[Woodland]

So 7 AM I get a call from a woman who is trying to sell a couple of horses. Hay is high, they are moving, blah blah blah. Not selling on the major equine web sites, can I help? So I get out my note book and ask for the particulars:

Sassy 10 yr old ApHC on a breeding certificate - is not broke, and kicks & bites if you do not feed her the treats she likes. But is really pretty red roan.

Elfen - Sassy's 6 yr old half paint baby - not broke to lead - but will follow for a snack. Has kicked chased and bitten the kids.

Elvira - Sassy's 5 yr old half paint baby - charges if you come near her - do not go near her ever! Never been weaned from Sassy

Tango Elfen's half STB STUD COLT 3 yrs old - may have bred the other three - They tried to break him at their last Memorial day party in 2007 - He put someone in the hospital that day not touched since. Also not really halter broke.

WHAT THE H E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS AM I SUPPOSED TO HELP THEM SELL????? I told her "Ma'am you need to call a meat buyer, these animals are not salvageable in my opinion". She go so PISSED. I said "What did you think was going to happen to these animals when you bred indiscriminately AND FAILED to train them properly????!" "I can not, would not help you even if I could." And i hung up.

Followed by another caller "I have a 20 yr old mare that i have had for 15 years with EPM I do not want any more. I would like to donate her into your riding camp program." I just said "No thanks. You should be kind and put the poor thing down if you won't properly care for her." and hung up -

Honestly people WAKE UP! Don't have horses if you can not or will not properly care for them - then do not be pissed at me when I tell you I can not help you DING BATS!

[ellebeaux]

Good for you! I'm sorry you had to be the unwilling voice of reason but it sounds like you handled them properly.

[ThatScaryChick]

Oh wow. Some people really need a swift kick in the behind and a dose of reality. They deserve to get an earful if they think that they can just to dump their crazy, untrained or sick horses on others.

[Reynard Ridge]

Very sad.

[PiaffePlease]

Thats really sad. It amazes me how people try to sell their untouchable horses and cant understand why no one wants them. You can get a broke horse for $500 or less at an auction, who wants to mess with the ones that send people to the ER?

Good for you for telling it like it is. Thats what they needed to hear!

[thumbsontop]

Amazing.

I gotta give the first lady credit for being honest though.

[DeeThbd]

You know what though? I was just thinking about this in human terms.....aren't we seeing so much of the same thing, with people having kids with several different relationships and thinking it is "okay"? I am no prude.....I am OK with people living committed relationships regarding their orientation, age or socio-economic group; however, when I see kids who have siblings from their own parents' relationship, and then a slew of half siblings from whoever the flavour of the month was.....I have an issue with it. And honestly, a lot of these kids sound like the human version of what Woodland described......and there ain't no meat buyers for them.
(think I'd better dust off the flame suit now.....)
Dee

[gieriscm]

You know what though? I was just thinking about this in human terms.....aren't we seeing so much of the same thing, with people having kids with several different relationships and thinking it is "okay"? I am no prude.....I am OK with people living committed relationships regarding their orientation, age or socio-economic group; however, when I see kids who have siblings from their own parents' relationship, and then a slew of half siblings from whoever the flavour of the month was.....I have an issue with it. And honestly, a lot of these kids sound like the human version of what Woodland described......and there ain't no meat buyers for them.
(think I'd better dust off the flame suit now.....)
Dee

IMO "Can't Feed Them? Don't Breed Them!" applies to both animals and people.

[Donnalynn]

I think a lot of us are going to be getting similiar calls in the coming months. At least in the case of those two there was a clear cut answer. (and thanks for giving it!)

[preparetheark]

I wonder at what point reality kicks these people in the bum?

[MistyBlue]

preparethearkI wonder at what point reality kicks these people in the bum?

Never, they have a different definition of reality. And a lack of personal responsibility. It's easier to keep 4 horses wandering around and do nothing with them than it is to properly care for them and train them. Many people prefer easy over work..although they'd never think that of themselves.
On the last 6-8 months or so I average one person a week offering me free horses or really cheap ones...or free leases. (gotta love someone trying to get me to care for their horse and spend my money on them and train it for them for free) A few were lovely offers from kind caring people when I lost my mare...offering to let me borrow a horse of theirs to keep my gelding company. Those offers were *greatly* appreciated. The rest of the offers come from mostly perfect strangers or barely known folks...I've had people walk up to me at the gas station or store and offer me free horses. I've got to stop wearing muck boots or my barn hat or being covered in hay chaff out in public.

[BelladonnaLily]

The same mentality that caused this lady to call Woodland actually EXPECTING her to do something to "help" her is the same mentality of the leeches having babies they can't pay for...and look out, its only going to get worse. You know, helping the "less fortunate", and all that... Less fortunate my ass. Everyone thinks the world owes them something. This woman got herself into this mess the same way girls get themselves knocked up by a different "baby daddy" every time and don't have a clue how to raise the kids. The kids usually wind up doing the same thing. But we're supposed to feel sorry for them and pay the tab.

