Sparks Trading Post Inc

I've been going to sparks for quite a while and I highly recommend it.Iboard my horse there and she couldn't be in better hands. I highly recommend to ride here because the staff is very friendly and will make sure you have a great experience. more

I have been going to Sparks Trading Post since i was a little girl. I am now graduated and have a full time job, and have two horses there. I grew up there and learned so much about horses. It is a great facility and family friendly business with pony rides and trail rides for kids 8 and up, and everyone there are truly nice people with the best interest of each and every animal at heart. I strongly urge anyone to go there, it is an excellent experience and a whole lotta fun! more

I have been a long time customer of Sparks TP and have left, ran my own equine business, and returned to board my horses there. It's a great self care facility - with plenty of hay and turn out. Reasonably priced, with the option of bringing friends for public trail riding, family friends with children for pony rides and he always has some very friendly goats, sheep and cows to pet. Are the barns pretty and new? no, but they are safe and warm. The care is exceptional and so are the people who frequent it. more

It's been a while since anyone has posted here. I just wanted to say that Sparks is a great place for public trail riding, hay and sleigh rides, as well as pony rides for children. It is very affordable and close. Come out and see for yourself! more

Peter Sparks does nothing but take care of his animals. People need to learn their facts and stop spreading lies. He not only buys horses that are on death row to give them another chance, but he give teenagers every kids dream to work with horses. He gives some kids the chance to come and volunteer with the horses and take care of them. It's a great experience and a great place to go. Don't believe me? Go and check it out for yourself it's $20 for an hour trail ride. Visit their website google sparks trading post and you'll see it. Pros: EVERYTHING Cons: NOTHING more

They could sure use our support to help feed all those beautiful horses. I was just there for a trail ride. The horse I was riding seemed a bit tired and lathargic, and he kept coughing the whole ride and the horse my girlfriend rode appeared to have pink eye and he also seemed tired. In the barn I was shocked to find a small horse in a small stall not even big enough to turn around in. There also appeared to be many healthy horses on the property, but also too many like the ones that we rode today. But, I will not turn on this place because of their history. I have heard both pros and cons, but overall, the more partons, the more money, the healthier and happier the stable will become... Pros: Nice, friendly people Cons: Sick horses more

Well, people, Sparks has his horses back because he did no wrong. I posted this here in Sept of 2008 and it shows July 2007. What is up with that?? The SPCA vet involved and an employee have been court ordered not the step foot on the property ever again as it was proven they were bias. The charges will be dropped officially very soon. So, Sparks Trading Post is open, never closed, for business as always. Sparks will remain here for a very long time. If you don't like it, don't visit. I have had horses of my own there for years and they had the best of care, and always fat and healthy without extras. To those of you who want to have a fun time and ride a perfectly healthy horse who has the best of care, go to Sparks Trading Post Tues thru Sat. 10:30 to 7:00; and Sunday til 6:00; Closed Mondays. Pros: Where else can you ride a horse around here!! more

How could anyone defend this place? Are you F-ing blind? By God, you must be, or just ignorant, and don't you dare tell me I don't know what I'm talking about as I've been there a few times. The last time I was there I was so sickened by what I saw that I couldn't stay, it was too depressing. I wanted to give this place another chance to see if there were any improvements, but sadly it was even worse than before. Why on earth would you defend someone who sends out horses with large wounds? Old, tired horses that can hardly move. I saw two horses go out and they completely refused to go forward, the one was limping (lame) and he held his head so low it almost touched the ground. The horses were dirty, sweaty and tired, and many were way too thin and sickly looking to have people on their backs. Mr. Sparks is someone who cares? Please. If you don't have the money to take care of the animals then don't have the animals. The sole purpose of these animals is to earn money. You make more profit if you don't put a lot of money into them. I hope people refuse to go there and that his business goes under. I can't believe that any of those horses would be given back. The stalls there are completely disgusting. The care is poor. Too many horses and not enought staff to take care of them and not enough money spent on their care. I have no idea how anyone could support this place, it's disgusting. Like I said they must be blind. Probably ignorant or friend's of the owners as well.\r \r Pros: None\r Con: Everything Cons: Everything more

Do NOT give this place any of your hard earned money! One of the WORST cases of animal neglect I have ever seen! The owner should be locked up and never, EVER allowed to have another animal. To make it worse, you have total morons defending this creep. So sad. more

