Reading Shetland Sale 17th October 2007
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READING SHETLAND SALE OCTOBER 17TH 2007
This was the fourth or fifth Shetland Pony Sale that I've attended, and the second since the minimum price of 100 guineas was brought in. It's had a huge effect, in my opinion. When I first went to the Sale (two or three years ago) there was a large 'white trash' contingent in the car park, and a lot of weanlings were ending up in their hands after going under the hammer for just a few pounds - it was very sad at that time to see tiny ponies being hauled around with scant regard for their dignity or welfare. It just didn't happen this time. Yes, there were crowds of people from all sorts of backgrounds, including some that could be called gypsies - but everyone was treating the ponies with due respect.
Not sure if that was just down to the increased minimum price, or whether the auction house had taken action to exclude certain people as well.
All ponies are pre-entered for the auction, and have to be installed in their pens by Tuesday afternoon.
The pens are about 10' square, and were all thickly bedded with straw - I'm not sure if this is done by the auction house or by the individual owners, but I'm inclined to think that the auction house take care of it because the thickness was pretty uniform in all pens. There was water in every pen, and the ponies we saw were very chilled, even the weanlings.
Generic groups are kept in separate parts of the shed, so the stallions were on the far side, one to a pen, next to the colt foals with two or three to a pen, then the mares in groups of two or three, and finally the filly foals with up to four or five in a pen. Colts and fillies go through the ring first, then the mares, and finally stallions (and half a dozen geldings).
There are two gates on the ring, which form an in/out system - at any one time there are half a dozen ponies standing in line behind the 'in' gate, waiting their turn, then they're taken straight back to their pen after going through the ring. It's a condition of the sale that all entries must be halter broken, and all ponies are led round in the ring, not shown loose.
Purchase price includes a white rope halter that's issued to the purchaser when they pay, and at the same time the change of ownership paperwork is completed, and pony's passport handed over. There's just one entrance/exit to the covered shed, and all purchases have to be led out that way into the open yard/car park - all ponies have a metal tag in their mane that has their registration number on it, and the person taking the pony out has to produce the correct passport that corresponds to that registration number before they're allowed to leave with the pony.
Having the minimum price has obviously increased the average prices achieved at the sale, but I think that a lot of breeders have also realised there's not much point hauling low value weanlings all the way to Reading just to haul them home again - in my opinion the overall quality of youngstock presented is improved as a result. One does have to wonder where the 'cull' yearlings are going instead - it would be nice to think that breeders were getting the message not to actually produce them in the first place!
The preliminary sales value report from the Auction House is HERE
Overall average price for all ponies was £664.
Not sure if that was just down to the increased minimum price, or whether the auction house had taken action to exclude certain people as well.
All ponies are pre-entered for the auction, and have to be installed in their pens by Tuesday afternoon.
The pens are about 10' square, and were all thickly bedded with straw - I'm not sure if this is done by the auction house or by the individual owners, but I'm inclined to think that the auction house take care of it because the thickness was pretty uniform in all pens. There was water in every pen, and the ponies we saw were very chilled, even the weanlings.
Generic groups are kept in separate parts of the shed, so the stallions were on the far side, one to a pen, next to the colt foals with two or three to a pen, then the mares in groups of two or three, and finally the filly foals with up to four or five in a pen. Colts and fillies go through the ring first, then the mares, and finally stallions (and half a dozen geldings).
There are two gates on the ring, which form an in/out system - at any one time there are half a dozen ponies standing in line behind the 'in' gate, waiting their turn, then they're taken straight back to their pen after going through the ring. It's a condition of the sale that all entries must be halter broken, and all ponies are led round in the ring, not shown loose.
Purchase price includes a white rope halter that's issued to the purchaser when they pay, and at the same time the change of ownership paperwork is completed, and pony's passport handed over. There's just one entrance/exit to the covered shed, and all purchases have to be led out that way into the open yard/car park - all ponies have a metal tag in their mane that has their registration number on it, and the person taking the pony out has to produce the correct passport that corresponds to that registration number before they're allowed to leave with the pony.
Having the minimum price has obviously increased the average prices achieved at the sale, but I think that a lot of breeders have also realised there's not much point hauling low value weanlings all the way to Reading just to haul them home again - in my opinion the overall quality of youngstock presented is improved as a result. One does have to wonder where the 'cull' yearlings are going instead - it would be nice to think that breeders were getting the message not to actually produce them in the first place!
The preliminary sales value report from the Auction House is HERE
Overall average price for all ponies was £664.
Report by 'Sadie'
EMW Sanctuaries comment - A pleasing report and excellent compliance with welfare regulations.
We are receiving conflicting reports regarding the general sale of horses
at this venue. It would be beneficial if the same attention to welfare detail is the same at general sales. We await further reports.
We are receiving conflicting reports regarding the general sale of horses
at this venue. It would be beneficial if the same attention to welfare detail is the same at general sales. We await further reports.
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