Heart of Phoenix has and will always focus on neglect and cruelty cases as the main source of equines within the organization, but in 2018, we are transitioning back to working auctions in certain instances.
We have some members of the team that have a heart to pull horses that can be re-purposed – re-used – recycled from stock sales or auctions. Historically, we have done a select few pulls every few years, like Snow White, Kate, Jake Fiddy, Neo and 2 sets of Nurse Mare foals. We have also intercepted various horses where known traders and kill buyers were planning to pick up or purchase to take to low end auctions.
When the stockyard near our main base closed some years ago, it made auction assistance difficult, and so we haven’t done this in a while.
We have fosters who live near small auctions where no rescues frequent, to our knowledge, and while the numbers run through are not tremendous, the potential fates are the same as with any auction. At these smaller spots, prices are usually quite low, and these are places where traders pick up equines to take to larger sales like Sugar Creek. This is key, for us, because it means the purchase prices of these horses should be low.
Using fosters with the ability to quarantine, we will bring a knowledge base to the table with our network to help assist in pulling horses with a good chance of going into homes as sound, sane partners with evaluation and/or training.
This program will be called “ACTION,” with a plan on stamping out the sad fates some horses meet at auctions or once they end up with actual traders working with kill buyers, or the buyers themselves. While it will not take away from our focus (which is the neglected animal control seized horse), we believe our growth is such that expanding our focus is now possible.
The goal will be to have a team of two to four savvy horsemen and women make logical pulls of good horses in need at a price that is within kill buyer range, rehab the horses and market them well, and find adopters expediently, with excellent homes. Should they see a need to offer a dignified end to a horse without hope of a pain free life, they will offer this, as they are able, too.
We will set a funding goal each auction, or each month, so donors know what is needed to help 2-3 horses at any given time.
I would love to help