'cheap' horses in endurance

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

>Remember that some breeder's "rejects" or "culls" are actually well
>bred,>well conformed horses that have slight defects, like a white
sclera, >that>makes them undesirable 

Has it occured to anyone that perhaps one of the "defects" might be the
quality of never wearing down...  How many people out there in the
"market" really want a horse they can't lunge awhile and wear down?

Last week I had to interview the winner of the Million Pines 50.  It was
Bud Davidson.  He was riding a registered Arab that he gave $400 for to
save it a trip to the killer.  The horse made up 8 minutes in 8 miles on
the last loop to catch and pass the leader...completing the final 11
miles of the race at an average of 14 miles per hour, but probably
beating that for that 8 miles.  Bud commented that "you can't ride
pleasure on this horse.  He ain't a pleasure, but if I just lay the reins
on his neck and let him do his thang we get along just fine".  How many
people want a horse to keep galloping after the first 3 hours of
galloping?

I used to buy and sell horses occasionally.  I never bought endurance
type horses for resale, because the majority of the buying public can
barely ride, and tires easily.  An arthritic Quarter Horse is a gold
mine.  Right now I'd say it's simply a case of supply and demand.  There
is a shortage of PEOPLE who can ride good endurance horses.  Very few
people find it an admirable trait that the horse doesn't slow down after
say...5 miles, much less 80.  And add to that the fact that our favorite
gait...a huge trot...is considered a blight by the majority of riders.

Don't think of the "killer" as a competing breeder...consider it more
like a place where horses who've failed the wearing down test end up. 
I've never bought a horse at auction or at the killer, but I've certainly
seen some good ones who've been there...most recently Santini, and then
there was Whoa Jack (top 10 at several World Championships, multiple
medal winner, National 100 mile champion...Vali Hi Faysera (sp?) was Bud
Davidson's daughter's mare...I think she was National 100 mile champ... 

 If endurance is at least 50% attitude, a lot of horses with the attitude
needed seem to end up in these places.  It's sort of like when the guy
goes recruiting for "The Dirty Dozen".  He didn't go to a prep school for
the kind of guys he needed.  I've had a couple of horses who had
wonderful raising, and were built right...but were mental wimps.  Kaboot
on the other hand would have made a great killer horse.  He's 10 now and
still not easy to ride. I was a little disappointed with Steph's "crazy"
horse...if he's crazy, then I'll have to think up a worse description for
Kaboot >g<.   If I had paid somebody to ride him till he was gentle, I'd
still be paying them.   

My problem with buying from the killer would be that if I brought one
home that had fractured a coffin bone on the track or something, I'd be
too honest to pass the loss off to another person at an auction, and
couldn't stand to send the horse back to the killer.  Soooo, if you guys
will just breed some really good endurance horses, and sell them for
large amounts to people with lots of money, I'll wait until they've
decided the horse is obnoxious and insane and then take him off their
hands. >g<

Angie

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