I went to the London auction on Saturday, I couldn't remember what time it started so I got there about 6:30 pm, horses didn't start until after 10:30. UGH. They'd already started tack by the time we got there too, there was just so much stuff and the auctioneer took forever.
Saddles were dirt cheap- no one was bidding. I'm mad I missed a very lightweight round skirt leather saddle, it went for $35 when I wasn't paying attention. I wanted that. But I did get a fluffy pretty purple and black saddle pad for pictures (I'm sticking with my good pad that's not pretty for riding) for $24 (I also bought it for a butt rest because the seats there are just wooden benches) and we picked up a pretty, older 14 inch Circle Y saddle for only $235. It's dark leather and tooled all over, heavy as hell which I don't love. But it'd be a good resale saddle or a keep for pictures, if the horses like it that is.
So, here's the auction report.
RT- ridden through
NRT- not ridden through
L- loose inring
KB- kill buyer
TD- trader (possibly kill buyer)
NS- no sale
- 6 y/o 15 hh QH chestnut mare, broke, RT, said she was kid safe but she was very nervous in the ring so I suspect they were lying *gasp*! $250 KB
- 6 y/o molly mule, bay, shown, RT, reining trained, extremely responsive, a really nice mule overall. They no saled, they wanted $750 (for good reason)
- Small gray appy mule, R, fugly $75
- Nice kid broke bay gelding, 14 y/o 15.1hh, QH. responsive and quiet. They'd been riding him outside and he was giving kids rides double and wasn't spooky at all. Good horse. $650 (a steal)
- Big chestnut gelding, scared, RT, rode okay $300
- 2 y/o dapple gray mare, very cute, would mature into a nice horse, RT, $140 KB
- 2006 15+ hh bay reg. QH mare, very stocky and well built, good looking mare, RT, rode nicely, $290 owner NS wanted $750
- 7 y/o chestnut possibly dark palomino molly mule, RT, $160 TD
- Big chestnut mare, RT, okay handle on her, said she had no ground manners. $210
- 8 y/o bay paint pony gelding, flashy, dirty and grumpy looking, RT, $60 TD
- over 16 hh 10 y/o dun gelding, very pretty and well built, NTR- not broke, said he hadn't been touched in 5 years. Very nervous in the ring and in the pen before. $525
- Mousy buckskin 4 y/o gelding, nervous, small/runty, $125 TD
- Cool looking chestnut leopard appy pony gelding, flashy, RT, $140 (Owner tried to tell me I should have bought him after the sale, I laughed and asked him what I'd do with a pony?!)
- Big stocky bay mule, 10 y/o molly, RT- rode okayish, they did stupid stunts on her though like the sliding off the butt and standing in the saddle (because that's a good measure of how well they're trained, right?) $925
- Terrified 2 y/o bay mare, QH, RT (kind of), $80 TD
- Black pony mare, branded, RT, rode badly, $50
- 2 y/o dark grey reg. paint filly, pretty, registered, had hernia as a yearling but the owner had it taken care of, NTR, $95
- 2005 reg. buckskin QH mare, smallish, very laid back, rode nicely, pretty mare, (I rode her before the sale, she was lazy but calm) $900 owner NS wanted $3,000 (yeah right)
- 8 y/o dun gelding, nervous, RT, hadn't been ridden in 2 years, pretty but small, $500 NS
- Sickly looking bay mini gelding, not shed out at all, sad looking, NTR $40
- 2006 reg paint Bay or black mare, okayish build, NTR, had 2 month old bay colt at her side, $340
- 5 y/o MFT gelding, green broke, rode nicely but scared, light grey $140
- 1999 reg. QH, well built chestnut mare, NRT, broodmare $235 KB
- 5 y/o chestnut gelding, plain looking, RT, said he will buck. $200 TD/KB
- 19 y/o Reg. Qh, beautiful buckskin mare, rode nicely, gorgeous condition, ears clipped and she was friendly (I liked her) she did not look 19 at all, had Doc Bar on her actual papers. $350 NS
- Team of 2 black racing ponies, NTR, $100 for both, TD/KB
- Nicely built 10 y/o palomino mare, RT, rode pretty well, friendly in the pen, good condition, said she'd been owned by a 74 year old man and "anyone can ride her" $340. She came home with me. She's very sweet, intelligent and calm. No problem catching or haltering her and she jumped right in the pitch black trailer with a total stranger.Very polite and respectful without being fearful at all, stands tied nicely, needs her feet done and she doesn't like her ears touched. She does have a weird hard bump on her lower left hind leg, but it's not sensitive at all, she's not lame and it doesn't seem to bother her a bit. She's in heat right now and is still just as quiet and polite as can be. Overall just a nice little mare. She was on my top picks list.
