an anxious horse could be given a sedative so that it looked calm and easygoing in front of buyers Ingotts had a reputation for doing exactly this but there was no easy way to find out if it were true Natalie looked curiously at the other buyers They seemed like a normal mix of people mostly adults but a few teenagers and families with younger kids Many were probably looking for inexpensive animals for 4-H projects Lots of people didn’t have enough money to buy purebred horses sold by professional trainers Auctions were a place where people could find a diamond in the rough But they were definitely a buyer-beware situation If someone weren't careful they could end up with a sick lame or uncontrollable animal Next up number seventy-three A grade palomino gelding ten years old broke English and Western said Chad Natalie turned her attention back to the auction pen The teenager in the red shirt was now riding a tall golden horse with a creamy white mane and tail Despite its pretty color the horse had poor conformation Natalie thought it was unlikely to
have the athletic ability to succeed competitions in most The man who had bid on the pinto pony raised his number again With his long gray ponytail intense eyes and lean sharp face he reminded Natalie of a coyote That’s Cash Delgado said Liz following Natalie’s gaze He’s the buyer for a big slaughterhouse across the border Natalie swallowed hard Horse slaughter was illegal in the United States but animals could be shipped to Mexico or Canada where it was allowed To Natalie’s relief a man and his teenage daughter made a higher bid on the palomino gelding and Cash Delgado didn’t bid again They seem like nice people Natalie remarked watching the girl who was hugging her dad and jumping up and down with excitement But Liz was frowning at the palomino as the Ingotts rider dismounted and handed him off to another farmhand That’s a funny swelling on his neck Liz muttered half to herself
Natalie looked again She saw that the area under the palomino’s jaw where the throatlatch of its bridle was fastened looked thicker than normal Natalie wouldn’t have noticed it unless Liz had pointed it out What does it mean she asked knowing Liz must have something in mind It could be nothing said Liz Some horses just have more muscle in that area But it could also be a sign of strangles Strangles was a respiratory infection in horses It was treatable but very contagious An infection could easily sweep through a whole barn I’m going to see if I can check it out said Liz She strolled casually over to the new owners of the palomino horse and started chatting with them Soon all three of them were walking over to a corral outside the arena that held the horses that had already been sold Liz ducked through the steel bars of the corral and began gently feeling the palomino’s neck and jaw while the new owners looked on with concern Liz seemed to have the situation under control so Natalie decided to take a look at some of the
other animals She left the arena and strolled around to the far side of the barn through the doorway where new animals were being brought in Outside a dozen more corrals held the animals that hadn’t been auctioned yet Horses cattle goats and pigs were packed between the flimsy metal fences tight as sardines in a tin All the grass was worn away to dirt from their churning hooves Beyond the pens were half a dozen grain silos and concrete buildings
