horses and economics; Bob Morris (long)

[California Horse Adventures <wendyl@jps.net>]

I got a laugh out of Bob Morris figures on endurance rider's average number of
horses. I don't know a single one that has one horse. Most everyone I know
has at least three. We have 6 and know many more people who have at LEAST that
many. Maybe its the region we live in? Most serious competitors would panic
without a second, or up and coming horse. It's a bigger market than you think.
   Now here's my 2 cents worth on prices and rescue horses. Endurance horses
have to undergo a tremendous amount of stress, physically and mentally. It takes
3 years to condition a horse to race a 100 miles. Before buying a cheap or
unknown horse, think about the time and money that you are going to spend
before you even now whether it is capable of competing.  Horses that have
not been 
wormed reguarly are prone to colic or worse when stressed. Horses that have been
trimmed or shod poorly or never often suffer tendon and ligament damage. And on
and on. Does this mean we shouldn't rescue horses or that they will never work
out? Heck no!! Why not just rescue them and let them be good riding and trail
horses? But if you are serious about riding endurance, why not go with the
best possible odds and get a horse that has the breeding and has been raised
to do the sport?
   On the subject of raising horses for endurance....We raise horses that are
bred  and trained specifically to do endurance. Most of the time they are sold
to people who use them as trail horses. Some have been doing 3 day eventing.
Why? Those people realized that $6000. for a good, solid, safe, sound trail
horse (or for whatever use they intended) was cheap. Basically a good investment
on their part. It cost us a minimum of $6000. just to raise those horses to
age 4. Between 4 and 6 it had professional dressage training, and miles of trail
experience. We wormed, handled, trimmed or shod, and cared for them for 5-6
years. We rode them when they were young and took all the chances when they were
silly and didn't know better than to spook and fool around. Did we get paid for
any of that? NO! Like I said, it cost well over $6000. just to get them to age
4.   So to everyone who thinks that $2000. is a big price for an endurance horse
because you're "taking a chance they'll even make it." I say, yeah, you ARE
taking a chance. If you want to take less of one, pay what they're worth to 
the people who breed them for the love of perpetuating wonderful, well-bred
sport horses.            OK, I'm getting off my soapbox now. I know that 20
people will immediately write in about their supercheap horses that do terrific.
Just keep in mind, that in California at least, 99 percent of Arabians are dirt
cheap because most breeders are financially unable to hold out for what their
horses are worth because they are too far in over their head by the time the
horses are 5 or 6. It's kind of like buying Nikes made by little children.
You get a great deal because someone else bit the dust.  OK I'll shut up
Wendy