am I the only one who sees this as a pproblem

flutini

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A local tack shop do a competition on Facebook this month the prize is a free covering by thier section a stallion in a time when we're in overrun with unwanted ponies I cant be only one who finds this in bad taste.
 
I used to work as a care assistant in RSPCA kennels they said its not breaking any laws no matter how disgusting the sad thing is this pony while it is standing at stud at a reputable yard it is actually kept on a very rundown yard with 7 other stallions mares which has a previous history with RSPCA however there is nothing at present they can do.
 
A local tack shop do a competition on Facebook this month the prize is a free covering by thier section a stallion in a time when we're in overrun with unwanted ponies I cant be only one who finds this in bad taste.

Sounds to me:

They are boosting their stallions popularity
increase their income
increasing the horse popularity

This is very wrong in my books. There is more to finding the right stallion for a mare that just a freeby and a quick mating.

Irresponsible by the tack shop and foolish people who rise to it.

WHW sent me an email with that link.

Trouble is on one side if you want to breed to keep indefinitely, why not breed your mare if she is worth breeding from, yes there are loads of unwanted horses, these are usual from breeders breeding for money and turning out bad confirmation horses. If you breed from your own mare you have the choice of what turns up.

Not my case, but for those without children why adopt when you can have your own??? Surely most would try have their own baby before adopting?? That is how I see it I would rather breed from my mare than buying a unknown identity.


I bred from my mare I do not regret it, and now he is her legacy. I am so glad I did as I still have a part of her. He will never be sold and never intended to breed for money.

Flipping the coin, for those breeding for money they don't care what mare comes in on what the foal turns out like just pump them out and get more ££££. Some don't even get the stallion checked or ask for the mare to be checked prior.
This is wrong.

I could mention one person but I wont in an open forum but he is money grabbing animals are just £££ to him, sad but true.
 
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I don't see an issue in and of itself in offering a free covering, I see it as no different to offering coverings in auctions - however, as you say it does come down to quality of horse offered and if he is graded (for me I prefer that). Can't comment on the conditions he is kept in, but I would assume if it is terrible welfare agencies have been informed (not particularly the RSPCA).
 
there is a woman offering a free covering for some kind of raffle, it is being done to raise money to help pay the vet bills for a woman who has a foal by one of her stallions and there have been complications for the mare after giving birth.
this is a true head desk moment for me
 
This is purely for financial gain I have spoken to owner who said it was np different to riding hat he gave away previous month and people breed all the time
 
Many of the WB stallion owners here in North America run competitions to win free breedings. Mare owners do have to give full details and pedigree of their mares along with their entry however.
 
They'd drop the idea quick enough if they thought they'd lose trade.

Get a dozen of your friends together to write in to say they thought it was misguided and if continued, they would be buying elsewhere in the future.

Perhaps similar to your local newspaper, pointing out the problems of over breeding. To an editor, twenty letters on the same subject is A LOT and they will publish!
 
They'd drop the idea quick enough if they thought they'd lose trade.

Get a dozen of your friends together to write in to say they thought it was misguided and if continued, they would be buying elsewhere in the future.

Perhaps similar to your local newspaper, pointing out the problems of over breeding. To an editor, twenty letters on the same subject is A LOT and they will publish!

Do you know that this little stallion is substandard? Or that the person who wins has no clue? Just because he is owned by a tack shop owner, doesn't mean he is a rubbish stallion. You really don't have any right to advocate trying to ruin someone's business just because you don't agree with what they are doing. Especially, when you don't know all the facts of this.
 
Do you know that this little stallion is substandard? Or that the person who wins has no clue? Just because he is owned by a tack shop owner, doesn't mean he is a rubbish stallion. You really don't have any right to advocate trying to ruin someone's business just because you don't agree with what they are doing. Especially, when you don't know all the facts of this.

Thank you for the lesson in morals. This is a discussion forum and I have the right to free speech and an opinion. Personally, I think it is a bit tacky to encourage the owners of small mares to breed when there is little or no market for youngstock.

The Press is also a medium through which we may express an opinion. It may be you are right and I am wrong, but we live in a democracy where the majority rules. If the newspaper's readers think it is OK, then I would hope they would say so.

Publicity ruining someone's business? Only if what they are doing is wrong. Why so keen to hush it up? Are you the shop owner? If offering the service of a stallion as the prize for a lottery is really such a great idea, then publicity can do the shop owners nothing but good. That's what they want, don't they?

And, btw, do you know the winner's mare is good enough to breed from? I don't! It takes two to tango.;)
 
I don't think it is those who breed for money that breed substandard horses. After all, they want to get a good reputation so they can breed year after year, otherwise thered be no profit, and therefore no livelihood for them.
I think substandard foals are mainly those bred just because someone has a pet mare, they like her and 'oh I think itd be lovely for Milly/Kitty etc to have a foal, itd be so cute, aww'
Or those with herds of mares and colts that just breed indiscriminately.
 
Twiggy2 - the stallions you refer to are graded, and tested to be disease free, and mares have to be swabbed. Don't see the problem in this case.

just because the stallions are graded and the mares swabbed does not mean they will produce good foals. Win a free covering for your mare will encourage people to breed on a whim with no long term thought to the life the foal will live.
 
I am pleased to say after openly complaining to a ex RSPCA manager on my facebook about the issue the competition has disappeared :)
 
I wonder if it was the same person who was promoting their stallion on one of the other facebook groups, offering reduced stud fees, then a raffle for a free covering then free coverings in general

It was a nice looking pony with good bloodlines but hadnt done much at all - the quality claims were made on the basis of its grandsire who was very sucessful which to me just isnt good enough to know that any foals will themselves be good quality and the wording is ambiguous enough to make it look like some of the grandsire's sucesses may actually have been the stallion in question's sucesses which may confuse people

I can understand the eagerness of some people to promote their stallion but if it is good quality enough it will sell itself in time if it doesnt then I am sure it will end up being gelded

I have seen a lot of Facebook raffles withdrawn as to hold a raffle apparently the company involved should have some sort of gambling licence. I am sure the tack shop in question had one but worth bearing in mind to anyone wanting to use any sort of Facebook raffle
 
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Surely only those that WANTED to breed anyway would enter a competition? I've seen raffles and auctions for coverings, but I wouldn't bother entering any of these as I don't want a foal, especially not a Gelderlander cross Section A!

You will always get idiots who breed rubbish for no reason, whether it be to a nice section A or next door's cut'n'shut.
 
When we were breeding ID's we checked the mares first. We wouldnt put the stallion to any mare. Its reputation to get good foals on the ground which is obviously not important to them.
 
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