AkhalTeke@aol.com wrote:
>
> Hello Natalie!
>
> First things first, you'll get a good idea of what and who we are if you read
> through (!) our homepage (http://members.aol.com/akhalteke/index.htm).
>
> These horses will originate directly from the studfarms in Russia -
> Stavropol, Dagestan and Chagorta. They'll have different ages, beginning with
> foals (if someone wants a yearling) and ending with horses of about 6-7 years
> (for those who wish to begin at once with the training), though the average
> horse for sale in Stavropol and the other studfarms usually is 2-3 years old.
>
> Shipment and everything else will be handled - on the russian side - by the
> russian authorities, probably it will be Stavropol itself which will handle
> all of this. The russians have already had several transports to oversea
> destinations, here including the USA, Australia and Africa. When we first
> asked about such a shipment they already knew all about the necessary
> prelims. On the US side it will have to be one or several of the new owners,
> who will have to decide on who of them will organize the US part (or who
> shall be engaged by the new owners to organize this). And don't tell us this
> won't work, such a sharing out of responsibilities has so far worked
> everywhere, the US would else be the first country where adults are unable to
> work out and organize the import of something which already belongs to them!
>
> The only stake we (akhalteke@aol.com or rather IGATER, the international
> association of Akhal Teke) have in organizing/bringing together such a
> shipment is to foil those who make too much money out of the Akhal Teke
> (often out of horses which are not correctly bred, mere crossbreed or not
> valuable) with the mediation of purebred, good and correct Akhal Teke at
> prices which are justified. This is one of our major goals, a thing we do not
> only do for US riders interested in this breed, but also so far for nearly
> every country in Europe as well. Our association has been founded with the
> firm idea(l) that everyone who wants a correct Akhal Teke should be able to
> have one and that defrauders and merchants, who (and also very much so far in
> the USA) demand exorbitant sums for low-grade horses, telling everyone far
> and wide that their prices are correct and horses sold are just the height of
> the breed, must be stopped in this unfair "pasttime".
>
> As an association IGATER has been contacted by several dozens of US
> horsepeople who would really like to ride/breed Akhal Teke, but who also are
> quite unable to buy a horse at 35.000$$ for horses not even inscribed into
> the studbook!
>
> So far we have organized and mediated close to fifty acquisitions of Akhal
> Teke, all over Europe (and as far as GB, which is a lot choosier regarding
> quarantine and import than the US), all of which resulted in people having
> good horses at fair prices and happy faces all around.
>
> The main thing behind this transport is to make it impossible for any
> profiteers or "well-meaning" auctioneers to have their "cut", as was the case
> with the first Akhal Teke shipment, which was auctioned off for ridiculously
> high prices, unaffordable for the average earner, founding firmly the idea
> that Akhal Teke just have to be expensive and thus are something only for the
> rich.
>
> Lastly - your "real-world" questions are - so far yet - quite out of place.
> Noone has to sign anything, certainly not an agreement or contract. Any
> signing will take place after every single buyer exactly knows which horse
> he'll buy, how much it will be, how much the freight taxes and import will
> additionally cost and they will not sign with us, they will sign with the
> studfarms offering "their" horse, thus directly with the producer, and they
> themselves will have to sign with the firm they have employed to transport
> the horses and the people arranging their import (if they won't arrange that
> themselves).
>
> So you see - your belligerence and distrust really are out of place, what we
> do is bringing together people wanting Akhal Teke - with themselves and with
> those studfarms offering them and we do this to enable these people to
> directly buy, without any intermediary (who might ask for a large chunk of
> money just for the fun of it), from those who breed these horses.
>
> By the way, the funny ideas you seem to have about us have worked the other
> way round for quite some decades on the european market of american breeds,
> here wholesalers buy a plane full of quarters, none of the horses valueing
> more than maybe 200$$ and sell them over here at 15.000 and 20.000$$...
> Exactly because of this we want to mediate and help US riders avoid this.
> Understood?
>
> Fine, :-)
>
> Akhal Teke
In a world where unsolicited offers that seem too good to be true are generally
just that, my post was indended to be cautionary, not bellicose. EMail is a
wonderful thing, but the anonymity of a web address is a sword with two edges. If
you wish to sell on the web, be prepared to supply a real name and a street
address. Yes, I have reviewed the web site given above, but I confess I am hard
pressed to locate a bona fide IDENTITY of anyone directly related to your
enterprise.
/Natalia Vladimirnova Suzdaleva (aka, Natalie Arnold)
--
_ ,--/ trailride@foothill.net is the address of
<_ __/ /\| Natalie's "Barn & Breakfast" in Weimar, CA.
( )__, ) ~ A B&B for horses (and their riders)
\\ '--; in the heart of Tevis Country. (916) 637-4644
Visit us at http://www.foothill.net/natalies