- I made her model two of the saddles I'm selling. It was funny, someone has already texted us asking how much for the pretty palomino mare. Ha!
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- Scrawny 7 y/o palomino gelding, fugly and eye necked but laid back, RT, they did the stupid stunts on him. $435
- 7 y/o gaited pony mare with filly at side , branded, RT, rode nicely
- Skinny and nervous flea bitten gray QH gelding, kicked or bit all to hell, all cut up, said he was used in a petting zoo before, $45 KB
- VERY skinny paint 11 y/o gelding with a huge gaping cut bleeding all down his leg, sad eyes, NTR, bad build, I missed his price
- Bay 2006 reg. QH gelding, good bloodlines, rode very nicely, said they'd headed off him before. $475
- 7 y/o sweet buckskin bald faced gelding, absolutely huge horse, well over 16 hands, RT, He was going to be my pity buy because he was sweet but blind in one eye and sunburned, $650 to TD/KB to flip. One of the auctioneer/barn owners tried to get me to keep bidding on him after I'd reached my cap so I asked him what was up with his eye. He said: "It's a glass eye" Amazingly, I have seen and worked with blue eyed horses before so that wasn't what I meant. I responded "I know, I meant what's wrong with his eye- he was blind in one eye in the pen." After this he promptly looked panicked and said: "Well if he is don't say it!" Classy.
- Bay paint mare, RT, half cute and half fugly at the same time, they rode her backwards for some reason, $200
- Dark shiny bay mare, nice build but kinda ewe necked, said she was smooth mouthed when I asked her age, RT, $240 TD/KB
- Cute little grulla mini mare, 4 y/o, speedy with a good handle, RT, $210
- "Rocky MT" saddle horse (Ha- as if) , black mare, 8 y/o, bad confo, kinda scrawny with no mane ( he'd conveniently forgotten her papers at home. He'd tried to get me interested in her earlier. Said she was kid safe and he put his girl up on her. Unfortunately for him, I knew him and his wild child of a daughter. He previously tried to sell me a "kid safe horse" that someone else told me bucked like a bronc as soon as you got him home.) $150 KB
- Gray pony/small horse, 8 y/o gelding RT, rode okay, stocky, been heeled off of, $525
- Big pretty buckskin mare, reg. QH, 2007, rode nice- said she had 90 days riding. $875
- Absolutely gigantic (his leg's came to my stomach and I'm 5 foot seven and all legs) he had to be 16.3 at least and built like a tank, 5 y/o dapple gray gelding, rode okay, kinda grumpy in the pen though, Very pretty and well built. $1250 NS owner wanted $1400 (still a steal at that)
- Fugly 4 y/o chestnut mare, NTR, said the owner had "Rescued" her a while back (again, it's not rescuing if you dump them at a kill sale later. Asshat.) $35 TD/KB
- 2 black pony geldings, RT and broke to work, $80 for the pair, NS wanted $100 each
- Nervous and jumpy paint mare, gaited, fugly, another "Rocky MT" mare he'd "forgotten" the papers for. Said she was spooky when I was talking to him. I found it amusing because the registry only accepts solid colored horses.) NRT, filthy dirty, $165
- Reg. Palomino (possibly a light dun) QH mare, 2006, RT, 60's days riding, $285 TD
- 11 y/o gelding, liver chestnut, Arabian, okay build, didn't ride very well, $285 TD/KB
- 2006 reg. QH (Hancock lines) flea bitten gray, big and stocky, very pretty and well built, full udder. Missed her price but she went to a trader
- 2 skinny and fugly cremellos, a mare and a gelding, NRT, loose but they drug halters and lead ropes, x2 at $85 TD
- Black/white paint gelding, 14, smaller but stocky, very scared and he froze in the ring, they said he rode great normally. $360
- Reg. QH, Bay mare, with a lopped off tail, said they just pulled a foal off her yesterday (assholes), RT, $300
- Chestnut molly mule, 6 or 7 y/o, broke to work not to ride, $160
- 6 y/o small sorrel pony, RT, rode well, shown in barrels and poles- NS wanted $400
- Very skinny black gelding, eye infection, run through, scared and fugly $80 TD/KB
- Appy mule, 10 y/o gelding, RT, need feed to catch, #310
- White gelding, NRT, filthy dirty, scared, run through, $50 TD/KB
- Black 2 yo gelding, all cut up to hell, run through, eye infection, $35 KB
- Runty pony or stunted horse, palomino gelding, skinny, bad build, "kid broke", RT $35
- Filthy B/W mare, NRT, $225
- Bay 6 or 7 y/o, RT, $360
- B/W mini gelding, NRT, $35KB
- Palomino stud colt, fugly, $55 KB
- Fugly leopard reg. appy pony sized, NRT, $65 TD
- Fugly and nervous4 y/o B/W paint mare, run through, $235 TD/KB
- Mammoth Donkey stud, 8 y/o, loose
