We went to the R nationals this year and saw a number of horses sold there for very good prices to say the least. One Colt we were looking at and considering buying came out of his class, we ask about him on the way out and went back to look at him in the stall an hour later and he was sold to someone else. No he did not win his class, but we liked him a lot. He brought 8,500.00. We snoozed and we losed LOL. I know of one very established breeder that bought 4 horses for a total of 42,000.0 at the R show also. So sales were pretty brisk to say the least there.
Before we left home earlier today for the A World show Cindy consumated the deal (recieved money) and sold 3 mares and a colt to two different people for very good prices. We have a few colts and a couple of filies left from this years production which are some of the best we produced. We intend to keep them till them age a little to see what we want to keep for the show string this next year, unless someone really wants them and they are going to a show home.
We also have two colts left that will be sold as geldings that don't seem like them will make the grade for our show string. After looking at them again today, I told Cindy that these were petty durn nice colts that we would have killed for a few years ago. She agreed with me and hopefully they will make good horses for som youth out there in the industry.
All in all it has been a good year for both quality and sales for us. The prices seem to be about the same as they have in the procedding several years. That is all we have left.
We are also able to assist several other farms in selling of some of the horses they have for sale as we can't supply what our customers want out of our herd alone. We have sold 11 other farms horses so far this year.
Personally we see the need for advetisement, showing and promoting the Anerican Miniature horse to people both inside and outside the industry as our key mission. The folks in the present day miniature industry for the most part know miniatures and why they love them. new folks need to be educated and exposed to the joys we all enjoy to be sucessful.
Several of the other posters made the comment that Quality Sells and I also believe that. The horses we are selling as pets today were the show horses of 10 years ago, the breed just keeps getting better and better. The quality of the horses I saw at the R nationals was awesome and better than what we saw there previously, we expect the same at the A World Show.
As in most things this durn promotion of the breed and our farm is hard work, costs money and lots of planning/fore thought. I am belssed in that my wife is driven in her desire and love of these littlle guys to be sucessful at it. We will be purchasing a few more horses this year in order to add some bloodlines we want and I am sure we will have to pay decent money to do so. Additionally we expect to sell our horses for resonable amounts of money and be sucessful at marketing them to appropriate new homes.
So to answer the question directly, I expect next year to be about the same as this last year. Sales will be good and the breeding program will continue to produce the kind of horses we want it to. As long as we continue to promote the miniature horse, work in cooperation with other farms and produce horses that are better than what we have produced last year everything will be fine no matter what happens to the economy etc.. Facts are that most people are working and that is a good thing.
On a lighter note I was complaining to a freind we had visit from Holland a few weeks ago about the gas prices in our area being about 2.60 per gallon for regular unleaded. They immediately started laughing at me and informed us they were paying in excess of of 7.00 per gallon at home. Addintitonally they said I was a spoiled brat, which I took exception to. I guess all things are relative.
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Good luck to everyone going to the A World show!!!!!! :saludando:
