Kentucky Overrun With Unwanted Horses

is there any way to adopt a free horse rather than let it starve? i can't buy one, but i could manage to feed one. I have an acre of green grass and access to hay and feed. I can be reached at uzichick@aol.com

why cant they use them to make dog food no more. im getting tard of this toffy dogie stuff

I would love to know where I could get one of these beautiful creatures. My daughter is totally in love with horses. They should have someone who loves and cares for them. We would love to be one of those families. My email is bethwestern@hotmail.com

the ones that would be avaialbe would be old and broken down. cant kill them no more have to let them die a slow painful death typical liberal logic

There's a possibility you could get one from a humane society around Lexington somewhere. I know they seize horses from time to time. Also too, you can check the local livestock auctions, but please be careful especially when buying for a child. Have someone with some experience go with you. If they are at the livestock auction they are there for a reason and it usually has something to do with being crazy or crippled. There are a few diamonds in the rough out there and an experienced horseman will know where to find them.

I don't know your experience level with horses, so pardon me if I'm telling you something you already know. I know it's a nice thought that horses should have someone to love them, but some of them can be like a mean dog, only these are 1000 pound animals. They can and will kill you if you aren't careful. Best of luck to you.

Beth wrote:

I would love to know where I could get one of these beautiful creatures. My daughter is totally in love with horses. They should have someone who loves and cares for them. We would love to be one of those families. My email is bethwestern@hotmail.com

I would love to help these horses if someone can please tell me when and where these horse auctions are. I live in Illinois so do not have access to finding out when they will be held. I would be very interested in helping these horses in need I have a small farm with 5 acres and plenty of pasture! Can someone PLEASE email me with upcoming events or who I can contact. Thanks

I want to remind everyone looking to adopt or buy a horse that the appropraite land distribution for a herd is 1 horse per acre. So for example it wouldn't be appropriate for 20 horses to be turned out in a 10 acre pasture. That would be considered over crowding and the pasture would not sustain the herd.

I just thought this information might give people an idea what capacity they actually have to care for horses. No disrespect meant to anyone. Just trying to be helpful.

First, It is so nice to hear from wonderful and caring people willing to adopt. We have to let you know of the cost required for a horse. Coggins tests are required and only a veterinarian can draw the blood. Unless you have a truck and trailer, the vet bill will include travel. Expect these costs with a healthy horse. My mule was sick, the vet bill was $600. Farriers . Chronic leg or hoof problems = constant care and special farriers.---I don't mean to discourage anyone from adopting, I am thankful you care. God bless you!

Victoria wrote:

I would love to help these horses if someone can please tell me when and where these horse auctions are. I live in Illinois so do not have access to finding out when they will be held. I would be very interested in helping these horses in need I have a small farm with 5 acres and plenty of pasture! Can someone PLEASE email me with upcoming events or who I can contact. Thanks

http://www.es.blm.gov/whb/

one for Illinois

http://www.es.blm.gov/whb/adoptdetails.php...

Having spent quite a bit of time on a farm while growing up, it is truly heartwarming to see people that care enough to want to take on the responsibilities of these poor animals. In this world, not enough people care about other humans, or even helpless animals. I do not want to discourage anyone but...

Should you decide to do this, please please please do the research necessary. A healthy horse can cost alot of money that you can enjoy riding or whatever. A sick one though, comes with an extra barrel full of problems. And they may never be able to be ridden, or even tempered again. I surely wouldn't let one that had been mistreated around my children. Like FYI said earlier, these animals, even as gorgeous as they are, can kill. This isn't a starved puppy that weighs alot less than you do. This is a big animal that weighs nearly half as much as some people's vehicles. So please, while I truly believe we should all find some way to help, please be careful when picking one out for your own sake and that of your children's.

i still say let rover eat em. see what happend to dog foot since the qiit letting walmart kill horses for old sam

I agree.---For anyone who adopts a horse and decides to ride - remember: there is nothing but mercy beween you and the ground.--

Straight Up wrote:

Having spent quite a bit of time on a farm while growing up, it is truly heartwarming to see people that care enough to want to take on the responsibilities of these poor animals. In this world, not enough people care about other humans, or even helpless animals. I do not want to discourage anyone but...
Should you decide to do this, please please please do the research necessary. A healthy horse can cost alot of money that you can enjoy riding or whatever. A sick one though, comes with an extra barrel full of problems. And they may never be able to be ridden, or even tempered again. I surely wouldn't let one that had been mistreated around my children. Like FYI said earlier, these animals, even as gorgeous as they are, can kill. This isn't a starved puppy that weighs alot less than you do. This is a big animal that weighs nearly half as much as some people's vehicles. So please, while I truly believe we should all find some way to help, please be careful when picking one out for your own sake and that of your children's.

