Don't try to contact past owners

[beckybee]

Okay, we've heard over and over from CBER that we shouldn't try to contact past owners because they will make trouble with Chuck, Chuck will kick CBER off the lots, horses will die, yada yada yada.

How many people actually contacted past owners? Did it ever stir up trouble?

Just looking at Dixie's timeline, she was listed at CBER just days after her last race. Amazing that she could get from the track to listing so quickly. Did she go direct?

On Fugly, the trainer is being vilified. Maybe he is actually innocent.

When my sister got CBER "Sparkle" (Pearls in Excess), she contacted the breeder/owner and the gal who initially trained and started the filly (Becky, coincidentally). Becky obviously cared a good deal about Pie (she called her "Pearly Mae") and had extensive correspondence with my sister. Apparently they kept sending the mare to tracks all over the west for a year, bringing her back to Becky to rest and reset. Becky actually trail rode her and spent a lot of time with her. (She also had Pie's uncle who they were using to work cows!) Pie never took to racing, so the last time she was sent back, Becky and the owner, Jack, decided to give up. They both (independently) stated that they "gave her to that rescue."

There were no pictures of "Sparkle" on the lot. I actually believed Sam when I related the above info to her, that of course they would lie - they wouldn't want it known that they sold her to the KB. Sam's assertions were somewhat validated when the owner sent Pie's paper to the JC marked "deceased" months after having talked to my sister. (Or Jack may have done this to shut out any of Pie's future offspring to registry as he was very insistent that he did not want her bred.)

So has Sam learned to cover her tracks? Is she taking in horses directly, taking pics of them on the feedlot, showing owners the horses are "saved", then selling to Chuck if they aren't adopted?

Does anyone else with OTTBs or other registered horses have stories from owners that just don't add up?

[lorsadoon]

I contacted the previous owners of both of my CBER horses.
My registered Arabian I got from CBER and also my bucking stock mare. Both previous owners answered the questions I had. Even the stock contractor, who may of thought I was off my rocker for getting a bucking mare, but he was polite to me none the less.

[wildwoman]

My arab came with papers too-I have long wanted to contact previous owner-but have held off. Still tempted, but not sure how to go about it?
Lisa

[lorsadoon]

I bet the "Million Dollar Question" CBER was hoping we would not ask the previous owners was, so how much did you sell XYZ to Chuck for? Because you know, some people actually pay Chuck to take their horses. So he is going into some of these horses with a profit already. Then they make up some equation for the price of the horse and list it for $500 to $1100.


FYI-If you live in Oregon and purchased a horse from CBER, you are NOT required to pay sales tax on the horse. Ask for your money back or claim it if you file long form.

[TashGaia]

Million Dollar Answer...

I contacted the previous owners of three of my CBER horses. None of them minded being contacted and all three gave me very important information on my horses. All three of these horses were sold directly to Chuck by the owners.

1. Chuck paid $500, CBER listed for $875
2. Chuck *was given* $250 to send directly to canner, CBER listed for $800
3. Chuck paid $200, Cber listed for $800

[halfwayhome]

I think, unless it was one of a few ( and there were some) that told Chuck that he was to send the horse to slaughter, that most previous owners would be glad to hear the horse was ok, as long as they were approached in a respectful way and not lambasted for the horse ending up at a feedlot. There were a couple TB guys that did tell Chuck they did not want to hear from anyone and threatened him with loss of their"business" ( oh wow too bad huh...) at those times he would tell us emphatically that we were not to tell where the horses came from because he did not like hearing from the original owners. I know later he started asking people if it was ok to let c ber buy the horses, telling them it was a "rescue", most people said yes, it was fine with them, but a few told him no. IMO the secrecy was overplayed by the c ber group as a tool to "keep people in line" with the urgency message. There were definite true cases of need for silence, but not to the extent it was played, again, MO. ( as Kidz knows, we personally saved some, not thru c ber, but on our own, that he was ready to ship, but knew we would keep our word, in able to save the horse. One was the most gorgeous TB guy) Just recently we know that the FLO was only offering people about $150 or so for fat, ready to ship horses, and like offering $50 to someone who had one that needed weight, and only would take it for free if it was really bad. He also had people just giving him horses!!! I know this from talking to people this happened to. So c ber prices are still too high, even with their pricing structure that just shuffles the $$$ appearance around to arrive at the same high amounts from before.

[chatty]

Loved to know anything about Sky and Askhim...Mr. CW asked me what I know about Askhim and he indicated I was right on one thing..."He was a stud when he came in.."...So otherwise?

chatty

[swissgrl]

I would love to get more info from the past owner on Merlin (Randel) and possibly Arrow (Hagar)

[pnp4kidz]

I'd love to know some story on Sundance! (CBER Hobbs) and love to contact former owners of Marley too!
heck, same with Jet, Mistletoe, Baron (Cleary), Phoenix (Frolic),

We talked to former owners of Taffy, and of a SOS horse Sissy...
also on Mustachio (Cookie Crumb), and all of them were glad to talk...

[MustangAppy]

I have tried to track down Sierra's past owners, she is clearly foundation Appy. Fran Farmer indicated that she "could" be one of two fillies she bred, but wouldn't provide any other information or photos for me to compare. I was told she had no papers, but that makes no sense to me, she would have more value with her papers. This is why people need to tatoo, brand, or chip their horses, in my opinion.

[lisam]

I never received any response from CBER regarding my Dusty and where she came from.