I've never been to one before and I'm not sure I ever want to go again. The desperation, smell, people and environment is dire (and this is one of the good ones). Saw horses with facial tumours (prob went for meat), cuts, whip marks, old ponies with children crying for them not to be sold then being made to ride them in the ring, wild eyed youngsters, even really good quality horses being sold in such an environment - I nearly cried.

There were young puppies - 3/4 weeks old being carted round by young children. Children on horses in the rings with no hats aboard horses. The noise and the smell of nervous horses was just horrendous - squealing, fighting, young stallions hassling mares next door. Horses tethered with no food or access to water. Flies all over them. Big horses fetching £600, ponies fetching £200 plus - cheap as heck.

I really hope some of them have gone on to a better place - because that was hell on earth.

Not pleasant places are they.........which one was it, as some are worse than others?

This was Beeston. Its actually improved I think over the past few years - sawdust in the ring so the horses weren't slipping and it was clean - but to a horse it must be sooo frightening a place :(

Yes, Ive been a few times, but the worst one was definately Henley-in-Arden, and I wouldnt go back, once was enough.
All the foals, that went for about £20, were sold to the meatman. At the end, young girls were trying to buy them off him, and he did sell a few.But not all.......and I went home feeling just like you are.

Thankfully - most seemed to be bought by dealers or by private buyers. I nearly bought a lovely 5 year old gelding but made my mind to bid as the hammer went down and missed out. He went for £480 - bargain. Very sad really. Can't understand how folk can put horses like him in somewhere like that. He was warranted, had pics of him competing and seemed a really good sort. Feel very sad now.

I went to the one at Stirling once and never again. Had to be dragged away from the ring to stop me bidding on a clydesdale mare with foal at foot. Her mane had been plaited at some time and never taken out so was all matted, she looked really poor, hooves all cracked, eyes all gungy etc but was so sweet and placid - the meat man bought the two of them for £300 :(  I didn't speak to the friend that stopped me bidding for weeks...lol

I hate the horse auctions too. It's so upsetting to see such sadness in the horses eyes, and the way that you can see some of the more unsavoury characters eyeing up the horses.

I went to one several years ago with a friend, she just wanted to look around at the tack & equipment, I was after a cheap saddle.

I came back with a 6 month old completely wild filly, she came back with an elderly shetland mare and her foal. I've never been since, I don't think I could walk away. It saddens me so much that peole can treat animals (not just horses) in such a disposable way.

Claire

It really does sound like hell on earth for the horses. It's hard to find words to describe how I feel about these kind of places... :( :(
I've never even been to the New Forest auctions not too far from us - couldn't bear to see the NF ponies being shoved around and then being sold, some  to meat men.

Lindsay
x

Morning Peeps

An organisation called Equine Market Watch ask for peeps to report on markets so if there is anything untoward they can keep an eye on that particular market.

www.equinemarketwatch.org.uk

Yep - I know EMW. They do a brill job :)

I hate auctions. I wont go! I hate how they are treated and the horses that neigh are doing so out of fear! I also hate how they have to walk in between the gates and have people hitting them as they walk down.

Absolutely hate it!

I went to a small pet and bird auction once, never again.
I saw guinea pig breeders that are well respected in the fancy putting into small cages all their old stock, i spoke to a couple i knew and she had 10 old ones at the end of their breeding life being sold for 50p each, someone else i knew pointed out a couple of men and he said they are snake people and they are looking for cheap animals for food for their reptiles. Other people were selling pet rats and mice, they were going for 10p each.

This women who i know quite well, was selling pinkies from the boot of her car, a pinkie is a new born baby pet mouse, she was selling them like sweets putting them into a bag and they were being sold to snake and reptile people to be fed alive, when i complained she said 'well they dont know they are blind and deaf they dont know whats happening' but i felt thats not the point she's no animal lover, i saw her in a different light after that.

A lady I used to work with went to the Henley In Arden one once - and came away with an elderly grey horse, a mare with foal at foot (she beat the meat man) and then had to buy herself another 2 acres to add to her 5 to keep them in.

She said she'd never go again, oh yes she also brought some chickens that were from a battery farm, they and the horses are still going strong.

I used to work in Stratford and had to go through Henley sometimes to get to work but wouldn't go through on sale days. 

