We begin today’s eye-opening look into the world of horse breeders with an ad from “Local Sales Network” (similar to Craigslist for Tennessee and Kentucky).
I'll mention, in passing, her questionable conformation, though it's not a flattering picture angle that makes her look pig eyed, hammer headed, with a croup you could ski-jump off of…What I am going to address is the comment that the mare will be 4, came from “Lookout Meadow Farm” for $1000 this spring basically un-handled and is “registerable but not registered.”
With a visit to our friend Google, we find…What a surprise! http://terricvincenttlmf.vpweb.com/ More fugly, overpriced crappaloosas, such as her “junior stallion Tucker” – who you can own for just $6500 - what a deal!
She has “lotsa” babies and look! a “third in line” stallion! And, let’s don’t forget, her website looks like it hasn’t been updated since late 2008 or early 2009. But, most of her business comes from “repeat customers and referrals” because she “delivers some of the best appaloosas in the industry”. Hmm, judging from the mare for sale and the no-halter-non-groomed, flip-flop clad photo above, that sounds believable, doesn’t it?
Now, what the sale ad and the website won’t tell you…but perhaps you are beginning to suspect…is that this woman has seventy horses. You read that right. 7-0. Thirty are her “broodmares” and “breeding stock.” – the rest are colts or just random horses that “need training” or are “for sale.”
Now, if you've read all that without vomitting on your keyboard, here comes the personal knowledge part of this sad, sad situation.
In the process of breeding what she already has, she’s also constantly scanning places like Craigslist and continuing to purchase horses. She has someone who goes to the weekend sales and comes home with horses by the trailer load...they'll stand on the property still wearing their hip tags from whichever sale they've been run through.
Recently, Terri has been looking for some farm help because “her health is getting bad.” Well, you know teenage girls love to play with baby horses. And, you also know they love to talk. And, it turns out, Terri is doing even worse than I’ve already described. She is selling horses directly to kill.
You read that right. She advertises these colts as “the best in the industry,” honestly won’t sell them – won’t look at an offer - for under $800, but will turn around and ship to Mexico.
Even with her “poor health,” she’s still looking for mares to breed in the spring, she's still buying from sales, and she's now, apparently (based on the email I received from the teenager), calling herself a "rescue" as well -- is this a veil for how skinny some of the horses are? Or an attempt to get some donations?
One of the teenage “helpers” snapped this picture with her cell phone – these were supposed to be the first horses for “training” so she thought it would be cool to have a “before” picture of them – four days later, they were shipped. The two on the left are obviously young – what was their crime, being born solid instead of spotted? The paint looks to be a gelding – I guess he must’ve been picked up at a sale.
Proof once again that an online claim and a website don’t make you reputable…and proof once again that you can only hide your dirty laundry for so long before someone airs it out! Know who you're buying from, Google them, expect a level of professionalism when dealing with someone who claims to be an industry leader. Putting up a website doesn't make fantasy, reality.
The mare that’s for sale on LSN….she was one of the lucky ones. Hopefully, she’ll be lucky the second time around.
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