Next
update
Stretch Finds Home
06:36
PM PST on Saturday, January 17, 2004
By
TRICIA MANNING-SMITH / KING 5 News
MARYSVILLE, Wash. - An obviously valuable thoroughbred horse
who seems to belong nowhere or to nobody seems headed for the
auction block, as a nationwide search is under way is find its
owner.
In its gloomy isolated stall, the antsy thoroughbred looks out
of place. You'd expect to see its sleek coat gleaming in the
sunshine as he tears around a racetrack.
Jon Marshall rarely sees this quality of horse at the
Marysville,
Wash.
, livestock auction.
“Somebody at some time has put a lot of money in this
horse,” said
Marshall
.
Yet there it was, trotting down the roadside near
Lake
Stevens
, still wearing an expensive leather harness, and dragging its
lead rope.
Erin Porter came home one night last month to find the horse in
her pasture.
“One of the neighbors thought it was our horse, because we
boarded horses,” said neighbor Steve Porter.
Someone had been taking care
of him, he's
fairly
well-groomed,” said
Erin
.
The horse appears to be about 5 years old.
The Porters, who are animal lovers anyway, said they'd care for
the horse until someone claims it. They searched the Internet and
contacted various organizations, but to no avail.
In the meantime, Animal Control loaded up the horse and took it
to the auction barn.
There, they found the horse’s secret. Hidden under its lip,
the horse bears a tattoo, a common way of marking thoroughbreds.
But unless someone can claim that number or cite the name listed
on the horse's halter, the horse may be running no further than
the auction block.
Online at: http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_011704ANBhorseEL.26f4694c.html
The
Saga Continues at Auction house today.
Published on HeraldNet.com: 2/3/04
By
Cathy Logg
Herald Writer
The Herald - Everett, Washington
MARYSVILLE -- If he's lucky, Flying Algonquin will find a home
today.
The homeless thoroughbred goes on the auction block this
afternoon at the Marysville Livestock Auction. His presence is
expected to draw a crowd. Numerous people and several
organizations that rescue retired racehorses are interested in
finding him a place to enjoy his retirement.
The 7-year-old bay gelding was found more than a month ago
wandering down a road in the Lake Stevens area, with a cut on his
nose, a chain wrapped around his nose, and dragging a rope. But
nobody reported him missing, nobody tried to claim him, and his
presence was a puzzle for local residents.
"There's certainly been a lot of interest in him,"
said Julie Edmondson, the auction manager.
In the days after his plight became known, the auction's phone
rang repeatedly with calls from people wanting to know more about
the horse and some wanting to claim him. But claiming him requires
proof of ownership, which nobody apparently provided.
Not only did he stir interest at the auction, but also at the
Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association, the Jockey Club and
on horse enthusiasts' Web sites across the country.
The former racer, who goes by the nickname "Stretch,"
was born in Aldergrove, B.C., and competed in six races over three
years at Hastings Park race track in Vancouver, B.C. He won once
and placed second once, winning $8,160 before being retired.
Stretch's Canadian owners sold him to a Snohomish couple who
planned to use him for a saddle horse. They gave him to a
Sultan-area woman. That woman gave him to someone else, and
authorities were having trouble tracking down that person to
determine ownership.
After he was found, Stretch found a temporary home with a
Snohomish County couple who provided the skittish dark bay with a
barn, hay, grain and a blanket. Those folks reportedly are among
the people who'd like to own him.
But because he was unclaimed, county animal control officers
turned him over to the Marysville Livestock Auction as an equine
ward of the state.
Today, Stretch will wait while cattle going to slaughter,
calves and dairy cows are put up for bid. Then come the goats,
sheep, pigs and horses.
There is no minimum bid for Stretch, and the highest bidder
will become his newest owner.
Reporter Cathy Logg: 425-339-3437 or logg@heraldnet.com.
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/04/2/3/18131778.cfm
Stretch Finds A Home
A
spokesperson from the Marysville Sale say this of the sale of
Stretch on Tuesday, February 3, 2004.
STRETCH SOLD FOR $1375.00 AND WENT TO THE
PEOPLE THAT KEPT HIM UNTIL THE SHERIFF BROUGHT HIM TO THE AUCTION.
THERE
WERE QUITE A FEW MORE PEOPLE THAN USUAL AND ABOUT 4 TV AND
NEWSPAPER PEOPLE HERE.
