# I know it's the Daily Mail but seriously!



## Happy Horse (17 February 2013)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ard--letting-pony-destined-abattoir-room.html

IS this what is going to happen now, every Tom, Dick and Harry buying ponies they know nothing about.


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## Charem (17 February 2013)

Idiot woman.

As someone commented below the photo of the pony in the living room looks staged...or at least I blimming hope it is with that tv and electric cables all over the place! Whilst I wish it wasn't the case there are too many unwanted equines, many of which are not suitable for rehomming. At least the slaughter houses offer a quick, pain free end for them.

Also see that in the related stories section there's a bit about Potters and 'the last few minutes of a pony's life'. Really Daily Mail? Have you not got anything better to report on? From what i've seen of Potters they do a great job of a not so nice task.


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## Elsiecat (17 February 2013)

I read this earlier and starting writing out a comment to reply to the article. But then I just thought - 'what's the point!?'


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## Elsiecat (17 February 2013)

What would be nice if a local stables allowed the horse to livery there for free with grazing. What a lovely gesture though - I would do the same under the circumstances.
- Samantha, Middle England, 17/2/2013 18:17


Yeah.. it'd also be nice if a local stables would let me keep my horse there for free too!!!!!
CAN'T AFFORD - DON'T BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## s4sugar (17 February 2013)

The same woman has a e-petition and campaign to close the abbatoir.

If you can't keep them don't buy them & don't expect someone else to support your hobby.

The UK needs more horse abbatiors not less.


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## Elsiecat (17 February 2013)

s4sugar said:



			The same woman has a e-petition and campaign to close the abbatoir.
		
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Really? This makes me want to quit the internet and any communication with 'civilization.'
I'm sure the long trip to Europe is a much better end


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## s4sugar (17 February 2013)

Has Cheshire become cloud cuckoo land?


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## MurphysMinder (17 February 2013)

It would seem so S4s.  I saw this on a fb group, someone asking for donations towards vets fees, hay, rugs etc.  If you can't afford to feed them don't buy them!  I'm trying to find out where this woman is, it says she has kennels but not sure if it is boarding or breeding.


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## Kat (17 February 2013)

What a bloody disgrace. In experienced owner, 8 ponies, 1 loose box, and 3 acres. Sounds like it is heading for a welfare case.


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## SusannaF (17 February 2013)

If everyone pays £150 a pop for ponies from those markets the end result will be more ponies, not a solution to the problem.


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## Cinnamontoast (17 February 2013)

s4sugar said:



			The same woman has a e-petition and campaign to close the abbatoir.

If you can't keep them don't buy them & don't expect someone else to support your hobby.

The UK needs more horse abbatiors not less.
		
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Exactly.



SusannaF said:



			If everyone pays £150 a pop for ponies from those markets the end result will be more ponies, not a solution to the problem.
		
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This.

I'm afraid I left a comment along the lines of 'totally mental'. What she is doing is making way for more £150 ponies. Dumb bint.


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## ILuvCowparsely (17 February 2013)

SusannaF said:



			If everyone pays £150 a pop for ponies from those markets the end result will be more ponies, not a solution to the problem.
		
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 IMO  I do not agree.  There will always be plenty  due to newforest exmoor dartmoor etc regardless on what people pay.


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## windand rain (17 February 2013)

Leviathan said:



			IMO  I do not agree.  There will always be plenty  due to newforest exmoor dartmoor etc regardless on what people pay.
		
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not if noone pays for them they will eventually realise they are not making any money selling these little mites and will either send them direct to the slaughter house or stop breeding which would be a bonus while people pay good money to "rescue" unscrupulous breeders will carry on


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## FinnishLapphund (18 February 2013)

MurphysMinder said:



			... If you can't afford to feed them don't buy them! ...
		
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Afford to feed them, did you notice that she couldn't even afford to buy them herself either! 

She had some money herself, but also, her son had to make a withdrawal from some account (his?), she used her credit card, two friends paid for some and a lady came forward and paid for another. 

And she's planning to open a pony sancture, but she's also "*desperately* trying to re-home them through our Facebook page." 





 

What sort of a PR slogan is that for a horse/pony sanctuary! We want to "save" ponies, but we can neither afford to buy them nor take care of them ourselves, so we desperately need to find new homes for them, so that we can "save" more ponies with money that we don't have and close down the abbatoir...


