From the Publisher – Somewhere in the Middle

Click here to read the complete article
14 – January/February, 2023

By Tom Grabe

While surfing the internet recently, I came across numerous listings of horses for sale. This is nothing uncommon in the modern world of digital advertising. Everything’s for sale on the net, horses included.

I was surprised by the price of the horses offered for sale compared to their show records. Many of these horses had points in halter and performance… not just a few points, but double digit. Many of these horses had over 50 points in halter and performance. Others had Superior awards in performance and halter events. Many were state champions. Most were priced around $10,000 and under.

This singular fact probably does not surprise anyone with their finger on the pulse of the horse industry. We all know that top contenders, those capable of winning at the big shows, command sky-high prices while mid-range horses cannot find a taker. This is a simple reality facing today’s breeder of purebred horses.

The concern about the lack of a broad market for the breeds we all love is the impact it has on the breeders and the registries of those horses. We have watched breeders disappear and registrations fall. We have seen local and national futurities decline or disappear. I think the aforementioned problems are symptoms of the lack of broad markets for our beloved breeds. The question facing all of the registries is what can be done to remedy this problem? How do we attract people to our sport that don’t have 100k or more to spend on a horse?

Click here to read the complete article
14 – January/February, 2023