*WARNING* Beeston auction.

Ladyinred

Ladyinred

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This is copied from a FaceBook post but I can verify that it is true and very tragic.









Anybody that has recently bought or is planning on buying from Beeston Auction need to know that that the place in riddled with STRANGLES. We bought a very poorly foal on the 13th of this month, who at only 4 months old should have still been with his mum not going through the stress of an auction! He sadly passed away in our arms last night after 2 weeks of fighting strangles and pneumonia and a bill going into the thousands we are now forced to face selling our beloved ponies to pay his vet bills. The stud that took him to the auction and the auction for letting them should be ashamed of themselves. Hoping this will help stop any other ponies ending up the same way as our little Douglas
 
Her vet says he knows of 7 others also with strangles, some from the same auction and some infected by one from the auction. When the owner of the foal rang the market to warn them and to complain she was laughed at!! How cruel, she sat up nights with this baby as she and vet tried to save him and all they could do was laugh.
 
the buyer should contact the animal health department of the local authority which covers Beeston Market, they have some responsibility for the market selling ill animals. If I recall correctly they have a responsibility for the state of auction animals.
 
Very sad BUT what was she doing buying the foal and now putting her own ponies at risk of being sold because of the vets bill. You should always think it through before going to these sales. Sometimes being put down or sold to the meat man is the sensible option sorry if this offends.
 
Tragic, but she would have known the cost of the vet bills - if she couldn't afford to pay maybe it would have been better to put the foal to sleep quicker?
 
hobo said:
Very sad BUT what was she doing buying the foal and now putting her own ponies at risk of being sold because of the vets bill. You should always think it through before going to these sales. Sometimes being put down or sold to the meat man is the sensible option sorry if this offends.
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This.
 
hobo said:
Very sad BUT what was she doing buying the foal and now putting her own ponies at risk of being sold because of the vets bill. You should always think it through before going to these sales. Sometimes being put down or sold to the meat man is the sensible option sorry if this offends.
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I understand where your coming from but we don't know if the person that brought the foal was aware it had strangles on purchase.

Very tragic story but very irresponsible of the auction house
 
I dont know why anyone is shocked. Its beeston. This happens in the unwarrented sales on a weekly basis. Despite animal welfare and a vet supposedly on site.
I do really feel for the poor, well meaning lady in question and hope she can sort something without losing her ponies :(
 
Strangles is rife in Staffordshire and Cheshire at present. My vet is going to an outbreak once a month once every two at most.
Majority of horses at beeston come from those counties so its no surprise.
Its one of the less welfare caring auctions.
 
Its sad but not unexpected. Unfortunately well meaning but misguided people buy foals from sales making money for the dealer that took them and the auctioneer. These animals have often been ,'weaned' bunged on a lorry and travelled to several sales until some misguided individual 'saves' them, so of course they are likely to be sick in fact you are lucky if they are not sick and should be kept in quarantine when you get they home.
Best thing is to not buy young animals from general sales, there are plenty to be found on Facebook for little money that are from private homes that are less likely to be carrying or susceptible to disease.
I think your friend was silly to put all her resources on an animal with a poor prognosis and she should have been discussed with the vet of how much money she had to spend, perhaps she could arrange a payment plan.
 
Exactly what's been said already its a risk and if you don't get something vetted more fool them. Most horses will come into contact with strangles during their lifetime many will get a slight cold, this is why owners should learn how to take their horses temperature. It can tell a lot.
 
MadBlackLab said:
I understand where your coming from but we don't know if the person that brought the foal was aware it had strangles on purchase.

Very tragic story but very irresponsible of the auction house
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Agree, it's tragic but unless the foal had full blown symptoms at the time of the sale (which doesn't appear to be the case here) how were the auction house to know?
 
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To be fair the poor little foal has battled strangles and has died. It was 2 weeks ago that he came from Beeston the chances are that at the time of the auction he was showing signs of being an unwell little pony.
Having seen and nursed ponies with strangles it is quite obvious they are ill
I'm truly sorry for the lady in question and for the poor foal and hope she finds a way to sort out the problems her kind hearted gesture has produced.
As for the auction 'laughing' well that just isnt on
When I had to speak to them they were helpful.
 
