shebro

Have any other thoroughbred sires ever done what Birdstone has just accomplished?

Between Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird, Calvin Borel has the whole world at his fingertips right now. So what do you guys think? -- if they decide not to run the big mare back in the Belmont, will Wooley spin Mike Smith and put Borel back on what Smith called 'the bravest little horse he's ever ridden???

We are new to the goat world and have 2 does that have kidded and 1 more in waiting. Those does and their new kids have given us more enjoyment in the past few months than I ever could have imagined. I had no idea goats were SO intelligent and affectionate! We got them with the idea of increasing our sustainability by butchering the bucklings and selling or breeding the doelings, as well as milking one of the does to make butter, cheese, ice cream etc. It all seemed like such a great idea up until yesterday when we took our first set of kids back to the breeder to be 'disbudded'. Of all the people I talked to and all the reading and research I did before getting them, I never once heard any details about this ugly little secret! I have already tried to steel myself against getting too attached to the little bucks by not spending much time with them, not naming them, etc., but NOTHING could have prepared me for the horrific cruelty of this procedure! For any goat people out there - isn't there a way to do this under anesthesia? Do vets do it and if so, what is the average cost? I do believe it needs to be done as I can see what a danger & hassle horns on the adults can be, but if repeatedly driving a burning iron into their tiny skulls while they scream in agony (and sound just like small children), and risking frying their brains (I read that this is a possibility - AFTER we had it done), or even stopping their hearts due to the trauma of the event, then I will get rid of them before they kid again. I've trained horses for 35 years and have had to do some things that I thought bordered on cruelty, just because they had to be done. NOTHING I've ever seen or done has come close to this barbaric process. Isn't there a humane alternative?? PLEASE HELP!

About what do Sportin Light, Please Me, Austin Mittler, Drums In The Night all have in common? I just found it and happen to know that they are all racehorses who killed people - either in races or during morning work. Morbid but interesting........

It looks to me like a lot of viewers in the horse forum just use that option as an opportunity to 'spit' on other people(?) A lot of the best, most informative responses get a 'thumbs down' from whoever is doing this. I give a thumbs up to every decent, well-thought-out response - whether I agree with it 100% or not - and just don't rate the poor ones. Is this some kind of a competition(?), or just people who get their kicks by putting others down???