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## SusannaF (18 February 2013)

Leviathan said:



			IMO  I do not agree.  There will always be plenty  due to newforest exmoor dartmoor etc regardless on what people pay.
		
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Yes, to some extent, but I've been told by horse rescue professionals that when dealers see a soft touch like this, they start to keep more ponies and to keep them in even worse conditions because they know they'll get more money for them in that state. There's a reason why the big organisations don't go to every horrible horse sale and buy everything there.


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## MurphysMinder (18 February 2013)

I remember a WHW field officer saying to me that the worst thing people could do was bid up the meat man, as then it meant the ponies fetched reasonable prices instead of a few pounds, thus encouraging these people to churn out more foals etc.  He also told me that some unscrupulous people deliberately starve a few days before the sale so the ponies look really poor and thus gain the "sympathy bid".


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## elsielouise (18 February 2013)

You'd've thought she would have at least moved the ironing board!

Set up photo - stupid woman and idiots if they give her money. Perpetuating poor breeding decisions again.


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## Shettie (18 February 2013)

Of you think the daily mail comments are bunny hugging don't go onto there Facebook group you get a mob after you.

Sadly after being sent pictures of a mare and foal, they should of gone to tuners, in no way should they of been given a clean bill of health. The pictures are saddening and even more so for the people that can't see, indeed this pony will now only get worse


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## misterjinglejay (18 February 2013)

What on earth does she think is going to happen if they close the abbatoirs???


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## ILuvCowparsely (18 February 2013)

SusannaF said:



			If everyone pays £150 a pop for ponies from those markets the end result will be more ponies, not a solution to the problem.
		
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 flipping the coin  if people  do not spend £150 on a pony , there will be more un bought ponies from the market.  Ponies will be sold for £10 - £ 20 . Thus meat man will have a field day and buy more ponies.  End result more ponies going through market

 So I do not see the difference:


 Scenario 1 

  pony goes to market  some well being person spends £ 150 on a pony, 

Result : Pony gets a new home dealer gets £ 150.   Yes more ponies go to market and may or not be as lucky as pony 1 and reach that amount.



  Scenario  2

  pony goes to market  no one spends any where near £ 150 for pony  only a mere £ 15- £20, by meat man. 

Result meat man gets loads of ponies for little money so can buy more from market due to  little cost.  Dealer brings more ponies as he can get rid of more due to low cost.  Ponies end up a horrid fate.

 So I see no difference between  1 and 2   whether they go for £ 150 and dealer gets more money so brings more ponies
or they sell cheaper but he brings more so he can rid more.


  Only good to come out is in scenario 1.  One lucky pony gets a good home as apposed to none.


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## SusannaF (18 February 2013)

*Leviathan,* all I know is what I've been told by people who have worked for major rescue charities for decades. And that's what I added above.


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## windand rain (18 February 2013)

Yes but the greedy breeders in pony 1 case will then breed even more and let them struggle to get the £150 good money. If they only get 10 then they are likely to be losing money hand over fist and will stop. I costs near the tenner to enter them for the sale so even if they have cost nothing to get on the floor transporting them and entering them at the sale will be enough to make them out of pocket so ideally they stop breeding more and eventually the meat market loses at least one source of horses. The 80% of animals slaughtered that come from the racing industry is another and more complex matter
cant imagine the bunny huggers will be buying up wholesale 15-16hh thoroughbreds to keep in their living room
While people pay good money the unscrupulous will keep breeding more and making sure they get the sympathy vote too


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## FinnishLapphund (18 February 2013)

Leviathan said:



			flipping the coin, if people do not spend £150 on a pony, there will be more un bought ponies from the market. Ponies will be sold for £10 - £20. Thus meat man will have a field day and buy more ponies. End result more ponies going through market.
So I do not see the difference:

   Scenario 1 
pony goes to market, some well being person spends £ 150 on a pony. 

Result : Pony gets a new home, dealer gets £ 150. Yes more ponies go to market and may or not be as lucky as pony 1 and reach that amount.


  Scenario  2

pony goes to market, no one spends any where near £ 150 for pony, only a mere £ 15- £20, by meat man. 

