Someone in Macon County, Mo., is willing to sell a 1-year-old gelding and a 2-year-old paint horse for $200 each, or best offer.
“Both geldings are really sweet,” the owner wrote on an Internet classified site. “Unfortunately our circumstances have changed and they need to go now.”
Alison LaCarrubba, a veterinarian at the University of Missouri, sees many horses on the market for bargain prices, or for no cost at all. An entry-level horse used to sell at auction for $700, she said. Now a buyer can purchase the same horse for $50.
LaCarrubba also sees the consequences of the deflated equine market. More horses are turning up underfed and poorly cared for.
Although purchasing a horse is inexpensive, caring for one is not. Owners can pay as much as $15,000 a year for feed, veterinary costs, fencing and shelter. But many don’t realize that until it’s too late.
The problem of neglected and unwanted horses doesn’t lend itself easily to a solution.
Processing of horse meat for overseas sale ended in 2006 when Congress stopped funding inspectors. The slaughterhouses encouraged animal cruelty and shouldn’t be revived. Read more:
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