When you wrote your post, the first thing I thought of was "Beeston"  horrible! horrible! place, it has been a good few yrs since Iwent there , but i doubt it has changed that much, it is not the place to buy a horse  this is a warning to everyone, if you want to buy a horse , these places are not the place to buy them from,  the only horses that end up at these type of sales are the ones nobody wants, i.e  the ones with temperment problems,  some will be so lame, they may as well have only 3 legs,  as they will have been buetted up (pain releif)  for the sale , and you wont find the problem till you get them home .  you will see some fabulous horses at these sales, but you need to ask yourself why they are there (dont listen to any stories you are told) one reason and one reason only , they would never pass a vetting...........  most of the horses /ponies at these sales will end up in our dog food, or going to France for food, a few will go to "Riding schools"  then get sold back at the sales when they are found not to be suitable ,  a few lucky ones will end up being bought by people who feel sorry for them, and have the land and money to keep them as pets for the remainder of there lives .  the only way to stop these sort of sales if if people stop going , and stop letting there hearts rule there heads , just like we tell people not to buy from BYB and puppy mills, as long as we go and buy from them they will continue........the worst part is that the RSPCA patrols these sales, supposedly looking after the wellfare of these horses , they are usless 2 or 3 officers to look after the wellfare of hundred of horses, you can follow them around and still see horse that can hardly stand , still standing for hrs on end tied up with no water or hay.......  the sooner we stop going to these sales the sooner the peopl who sell at them will not have any custom, and these horses will not have to go on this merry go round , off life, and  be PTS a lot sooner (because this is the end they will all suffer)  and spare them a lifetime of misery, and although I have a passion for horses , Ithink it is far better to end their lives sooner , than a life of misery

Sorry Jackbox but there is a couple of points I disagree with there.

the only horses that end up at these type of sales are the ones nobody wants, i.e  the ones with temperment problems

I was bought my 2nd pony from an auction when my parents were nieve! and they (they were 2 little brothers) were brought home in an old ambulance! (Luckily not used anymore). We sold one of these ponies and kept the other who we still have today. His name is Tommy and he is an absolute sweet heart. He is brilliant with children and is an excellent lead rein pony. We also bought a 12h called Goldie whos only bad habit was bucking and napping. You get what you pay for in my opinion. We have bought numerous amounts of horses from auctions in the past and not one has been nasty or had temperament problems. However, saying that I would never visit an auction today - pulls at the heart strings too much!

Like I saidmost of the horses and ponies that end up there are the ones with problems, yes you are right you may be  one of the few lucky ones to get something that will go on!  you know as welll as i do that their are hundreds of ponies around 12hds and at the age of 3/4yrs that end up in these places  , that have no more problems  other than,  not being handled or broken in, there are far to many of them, being bred for a quick buck , then being moved on for £25/£50    a piece  maybe a little more at todays prices, but i know someone who breeds section A`s like shedding peas,  then offloads the lot at Beeston just to make a couple of hundred pounds. I also know of a few that have been bought at auction and we are talking of the "unwarrented sales"here not the warrented sale (they are completely different) and like you have been lucky, but I still stand most have some sort of problem.   you know the horse world as I do, people will always want there money back with horses, and the old saying "Buyer beware"  is never more true than in the horse world,  I like you have been in the hors world for many yrs, and have seen very trick in the book when it comes to selling......... we have not long ago sold our last " Working Hunter/Show jumper... and it breaks my heart when it comes time to move them on (dont have the land to kep them all)   but if  the only way I could sell a horse was by taking him/her to  the likes of Beeston, I would rather have them PTS bbefore I would subject anything to the life of endless sales......... you are also right , you get what you pay for  with horses, and you know that a 20yr old school master can fetch a fourtune ,   if a horse is good and can sell itself , you dont need to take them to a sale, I have alsways had people waiting in the wings for my ponies as my daughter has grown out of them, and i still know were they all are, 2 oldies are dead now, but a couple are retired, and the last one is with a friend ,who we can still go to visit ..... and well done to you for  rescueing a few from these places, as like you say it pulls at the heart strings" and also shows you how little animal life is worth when you visit these sales.

and also shows you how little animal life is worth when you visit these sales.

Now I do agree with that!

