Posted 2011-01-27 7:08 AM (#129328 - in reply to #129327) Subject: RE: Hay drops to starving horses in Montana
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1069
Location: MI.
700 head? How on earth can you manage that many horses properly? Ya' know, when he started to have financial problems, you'd think he would've began placing the horses before it got this far. But then again he should've controlled the number of head from the get go.
Posted 2011-01-27 9:06 AM (#129340 - in reply to #129327) Subject: RE: Hay drops to starving horses in Montana
Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah
A sad affair to be sure. But the math doesn't add up.
They say they have collected 200 ton of hay and that it will only last the 350 horses for 3 weeks. That means they are feeding 55 lbs per day per horse. Not that it matters, I'm sure what ever hay the have donated will be consumed before summer.
Posted 2011-01-27 9:42 AM (#129344 - in reply to #129327) Subject: RE: Hay drops to starving horses in Montana
Expert
Posts: 1723
Location: michigan
This is what happens when people start getting all wishy washy and ban slaughter for emotional reasons. I'd rather see these horses go to slaughter and have it over with than slowly starving out in the cold. Load them up, haul them out. I am sorry if that sounds harsh but lets face it..there is a fate worse than death and this is it.
Posted 2011-01-27 11:56 AM (#129356 - in reply to #129327) Subject: RE: Hay drops to starving horses in Montana
Elite Veteran
Posts: 690
Location: missouri
Sad. What do you think is happenin in this country with people too??? Can't control the numbers because of stupidity, then wonder why we can't feed and care for them all... I think the owners oughta go to slaughter.
Posted 2011-01-28 3:19 PM (#129414 - in reply to #129356) Subject: RE: Hay drops to starving horses in Montana
Veteran
Posts: 231
Location: Illinois
I think they ought to control the number of horses this person is allowed to have on the land available..anything over that should be removed..I for one do not agree with slaughter ..I believe all the back yard breeders of all the "junk" need to be addressed..cause there is way more "junk" being produced in the " controlled enviroment" then out in the wild... Why don't the collect a % of stallions and castrate, re-release or adopt out..and control the numbers of foals being born... Mother Nature does her part by natural selection...give her a hand..with knowledgeable people who know and understand the dynamics needed to keep a herd healthy and sound. To me the wild horses are a National Treasure and should be protected as such
Posted 2011-01-28 6:15 PM (#129427 - in reply to #129327) Subject: RE: Hay drops to starving horses in Montana
Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah
The story doesn't tell why the fellow is in financial problems. There may be a very ligit answer for what has happened. I personally in the last two years have been involved with three banks that the FDIC walked in Friday afternoon and locked the doors. Credit lines that folks had been using for working capital were suddenly gone with out any warning.
I know of two different guiding/outfitters that keep 300-400 horses for the summer and hunting season. I'm sure those horses are standing in a pasture for the winter. So it's not irresponsible for somebody to have a large herd of horses. It's irresponsible to not be able to provide for them. Maybe the government should have a licensing program for our horses and we should provide an annual financial report to prove that we are financially capable of providing for them.
Regardless of whether he has a ligit reason for his finances or that he was greedy and made poor business decisions. The horses are the one suffering now and I'm glad to see folks stepping up and helping out.
And I'm not sure what wild horses being a national treasure has to do with this discussion?
Posted 2011-01-28 9:32 PM (#129432 - in reply to #129327) Subject: RE: Hay drops to starving horses in Montana
Location: KY
The news story really doesn't give a whole lot of information. Seems to me that whoever bought the place at the foreclosure auction would have known the animals were there and would have taken steps to get the animals removed from the property before closing the sale; 'course the bank who conducted the auction also should have known the animals were there; did the bank sell the animals too at the foreclosure auction? Or did the bank take the position "not our problem"? What about the new owners of the property? They want someone else to deal with the situation? They had 2.6 mil to pay for the property; surely they had enough sense to inspect the property before the closing? I do feel for the horses and am glad that a bunch of them broke out of the fenced area and just left. What a mess.