Auction Day - Roseville June '09
We teamed up with Tawnee at NorCal Equine Rescue (see their blog http://savethehorse.blogspot.com/ scroll to Sunday, June 14, 2009) to save 4 horses and a crippled donkey.
Dawn Marie Henderson and Tamia LaGrave made this trip possible by providing transportation all the way to Roseville and back! These are two gals that have a great sense of compassion AND adventure. Thanks to them these horses have a great future.
Not like some others there, despite what the Roseville auction says on their website. NorCal tried to buy some horses out of a kill pen - to no avail.The prices were kept fairly high by Tawnee's bidding but there was a meat buyer with deep pockets bidding on the fat ones.
We got there pretty early and there were not as many horses as last month so we had lots of time to talk with people and mess with horses. There was a well known kill buyer there selling a horse. Its heartbreaking stuff - on many counts. Horses who lived together all their lives being separated, horses used up and left with very painfully feet in tight shoes and distorted spines, frightened TB's with their racing plates still on - and a western saddle on their backs to fool you into thinking they were trail horses. Show horses that didn't win their ribbons. Feral horses that don't stand a chance - except for the rescues. Uncut colts are especially unwelcome. And one crippled white donkey who stank to high heaven. Of course we brought HIM home! He has a home now as a companion to a mini donkey with Jeff LaGrave - our foster home owner extraordinare!!
The horses in various stages of recuperation from their ordeal by neglect and overwork. They will need lots of hoof care and chiropractic. But they are in pretty good shape all and all and not very old. Interesting personalities!