I wouldnt send any of my nags there either!

when i was working at a yard in my teens,we bought alot of ponies from sales,some of the best we ever bought in some case!

they are distressing thoughbut there are some nice horses there sometimes

bang out of order!!!! Its not your place to put people off auctions completley, beeston has some really nice horses in on average we have about 70 horses a week and about 3 or 4 of them have something wrong whether it be crib biting or laminitic, but thats the same with all horse auctions! that thing you were saying about if nobody bid on the horses the auctions would go down, WRONG, I no for a fact the only thing that keeps beeston going is the dealers not you one off private people! say we have 70 horses in a week about 9 of them go private the rest go to the dealers! I am a regular at beeston ive been going every week for 6 years now, i know your first few sales can be upsetting i cried the first time i went when a mare and foal got split up, but this is life its never going to stop so best to get used to it, people have been complaining for about 20 years still nothing! I would recommend beeston to anyone youve just got to know what your buying if your unsure ask the one on the staff that works in the horse section! x

This is a very old post????

I have been to one Auction, and never again, I was in a terrible state, and wanted to buy most of the poor ponies/horses.

wow never heard of horse auctions before.. Don't like the sound of it either from reading this thread.
I know its old but looks like someone has done a google search and this thread has come up, hence the 3yr posting..

bang out of order!!!! Its not your place to put people off auctions completley, beeston has some really nice horses in on average we have about 70 horses a week

Oops  , its seems someone has a gripe ,   just got a notification to this 3yr old post.

Not sure why I am out of order, I speak as I find... I take it the above works there.

70 horses a week going through there..   is 70 to many in my opinion... and as you wilL know a very high proportion will end up back there.

have been to Beeston on many occasions.. and will never ever go back and would warn as many people as possible...i bought a horse from there the vets didnt even notice how bad she was...we paid a pittance to save her..she is now a fantastic horse living as a horse is meant to...no thanks to the awful person who was selling her...

The mares that are on the PMU line (for the birth control pills) the foals are sold at auction real cheap because they usual go to the slaughter house, thats because there is alot of them- sad but true....

Ive bought 4 horses / ponys from auction

One was a section a mare 4  yr old  whose passport had her as  a welsh cob at  15.2 hh!   She was  very wild and  she  also had sever health problems being  tumours on her lymph nodes  , she was PTS :)
Another has ringbone hes still with me :)   unrideable 5 yr old stallion , he was being ridden round the ring :(  I have   owned him for 3 yrs now and hes  happy  living his life as a companion!   he wont be sold on to give others an issue or him  :(  :) 
I have an AMAZING childs pony  which ALOT of work has gone in to him :)    who  is  totally safe and bomb proof !  and from a  amazing stud who they sold on as a baby to a 'friend' and he  was sold on a few weeks later :(  he did have  issues as he was bought as a yearling  because of owners  feeding that cute little foal tit bits and him biting for food  so they passed him from pillar to post

Then I have Dexter! 15.2hh  he was total  idiot of a horse , advertised as perfect by the sellers friend  , she didnt know him .     BUT  hes alot better than he was :)   he  stays on 2 legs now   constant rears bucks  and  napping very badly      can hack him out with no issues now  , but its took 2 yrs of tears  and work to get there! 

so yer the point of my reply  well   you def get what you pay for  and some horses from there are worth it :)

I dont regret any of mine   and Ive always  worked hard to get mine going well !  and will put the work in to correct problems :)
Horses go to auction for a reason and hopefully you get a seller  who is genuine and wanting to know more   

Good grief just read these posts what awful places , as a city dweller I dont come across these kinds of places although I can imagine it goes on ...

I have been going to horse sales for 40 yrs and you can get some good horses and some bad horses.
When you go to market if you are thinking of buying...its always a chance you take as to what that horse will be like when you get it home.
We have bought horses at market over the years,many of those were bought from pity and most turned out fine with a little care.

Some  are there with some underlying issues ..but not all.

I went to Derby auction about 2 months ago. I never go round the horse section just look at the 2nd hand tack but I took some girls from the yard with me and they went and picked out some ponies they liked and wanted my opinion. I hate horse auctions! I took to a piebald stallion who was due to be cut and they only wanted £150 for him! If I had had a trailer that day he would have come home with us. He was lovely. I went home sad and hence why I never go round the horse section.

I hate fairs like Appleby too. Would never go to them!

I know what you mean about Appleby....i watched it on tv a couple of weeks ago and those poor horses going up and down those roads at high speeds....with big men on top the poor things.
The young lads race around with ponies and traps.
No its not for me either.