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Re: [RC] selling horses - Chris PausYes, there is more money in H/J. Horses potentially can move up to the professional venues and even the Olympics. I think also the importation of bloodstock from Europe has driven sporthorse prices off the charts. There is no Olympics for endurance, although there are lots of international venues now. The horses that make it to the international level generally do sell for a lot more.
But becuase endurance is a sport that anyone with just about any horse can at least participate in, the prices have been lower. People who want to be competitive generally will expect to pay more for certain bloodlines, conformation and attitude. But for the average rider who just wants to finish, it doesn't matter so much.
I think riders who are starting out in the sport do look for the bargains. I also have seen that as riders progress in their skills and competitiveness, they do start to seek out better quality horses that have the potential for staying in the sport longer and doing better. And they start looking in higher price brackets. People who really know horses will go for the quality ones.
I have not had one stay here long enough to become "proven." Only one has stayed til 2 YO. The others have been sold as weanlings and yearlings. I've gotten a top of $2500 for an Anglo Arab filly and have sold others for varying prices less than that. What matters first to me is that the horse will have a good life. Second, recouping my expenses.
I've made some money on some foals and lost money on others. On the low end, I gave one away that I thought was a lunatic. I had $1,500 invested in him just to get him to one week old. As a yearling he went to a Lyons certified trainer who is doing some amazing things with him. But I knew it would be a huge potential for disaster for him to go to the average horse buyer and I don't want troublemakers representing my farm and don't want people unhappy. I try hard to match the horse to the buyer so both are happy. So far, it has worked out pretty well.
Some of the price is the actual cost to get the foal on the ground. Some of it is the work I do to get a horse ready to be sold.. ground training, trailer loading, feet handling, etc.
I gave a local rider a good deal on a weanling recently because she came over a couple times a week and did that work with her colt so I didn't have to. With a little "sweat equity" she got a really nice colt that she could afford.
I have no illusions of getting rich or selling horses for enough to build a big fancy Scottsdale type operation. My goal has always been to put a few quality foals on the ground that will grow up to be sensible and sturdy mounts that just happen to look good too.
Oh, the one that sold for the most went to a h/j barn to people who compete in the Arab sport horse world. Clearly that is a different market than endurance. It also is a different time economically right now.
I think there may be an abundance of Arab young stock out there, but I woulnd't say there's an abundance of QUALITY ones. I know a nearby breeder who produces 10 t0 20 foals a year and dumps them for cheap. They have poor conformation, they are small and malnourished.
I'm not into that. I want to breed one or two very nice foals a year and be proud of them and take my time to find the right person or people for them. Breeding horses always is a crapshoot financially.
chris
Juli Jakub <fahraway@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: But it seems like there is more money in training eventers and "Slowee, slowee catchee monkey," Rudyard Kipling, from The Jungle Book
Chris Paus
BayRab Acres http://pages.prodigy.net/paus
Lake Region SWA http://lakeregionswa.fws1.com
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