provided online so you can research before sending your payment info! The link provided below can help you do your research.
Buyer beware, but do your homework! Read up on what these psychopaths are capable of, and what they have been fined for in the past. The horses being offered to “bail” with urgent ship dates are “rider” surplus horses that were never in danger of shipping to slaughter in the first place. There is a common misconception that when you purchase a kill-pen horse, you are purchasing one slaughter-bound. This is what they want you to believe! However, the horse you bailed was never a part of that shipment, and never was in danger of shipping anywhere but another sale. You are buying a bait horse, you are buying an EXTRA specifically listed to create profit from you, the public, to fundraise proceeds to fill a quota of 4 more you’ll never have the chance to see or save. Buy one from these pages, condemn 4 without salvation- we need to realize there are always going to be horses that never surface for us to save, But we can slow down the ones being filtered directly to slaughter by being educated and aware of who’s getting the payout.
These kill brokers have figured out how to get the horse community, many of them adamant against slaughter, to not only completely fund %100 of their slaughter operation, but to pay for their inventory to meet quota and fulfill contracts to processors.
And guess what? And they’re laughing all the way to the bank. They don’t offer these horses a second chance out of the goodness of their hearts. That’s a million miles west of what they’re really doing. They’re not sitting on their hands for rescues or personal buyers looking for a family companion at a sale-they are bidding people up for that same horse because they need that horse to sell online with a phony deadline so they can buy their quota fill and meet contract requirements.
“Saving a life is saving a life though, right?” WRONG. That statement is never true when you buy off of the kill buyers lot directly. Do not become a kill buyers ATM by purchasing one – so they can hit another auction and purchase 20 you’ll never see that ship directly to a processing plant across the borders.
Be careful who you’re contributing to! Some of these large volume rescues are also no different than brokers/traders – the only real difference is they don’t pay taxes! Many local rescue organizations have been caught up sending horses back through loose pen sales. Wolves in sheep’s clothing… Be sure you realize that just because they titled themselves as rescues-doesn’t mean that they don’t have a side business flipping horses and fraternizing with kill-buyers. That being said, consider this mind boggling excerpt shared by equine rescue scams: “Its a proven FACT that hitting a business or individual in the wallet is the surest way of shutting them down if they are doing wrong.
If more horse rescues were audited by the IRS, many retail rescues would be in very hot water having to SHOW WHERE ALL THEIR DONATION MONEY IS REALLY SPENT. Too many scam-artists that are no more then low-down horse dealers are posing as "rescuers" and "rescues" (and it is fairly easy to attain a 501c3 charity/animal rescue tax exempt status) and they are USING animals and gullible people in the public sector to make a living.
Not only do they pocket and use the donated money for things un-related to rescue, they are also killing and disappearing MANY animals behind-the-scenes and after hours out of the publics view. Just as they throw the short-attentioned-spanned public a bone by telling them about A MERE FEW ANIMALS they are adopting out and/or euthanizing so the public won't think to keep count and ask about the welfare of ALL OF THE ANIMALS THE RESCUE HAS ASKED FOR DONATIONS.”
So… How so we go about fighting the scamming off of innocent lives? How do we combat the kill buyer crooks and the large volume “rescues” posing as heroes that are actually pocketing money? Here’s a few ideas of how you can genuinely make a difference in slowing down the slaughter industry. Because let’s face it, we can make a difference in slowing down the gears of the slaughter operations, but it is here to stay as long as there is a demand, supply and profit being made:
How do we truly fight back against the façade?
•Buy directly from the auction yourself! I encourage you to find the strength and bravery to attend an auction yourself, and buy direct if your intention is to rescue a horse in danger of loading on the wrong trailer. if you are willing to spend the money on social media through a kill buyers feedlot page, why not spend it directly at auction? You’ll be paying the owner directly, and helping them out, not the kill pen owner. When you bid up the kill buyer’s price margin they will drop out! Buddy up with someone who knows the ins and outs of how an auction operates. I would gladly assist anyone willing to drive out to a sale and meet me, with their truck and trailer to help them bid on a few to pull them and get them to an at home quarantine situation or help them coordinate a quarantine situation through networking.
•Buy local from small scale rescuers, craigslist, and other marketing sites like dream horse. There are many listed that get snagged by kill buyers due to their low price tags. Give the money to the owners, who most of the time are in dire straits to rehome and truly need the money. Many horses advertised are loved horses, and the owners are more likely to be completely transparent and ethical about a horse’s health, age etc. Eliminate the kill buyer or large scale rescue tugging on heartstrings for donations, when in reality they actually have a side business flipping horses.
I am a naturally born horse lover, and have been for as long as I can remember. Both my family and myself have been in the industry since I was a child. However, I am very realistic. Kill buyers and slaughter houses are a necessary evil in the industry, BUT we shouldn’t be bulking up their profit and stuffing their pockets obliviously and falling for their deception, just so they can turn around and fill a quota to kill more.
As difficult as this stuff is for me to think through and comprehend let alone write.. it’s the truth. If you care for horses as much as I do, this read will reach you well, and hopefully leaves you a bit more educated with a sense of clarity on how to keep yourself from becoming a victim, just like the horses used in this dark and sinister game. Rescue is wonderfully rewarding, just be sure to understand what you're getting involved in, sometimes the experience itself can be just as taxing as recovering and rehabbing the rescue you hope to help. Take it for what it’s worth and take care!
