About Me
I want you to know a little about me. I have been in love with horses since my earliest memories. The first horse I remember was Little Orphan Annie. This was a horse that had been orphaned that my family was raising on a bottle. And yes, that really is me. For those of you who know me, now you have proof that I wore a dress at least once in my life. :-) Because my parents divorced when I was five, I only got to spend summers with my Dad and my beloved horses. When I turned 16, my Dad brought me the first horse I was able to call my own. Her name was Taco Bell. Since then, my love affair with horses has continued with other horses like Leona Barbee. My first exposure to the American Paint Horse was through my Dad and Step Mom. They were raising these magnificent animals. When I finally achieved my dream of land of my own, I bought my first broodmares from them. Since then, I have successfully raised several paint horse babies that have gone on to good homes and jobs such as reining, trail, and playdays. These horses were bred for disposition and beauty and performance and they have all proven their worth by making someone happy. You may want to ask me…. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself for bringing new horses into the world when there are so many abandoned horses now with the rescue organizations? This is a fair question. I am glad you asked. The horse rescue organizations and other “horse lovers” continue to point to horse breeders as the cause of the problem of abandoned or unwanted horses. Don’t miss my point here…there is a problem that needs to be solved…but the breeders of fine horses are not the cause. I believe the problem started in 1971 when a law was passed authorizing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a division of the Department of the Interior, to control the population of wild horses and burros on public lands. “Horse lovers” met their initial methods of controlling the population with loud complaints. The BLM solution to these complaints was to begin a wild horse and burro adoption program. They proceeded to round up wild horses and burros to offer for adoption. In 2007, the BLM had 30,000 horses in its holding facilities waiting for adoption. The cost of feeding and caring for these horses was $21.9 Million. Please don’t get me wrong. I love horses. All horses…I grew up loving horses…and I still love horses. I own and feed and care for 11 of them. But not all horses are suitable as domestic livestock…and most horses that are being adopted out are not always suitable as domestic animals. Many people who adopt them do so because the entry cost is cheap – the adoption fee is about $125…but they have no idea how much money it really takes to properly care for a horse, especially a wild horse. Many of them just get in over their heads, and their only way out is to sell the horse…return it to the BLM, or in today’s economy…give it away or failing that, just abandon it. Compounding this flood of horses into the market is a shortsighted decision made by the USDA (yes another Government Agency helping us out here), to not send meat inspectors to the horse slaughter facilities. This decision effectively closed these businesses down. Folks, I don’t eat horse meat, and I don’t really understand people who do. But, a horse is not a dog…it is after all livestock…just like the cows and pigs you do eat and horse meat is a delicacy in some cultures. Closing these facilities all but guaranteed that there would be no market at all for people who have old, sick or wild horses. This decision has actually created a worse fate for these horses. These two decisions have created an uncertain future for horses in the United States. They have depressed the horse market to the point where breeders of quality horses cannot make enough money when they sell their horses to even pay for the cost of breeding the horse and raising it to weaning age, much less the additional cost of keeping it until it is a two-year old and then putting it into training for an activity for which someone is actually willing to pay money. Because the horse-buying public has come to expect horses to be cheap (remember, they can get a “free horse” from the BLM for only $125), they don’t want to pay for the real value they get when buying from a reputable horse breeder or seller. So, what that means is that some horse breeders do not make enough to even cover their costs…that is where Texas Paint Horses for Sales comes in. So…why on earth do you do still raise American Paint Horses? I will tell you why… Because in the Spring…watching our expectant mothers and waiting to see what we are going to get is better than Christmas. With paint horse babies, we never know what color we will get… it is just fun… We are also doing it because we love the excitement of seeing that newborn colt stand and nurse for the first time…and nervously waiting to make sure it will poop. And we love watching our babies playing in the pasture… But ultimately…the most important reason we do it… Is to see the happiness on the face of a young person who just got the first paint horse of their dreams. I believe that the average person should be able to afford to purchase a quality paint horse and should have choices on the horse they pick. If the government and the rescue organizations get their ways, the only horses the average person will be able to afford are the wild, old, or sick horses they want you to adopt. Because the only people who will be able to afford to raise quality horses will be rich people, those horses will be too expensive for you and me to buy. So the real problem with the horse population…is that there are just not enough people buying quality horses…there are not enough educated buyers. So that is why I started Texas Paint Horses for Sale. Breeders and sellers of paint horses in Texas need a place to market their horses to a pre-qualified selection of buyers. These buyers will have been educated by Texas Paint Horses for Sale as to the cost and requirements to take care of a horse. They are looking for horses here on Texas Paint Horses for Sale because they know that the ones they will find here are quality horses. An educated buyer is a happy buyer…and a happy buyer means a happy horse. My ultimate goal with Texas Paint Horses for Sale is to make sure that the paint horses for sale in Texas go to good homes. So now you know more about me. Return to About Me
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