Laura of Cal.
--- In haflingerfriends@yahoogroups.com, halfboxtwo@... wrote:
>
> In a message dated 2/11/10 1:27:16 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> cedarglyn@... writes:
>
> > The Haflinger is my first choice for a mount and I continue to think
> > everyone could enjoy this wonderful breed. I tend to think the owner of the
> > $700 Haflinger is looking for a rapid sale due to difficult times. My local
> > craigslist is full of free horses or ones less than $200. Unfortunately, we
> > are experiencing a sad economy in many areas of the US.
> >
> this statement says it all ... clear across the entire US . I get
> calls weekly from folks that want me to take in their kids horses due to not
> being able to feed them anymore and the child has lost interest as they can't
> afford to go take lessons anywhere.
>
> I know that money is tight for everyone and face it, feeding horses takes
> away from other family activities. I see free horses listed in my local
> papers and feel so sad for those owners that have to get to that point where
> they have to give the horse up ...
>
> The auctions barns are charging a fee just to take the horse to the sale
> now and the reason is there are no buyers! And they don't want to get stuck
> trying to run a sale and not be able to pay the staff that help to move the
> horses thru. We are in hard times and it is not for the faint of heart. It
> is a battle daily for many ranches that have herds and have to decide to feed
> the cattle and let the horses go fending for themselves on the wheat
> stubble. It is the way a lot of the ranchers get by where I live, they turn the
> horses out on grazing land and if they make it fine and if they don't well
> they are coyote bait.
>
> the feed store I go to says that their sales of wormer and grain and horse
> supplies have dropped so low that they had to lay off all the gals the
> worked the counters. the feed guy that would deliver is now down to once a month
> deliveries and they now charge a fee of $20.00 no matter if you buy ten bags
> of feed and four panels or hay or whatever or buy one sack of grain and
> want it brought to your place.
>
> My area of the state is not doing well with sales of horses but a few of
> the real ranches and breeders have enough hay to tough it out.
>
> I do feel sales are going to come back
>
> but we will not see the high prices that were the norm of the 80s and the
> early 90s .... there are new folks out looking to buy
> but they want a really good horse for what they consider a good deal of
> money ... and we as the ones feeding, raising and training them are trying to
> let them know it cost more to train and to feed and we need to try to get
> something back on that five or six year old horse but sometimes
> we go ahead and make a sale
> thinking we have found the best home possible,
> only to find out the person just dumps the horse within a short time and a
> horse trader comes in and scoops up that good bred mare and then raises the
> price to double or triple of what you sold it for .... So there are
> shysters out there pretending to be upstanding breeders or sellers of the
> Haflinger,
> but word of advice,
> be very careful,
> as some of those who have web pages full of horses for you to try out,
> well they are just dealers,
> who are trying to take office and become inportant and well known due to
> the drop out of good horseman that were great leaders in the breed.
> not the real breeders who cares and spends the times and money up front ...
>
> I am sad to say that many new folks might be taken advantage of even in
> today's down market.
>
> So yes there are some private sales that looks like this breed is priced
> low
>
> but that is better than finding out
> you went to a place
> and then tracked down the previous owners and find out you got snookered,
> and got a horse that was at their barn for less than a month and paid triple
> the price ...
>
> So see it is a real study in human nature to be in the horse business and
> only the strong survive ... I want to encourage new folks and hope that the
> market improves but in the meantime shop carefully and ask a lot of
> questions and take your time. Easy to buy hard to sell.... Peggy in eastern Wash.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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