There are thousands of places to board a horse, you do not need land and you surely don't need that much land. People buy hay to feed their horses, you don't have to have enough land to sustain a herd! Even people who live in apartments own horses. Anyone who can afford to board, feed, and care for a horse can own a horse.

Another Richardson wrote:

I want to remind everyone looking to adopt or buy a horse that the appropraite land distribution for a herd is 1 horse per acre. So for example it wouldn't be appropriate for 20 horses to be turned out in a 10 acre pasture. That would be considered over crowding and the pasture would not sustain the herd.
I just thought this information might give people an idea what capacity they actually have to care for horses. No disrespect meant to anyone. Just trying to be helpful.

Has anyone here that lives in Kentucky actually seen this overabundance of horses? Do you really see them in large herds roaming the mountains? Do you really believe a word this article says?

This article is the biggest piece of pro-horse slaughter slander I've seen yet! Their slander victim is the State of Kentucky. Someone in Texas (and I can think of a few names I won't mention) have bought and paid for this article. I never thought AP could be bought off like this but... I've seen a lot of things since the year 2000 that I never thought I'd see in this country. Why shouldn't I be surprised that even AP would put out a dirty article?

The governor of Kentucky should demand AP retract this story. It's false, it's damaging to the state's reputation and good name.

The two foreign-owner slaughterhouses in Texas are as desperate now as they ever been in their lives. Right now they can't legally slaughter a horse and it's literally killing them. They, they're meat industry commrades, and their political lobbyists in Texas see this as a fight against Animal Rights Groups - and they do not want to lose and are now in the process of doing anything and everything they can to make everyone believe they are NEEDED. And they are USING the horse popular state of Kentucky to make themselves appear "needed" and needed now.

This AP article has been aired on TV news and is being published in newspapers around the nation under various titles. The Tucson Citizen titled it "Drop in slaughters leads to too many horses"

That is the perception the slaughterhouses want delivered to the masses. The problem is it's an out and out lie, and the bigger problem is too many people are believing it. Just look at these comments.

It is NOT a false story. Horses are being left to starve. Horses are selling at auctions for next to nothing. Horses are being turned loose. I'm not in all places in this state, so I can't say what levels this is going on in other places, but around here, it's getting bad.

As for not needing an acre per horse, I say horse pucky. With the draughts going on across the country, hay is becoming scarce in many places, including KY. Why? Because desperate people are driving long distances to buy hay. I personally know of three different people from TX, 6 from TN, and four from MN that drove to this state to buy large trailer loads of hay. It's only going to get worse if the weather doesn't change in many areas. So the bottom line is, if you don't have the land to support them, don't get them. That's how these horses end up in starvation situations.

You need to take a drive around my county and see the condition these horses are living in and then you can tell me that was a piece of propaganda. It's easy to go buy a horse for $50 in the current market, but some of these people have no idea what to do when they get them home. I guess they didn't think maybe their horses might need to eat once in a while.

I posted the arcreage thing as an example. In some states there are actually zone laws and you aren't allowed to keep more than 1 horse per acre on your farm. I realize there are boarding facilities, but not everyone can afford a stall. Many people go on pasture board and hopefully the boarding facilities are smart enough not to over crowd their boarders. But as for people who just want to adopt a horse and bring it home, where I live most of them just go out to pasture and they might get lucky and have a tree to block the wind. I used the number of 20 horses as an example, but a better example would be 2 horses on 1 acre of land would be pushing it, if you were trying to pasture them.

You can say whatever you want about slaughter. I respect your opinion, but I'm for it. I'd see my horse slaughtered before I'd send him down the road and let someone starve him to death. I agree with someone who said we need to lobby for humane slaughter. Besides outlawing slaughter wouldn't stop it, we would just put them on ships to Japan or big trucks to Canada and I'll bet good money they aren't going to be treated humanely on their way to those slaughter houses. Just my opinion. Take it how you want it.

