Bette, I surely didn't see where Heidi was bashing
but I do see two totally different philosophies on bringing new babies into
the world.
People will buy Heidi's horses for what they like
and buy yours for what they like. In the end, you both win and hopefully so do
the buyers. Isn't that the bottom line?
Here's what I want to know. Who is breeding and
selling the million dollar horses that are sold overseas? How come they are
never sold here?? Riders tell me all the time how somebody sold a horse for
$100,000 and yet that hasn't been what this group has said. Everybody seems to
know somebody who sold a horse for tons of money, and yet I haven't read that at
all on this thread. What's the deal?
I would like to see a who's who list of horses
that sold for these incredible amounts of money, where they came from, what they
did, what their pedigrees are and what are they doing now. These animals must be
absolutely amazing to go for the money I hear about. And if people who are
breeding endurance horses want to improve, aren't these the kinds of horses to
breed to? I don't know, I'm asking.
If one person sold one horse for say, $50,000 or
more, does that really cover the costs of all the other horses they bred,
trained and campaigned that sold for $1500-2500? Or whatever? Is it a once in a
lifetime sell, or is there some breeders who consistently sell very high dollar
mounts? Is there money in breeding for endurance or not?
I personally could never be a breeder to sell. I
think I could do a good job of producing fine horses, but I could never let them
go. However, if there was a way to make all the money I keep hearing about, I
might give it a go. I think the horse is always worth more to the seller than to
the buyer. Naturally.
I would also like to add that a pre-purchase is not
meant to tell you what your horse can or can't do. It is meant to point out to
the prospective owner conformation flaws and potential problems like heart
murmurs. The buyer can then make a more educated decision about buying the
horse. It is possible that a vet not familiar with endurance would look at a
little tiny Arab and tell someone there is no way that pony can ride in
mountains and do 100 mile rides. Who's to say? But a competent vet can tell you
that for his size he does have nice feet, strong cannon bones, a deep girth and
that the heart and lungs sound great! And that is what you, the buyer wanted to
hear! The pre-purchase exam is not meant to be an elimination process, but
rather an educational one.
I bought two horses without an exam and without
seeing them in person. (Thank you , Louise!) I lucked out. But on the
thread of how people think they are sitting on a pot of gold and ask so much
money for horses....the person I dealt with wanted me to pay for shipping on
these horses. Not the shipping I would pay to get them to ME, but the shipping
the owner paid to get them to HER! Sigh...it takes all kinds.
So again, what horses, and how many have been sold
for big bucks? If they are so fantastic, where does one get one? I would love to
see comparisons between these "high end" horses and the ones that were a
bargain.
My blacksmith says we (Americans) produce the best
Arabs in the world.