- 2004 registered chestnut gelding, gigantic, RT, awful confo and hunchback type shoulder, weird looking but sweet in the pen and laid back. Owners said they were selling because he was just too big. Rider had to jump to reach the stirrup. $350 NS wanted $400
- 'Interesting' looking gray 3 y/o stud, loose, $100 KB
- Fat bay paint mare, 12 y/o, loose but "broke" been a broodmare, $270
- Scared 6 y/o bay paint gelding, NTR, $135 TD/KB
- Black TWH, registered 2006, RT "Hot" and "all go". $85 NS wanted $300
- Bay mare, loose but "broke", $175 TD/KB
- Chestnut QH, registered, 3 y/o, atrocious neck and runty build, RT. $225 KB- Owner NS
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So the pretty palomino mare came home with me. Her name is Evanna, well Evans Gift to be precise, but I like Evanna. The name she came with was "Blondie" but I would have vetoed that even if I didn't have an ulterior motive for the new name.
So here's the hope for humanity portion of the post, my mother and I have been selling blackberries. Our patch got out of control when she broke her hip and it is literally quite impossible to walk down the rows. Because they're gone. So we've been digging them up and selling them. A guy came out to get some with his son (I was inside- I'm just the manual labor part) so I heard the story from my mother later.
The son, Evan, played with our dogs while my mom and his dad were talking berry care, then he asked if he could pet or groom the horses. He loved animals but they lived in town. My mom said sure, we only had my gelding (who's a grump to everyone except kids) and her mannerly mare. So he got a soft brush and was grooming them, they were loose, and they stuck around which is pretty impressive- Sam doesn't really like to be brushed that much.
My mother told his father about what I do with horses and all the wonderful horses we've met along the way. So he asked how much it usually costs to outbid the kill buyers, she told him it's usually around $350 or $400. Without another word he pulled out his wallet and gave her $400. He said it was to save on horse on behalf of his son, who loved them, and could we name the horse we saved after his son? My mother was overwhelmed of course, but the man said he felt that God had blessed them. They'd just purchased a boat for much less than they'd originally intended and felt blessed, so they wanted to pass it on to someone else.
His kindness for horses he's never met amazed me. It's so nice to be reminded there are still lots of wonderful, caring people out there. It's something I seem to forget when I'm surrounded with all the shady people in the horse world. I wrote him thanking him for his truly wonderful act and he asked if he could bring his son and daughters out to meet the horse when I'd found one. Obviously I agreed (assuming it wasn't dangerous.) I told my mom I hoped we'd get a gelding.... otherwise we might have to make her and Evanna.
Naturally we ended up getting a mare, so Evanna it is. It fits her as well. It's a soft name and she's just a soft tempered mare. She's a doll- the only thing she doesn't love is her ears being touched- but she was fine today when I was bridling her- I rubbed them all over and she didn't mind. She leads politely, catches easily, loads in the pitch black with a stranger, stands tied like she's cemented in, neck reins, listens for cues, isn't a dead head and stands on a draped rein. When I was going to mount, she moved *in* towards me so I could get on easier. While she didn't love her bath, she still stood still for it. She's even got a beautifully smooth trot. I think she really is an 'anyone can ride' horse. I'm amazed.
Someone cared for this horse, a lot. I'm sure the 74 year old guy who owned her before would be devastated to know where she'd gone. I'm guessing he got sick, or hurt and sold his horse to someone he thought was trustworthy. Unfortunately, that person lied. Her feet need to be trimmed- I'd guess they're about a month over- which is probably as long as the trader had her for. I really don't know why he took her to the sale barn- it just seems stupid, but I guess it's less effort than actually trying to do right by the horse....
Anyway, her's Evanna (pre bath)
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After the bath her mane is now
a beautiful bright white!
Traditional picture of my gelding harassing the new kid- establishing the pecking order. (Yes, they'd met over the fence first and had time to meet well before this, no it doesn't make a difference to Sam)
