TE^i |{ iftKINC h ' 30IRSE JANUARY addition to the duties described above the professional trainer must also be ready to travel miles to see an uncertain prospective buyer or to take time out from his family to show a man a horse and , as many of you have witnessed , he must be willing to sit up many a cold and long night with a mare in foal or a sick horse . It ’ s all part of his business !
THE HORSE OWNER
Horse owners also fall into several catagories . The singlemost important factor to remember about the owner of a horse is the he or she , for the most part is in the business for pleasure . The money they spend is “ fun money ”. When their association with Walking Horses ceases to be enjoyable they will no doubt sell their horses and turn to some other area of activity for their recreation and relaxation . When this happens we all lose ! There is much to be said pro and con regarding the association of a horse owner and his trainer . When the trainer looses sight of the primary purpose for his money-making activity , that of providing a means of pleasure and activity for his horse owners , he will certainly find making a living more difficult .
It has been said that “ at one time the rich man rode the horse and the poor man walked . As time passed the rich man had his automobile and the poor man rode the horse and NOW . . . the poor man drives his automobile and the rich man rides the horse ”. This , of course , is only symbolic of the new role that horses of all kinds play in our modernday lives , and serves to prove the point that there is money to be made in Walking Horses provided we know our business .
There are many horse owners who are active primarily for making a profit and take little interest in showing horses . These people represent a most important part of the Walking Horse business and with the assistance of a good trainer can move a lot of good horses to the mutual benefit of all concerned .
BUYING & SELLING HORSES As we have stated before , one of the principal methods by which a trainer makes a profit is buying and selling horses . There are many established methods of buying and selling that affect the trainer . Probably the most common is the commission basis whereby a trainer receives a commission , usually paid by the seller . He receives this commission if he has located a horse for a prospective buyer , and when any horse is sold while stabled at his barn . There are , of course , exceptions to this policy that are agreed upon by all concerned at the time of sale .
There are many trainers who buy and sell horses which they themselves own either in part or wholly . There are also many consignment arrangements whereby a trainer accepts the responsibility of feeding , maintaining and many times training a horse for the priveledge of selling it at a given price . Usually he has been given a sale figure by the owner and anything he receives above that figure he may keep in return for his consignment . Of course he is taking a chance that he will be able to sell the horse and it doesn ’ t take long for a horse in training to eat up a trainers profit in a consignment deal .
STANDING A STALLION
Standing a Stallion represents one of the primary sources of steady income available to a modern training stable . At this time we will not attempt to enter into breeding principles or other phases of handling a stallion , but rather we will discuss the financial and business-getting end of the operation . We realize of course that for the most part standing a stallion is seasonal and affords the most revenue during the Spring and early summer months , however there is some business of note in later months also .
As most of you know there are now many excellent breeding horses in the Tennessee Walking Horse business . Each stallion , for the most part has outstanding qualities for which he is noted . With some it is a past reputation of being a world ’ s champion . With others it is outstanding blood lines .
Still with others it is conformation and color . To be regarded as a top breeding stallion however , requires one more undeniable quality . . . proven results . A stallion must be able to produce good colts . True . . . the mare has as much to do with the results as the stallion has
( NOTE : there are still a lot of unanswered questions on this issue ) but it is primarily the stud that people look to for results .
When contemplating the purchase of a breeding stallion for a training stable , several factors should be first considered .
Location has a lot to do with the immediate success or failure of a stallion operation . Remember that unless you are standing a proven stud with an established reputation it is sometimes difficult to get owners of good mares to haul their horses a long distance to breed to your horse . Make sure that there is sufficient prospective business within a reasonable distance to make a stallion worth while . Another consideration is competition . Check on all other stables in your area and see just exactly what they have to offer . Check the blood lines of these horses and if possible investigate the results they have had in the past . Your stud fee is also a primary factor . Investigate the horse owners in your market and determine what type mares are available . If you are in an area that has a lot of activity in the breeding field perhaps you can get a top stud fee . It is better to settle for a few top mares at a good price rather than a lot of lesser mares at a lower fee . It ’ s all a matter of good business . Remember one prime factor ! If you have a good stud you will get better mares and together the two will produce the desired results .
This concludes our first article on the “ HORSE BUSINESS ", we would appreciate any comments or criticism which you may have to offer regarding this article and our intentions . Next month we will discuss some of the more modern inovations in stable construction and may introduce some ideas that you will find helpful .