We have all seen the ads. The adorable scruffy little ponies with Christmas bows attached to their halters and tails, or a horse that looks to need some TLC, or perhaps an outstanding horse with exceptional breeding. Marked Will be SHIPPED on XXX (Insert date here). Their approximate age is listed and what little information is known about them and a bail out price usually with a lot of emojis. It might state, so many days left until she ships, and then the poster will comment and encourage people to look at the ads by adding into the drama saying that part of the bail is raised, but not all, or bail raised but no home yet so will still ship out.

I recently saw a horse listed on a bail out site that I recognized from a sale we were at. I told my husband when we were at the sale, we would probably see her on a bail out site saying she was registered but didn’t come with papers or something similar. And sure enough, it said out of registered stock but didn’t come with papers. This horse had gone through another auction after the sale we attended, and landed here.

First off, let me tell you, bail out pages can come in many forms. They may be labeled “kill pen,” or something along the lines of Save horses from slaughter…Or Find homes for horses etc. It might look like a rescue site ran by honest people, or it might straight up say we will ship whatever doesn’t sell etc. Usually the bail out pages have a VERY high following. If you are ever in doubt, or wonder who backs the page you are looking at a “bail out” horse on, do a. quick google search and it will trace back to a certain kill pen. Then you can search who runs that kill pen. The same guys we brush shoulders with every month run bail out pages. And it’s not uncommon for me to see horses we have seen at the sale pop up shortly after.

So, these horses and ads really pull at the heart strings. Thinking about the poor little fluffy pony being shipped to slaughter across the boarder it hard to stomach. Or a perfectly good horse that was probably at one time someone’s show horse. Here’s what they don’t tell you.. You bail the horse out, or people raise money toward bailing the horse out..The horse is then marked “safe”. What happens to them afterward? If there’s no home, some will openly say they will ship them anyway. So they have a horse that they have then raised the money to bail out and ship it for meat price, making a profit on both the horse, AND the bail out cash raised. Or they adopt it out…But the bail doesn’t cover the adoption fee. The bail marks them “safe”…So they charge for an adoption fee for the horse, and offer to quarantine for a fee which also pads their pockets…And offer transport with their own shippers etc. for a fee.

A horse is now bailed out and adopted and sitting in your barn after arriving off of a shipping trailer. Congratulations on your new horse! That horse is safe. She will settle in soon, and forever know the joy of her family. etc… BUT, please know. That by bailing this horse out…You have helped fuel the slaughter market. You saved one, but allowed them to buy two to three more. Two to three more who may not be so lucky, who will make that kill buyer a profit and thus allow him to keep on doing what he does…Making millions shipping horses to slaughter and bailing them out.

Caring, compassionate people are fueling the slaughter industry. Last year an approximate 100,000 horses shipped to Canada alone, and around 70,000 went to Mexico. If this isn’t troubling enough, I see ads for little ponies. A stud pony that is halter broke, maybe for lead-line rides, not registered. $1500. And 70 comments on him! People saying they are sending a pm. Meanwhile, rescue people who just want to help out a horse in need, bought a little pipsqueak pony at the auction… A halter broke yearling. Not bred, dewormed, vet checked and hooves trimmed, and daily handling going on during a quarantine period. And have the pony for $500 with people scoffing that it needs more work, or has it had a certain shot or its’ teeth floated…etc. But he’s not in imminent danger of shipping, so not one person messages the rescue people about the pony, but sure enough the next day the $1500 stud pony is marked “safe.” People complain that the price of a rescue is high. The bail out of slaughter bound horse is higher when it comes down to bringing the horse home! And the rescuer is putting time and effort into rehabbing, feeding, handling etc. What’s the kill buyer doing? Making sure there’s hay and water and manipulating people into getting what he wants.

If you want to impact the slaughter industry..the way to do it is NOT to bail out the horse. There are lots of rescuers that go to the same auctions as the kill buyers do. They buy the horse before they ever load up on a truck and get them before they are exposed to the whole kill pen, bail out, shipping process. If you are a knowledgeable horse person, go to the auction yourself. If you’re not a knowledgable horse person, should that exclude you ? No. But start doing your research on what a rescue horse requires for care, maintenance and get established with a good vet and farrier before you bring home an equine buddy. Talk with people who have been to the sales and can help you get an idea of what to expect. Or reach out to a rescuer, and let them know what qualities of a horse you are looking for and see what comes up! If you want to help save the life of a horse but can’t have one yourself, find a rescue or an individual who tries to bring the horses home from the sale barn, and offer to help with a donation or help with supplies, etc. There’s a lot of expense involved.

This whole process of the kill pen and bail out pages is directly driving the prices of horses up. It’s hard to find a decent, good broke horse at an affordable price anymore. The only want we can offset that, is to do our best to stop the process. The less horses that go through the auction to begin with, the less horses that will leave on kill trucks. The more individuals and rescuers buying from the auction ring that kill buyers frequent…the less horses that are going through the slaughter pipeline. We can make a difference.