Riding around town on horseback

[Brandon M]

I'm wondering how common this is. It's increasingly common here for people to use horses as their every day transportation. Mostly with the homeless people. Here in Sonora it is not uncommon to see a horse in downtown traffic.

I posted about this in another thread but thought I'd link to the article here. This is Donny Smith, my brother in law Shawn's uncle, and his horse Gabriel. Don was charged with animal cruelty for the condition of the horse. He was someone who would ride the horse everywhere but couldn't take care of it. He has no job, he has no home of his own. After Gabriel was taken from him he moved in with Shawn's dad. I see Don every now and then and sometimes he'll come over with Shawn's dad to visit. Gabriel was once a good racehorse and was givin to Don in a trade. (the article was wrong when it said he purchased the horse, and that he was skinnier then) It was sad to see the condition of the horse after having seen him in his prime.

Anyhow here's the article that was in the local paper about how Gabriel collapsed on the side of the highway. And don't believe the story about the truck honking, that is simply not true. Don himself admits that. http://www.uniondemocrat.com/20100914101...-spectacle


ETA: Also, another horse that belonged to Don: http://www.uniondemocrat.com/20100927101...%88Control

And I just saw this as well - more on the horse case. And I didn't know he had been convicted of a crime and was a registered sex-offender until yesterday. http://www.uniondemocrat.com/20110627103...s-to-court - I regret shaking the man's hand. He is a very screwed up individual.



Sorry, forgot to add the first article link.

[Toddsmom]

The only times I ever see horses on the road are the Amish horses and buggies. Every once in awhile we will see a young Amish boy or girl riding a horse, but it seems it is usually farm to farm and very short distances. That is so sad about that horse and any homeless person having horses that they can't take care of. This may be bad of me, but usually when I see homeless people with dogs, I buy dog treats and food and even toys and only some food (never money) to the person. I also always take tags off so they can't return the stuff for money. I've been known to buy individually wrapped food and give it outside of the box. I usually feel more sorry for the animal because they can't make the choice, it is made for them.

[Brandon M]

I give the homeless money. It just easier, especially when they ask where you're leaving the store or wherever. I don't give them much because I never have much. But also have bought some beer... I know, I'm a horrible person because I bought a couple homeless guys beer. There was one time after my girlfriend and I got into an argument that I left the house in my Jeep with Lance (didn't have Mick yet) and went and got a 12 pack and then drove to a park where I planned on staying the night in my Jeep. Met a homeless guy there and shared my 12 pack with him. He told me his life's story including his Viet Nam stories. He was a pretty cool guy. Didn't have a horse though, just a dog named Sam (Samantha). She looked well taken care of. Though I think she may have been living off of old hotdogs, as was the man. He found them in a dumpster behind a restaurant.

[Toddsmom]

I'm not saying that they should've maybe enjoy an occasional beer or smoke. I live near a college town, and though some of the homeless folks are indeed homeless, I've also watched a "homeless" person peddle money on the side of the road and at the end of the day drive away in a new Cadillac. Hmm. I realize that some of the homeless people do have legitimate illnesses and histories that have contributed to their homelessness. It's heartbreaking at times. I have seen some very well taken care of dogs, in fact one of our emergency vets locally offers free vet care (including hip surgeries) for those animals as well as food. In our area we have a homeless lady that always wants money, if you offer her food, clothes, or anything else she gets angry. But I see her at the gas stations frequently purchasing beer, cigarettes, or rolling paper. Enjoying those things sometimes is one thing, but getting angry because you are offered necessities is ridiculous. As a whole, it breaks my heart for most of the people and most of the animals.

[Brandon M]

Yeah I agree. There are definitely scams out there. Around here most of the time the first thing a homeless (or maybe just poor and out or work) person will ask you is if you have any work they can do for money or food. I gave a guy a job once and he kept coming back asking so I haven't done that again. Because really I don't need help, nor can I afford it.

A few days ago a girl came up to me at a gas station asking if I could spare some money so her and her friend could get a drink. I gave them what change I had in my pockets, a couple dollars worth and she came out with two energy drinks. Then I realized she was the girl that was just in there trying to buy energy drinks with food stamps. What a waste of money for someone who has little. Those things are expensive.

[Toddsmom]

(08-31-2011 06:04 PM)Brandon M Wrote:  Yeah I agree. There are definitely scams out there. Around here most of the time the first thing a homeless (or maybe just poor and out or work) person will ask you is if you have any work they can do for money or food. I gave a guy a job once and he kept coming back asking so I haven't done that again. Because really I don't need help, nor can I afford it.

A few days ago a girl came up to me at a gas station asking if I could spare some money so her and her friend could get a drink. I gave them what change I had in my pockets, a couple dollars worth and she came out with two energy drinks. Then I realized she was the girl that was just in there trying to buy energy drinks with food stamps. What a waste of money for someone who has little. Those things are expensive.

I have to admit that I get super mad when I'm at the gas station buying soda (I love fountain soda!) with my hard earned money and some trashy person with a lot of tattoos or very heavy and driving way nicer cars than me, pays for cigarettes and beer with cash, and then pays for chips/candy/soda with a food stamp card. I really just want to throw five bucks at them and tell them since it's my money anyway they might as well take it straight from my hand. I really think they should limit what food stamps can be spent on more than they do. Chips and soda are not healthy. And if they are driving super nice cars with rims etc, they probably shouldn't qualify. Those rims alone are probably worth enough for a few months of food stamps.

