Economy Size

Presidential Election time.. Every notice that during any well contested presidential election, the future forecast becomes all doom and gloom. It's the eve of the apocolypse. Just ask anyone. It's on the news. We're all going straight to hell. In a hand-basket even. Dig a hole, and bury your money in it. Safer than a bank, or especially, the stock market. Better yet, dig a hole and bury yourself in it. You're broke, or if you aren't yet, you will be soon. You can't afford to drive anywhere, so forget a vacation, or traveling when you retire. Forget retirements too, since your 401k just bit the big one.

It's nothing more than a mob mentality in a panic. The mob is a force to be reckoned with. The mob's mood really does influence the country as a whole. What has happened is that we've finally woken up from the "dream" we were having where money floated down to us like manna from heaven. We treated it as it was really worth- less than the paper it is printed on. And now our largesse has come home to roost. Or has it?

So now we've had our rose-tinted glasses removed. And people are playing a little closer to the vest. But people are still spending. They are looking for more "bang for the buck", but they are still spending. They are still horse showing. They may choose their shows more carefully, and get more classes from a single horse, but they are still showing.

Overheard from a jewelry vendor at the Congress: suprise that given the economy, they had just "sold over $3,500 in sterling silver just that morning".

Horses are moving. THAT is an interesting dynamic. Average price for a Congress/World quality horse is $40,000 -$65,000. There is a LARGE number of horses in that range competing for, not a smaller number of buyers exactly, but very carefull, discerning, buyers. They are going to shop, and shop well, and do their homework thoroughly before buying.
The far end of that market, the perpetual champions.. they fall into the "stupid crazy" price range- you know- $75,000 to ??? "the sky is the limit" ??? Those horses are moving. Top QUALITY still sells. The top level (win, win, win) Regional horses (these include the occasional Congress & World placers) are between $12,000 and $25,000. Yearlings and young prospects have finally settled into a more logical niche- usually under $10k.
The flip side of this coin is where it gets interesting. Pick up any local paper that advertises horses. You'll find a large number of older, generally unregistered horses from $10 - $1000. Yes, that's right. I saw a horse advertised for sale for TEN BUCKS. That is a faaaarrr cry from horse prices just a year or two ago. Why?

Sure, fuel prices skyrocketing had a lot to do with that. However, as the major bonus to a cramped economy, fuel isn't as much in demand, so prices fall. They're still higher than this time last year, but given the decrease, it feels more like winning the lottery when you fuel up rather than having organs forceably removed without anesthetic. So, fuel prices don't account for it, entirely. Prices of horse keeping have increased, and winter is coming on. Every year prices go up, and every fall there are a number of people that look out at their pasture and realize that they have an older horse that may or may not make the winter, has special needs, or is, for what ever reason no longer wanted. Since slaughter in the US has been banned there is no where for those horses to feasibly go. Now you add in the effect of a worried populace, fretfull of their budget, and they see that horse as an expenable, unneccesary expense. It's a perfect storm in the making... an economy sized problem with no ready answer.

Tis The Season

Ahhh..... fall. It's that special time of year, when the mornings get brisk, ice skims the water tanks and the BIG SHOWS take place. For the "real hunters" fall marks the start of the indoor show season. For the breed people, it marks the time of year when the big "CHAMPIONSHIP" level shows take place. Granted, World Championship shows take place year round, virtually, but there is something extra about the ones in the fall.

The call of the highway.. driving day and night... oh, yeeaaaahhhhhh. Okay. OK. Maybe that's not the best part, but it does give you time to reflect. Bonus: this time of year the scenery is lovely. Despite opting out of the Appaloosa World Show this year, we didn't miss out on the driving. We did Congress by way of Harrisburg, and while we were there, we popped in to check out the Pennsylvania National Show.

Alright! So the phone doesn't take the best pictures while driving at 70mph. Anywayyy--- 81S to Harrisburg.

The best part of the Penn National is checking out the new trends. Give it 2 or 3 years, and what catches on there eventually trickles down to the "breed" world. Thankfully, not everything catches on, and less of that goes "mainstream". Check out these boot tops spotted at Hadfield's Saddlery. I'm the first one to LOVE bling.. just NOT on my legs!

After a few days of Kenn shoeing and me producing the D/K Show Horse's Sale Video (fun headache, that!.. but that is the little part of US that gets to go the Ft. Worth) It was off to Columbus, OH. On the way, I got to see THE largest deer ever... or at least the largest buck I've ever seen in my life, not on some hunting show. It stood there, larger than a small pony, surveying the highway from on high. No, I didn't get a pic. Tough at night. This is how those come out.

Columbus, OH and the All American Quarter Horse Congress were about how I remember it- only more food vendors (yuuuuuummmmmyyyyy), less people (fewer germs! yea!! I'm still healthy.. no "crud" this time), and warmer weather (it was GORGEOUS). The shopping is larger than life. It still takes hours to get through all the vendors. Bargains are there to be had- if you are a discriminating and patient shopper.

The Congress, unlike past years, was a complete blast. Reba was great, but her real niche will be in the hunter hack next year. Speaking of, it was utterly depressing NOT to have a horse in the Jr. Talk about boring and simple. I could have cried. Plain brown rails and shrubbery...

Have You Noticed?

Have you ever noticed- on every roadside work crew, there is at least ONE very fat man, whom is both every good at holding up the shovel handle so that it doesn't get dirty, and hanging out in the single lane of moving traffic.

The other day, in the distance of 10 miles I went through 2 differant road constuction sites with a VERY lardge man hanging out into traffic. Since it couldn't be the same man.... I mean, really, what are the odds exactly?