Posted on 09/30/2009 4:35:42 PM PDT by nascarnation
There are some eye-popping numbers being posted in the current annual Keeneland auction for yearling thoroughbred horses. But they aren’t the usual kinds of numbers, with gross auction revenues 41% below last year’s total, and average prices 36% below last year’s.
(Excerpt) Read more at paul.kedrosky.com ...
The Baraqqi economy continues to degrade.
Surely some stimulus funds can be injected here (sarc)
This is bad for two reasons. First, horses are one of the few American commodities that attracts large sums of our own petrol dollars back to the US economy. And second, this is bad for the marginally performing horses at the lower end of the ladder; many will now be making their ways to Asian butchers and glue factories.
A lot of Conservatives will disagree but I am totally against Horse and Dog racing. I have seen enough Derby breakdowns and euthanizations. If you don’t breed these fragile Horses theres no need to sell and race them. Free Market at work!
What are the statistics on racing life vs. stud years.
It would seem that the life expectancy of horses might factor into this speculation.
1994 to 2009 is only 15 years and the chart shown is exceptionally volatile for the period.
Just curious - I have no exposure to racing - just love horses and hate that the ‘lower end’ of these magnificent animals will be slaughtered so carelessly when they good be so appreciated by young riders.
Unfortunately, because of the recession, many equine sanctuaries are pack-full. And, Asian brokers will pay top-dollar for horses, sad but true.
Racing vs. Stud Life can vary greatly, depending on the success of the horse. Top performers will only race a season or perhaps two, and then spend the rest of their life at stud. But, stallions that don't have an exceptional racing record, don't have much value at stud, so they're the most likely to end up on someone's plate - or worse.
Life for mares can be a little easier as there's more demand for them in retirement by recreational riders, and they have the possibility of being a brood-mare if they had even limited success on the track.
I love horses and I love racing. But, breakdowns haven't decreased at the rate one might expect in relation to the tremendous advances in equine medicine and that's a BIG problem.
Breeding and steroids is to blame, IMHO. I believe the industry is making strides in the right direction with respect to steroids, but breeding is something much more complicated. I'm not sure how to fix it, nor am I sure it's even fixable.
The composite/artificial tracks seemed to show great promise early on. But, more scientific study needs to be done and they may not be the panacea so many had hoped for.
It’s very optimistic to hope that many off-the-track Thoroughbreds could find homes with young riders. In general they are not desirable as riding horses for kids (though there are exceptions, and Thoroughbreds are among my favorite horses to ride, as you can tell from my screen name). Retraining OTTBs is not for the faint of heart and generally not for kids. Some of us love the Thoroughbreds, but most people prefer something quieter so that they don’t feel they’re taking their lives in their hands every time they get on.
BTW, the life expectancy of most horses is around 30, though some can die of old age as young as 24, and I knew one Thoroughbred who lived to 46, as documented by the US Jockey Club.
Very true. Fasig Tipton's major auction a Saratoga this summer was up over last year.
ML/NJ
I'm going to disagree. My wife have three off the track Thoroughbreds and one Oldenburg with which we event. After having been in the track environment and on race courses they seem to me to have much more confidence and independence than the warmbloods. They become "bomb proof" much more quickly than the horse that spends its life in a stall and indoor arena. We vacationed at the White Stallion Ranch in Arizona when the mount they gave are kid was an off the track Thoroughbred, it did not surprise us much.
Having done Eventing with Thoroughbreds I can assure you they are not fragile.
Depends on the Thoroughbred, eh? Some of them--and I think the Northern Dancers are famous for this--tend to tiny, delicate legs and feet. But there are some excellent lines that make great, tough eventers. I am now schooling a 17-1 OTTB mare with massive legs like oak trees and hooves the size of a dinner plate. She could jump a schoolbus with a drop on the other side. Tough as nails! But I also have another weedy little OTTB mare who is 15-1 on a tall day and has feet you could put into a teacup and can barely stand to walk across a gravel driveway. There are all kinds of Thoroughbreds. I do love them for their athleticism and courage.
I’m glad you had a positive experience with your OTTB, but the original poster was suggesting that they might make kids’ horses. There aren’t a lot of kids who can take a horse from the track and reschool it, much less make it into a quiet mount.
I too have OTTBs and love them. More and more middle-aged riders are giving them up in favor of draft crosses, WB crosses, Cleveland crosses, Appendix QHs, etc. because they get tired of the “Thoroughbred moments”—the spooks, shying, and silliness some Thoroughbreds are prone to. The ground gets harder when you’re over 50, and orthopedic surgery is painful and expensive. Sometimes the fact that the TB is cheap is outweighed by the fact that they are higher strung and harder keepers than, say, a QH.
ping
I still don’t see how Horses benefit from Racing.
Breeds and portions of breeds that exist solely for “lead and feed” halter classes in horse shows, that have no need to prove performance or even be broken to ride, tend towards unsoundness. If you breed only for pretty heads or tiny feet, in a few generations you end up with animals that aren’t good for much.
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