purchasing an endurance horse(long)

[dpfreed@webtv.net (David Freed)]

A few of you may remember when I was in the middle of my quest for an
endurance horse just over a year ago.   An experienced friend traveled
with me and my family and we searched for 6 - 8 months and looked at
everything under $10,000 here in California.  (Okay, there were a few we
missed....)  You haven't experienced disgust until you've driven 500
miles to look at a horse or prospect that has been advertised for
$10,000, well broke, excellent conformation (and viewed the videos)
only to find off-set cannons, never been out of an enclosed
arena....etc....

We also found a couple of rescues waiting to happen.  A lovely older
couple (70s+) with more than 100 horses, all well fed at this time) and
only two broke.......   We actually liked one of the mares and discussed
a price of $3500 ..the man cursed at us (you g-- d--- endurance
riders...always looking for a bargain...)   Apparently he had been
involved with straight egyptians since the 60s and 70s and had seen the
prices go by in te tens of thousands.   I can just imagine the auction
that will take place when these folks pass on....

A second where, again, there were more than 100 well-brd animals.  The
one in particular we went to see had 60 days under saddle.When we got
there we also saw that she had a seriously twisted knee.  The rest were
in over-grazed pasture and no hay in sight.  I could count vertbrae on
the majority.  I called the SPCA on that place and they told me they
couldn't  anything unless THEY could see the animals from the road......
A year later,  I heard several of these horses that had finally been
sold  2000 - 9000 below asking price, whole saled out for a few hundred
dollars a piece..  The one I saw in person was underweight and uncared
for.  These folks had been breeding racing lines, and they too were out
to make a fortune.    

I talked to people on this list with horses for sale but , as I can well
understand,  many wanted top competitors to buy their animals and that's
not me.  This is my hobby. I hope to do 5-7 rides a year.  I finally
returned to a green CMK mare, one of the first horses I had looked at a
year ago last October and picked her up for under 2000 after a month's
trial.   

We would have paid more for a well-broke translate "safer" horse - if we
could have found one.  Arabs are overbred and undertrained.  I wonder if
it is the same in other breeds?   I also think there are way too many
stallions around.   It's a little sad to see all the "back-yard"
stallions that have done nothing to prove themselves .

Individuals really need to examine what their goals really are.  Some
day I will have to decide whether to breed my mare or find another that
someone else has already bred.  I don't think us "laymen" make money on
hobbies, as a rule.  You have to be doing it for other reasons.

If you have well-broke, sound and well-conformed horses,  I think you
will find people willing to pay.   I also think a thrity-day trial is a
great incentive for someone to take a second look at an animal.  It may
kjust be california (we drove 6000 miles looking at horses and found
that most folks don't know what straight legs are or a horse that is
broke.  I'd love to see a count of Arabs that haven't been out of their
paddocks in months or years....its disheartening....

sorry for sounding off so long....I may be looking for a back-up one of
these days.....jan