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Notwithstanding the very sad contents of the OPs post the very least the purchasers should be doing is having the stud investigated for sending such a young foal, & the auction house for accepting it & selling it through the ring. It may be a drop in ocean compared with what goes through Beeston on a regular basis but something has to be done to bring this to the attention of those who could actually do something about bringing these practices to a close.
 
Zebedee said:
Notwithstanding the very sad contents of the OPs post the very least the purchasers should be doing is having the stud investigated for sending such a young foal, & the auction house for accepting it & selling it through the ring. It may be a drop in ocean compared with what goes through Beeston on a regular basis but something has to be done to bring this to the attention of those who could actually do something about bringing these practices to a close.
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Agreed
 
It have bought horses from market no two horses go in the same field for two months and treat each one as if the have something. Iv been lucky none have but iv lost four year olds with ragwort poisioning its is the risk you take at whatever market you buy from but beeston should be made accountable for the age of the foal and health issue. I feel sad for the owners and the foal they tried their very best for the foal.
 
YorksG said:
the buyer should contact the animal health department of the local authority which covers Beeston Market, they have some responsibility for the market selling ill animals. If I recall correctly they have a responsibility for the state of auction animals.
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^^^ This. If you go to markets and care about horses you could do worse than check this http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1990/2627/article/1/made and be prepared to tell the auctioneers if they are infringing, as well as seeking out the RSPCA Inspector who is usually in attendance. It is against the Order to present for sales animals that are unfit, and also to separate a mare and foal for the first time at a sale (don't know if that applies in this case). I hope the person who bought that sad little mite has been in contact with the auctioneers - she could also contact Equine Market Watch who are much more au fait with the regulations that I am.
 
Surely anyone buying a 'poorly' 4 month foal as stated in the status is knowingly taking a huge risk? Although if sick it should not have been sold in the first instance (but that should have been brought up at the time). I don't know whether there is any rules regarding age or not.
 
All very sad. Feel very sorry for the well meaning purchasers of the foal.

Beeston rightfully has a dreadful reputation but even they should not be able to get away with selling sick animals. Surely the authorities who are required to police such sales should force them to withdraw such animals from the auction? I thought that a vet should be in attendance?

Additionally, anyone who buys from a sale should only do so if they have the facilities to isolate the new horse for a suitable period after bringing it home. Horses can be incubating diseases prior to displaying symptoms so even if they seem healthy at the time of sale, they should always be isolated.
 
JillA said:
^^^ This. If you go to markets and care about horses you could do worse than check this http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1990/2627/article/1/made and be prepared to tell the auctioneers if they are infringing, as well as seeking out the RSPCA Inspector who is usually in attendance. It is against the Order to present for sales animals that are unfit, and also to separate a mare and foal for the first time at a sale (don't know if that applies in this case). I hope the person who bought that sad little mite has been in contact with the auctioneers - she could also contact Equine Market Watch who are much more au fait with the regulations that I am.
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Again, unless this foal was displaying obvious signs of illness at the time of the sale the auctioneers have not acted irresponsibly and cannot be held accountable for this sorry situation. The Welfare of Horses at Markets Order defines 'foal' as being an equine less than 4 months of age (not the case here).

Sorry to say I think the buyer has acted extremely irresponsibly in buying an animal from Beeston in the middle of a strangles outbreak in the county (and surrounding counties) and not quarantining it for an appropriate period (whether or not it was displaying any signs of illness). Acccording to her Facebook page she has 1 other confirmed and 3 suspected strangles cases in her herd. Poor horses.
 
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Is Strangles not a reportable disease in the UK? It is here (Ireland). In which case the market would be shut down for a quarantine period. And I would always keep any new purchases, especially from an open market, separate for at least 2 weeks. Kindness does not always = sensible, IME.
 
no, not notifiable Cortez.

I didn't realise (from the OP) that the apparently sick when purchased foal wasn't even quarantined.... even if it wasn't showing symptoms you would quarantine a market purchase surely??
 
ester said:
no, not notifiable Cortez.

I didn't realise (from the OP) that the apparently sick when purchased foal wasn't even quarantined.... even if it wasn't showing symptoms you would quarantine a market purchase surely??
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Utter madness and the risk the op has put her stock at is massive.
 
Have had several close encounters with strangles, which have sometimes required attendance of vet. It has never ever cost thousands in vet's fees. Did this poor little foal have complications? Agree that vendors took an enormous risk, but at least they seem to have done their best for the poor little mite.
 
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