Result meat man gets loads of ponies for little money, so can buy more from market due to little cost. Dealer brings more ponies as he can get rid of more due to low cost. Ponies end up a horrid fate.

So I see no difference between 1 and 2, whether they go for £ 150 and dealer gets more money, so brings more ponies or they sell cheaper, but he brings more so he can rid more...
		
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I have a few problems with your scenarios Leviathan. Even if a horse owner can cut down their costs, by not taking good care of their horses, I don't understand how they could avoid all costs, without risking that their horses might become a welfare case. So, if it costs them some money to keep the horses, driving the transport to and from the auction/market will also cost money (and as far as I know, petrol/diesel isn't getting cheaper), and if they then only are paid a pittance for their horses, their income might not cover their outlay and then they can't continue in all eternity. 

But if more people begins to buy the horses out of pity, to "save" them from the abatoir, more unscrupulous people will believe that they've came to heaven and begin to do their best to take advantage of the opportunity. 

And hey, the poorer the horse looks, the higher chance that someone will feel that they have to save it, but then someone else brings horses that looks more miserable (= more "save" worthy) than their horses, so to the next auction/market... It can lead to more horses being neglected, because that is what the market demands!  




 


The phrase out of the frying pan, into the fire, comes to my mind.


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## amandap (18 February 2013)

Elsiecat said:



			I read this earlier and starting writing out a comment to reply to the article. But then I just thought - 'what's the point!?' 


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Me too. 

The more people pity buy the more will be bred imo. I know it's hard but with the current scandal there is a real chance, if demand falls, less breeding may go on. If people are going to step in and buy them for more money then over breeding will continue.

The living room must be staged other wise she is keeping that pony in a very unsafe area.   I hope she intends to keep them all for life because if she passes them on where might they end up?


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## ILuvCowparsely (18 February 2013)

FinnishLapphund said:



			I have a few problems with your scenarios Leviathan. Even if a horse owner can cut down their costs, by not taking good care of their horses, I don't understand how they could avoid all costs, without risking that their horses might become a welfare case. So, if it costs them some money to keep the horses, driving the transport to and from the auction/market will also cost money (and as far as I know, petrol/diesel isn't getting cheaper), and if they then only are paid a pittance for their horses, their income might not cover their outlay and then they can't continue in all eternity. 

But if more people begins to buy the horses out of pity, to "save" them from the abatoir, more unscrupulous people will believe that they've came to heaven and begin to do their best to take advantage of the opportunity. 

And hey, the poorer the horse looks, the higher chance that someone will feel that they have to save it, but then someone else brings horses that looks more miserable (= more "save" worthy) than their horses, so to the next auction/market... It can lead to more horses being neglected, because that is what the market demands!  




 


The phrase out of the frying pan, into the fire, comes to my mind. 






 




 






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 Well I have a few problems with your reply 
 MY comment is simply in reply to a previous poster who said if we don't buy ponies there will e less of them at the auction which is untrue.
 I was explaining it makes no difference  , dealer will make money and bring horses, if he doesnt sell them for £ 150 he will sell them cheaper more will go through the auction so dealer will bring more to auction  

 I have said nothing on the care of the ponies.  The fact is, ponies will continue to be taken to auctions regardless of how many or how much they sell for.  Which is my point and with Rspca nothing was done to check the ponies or horses.  So welfare was not involved .

 Normally if a dealer does only make a small amount for one horse they can make up  on others which go for or over that base starting price.


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## 1stclassalan (20 February 2013)

Well I agree with all posters who have commented about unwise breeding and the like but think that those who've taking this woman to task have not looked hard enough.

The photo is staged - probably by the Mail photographer - how were they informed? Anything to do with the double barrelled surname and living in Cheshire in a house with an imposing front door and two hundred year old brickwork - methinks there's plenty more where the £150 pony price came from.

The rest is hype to get yet another charity set up by someone with a bee in her bonnet about equine slaughterhouses.

Though I could be biased - as I inviegled my way in with a similar lady back in my youth and owe her all my early horse experience - OMG that's over fifty years ago!


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## Alec Swan (20 February 2013)

Either the woman's an idiot,  or the DM are,  or we are for swallowing such crap.  

Mind you,  if it's genuine,  there's nothing like setting up a charity...... Nice little earner. 

Alec.


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