At some point, especially the way things might be headed, it will make better financial sense for my husband and I to divorce, quit our jobs and live off of welfare and disability (he technically has a "bad back" and was advised to do surgery 5 years ago, but has never missed a day of work for it...). We could probably still keep the horses!

I have to stop posting in the mornings...

[justdandy]

No, Bella....you don't have to stop posting in the mornings! You are dead on. I posted something similar in a different thread yesterday/last night. I am so freakin' tired of hearing people blame others for everything. What happened to taking responsibility for you own freakin' actions? Come on, people!!! Stand up and take care of your responsibilities!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so tired of the "woe is me, someone needs to help me out of the hole I dug for myself" crap!!!

Can you tell this is a touchy subject for me?

[Chester's Mom]

No, Bella....you don't have to stop posting in the mornings! You are dead on. I posted something similar in a different thread yesterday/last night. I am so freakin' tired of hearing people blame others for everything. What happened to taking responsibility for you own freakin' actions? Come on, people!!! Stand up and take care of your responsibilities!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so tired of the "woe is me, someone needs to help me out of the hole I dug for myself" crap!!!

Can you tell this is a touchy subject for me?

Here too! And the really sad part is, those folks are probably venting somewhere about "how mean!" Woodland is because.... oh my heavens! She wants those poor sweet critters to DIE!!!!!!!!.

People are idjits. Or, as I prefer to say, psycho loonies. Their reality is somewhere very far away from here.

[LessonLearned]

I completely believe this. . .and it is only getting worse.

No one wants to take responsibility for their actions these days. It is always someone else's fault that they are in a bind. . .mortgage lenders, landlords, the mean rescue people who won't help, the amorphous "they" out there who make it so that these poor souls just can't do whatever the hell they want and have someone else pick up the pieces. . .

People breed indiscriminantly because they can. They don't think that their horses are going to pose a problem to sell because, well, their horses (despite their obvious limitations) are "special."

This is what I refer to as "Specialitis." Specialitis is a very horrible condition which often leads to "Help Me Syndrome."

I am a college prof. Each semester I start on day one trying to combat "Specialitis" with the hope that I may make a small dent in future generations. I start the class with my patented "You Are Not Special" speech. Apparently, mommy and daddy never told these dears that they were anything but the cat's meow. Unfortunately, most of them are not all that and a bag of chips but yet they seem to think that they can get out of a paper or due date because, well, they are SPECIAL. Most of the time my students don't believe the "You Are Not Special" speech and think that somehow THEY will be different (because they are somehow REALLY special). They soon find out that they are NOT special. I consider it a first lesson in reality since in my field there are 75,000 of the little buggers graduating every year and simply thinking you are special isn't going to get you a job (or even an internship) at this point. (NOTE: I am not a horrible, evil prof -- my students actually quite like me, I swear! ).

I will consider this part of my rant over. I also should not post in the morning. I also think that my summer session class needs to be over sooner rather than later.

Back to the OP, I agree that we will see more and more of this type of thing in the months ahead in many facets of life. The problem is that the animals are the ones who suffer for the poor choices made by their owners. I have seen it all summer with the dog rescues I work with. Everyone wants to think that their animal will somehow beat the odds and be rescued/purchased by a wonderful or loving home. Instead, most of these animals will wind up in dire circumstance because their oh so special owners couldn't be bothered to be responsible and no one would "help them."

[tidy rabbit]

Over-population is a sexually transmitted disease.

[Ghazzu]

I am a college prof. Each semester I start on day one trying to combat "Specialitis" with the hope that I may make a small dent in future generations. I start the class with my patented "You Are Not Special" speech.

Please! Send me a copy of the speech!
I know exactly what you are talking about...

[Woodland]

You know what though? I was just thinking about this in human terms.....aren't we seeing so much of the same thing, with people having kids with several different relationships and thinking it is "okay"? I am no prude.....I am OK with people living committed relationships regarding their orientation, age or socio-economic group; however, when I see kids who have siblings from their own parents' relationship, and then a slew of half siblings from whoever the flavour of the month was.....I have an issue with it. And honestly, a lot of these kids sound like the human version of what Woodland described......and there ain't no meat buyers for them.
(think I'd better dust off the flame suit now.....)
Dee

Alley Cat Families - It's DISGUSTING!!!! Some People give more thought to the brand of cigarettes they buy than the children they conceive.

And what do you call the "fathers" ? Sperm donors? There is not "title" to them - LOSERS!

Sorry living it in my work with the homeless shelters - it just drives me NUTS!!!!

[Woodland]

Over-population is a sexually transmitted disease.

[HoneyB]

Please! Send me a copy of the speech!
I know exactly what you are talking about...

Me too! I have about had it this semester. I am going to freak out if I hear one more excuse about a "special" circumstance... I start every semester with the same speech about working hard, deadlines are not negotiable, etc. But it doesn't seem to matter.