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[RC] Horse Buying/Selling - goearth

Hello,  A trainer asked me the other day... " why i'm not breeding anymore cause i bred some good ones", as i was showing a horse for sale that i had raised.  The answer was..."I lost money and no longer care to loose money subsidizing the sport." Thank you all, for again pointing out the real facts of what it takes to get a horse to the 5-6 yo trained, ready to go to a ride level.  Maybe if people realize what it costs (and the time and risk)  they will pay for the most important aspect of Endurance Riding...The Horse.  30-50k for a truck, 10-50k for a trailer, 1-3k for a saddle (yea i know there are cheap ones,i rode my 300$  20yo Wintec last night) , etc...and people think they can go get the most important aspect of the equation for 3-5k.  The reality is the Arab breeders have been subsidizing the sport since the start, mainly with the show culls (from my personal perspective).  I have marketed probably 50 (and bred 10 or so when i had the stallion and the mares) or so horses and now in the process of being the agent for a seller of 2, one that i had sold in the past and her baby.  Even tho i'm marketing them to friends and have agreed to drop my sales commission, to make the horses more affordable and go to a home where i know they'd be well taken care of and not just another flash in the pan as has happened in the past, the owner will 'Loose Money".  Personally, i think that you should go look at the horse you are buying and see them up close and see if there is a bond,  feel the ears inside and out and see what all the issues are and then, go sleep on it and make a rational decision on something that could be a part of your family for 20 plus years. The only people who make money on horses are those that don't own them.  So, if one looses money breeding, the only thing left is to make sure they go to a good home.  Be happy and may everyone find that perfect horse and friend.  tom sites