Market must be bad

[Pam M]

One of my boarders said a registered PP just went for $290 at a local sale last week. She almost bought it for me but figured she'd better ask first! Registered QH's were going as low as $150. I guess it's a good time to buy if you can afford to feed. So now I'm wondering...WHY are people still breeding?!

[CarolU]

I think it is the same story all over too. Look what Terry is selling her's for. We have long lists of horses for sale right now, but no buyers. I am sure the drought throughout the south and east has not helped any at all. If there is 50% of the hay there normally is, people can only feed half as many horses.

Lucky those who have pasture. Out here we either feed or irrigate pasture, or both.

[Linda Y]

There is such a disparity of prices. I wonder if anything was wrong with the PP. I wonder how someone can ask $5-10,000 for a so-so looking Paso...and get it.

[Carol Nelson]

I'm NOT breeding. Haven't for two years now. Except for my mini mare...I figure they're not too expensive to feed.
No, it's awful...I have horses for sale, but have not sold a one and the incident you relate is why. Why will they buy a mare from me for $4000 or a beautiful show quality gelding for $4500 when they can go and buy one for $290?
I'm not willing to drop mine to bargain basement prices because of the quality I've tried to produce...I am hoping to ride out the tide until the rains start again...and believe me, it is the drought that has had the biggest effect on the market. When we got that one 5 inch rainfall, my phone started ringing again, but as soon as folks realized that was it for the rain...it stopped.
I don't know what's going to happen...I hope I can hold out. The good thing is is that I don't depend on my horses for my livelihood...but I seriously feel sorry for those who do.
God bless us all...and especially the horses...as they're the ones that are going to feel it the most. :(

[Pam M]

I commend you for not breeding Carol - you've proven yourself to be one of the responsible ones. I'm having a hard time stocking hay for the winter also. Otherwise I would probably go get that pp mare and bring her home. But I can't feed them all and I have to think about the ones I've already got. My boarder found out who bought her (feed lot guy) and got the info in case we want to get her. She said the mare was beautiful, well trained, rode nicely and didn't appear to have any problems but she was an older mare. Very sad. And yet I still offers of $2-5k on my grade gelding from the pony jumper people so some are selling. You just have to be in the right market I suppose.

[Carol Nelson]

Sad thing is though, Pam, I'm only a small breeder...the most foals I've put out in one year was four...what about the breeders who breed every one of their 50, 60, maybe 100 mares in a year...
Like Terry put it in one post awhile back...not every one of those mares takes but if even a third do...there's a whole lot of horses hittin' the market. And what about Embryo Transfers...there you get more than one foal out of the SAME MARE...
At least I have heard that even some of the big breeders here in Texas have curtailed their breeding...it's the drought...after one had mares aborting in the fields, they finally had the sense to quit breeding.

[Pam M]

Yep, you should see some of the yahoos around here. I know one guy that breeds about 20 mares a year and doesn't bother getting them vetted. He counts on losing a few and thinks it evens out from the money he saves at the vet!

[Terry Wallace]

Its really bad here Pam.... Colorado is now the #1 state for forclosures....that should give you some idea of how bad the economy is here...... I fear a recession is looming too... the $5.15 an hour mini-wage don't help either!

[britzlove]

Isn't this a whole can of worms. The market is bad because luxury purchases are down, have been down, the money people have left after paying bills is less, they are less likely to commit to extra expenses...not to mention the looming fear of fuel prices..OK their mysteriously down now..who knows what may happen soon...
Overall breeding does effect this. Problem breeders though..not the person breeding select stock in a moderate level..its the breeders breeding everything they can in hopes of making small amounts of $. In example its to someone like Carol that might breed 4 quality foals a year...Its all 30 of the people that will breed a 20 year old broodmare to a 2 yr old colt their friend owns because they can and think that $300 is alot of money.
As far as sales go though..good horses can have bad circumstances happen...divorces happen...bankruptcies happen..papers get lost....bad trades are completed...owners die and estate lawyers or thier family dumps the horses at sales because its the quickest way. This is likely what happened to the horse you mentioned..something similiar.
It's sad for the individual..and I hate it..but it's not going to change unless major changes are made...that won't be made because Americans like their freedom.

Do the best you can on your own..make your own positive imprint...

Britz