Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

At 02:43 PM 7/18/2004, Jody Rogers-Buttram wrote:
> This is why I like to raise my own replacements.  Your right Roger, buying 
> and paying a lot for an endurance prospect is a big deal.  I personally 
> can't afford to pay the 3k and up for a horse.

As a person who was (no longer am) breeding horses for distance 
riding/competition for about 20 years, I do have a bit of a disagreement 
with your position.  Let's say you decide to breed your own.  Let's say it 
only costs you $75/month to care for a horse - an incredibly low amount - 
and that includes feed, farrier, worming, shots and everything, and you do 
your own training.

Mare pregnant one year:  $900
Foal fed through 3 yrs:   $2700
Total cost to beginning of foal's 4th year:  $3600

Now you've already paid out more than you said you'd be willing to pay for 
someone else's horses - but you don't have a guaranteed endurance horse 
anyway.  Some foals just don't grow up to be endurance horses, no matter 
how good the sire and dam.  So instead of having a choice among horses that 
look like good prospects, maybe have even done a ride or more, you're stuck 
with a horse that isn't suitable.

If there were guarantees that every foal from a great mare and a great 
stallion would be a great horse too, everyone who was into breeding would 
be rich.  When it comes to genetics, nothing is simple.

> the way I see it, if the horse was that good, why would they sell him.

Maybe they are in the business of breeding endurance horses.  Maybe there 
are rider health issues, or financial issues, or they have one horse too 
many, or... or... Just because something is for sale doesn't mean it isn't 
any good.

>  I have found it a lot easier to get my money out of a $1000 horse verses 
> a 2K or more horse.

Hah - now me, I'd wonder why someone was selling a horse for so cheap when 
I know it costs more than that to raise and train.  I'm the other way 
around when it comes to suspicion and mistrust - underpricing raises lots 
of questions in my mind!



________________________________
   Lif Strand      fasterhorses.com
           Quemado NM USA