From Canada to California, follow their Journey to safe homes!
Here are some amazing horses, pregnant mares and their foals... that needed our help at a big auction in Canada!
It was a horse auction, filled with horses that the farms had bred hoping to sell for good money in order to survive. I was told the attendance was low and that with the current drought, not everyone was interested in buying horses to feed through the winter. Knowing this, many of the mares now pregnant again were being sold off. This shows the current state of the horse industry in Canada. This was one of the first auctions of the Fall season taking place throughout Canada, and there are so many more. Horses that did not ask to be born, and lives that need to be saved from the wrong kind of buyers.
I was standing by on the phone, looking over the sales list that I had downloaded on the computer and hoping for the best. Earlier in the week I had intended to buy a plane ticket to attend the sale, just to see for myself. Being that it was the weekend of Sept 11th, and last minute, no one wanted to fly. There was new fencing going up here at the ranch to accommodate the next loads. I guess I knew that travel money was better spent saving horses by trusting in a friend from Canada who was to represent me at the sale.
I was not hoping to not actually have to save any. (Lord knows there are so many to be worried about, and this is just the beginning). So I stood by, mainly to stimulate the buyers and keep the sale prices above meat prices which can be as high as $550 - 600 per baby, more for adults. I kept bidding higher and higher and crossing my fingers that some honest bidder would top me. Fortunately, our rep at the sale, knew some of the attendees, and would let us know if the other bidding party was a good home for the horses. When that became the case, I immediately stopped my bidding. The good news is that we helped get over 60 placed and ended up actually buying 13. Lets just call that "Lucky number 13!"
At any of these auctions, you can never be sure of the turnout, or the intent of the bidders. That evening, sitting on the edge of our seats from the ranch office here in Southern California, it was 5PM. The sale had just started. My good friend, adopter and supporter, Robin and I were waiting. The phone was going to ring when things were not looking good for a particular horse. It was quarter after 5, and from that time on it seemed that every other minute the phone would ring and I would nearly jump out of my seat.
"OK, Tammy?" My rep would say, "We are looking at Lot 8 right now, and he's going for $200.00."
At that price, my answer would always be, "Bid!"
The sounds echoing over the phone haunted me. I was bidding blindly, "Keep it going, I would say."
Moments later a voice came back over the phone, "They are asking $400.00 from you, Tammy. Do you want to bid?"
"Yes, bid for me!"
"Now, they are asking $425.00 from you Tammy?"
"Go, go, go..." I would answer, knowing that was too cheap!
"They are asking $500.00 from you, Tammy."
Often I would have to ask, "What does he/she look like?
"Oh he's a nice black stallion, a real fancy colt."
"Who else is bidding?" I would ask, trying to make a just decision.
"Only the two of you, don't know this man."
"Keep it going."
There was silence. I knew that he had raised his hand for me and saved the little black stallion. I could hear echos of high pitched horses screaming wildly in the back ground. It was possibly the first time the mares and their babies had been apart, they were scared, their cries held all my attention, I continued to bid for their lives.
Suddenly the sound of an auctioneer started rambling away again. "Going once... going twice... sold to Tammy Craven, in California." That part was clear to me even above the auction noise.
Robin and I were excited and scared, tabulating the bill with each new acquisition, smiling nervously. We are up to 10 horses, only midway through the sale. We can do this, we have to save them! Robin could only nod her head in agreement, her eyes were the size of half dollars starring at the sales list, she too was now committed, sitting beside me offering courage and emotional support.
Vikki (my partner in the rescue) had just come in from her work. It was all happening so quickly I was not able tell her what was going on. I had just sent a check to Canada three days ago to save 21 other horses threatened by slaughter. I was now adding even more to the list, unexpectedly.
Not often sure of who or what I was bidding on, a photo of a pregnant 10 year old mare, Lot 12 was opened on my computer. Vikki looked away, tears filling her eyes, I knew that I did not need to explain anything to her when the phone started ringing again.
The bidding soon ended and the mare too, was on our list. I looked at Vikki, hoping for approval to all the money that I was spending. I wondered what the small rural audience thought about me bidding on their horses from 3000 miles away!
Who is this Tammy person? They must all be wondering. She must really like our horses.
No matter what, I was happy to be able to save more lives. OK I might be crazy, but I have NO regrets and God willing, I intend to "haunt" more auctions in the future, just to outbid the killers and save who ever needs a home.
When it was over, I was emailed thank you notes from some of the farms for helping them get their horses placed in good homes. After that the list came through of what had been saved. The list along with the bill. I was glad that they trusted me with so many desperate lives and now I needed to come through again. " When can we expect a check?" The next email from the Canada read.
This is where reality sets in and the real work is about to start. There will be vet checks, coggins tests, hauling and preparing for the new arrivals and last but not least, finding them all loving homes.
Below are their photos. They are all beauties, registered APHA and AQHA and the 10 year old (former PMU) APHA mare, again in foal. I am not good at asking but we do appreciate your help, Donations, Sponsorships, Adoptions, Hay, Transport, yes we need it all for the horses!
Thank you for your support,
Respectfully,
Tammy Craven, Founder Canyon Creek Farm Horse Rescue.
