Re: HORSES & ECONOMICS

["Robert Morris" <bobmorris@rmci.net>]

To all:

Consider one thing first before you decry the endurance market for Arabs.
there are not more than 5,000 endurance riders in the North American
Continent. Figure that each rider has about 1.3 horses        ( and this may
be high) that is 6,500 horses competing. Look at the replacement time for
these horses and you would consider that perhaps 3% per year and that is
less than 200 horses to market per year.

There are many more very good horses that go for meat every year.

Based on those concepts there is little or no market for endurance bred
horses in the$2,000 range. Now, realize I said "no market", I did not say no
sales! There are sales of 100 plus or minus every year but there is no
established market nor will there be until the sport grows into the 10 to 20
thousand participant category.

It is simple Marketing 101.

Bob Morris
Morris Endurance Enterprises
Boise, ID
-----Original Message-----
From: Maureen Mathisen <mmathise@intergate.rbuhsd.k12.ca.us>
To: Lif Strand <fasterhorses@gilanet.com>
Cc: DVeritas@aol.com <DVeritas@aol.com>; AERC <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Friday, January 22, 1999 4:58 PM
Subject: Re: HORSES & ECONOMICS


>I agree on all respects.  And it is sad.  MAny breeders of good
>endurance horses have gone under not because they didn't raise good
>endurance horses, but because they did!  Many show/race horse people who
>will pay  a decent price  for a horse do not want the lines we do, so
>therefore, do NOT buy endurance-bred horses.  If the endurance people
>don't either(and then  suggest that there "aren't any good
>endurance-bred lines out there") the breeders will(and have) given up.
>
>It usually takes ONE foal to make believers  out of people as far as the
>time, money, care(and lots of good luck) that  goes into turning out a
>good three or four year old, ready to start, endurance prospect( that
>has not hurt or injured himself somewhere along the line!).  A lot of
>friends have told me  "I'll never do THAT again--it's a lot easier to
>buy one that's ready to go".
>
>I know everyone looks for a "bargain" but it is amazing to me that  the
>most consideration and cost isn"t put into the horse you're going to
>ride,( hopefully for many years), instead of  truck, trailer, tack, and
>clothes that a lot of riders deem" necessary"  before they've even
>completed a few fifty milers!
>
>YES I know this isn't everyone!!
>So--hold your fire and think about this--just a little--
>THANKS!  Maureen
>
>