Where do our minis come from?
Here's a quick guide to all of the places we have gotten minis from in the past. This blog post will be updated as we continue to rescue more minis from new places.
1. Elkhart Horse Auctions
Elkhart Horse Auctions runs every Saturday evening with anywhere from 50-100+ horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, cows, goats and other livestock. Located in Elkhart, TX this is where many local kill pens will buy horses before they mark up their prices and try to resell them either to a private buyer or for meat. Little Hooves Rescue has gotten many minis from Elkhart as it cuts out the middle man of the kill pen and we can usually get lower prices. All purchases have to be picked up the next day and you never know what you get until it arrives. If someone drops off a horse and says its a gelding, they will not check to confirm. We've have several minis that were incorrectly identified by both gender and most frequently, age.
2. Kaufman Feed Lot
Kaufman is one of the most famous kill pens not only on Facebook, but in the country. Located in Forney, TX, the lot sees hundreds of horses each month. Many of these are not in good enough shape to be posted publicly for bail. Because so many horses come in and out of Kaufman, it is very easy for horses to contract new illnesses while they are being held in the pens. Little Hooves' Hermione was one of these examples. See Hermione's Chronicles blog post to learn more. Because Kaufman is so popular, most horses are picked up and bailed before their deadline. However, Little Hooves keeps a close eye on any minis that are posted. We want to make sure that no one is left behind and that they all find a soft place to land.
3. Lone Star Kill Pen
Little Hooves Rescue has purchased several minis from Lone Star in Justin, TX. Most of these horses find private buyers, but we have come across several minis that ended up at Lone Star in bad condition. Lone Star purchases most of their horses from auctions and then tries to resell them. While we do not support the horse trading system, we will not turn down the opportunity to offer a better life to a mini.
4. Stroud Oklahoma Kill Pen
2020 was the first year we pulled from Stroud. It is a big operation with a lot of horses coming through each week. Their minis tend to be on the more expensive side, unless they are in bad condition and that's where we come in. We started off with three minis from Stroud and because of the proximity of a trusted quarantine facility, Little Hooves will definitely be pulling more minis in the future from this location.
5. Bowie Auction Horses
Bowie Auction Horses was a huge operation that flourished off Facebook until they started cracking down on animal sale regulations. Now mostly advertised on YouTube, Bowie sets bail prices for all of its horses listed. In the past, it was a common place for us to look for minis. JT, pictured, was one of our saves from Bowie. However, recently the prices have been really high and there are still a lot of private buyers so Little Hooves has not been pulling from Bowie. We keep an eye out for minis, but they tend to be less frequently posted and much more expensive lately.
6. Private Rehoming
Sometimes a family or individual's circumstances change and they are no longer able to care for their mini. Our doors are always open to helping people rehome their minis. Whether is be because of personal reasons or behavioral issues, Little Hooves will gladly accept minis that need some work or need to find a new home. We have had several minis come through the rescue that were from private owners. We believe these minis deserve to find a new home just as much as the ones we bring in from the kill pens. If you have a mini that you need to rehome, please do not hesitate to reach out. If our stables is full, we are happy to help network and provide connections to interested parties that are looking to adopt.