Subject: [againstslaughter] My version of the
auction and Mr. Peanut!
First off, I want to thank Lesley Wise from Canada for her donation to save a
donkey, mule, or whatever I could from this horrid place. She is as instrumental
in saving a life as I am.
The auction happened exactly as Sherillyn described, I have only a few comments
to add.
I bought a tiny mule, no one else bid on him after Mr. Jones set the high price
of $100 on him. He is a pony size and a grown man came riding him out in the
ring. You could see he was trying hard to be good. I knew he would be the last
mule out so I bid $110. No one challenged me. He is such a sweetie, My son
and he bonded as we waited for the nice folks to come and pick up Impulse,
Sherillyn's wonderful TB yearling. He is cute as a button, the exact color of a
peanut shell with a stripe down his back. Sheri and I both sat and wondered
together at the history of our new charges, as there is no way to know anything
about them. We were lucky and we both seem to have gotten sound and sane little
guys.
I was not in the ring when the two sick tiny foals went through; Sheri and I
were in the back looking the animals over when we
realized to our Horror that the auctioning of horses had begun. We ran as fast
as we could back to the ring, but were too late for the babies.
One had a baseball sized hernia. They both looked to be half dead. After
the auction we learned that Mr. Jones had brought them in, and I asked if I
could buy the littlest one he had "no saled." He put the price
of $250 on him. I declined.
These guys bid up the prices so high, they will not let you buy them. It is
sickening to know so many would have gone to good homes but the traders/killers
will not back off. There were many beautiful animals. One nice gaited horse went
for under $500. If I'd had the funds I would have loved to have had her, but
then I also know the reality is I would never have gotten her. Mr. Jones would
have run it up to whenever I ran out of money, so he ended up with her.
The killer/traders run the whole damn show there; it is THEIR territory and they
are damned well going to make sure you know it.
The barn works for them and caters to them even to the point of letting their
killer buddies sit up in the auctioneers box with them,
and they let them start the prices.
One thing I did not see this month was a lot of sick, lame or blind horses.
I was so proud of Sheri when she stood up and yelled for them to quit beating
her horse. It stunned the crowd. My only regret is that we could not have
saved more.