So do like at all horse auctions are there people trying to buy horses to slaughter them? Are there some that?

Question

just like sell horses? I know this is kind of confusing. What I want 2 know is, if you buy a horse from any auction are you helping or saving it, or is it just at some auction, or it depends? If you can understand this it would really help me out if you answered it

Answer 1

auctions sell horses that will be bought for slaughter and horses that will be bought as riding horses or dealers buy horses to sell on,because some horses and ponies go so cheaply you are always going to get the meat man wanting to buy them.

Answer 2

there's a few buyers at most horse auctions who buy horses for slaughter, fewer all the time tho. At any horse auction you will find good horses cheap. take someone along who knows what they are doing or gamble on what you get. all auctions of any kind are a gamble to some degree.

don't be afraid to go look and come back and tell everyone what you saw.



edit (another pay attention kiddies):

there's a registered breed auction hear rolla Mo very soon, do a net search and you will find it. i've sold horses at that barn and bought horses there. go look and take your money with you. you will see many very very good horses sold dirt cheap. their owners will sell many of them for various reasons but very few will lie about the horse they sell, those not being honest you will probably notice easily.

there will be buyers there who buy horses that are profitable to slaughter, that's life. be glad your horse has laws to protect it if you think it wise, no other farm animals do. it's not helped many horses. it's hurt a lot of horses. i'll repeat, a lot of horses.

go to horse auctions, net searches will let you know where and when they are.

last fridays of the month is the Springfield, Mo horse auction at exit 70 on 44, i doubt they will appreciate me advertising for them. go there with an open mind and wallet and do what you can to actually carry out the emotions you type here.

i may be there, if you want a horse hauled anywhere worldwide and will pay the cost there will be someone there to help you. if you can't find anyone there you can call me, i'm very easy to find, all of my personal info is available on line thru links from this page. i have a horse here that was there a few months ago, i have more than i can feed comfortably now but have a truck and trailer and will donate my time to anyone willing to put their money where their keyboard is.

Answer 3

Yes, many auctions are like that, particularly the New Holland auction in PA. Just because you buy a horse at an auction doesn't mean you're saving it from slaughter. Many people buy and sell horses at auctions for very high prices, and never with the intent that they are bought by or sold to anyone but a private person interested in riding, training or breeding. The meat buyers generally buy old, broken-down, sick or otherwise cheap horses. There aren't auctions that are just held for slaughter buyers, so far as I know.



This all being said, please think very carefully (you or anyone else reading this) before you buy a horse you see at an auction that you think needs "saving". More ofthen than people realize, rescue horses need saving twice when the rescuer finds they can no longer afford to care for the animal. Rehabilitating these horses, if they can be rehabilitated (there is no way of knowing until you get it home and checked by a vet) often costs thousands of dollars, not to mention hours of care each day, special feed and stabling conditions, etc. The best way to help these kinds of horses is by donating to a reputable horse rescuethat is listed as charitable and tax-exempt. Many rescues will let you donate directly to the vets, farriers or feed stores that they use.

Answer 4

Well right now all of the slaughter houses in the US are closed down, so most of them probably aren't going to slaughter houses. Right now you would be saving them, yes, because people are probably selling them because of the drought and the price of feed. Most of these horses that aren't sold will probably either be starving somewhere or sent to a slaughterhouse in a different country if people don't buy them. And auction aren't just for anything, anyone can go to any auction and buy a horse for whatever they want usually. Unless it's BLM horses or adoption horses, you've got to prove that you're not going to turn those into hamburgers.

Answer 5

I have a few stories of my adventures at the horse auction.



I bought a very old Percheron mare for pennies on the dollar. She has been good to me as I am still able to ride her. Had I not bought her, we all know where she would have ended up.



I also bought a red donkey, stubborn as all get out, but the most loving little thing you have ever seen. I was the only one to bid on her, so again, I believe she would have went to slaughter also.



Finally, our Painted Prince. There was a 7 month colt come through. We were outbidded. Later the owner had came up to us after the sale. Somehow they had withdrawn the animal and offered it to us at what we had stopped bidding. They loved this animal, but needed money quick to pay some bills. They had no other choice but to take it to auction.

With this year's drought, I have seen horses go for under $200. People just don't have the money to take care of them. There is no where to sell them but at auctions.

