|
I think the key elements have been mentioned already, philosphy is similar between the various breeds and purposes for raising, showing and working. I've always kept my distance, but I've been around them for almost 40 years, since born actually, and I've never really seen the success level across the board. In the equestrian end of things, it is really unfair for me to comment, but it seems it costs a lot of money to pursue this cause. You happen to get a good one, a good trainer, a good rider and do a lot of winning, sure helps that horse to become valuable, but your investment can start from the foal stage, years of training and showing, one injury can ruin all of this. It's a vast subject, there are some people who have unlimited funds to throw at equine venues, but keeping afloat on ones salary, when dealing 6 or more can be interesting to say the least. Everything from barn help, riders, training, facility upkeep, hay, feed, veterinarian bills, illness's, weather, and other things can just be a huge burden. My father and stepmom still play this game, have not been by the place since june, probably up to 25 or 30 head at the place now. They would be so much farther ahead if they just got rid of it all, but like many things old habits die hard ! Both support it from afar, so they have to rely on trustowrthy people and good workers, that don't earn a whole heck of a lot, and when I was up there working, I had all I could do to not wring a few necks, not easy to find anyone decent when the pay is mediocre, hard to get anything done with all the distractions, not for me, I just enjoy doing compost now. They breed, did several this year, we have one stud who has some great bloodlines, good disposition, he even shows, but still not sure how that is going, have sold 1-2 this year, not sure if that even put a dent in things, they were experienced show horses with good dispostions. I too think it's a really difficult racket, more so when you have a lot of them.
|