[Brandon M]

(08-31-2011 06:10 PM)Toddsmom Wrote:  

(08-31-2011 06:04 PM)Brandon M Wrote:  Yeah I agree. There are definitely scams out there. Around here most of the time the first thing a homeless (or maybe just poor and out or work) person will ask you is if you have any work they can do for money or food. I gave a guy a job once and he kept coming back asking so I haven't done that again. Because really I don't need help, nor can I afford it.

A few days ago a girl came up to me at a gas station asking if I could spare some money so her and her friend could get a drink. I gave them what change I had in my pockets, a couple dollars worth and she came out with two energy drinks. Then I realized she was the girl that was just in there trying to buy energy drinks with food stamps. What a waste of money for someone who has little. Those things are expensive.

I have to admit that I get super mad when I'm at the gas station buying soda (I love fountain soda!) with my hard earned money and some trashy person with a lot of tattoos or very heavy and driving way nicer cars than me, pays for cigarettes and beer with cash, and then pays for chips/candy/soda with a food stamp card. I really just want to throw five bucks at them and tell them since it's my money anyway they might as well take it straight from my hand. I really think they should limit what food stamps can be spent on more than they do. Chips and soda are not healthy. And if they are driving super nice cars with rims etc, they probably shouldn't qualify. Those rims alone are probably worth enough for a few months of food stamps.

Yep. I think it should be limited as well. I know a lot of people on food stamps and they waste it on garbage. And they all have more food and money to blow than I do. Like my sister and her husband. I don't know how much food stamp money they get but my fridge and freezer is always stuffed full (they are living with me right now for free) and most of their food just goes bad. And they get paid to go to school as well and you know what they spent the $1300 my sister got from her grant on yesterday? lockers for their truck. As in a locking differential that they don't actually need. Just for fun offroad.

Food stamps and government grants and healthcare is a way to help out those who need it. But it's a system that is abused to the max.

Then you have the people who trade food stamp credit for cash or drugs... extremely common here. My mom works at Safeway and they catch people all the time spending others' food stamps and it leads back to drugs or alcohol.

[Toddsmom]

Nice! It's a sore subject for me really. I think that those services should be used as a crutch to help those in need, but others abuse the system giving all of them a bad rep. It's the same with free school lunch etc.. I work at the hospital and I get really burned when we get frequent flyers looking for pain meds on state healthcare. They know how to play the system and sometimes get multiple ambulance rides to different hospitals a day looking for pain medications. All on our tax money!

[Brandon M]

Yeah the bad apples ruin it for everyone else. I know a couple states are now requiring drug testing which I think is a great idea and should have been implemented years ago. If they're spending their cash on drugs, they don't get our money to buy food or pay their rent.

Anyways I e-mailed the horse rescue and Gabriel is doing fantastic at his new home. I'm thinking I might go see him this weekend.

[Toddsmom]

I agree, testing should be mandatory.

I'm glad to hear that he is doing so well! If you do go see him, will you take some pics of him and post them?

[Brandon M]

(08-31-2011 07:05 PM)Toddsmom Wrote:  I agree, testing should be mandatory.

I'm glad to hear that he is doing so well! If you do go see him, will you take some pics of him and post them?

I will take some pics. He's only an hour away and I'd love to drive up there but I am leaving on a trip next Thursday and have a lot to do first. We'll see. Hopefully otherwise I will for sure when I get back.

[only-borders]

As far as riding horses it is common place here. We have a ton of Amish families all around us and hear the clip clap of hooves daily. What struck me funny the first time I saw it was a girl on horseback talking on her cell phone. It looked weird to me.
There are always horses tied to posts in town.

In our last city there were two people who made the local paper and the news often for pan handling.
One was a guy in his 50's and he would stand on a busy corner by a shopping center, holding a sign saying something about being a Viet Nam vet and can't find work due to injuries suffered in the war.
I personally saw him limping around back and forth to cars to get his cash then walk normally across the street and go in a restaurant, probably to use the restroom. Complete scam.

The next is a woman in her 30's who also stands on a corner that is a at stop light coming out of a shopping center. Her sign says something about not being able to pay her rent or buy food for her 2 kids.
When the TV station did a story on her there was a now hiring sign for a Mac Donald's behind her. The reported asked her why not apply and she said she can make more doing this.
She did admit to raking in over $2000 a month. Lot's of people would yell bad things at her but she was always on her corner.
She was also offered jobs but she didn't take them.

So who is to blame? The pan handlers or the people who enable them?

[jocap]

Living in a vicarage most of my married life, I'm used to waifs and strays on my doorstep....the real tramps would come for a sandwich amd mug of tea, but slowly we began to see a change. It was always younger people, needing money for transport to visit a sick mum....
In the end we had to have help from our community bobby, who told us never, ever to give money, as our house was marked as a likely spot.
Instead, we had a token system arranged with our nearby fish and chip shop, and gave a token to the young person which would give them a meal.
After finding a token flung under our hedge, we didn't have many more asking for money- just the old faithfuls wanting a sandwich on their perpetual journeys round the country...I've no problems with that.
Jo.

[Brandon M]

An update on the horse Gideon. He has found his person!

http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local-...cted-horse

I real happy about that. I would have actually seen Don Smith today at my nephew's party but he apparently is in jail again. (It's my nephew Mason's 4th birthday. Don is his uncle.)

[LadyDaniela]

You see it every once in a while, maybe once a month or so depending on what part of the valley you're in.