I know in my heart I have saved each of my "auction" horses from a worse fate. Each of them have returned the favor in full. I would recommend the auction if you knew what you were looking for and what you would be up against.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Answer 6

The horse isn't for you then don't buy them. You can't save every horse and I REFUSE to be blackmailed. Same way I won't pay money for an abused horse. You just reward the people who use these tactics. If the horse is abused get animal control out and if they threaten to send the horse to auction then buy him at auction. Don't give these people money because you just fund them to abuse or sell horses over and over. The money you give them just goes to the next animal they harm. I feel like I'll get more blood on my hands by supporting and funding people like this then letting them throw their money away until they can't afford more animals. No way that horse would go for $400 in meat. He'd probably go for $60 at meat price. If you really think you might try to buy him wait and do it at auction. If he goes over $200 he's not going for meat because the guy who buys him isn't going to make a profit. Horses sold for meat here NEVER go over $70 and that's for a big beefy horse. So what would I do? If I thought I might like the horse I'd buy him at auction and short the person for every dime I could. If I don't I'd let him go and get the horse that was right for me. I can tell you first hand there is a certain pleasure in having a seller try to strong arm you at a price with threats of auction and then buying the horse cheaper then what you originally offered at auction.

Answer 7

yes, there are slaughter auctions where there are crappy horses where kill buyers go to buy horses for slaughter. but, there are auctions where there are very nice horses for sale, too nice and expensive for kill buyers to want to buy from. so yes, you could save a horse depending on what kind of auction you're at.

Answer 8

I was trained many years ago in a dealing yard. Many horses and ponies go to auction because quite honestly they are either dangerous, old or too young and may have medical problems. People who love and care about their animals dont take them to auctions in the first place. Yes a great many go for meat which is a shame, but over the years I have noticed that people dont rescue the odd good ones from the ring they rescue the lame, the sick and the ones with poor conformation bringing nothing but vet bills and trouble finding a decent home for them. I know that sounds hard but its true. There are elite auctions in the UK and Europe for competition horses where every horse is carefully bred and prepared and fetch large prices.

Answer 9

i go to a lot of auctions. you are normally helping a horse if you are giving it a good home. YOur saving a horse no matter what at an auction because if they don't get sold they usally get sold cheap to a slaughter house or they have to go back to their old home. I hope that answered your question n

Answer 10

In defense of the "killer buyers" the experiences I've had is that they are horse dealers and often times sell the stock they buy (cheap) to private owners right off of their farm, some of the best ponies I ever had came from the farm of a "killer buyer." So not all horses you see the killers buying are going to end up at the slaughter house.

Answer 11

Ever since I was a kid, my dad was a Bonded Livestock Buyer. He bought cattle, some sheep & horses. Yes, most of the horses were bought for people who wanted them for slaughter. If there was a good one thrown in, he bought it IF the owner could prove the horse was sound & healthy & rideable. If it was he bought it & resold it to a new home. If the owner could not prove these things, the horse was sent slaughter.

Answer 12

I used to go to auction alot, but it was hard to watch. Because after a few auctions you KNEW who were the killer buyers and who werent. They would buy horse after horse... it was so hard to watch. And if i could i would build another barn and go to a auction but i cant.



You could help it or save it, i consider it saving because otherwise they end up on their way to mexico or canada. Unless someone else bids.

Answer 13

at auctions there are people looking for a quality horse to buy cheaper and there are kill buyers looking for the cheapest thing one four legs its sad but alot of the horses at auctions the kill buyers get and ship them to canada or mexico to be slaughtered. so save a horse from auction.

Answer 14

The slaughter market anywhere is profit driven.



Transportation costs reduce profit...therefore...the closer in proximity you are to a slaughter house, the more likely you will see kill buyers.



In the US, with the plants closed for the most part, you don't see as many the further you get from the borders...there are plenty of irresponsible sloppy breeders producing marginal horses that end up on the truck to slaughter in areas closer to the Canadian and Mexican plants...the kill buyer gets a bigger profit if he doesn't have to transport them far.

Answer 15

if you want a good home for your horse ,you don't sell it at an auction. most,(not all) have problems either with health or temperment or age. or are just surlpace to requirements. in other words just bred for no real reason.

meat men will always be around at sales, its their living. they don't care if a horse is scared,sick or lame.

its not the meat men we should condem its the way they are transported and killed. that is the ugly sad side to it.

IF everyone looked after their horses properly there would't be any 'meat animals' to buy.

Answer 16

It seems that the "killer" buyers are always there and everyone knows who they are....If there is a horse run through the auction that is badly crippled and you bid on it you would then be saving it. And you would be "helping" or bettering its lot in life.......

Answer 17

not all of them. we got our filly from an auction and we would never kill her! =]

hope this made you feel better=]