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A few years ago I lived near the Santa Barbara. That is where there are
a lot of big show breeding operations, the kind with the $10,000 stud
fees and $30,000 to $50,000 horses. I found that these ranches would
breed 20 to 30 mares a year, then pick the top ten of that crop to
represent their ranch. The rest, well they were sold to local horseman
for anything they could get, often for as little as $100. As most of
the average horsemen in the area were interested in quarter horses,
there wasn't much competition in getting these horses. I saw horses by
such stalltions as Gondolier, national halter champion of Poland and the
USA, Strike, and El Paso all sold for $100. It was an endurance riders
paradise.
Another example of this is with Bey Shah, there are a lot of unpapered
show horse culls of this line that are winning endurance rides. Chris
Knox's horse that is a two time Tevis winner is an example.
If you happen to live in an area where there is a Arabin show horse
rance, don't turn your nose up at them. Go over and get to know their
horses and the ranch manager. They don't get $10,000 stud fees and
$50,000 for inferior horses. A horse that might have a patch of white
that isn't apealing in the show ring can be a real treasure on the
trail.
Phil Gardner
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