People, it's time to take a stand and the first people that need to be told are the heads of the auction houses!
Please, if you feel as strongly about this as I do, email David Chester and Mark Webster (email addresses below) and write in the subject line:
OLD MARES ARE FOR LIFE - STOP THE SELLING OF OLD MARES AT AUCTION
David Chester: davidc@magicmillions.com.au
Mark Webster: mark.webster@inglis.com.au
Brisbane Bloodstock: data@brisbanebloodstock.com.au
Old Mares Are for Life
Breednet - Media Release - Thursday, 7 May 2009
If a mare of eighteen years or more is still resident on your farm, then you will know that these aged ladies can be extremely rewarding and if the thought of abuse to such matrons should be abhorrent to you, then read on.
UK based bloodstock agent Grant Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock has taken up the cause for aging mares, seeking to preserve their quality of life and offers the following editorial on a subject that is most relevant as we head towards several of our major breeding stock sales.
The very fact that they have reached this old age suggests that they have already produced good winners, so will have stolen a piece of your heart along the way. Attending to their likes and dislikes, quirky habits, physical imperfections and veterinary requirements is part of the everyday tapestry of the stud’s daily routine. The thought of abuse to such matrons should be abhorrent to you.
(Pictured left, On The Rise, a golden girl in retirement at Dennis Roberts farm Trevannah)
While many countries have initiated some excellent programmes for the ‘Retraining of Racehorses’, there is another area of industry welfare that deserves serious attention from you and breeders of every nation.
In times of recession, there is more likelihood of financial duress for breeders, the consequence of which may necessitate the selling of additional breeding assets at auction to raise much needed funds. One category of breeding stock that is now more likely to be considered for sale are the ‘aged mares’ that in better times were more likely to be pensioned off to a quiet corner of the farm.
It is a little known fact that few auction companies around the world have age restrictions on lots to be catalogued. They all purport to make endeavors to ensure that all horses through their sales rings are in appropriate condition to endure the stress of the auction process. However, is that enough?
There is a strong groundswell of opinion that a worldwide age limit for mares should be imposed immediately by auctioneers. We need to keep that wave moving.
We need to persuade all auction houses that a lack of a recognized age limit could result in old mares suffering untold stress while being shipped to and from sales (sometimes a matter of days rather than hours) as well as enduring the actual proceedings of the sale itself. By the very nature of auctions, the eventual destination of an aged mare cannot be guaranteed… nor the extra standards of care required for an aged mare.
I have been prompted to write this message in response to witnessing the inclusion in the “Australian Easter Broodmare Sale” held by Wm. Inglis on 14th-16th April, 2009 of two aged barren mares. Lot 111 was a 22 year old mare that had been barren for 2 years. Lot 134 was a 20 year old mare that had also been barren for two years… and this was a SELECT sale!
The relevant question is to define an ‘aged mare’. A clause from the wording of the current Keeneland Entry Form gives a pertinent starting point, but not the full protection that I would like to see..
“Broodmares which are 18 years or old, or older, and which are presently not in foal, will not be accepted for this sale. Broodmares which have not been in foal for three consecutive years, including the present year, will not be accepted for this sale.”
We must all be focused on the need to educate breeders on the adage that “Old Mares Are For Life.” An imposed age limit for auction sales would concentrate the minds of breeders who are not prepared to spend the additional time and money on the welfare of their aged mares. At the stroke of a pen, their mares would move from being tradable commodities to a welfare liability. These people need to know their responsibilities! And often this entails making difficult decisions about dignity, life and death.
The British TBA representatives have agreed to raise this matter at the International Breeders Meeting in Paris in Mid-May. It is hoped that they will promote global awareness of the problem. The next target must be to get the message over to the auction houses of the world.
Tattersalls have been persuaded to raise this matter with SITA at their next meeting in mid-June. However, the only way to get a meaningful response from this forum of auctioneers would be to have a strong message in place for them to consider. The International Breeders may deliver such a message. Even better would be for any Australian auctioneer to go to that meeting with an awareness of the depth of feeling amongst breeders on this matter. I therefore urge you to make known your opinions to any Inglis or Magic Millions directors as soon as possible.
I understand that Wm.Inglis are having a Bloodstock Review Meeting on May 11th and that this subject will be raised. I sincerely hope that you will find time to make your feelings known to them beforehand that an age limit should be in place for future breeding stock sales.
Thank you for your time in reading this.
Grant Pritchard-Gordon
www.badgersbloodstock.com