Terry wrote:

Has anyone here that lives in Kentucky actually seen this overabundance of horses? Do you really see them in large herds roaming the mountains? Do you really believe a word this article says?
This article is the biggest piece of pro-horse slaughter slander I've seen yet! Their slander victim is the State of Kentucky. Someone in Texas (and I can think of a few names I won't mention) have bought and paid for this article. I never thought AP could be bought off like this but... I've seen a lot of things since the year 2000 that I never thought I'd see in this country. Why shouldn't I be surprised that even AP would put out a dirty article?
The governor of Kentucky should demand AP retract this story. It's false, it's damaging to the state's reputation and good name.
The two foreign-owner slaughterhouses in Texas are as desperate now as they ever been in their lives. Right now they can't legally slaughter a horse and it's literally killing them. They, they're meat industry commrades, and their political lobbyists in Texas see this as a fight against Animal Rights Groups - and they do not want to lose and are now in the process of doing anything and everything they can to make everyone believe they are NEEDED. And they are USING the horse popular state of Kentucky to make themselves appear "needed" and needed now.
This AP article has been aired on TV news and is being published in newspapers around the nation under various titles. The Tucson Citizen titled it "Drop in slaughters leads to too many horses"
That is the perception the slaughterhouses want delivered to the masses. The problem is it's an out and out lie, and the bigger problem is too many people are believing it. Just look at these comments.

Actually you were correct when you said an acre of land per horse. Cattle guidelines are 3/4 acre per land. Even with one horse on one acre, a person would need to divide the pasture and rotate the horse, giving the grass time to rejuvenate. Even with an acre, it can get very messy in wet weather in a short period of time, and a person would need a very good stand of grass to sustain a horse. On top of that, winter months require good quality hay. Molded hay or sun bleached fescue won't do.

Another Richardson wrote:

You need to take a drive around my county and see the condition these horses are living in and then you can tell me that was a piece of propaganda. It's easy to go buy a horse for $50 in the current market, but some of these people have no idea what to do when they get them home. I guess they didn't think maybe their horses might need to eat once in a while.
I posted the arcreage thing as an example. In some states there are actually zone laws and you aren't allowed to keep more than 1 horse per acre on your farm. I realize there are boarding facilities, but not everyone can afford a stall. Many people go on pasture board and hopefully the boarding facilities are smart enough not to over crowd their boarders. But as for people who just want to adopt a horse and bring it home, where I live most of them just go out to pasture and they might get lucky and have a tree to block the wind. I used the number of 20 horses as an example, but a better example would be 2 horses on 1 acre of land would be pushing it, if you were trying to pasture them.
You can say whatever you want about slaughter. I respect your opinion, but I'm for it. I'd see my horse slaughtered before I'd send him down the road and let someone starve him to death. I agree with someone who said we need to lobby for humane slaughter. Besides outlawing slaughter wouldn't stop it, we would just put them on ships to Japan or big trucks to Canada and I'll bet good money they aren't going to be treated humanely on their way to those slaughter houses. Just my opinion. Take it how you want it.
<quoted text>

I witnessed a horse while starved to death last summer. I know that was true. I have seen starving horses eat the bark from trees and the dirt from the ground.

Terry wrote:

Has anyone here that lives in Kentucky actually seen this overabundance of horses? Do you really see them in large herds roaming the mountains? Do you really believe a word this article says?
This article is the biggest piece of pro-horse slaughter slander I've seen yet! Their slander victim is the State of Kentucky. Someone in Texas (and I can think of a few names I won't mention) have bought and paid for this article. I never thought AP could be bought off like this but... I've seen a lot of things since the year 2000 that I never thought I'd see in this country. Why shouldn't I be surprised that even AP would put out a dirty article?
The governor of Kentucky should demand AP retract this story. It's false, it's damaging to the state's reputation and good name.
The two foreign-owner slaughterhouses in Texas are as desperate now as they ever been in their lives. Right now they can't legally slaughter a horse and it's literally killing them. They, they're meat industry commrades, and their political lobbyists in Texas see this as a fight against Animal Rights Groups - and they do not want to lose and are now in the process of doing anything and everything they can to make everyone believe they are NEEDED. And they are USING the horse popular state of Kentucky to make themselves appear "needed" and needed now.
This AP article has been aired on TV news and is being published in newspapers around the nation under various titles. The Tucson Citizen titled it "Drop in slaughters leads to too many horses"
That is the perception the slaughterhouses want delivered to the masses. The problem is it's an out and out lie, and the bigger problem is too many people are believing it. Just look at these comments.

Hasn't anybody heard of cubes? I feed alfalfa cubes to my two girls; one being a very LARGE Draft. I keep even my big girl fat and happy for less than $20 a week on cubes. They are in a wooded pasture with little grass, and even in winter, they are as healthy as can be. I have never fed hay because I don't have spot to store it and keep it in good quality. Horses need room to roam, but if you exercise them and give them lots of love, you don't need huge pasture to keep them happy and healthy. If anything, we should focus on the "so called breeders" I've seen around here that breed horses over and over and over, sell off some mares at acution, and then breed some more. It is crazy and very upsetting to me. They think they are big breeders; well they are, they are a breeders for slaughter house supplies.