Chelmsford Horse Fair-dissapointed

[twiggy2]

I have not been for 5 or 6 yrs and last time I went it was areal mix of buyers and sellers, and a real mix of horses and ponies for sale.

this year I would say 98% of sellers were those that 'graze their ponies uninvited on other peoples land' (if you get my drift), very disappointed in the whole thing to be honest.

there was about 3 local dealers of the sort you would not buy a horse from a sale from if it could pass a vetting. I stopped one woman trying a horse as she was trotting slowly back and forth with an unsure look on her face, i stopped her to let her know the poor horse was really struggling on both back legs - she said she could feel something was wrong but not put her finger on it, she asked for someone else to ride it so she could watch it move I dont know what happened from there.

a yearling filly quite poor being driven back and forth, ferrets in flower pots and so many puppies that looked wormy and too young to be separated from mum, last time I went there were 3 or 4 litters of pups and they all looked quite good to be fair this year that was not so.

some of the foals without their dams looked far too young to (but I like them to stay on mum till 6 months and know that's not every ones cup of tea).

most of the horses/ponies looked to be in good to fair condition just dirty and a bit unkempt, there were only a handful that looked poor, it was the other animals that were so disappointing.

But that is me done wont be going there again it was neither a fair for the above mentioned people or a fair for everyday people but a fair for those above to flog animals that every day people felt sorry at an inflated price.

It was so depressing to hear people saying they bought a ropey looking puppy cos they felt sorry for it, all that does it fund buying more to breed more, same as buying a puppy from a puppy farm. At one point I heard one low life telling another that he would not sell his puppies that day as they looked to well and people bought the ones they felt sorry for and paid more money for them if they were sick.

 

[hnmisty]

What a shame it's gone downhill. Don't get me started on people who buy animals because they "feel sorry for them". As you said, it just encourages the irresponsible breeders. The thing is I know if I went to somewhere like that, I would probably end up doing the same thing, despite knowing I shouldn't. I understand that they think they are doing a nice thing (and for the puppy/horse they've just bought, they are), but how do they not understand that it then encourages the seller to carry on his practices.

 

[twiggy2]

if people want to rescue them they need to go to a good rescue group, a good ones does their utmost not to part with money for them, that way it hits the pocket of people getting rid of them

 

[nix123]

I know exactly what you mean. A fair few years ago we went to "Midland Horse Fair" HHmmm what it should have said was p***y gathering in a field! Won't go into detail but the amount of snotty nosed neds some with abcess's, and puppies that hadn't even opened their eyes yet.... refused to go again. I don't even know if its still going, i hope not.

 

[twiggy2]

similar sort of thing then nix