I have been following the Sparks proceedings, and am happy that he has his horses back. I have been to the SPCA, and those horses look no different than the initial photos, even after all the ""professional"" care they have been given. Which proves that it is hard to get an old horse to gain weight. I worked for Peter for two years, and personally seen the Neglect that he has purchased from local horse auctions, and how he has fattened them up, although sometimes it takes a while. I have been the recipient of one of these purchases, a emaciated beagle that I took home and nursed back to health, adopted it out, where it lived until a ripe old age. Peter is not a saint, there are many more things he could do, and there is not one person alive who dares write that cant say the same thing, whether it be about a child, an animal, or your own health. Im sorry but I cannot afford to have my cats teeth cleaned for $350, and I havent been to the doctor unless I am at deaths door, which was about 8 years ago. If you really are itching to condemn someone, why dont you go down to your local animal auction or animal shelter, and throw your venom at the people who abandon their dog after having owened it for twelve years because of ""allergies"", or their horse because they cant afford to feed it anymore, or their kids lost interest. But remember, there are always two sides to every story, and for once, the good guy prevailed!\r PS I own two cats (one feral), two dogs (both SPCA dogs), and one horse (auction).And most any animal I have ever owned has a sad or unknown history, so dont tell me I dont know what Im talking about. more

Sorry to disappoint all you haters out there, but there will be no prosecution. And to all of you that think taking care of an older horse is simple... yeah it might be if you have one... try having more than 1 and other animals to take care of. Let me know how that works out for ya! Pros: Everything Cons: Nothing! more

i have to say.....Bravo to all the people who have no lives and are writing bad things! Peter Sparks is a kind hearted man who cares for his animals! people need to stop butting in on stuff that isnt any of there business! Peter was obviously doing something right those 28 years he was in bisiness!\r \r I have been leasing a horse for the past 4 summers and i dont intend to stop! Pros: the best place ever more

It isn't hard to keep weight on old horses unless it hasa significant MEDICAL CONDITION that causes weight loss/inability to gain. All it takes is the right feed regimen and good basic senior care. People are commenting that there was food accessible. If the horses' teeth aren't cared for or the food is not easy for an old horse to chew and digest, all the food in the world won't get them to a healthy weight. It only takes a few things to get their weight up. First, have a dentist float their teeth at least twice a year. Horses must chew a huge amount of hay, grass, etc. every day, so old horses are highly prone to developing sharp edges and poor chewing surfaces. If they have reached the point where they're losing teeth or need unhealthy teeth removed periodically, have the dentist do a check-up more frequently. Second, feed a diet that they can easily chew and digest. Hay cubes, especially when soaked, are much easier to chew than hay, so the horse gets more nutrition from them. Since hay is harder to chew, it presents a much higher risk of choke than cubes. For grain, use a senior feed, soaked if necessary. Senior feeds are easy to digest and pack a lot of nutrition into a small volume of feed, so they are great for horses that have bad teeth. Regular deworming with a rotation that will cover all common parasites is essential. An old horse can't afford to lose calories to internal thiefs. \r It is smart to have your vet help you design your senior's diet, but it's especially important if the methods above fail. Your horse may need a suppliment or weight building type of feed added. \r I knew a 34 year old ""hard keeper"" TB with less than 10 teeth. On a diet with EVERYTHING soaked to mush, he was alive and kicking. He worked lightly every day and jumped little jumps a few days a week. He still jumped enthusiastically. His hips were a teeny bit prominent and a few ribs were very mildly visible when he moved just right. It's not hard if you truly care. \r \r Pros: He's in legal trouble Cons: He is making money off of causing animals to suffer more

In response to the person who said ""The gery and white pinto shown with the girl riding bareback I'm pretty sure was Rolex, who belongs to Mr. Sparks and is 30 sum years old. I really believe that he's just let things get out of hand. I was never really happy about his petting zoo, and would like to see him give a chance to set things right. You know get rid of the zoo, buy horses that arn't hard keepers, clean-up the place... The ASPCA needs to work on setting things right not just take animals away and fines.""\r \r Yes that was Rolex, and yes Rolex looks good because he is Peter's own personal horse. Of COURSE Rolex gets good care. Peter actually spends money on HIM.\r \r WHY THE HECK should Peter be given a chance to ""set things right""? That is INSANE! The mentality is frightening...really. The SPCA gave him a zillion chances already. He has no more get out of jail free cards. The man is greedy and neglectful and he will never change. more

As the caretaker for some little old mares that are hard keepers, let me assure you.... THERE IS NO REASON FOR OLD HORSES TO BE THAT THIN. If you own them, it's your responsibility to do *whatever it takes* and provide what the horse needs to be *in good health*. I don't care if they are ""loved"". They are in a state of starvation! If you aren't going to care for them properly, have them put down! Seriously! Those who have kids don't get to chince on groceries just because things get expensive. You bet your butt if it was a child in that situation, protective services would remove them. \r And you've only rescued an animal if you are IMPROVING their living situation. That involves giving them enough food for them to be healthy, as well as vet and farrier care. If you are just going to give them bare minimal care until they die on their own, you're no better than the place you ""rescued"" them from. Cons: Inadequate care of horses. Hopefully will get shut down soon. more

I can't believe the people who are actually trying to defend this sick person. If I hear one more idiot say it's hard to impossible to keep weight on an old horse Im going to be violently ill. I rescued an emaciated, extremly sick, 35 year old horse. With proper vet, dental and feed care this horse got back to full weight. \r \r This idiot doesnt ""Love"" horses, he is a selfish, self centered b@stard who deserves to be starved and worked till he drops to see what its like, then shoot him. Horses that work hard for a living, especially older horses need special care. Care for a regular riding horse that you keep at home or as a pasture pet horse includes having an equine dentist do the teeth at LEAST once a year, regular rotational worming, hooves trimmed every 6 weeks, 8 tops, regular vet care with a check up at least once a year, lots and lots of GOOD quality hay and either a good balanced grain and/or the right supplements. \r \r Horses with sores should NOT be ridden, horses that are underweight should NOT be ridden like that, Horses that are lame should NOT be ridden! You dweebs defending him are either really ignorant about how to truely care for horses or you are just as evil as he is. It's not an excuse to say he saves them because ""he cares so much"" GAG! He's not saving them he's prolonging thier misery and compounding it daily. They would be much better off dead then living like that. I have had horses for over 40 years, from new born to ancient and a few rescues and none of them have EVER looked like that after they have been with me for a month\r \r Shame on the B@stard that owns them and Shame on the ignorant who support him. There s a special place in hell for people like that. People like him and the ones defending him make me ashamed to be a human. Pros: Hopefully the guys may be finally jailed and not allowed to own animals Cons: Everything about the place and lack of care and the people who work there more

Ok, I use to keep my horse at Sparks, she was always healthy and rather fat... mostly because she didn't come from a Canadian slaughter auction or the Amish. Also he feed her too much hay.\r \r Yes I argee that these old horses he gets should not be ridden, he shouldn't even be buying the things, should leave the suckers in the slaughter pen. So to say he is a resuce is false, but he dosen't sit there and strave them, he just dosn't give them enough recovery time.\r \r As for the News story it's slighty false in that ""all the healthy horses are boarders"" The gery and white pinto shown with the girl riding bareback I'm pretty sure was Rolex, who belongs to Mr. Sparks and is 30 sum years old.\r \r I really believe that he's just let things get out of hand. I was never really happy about his petting zoo, and would like to see him give a chance to set things right. You know get rid of the zoo, buy horses that arn't hard keepers, clean-up the place... The ASPCA needs to work on setting things right not just take animals away and fines. Pros: Not as bad as everyone thinks Cons: Needs to fix a few things more

It is NOT hard to keep weight on an old horse if you give it the PROPER CARE and ATTENTION it needs the same which all horses deserve and the pictures speak for themselves, neglect is neglect. If Sparks is such a ""caring guy"" why are there horses that look like this on his property?!? Also if he could not give these horses the care they needed in the first place he should not have gotten them, in my opinion the guy seems extremely greedy for getting horses that he couldn't care for in the first place and then using them for his own profit when they were clearly not in working condition. Hopefully now these horses will be given the second chance they really deserve. Pros: Court date = Jail Time Cons: Obviously not ""caring"" enough more

I used to board at that place many moons ago and even then it was a hole. I am sorry but anyone saying that these horses were loved and well taken care of has something loose upstairs.\r \r I saw skinny sick horses with HUGE saddle sores saddled up daily to stand all day and be ridden all day for money. Imagine how much it hurt those animals to have a hot sweaty saddle rubbing against those saddle sores all day...dear god.\r \r My husband and I even bought one horse from them to give it a real chance at a well fed and easy life. We got out of there pretty quickly and luckily my horses never got the swamp fever that raged through there more then once.\r \r To the poster who said their stalls get cleaned out at least ONCE a week? dear god thats not right in itself. I pick out my horses stall everyday morning and night. I hope they shut that place down, its hell on earth for those poor horses.\r \r Oh and it isn't hard to put weight on an old horse you guys, PLUS hey with all those bones sticking out maybe they shouldnt be saddled and making him money all day! more

If you honestly think it is hard to keep weight on an old horse, you are out of your mind! I have worked on MANY horse farms for years. We have one horse approaching 30 who is a perfect weight, and it doesn't take much but a third of a scoop a day, hay, and grass. \r \r At the vet science place I work at we have numerous horses in their mid twenties. One is a stallion who is just about the perfect weight. Another is a mare who has been diagnosed with ring bone. The stud gets two scoops, twice a day, of a mix of pellets and oats with oil. The mare, in the Jerry Atrich field, gets a scoop twice a day (administered in a long line of buckets for a large field of old horses) with the mix of pellets and oil. You'd be hard pressed to find a skinny horse on our farm, and we have about 370 head of horses. So hop off your high horses saying it's SO hard to keep weight on an old guy. It's really not. Proper nutrition does the trick. True, some horses need extra attention, but there is NO reason an old horse should be under weight just because ""he's old and he can't keep weight on like he used to.""\r \r That is all. Can't wait for the court date. Pros: Ready for that court date, hope you'll all be prosecuted. Cons: Staff is no good, horses are too thin. more