Last day Keeneland

[dray33]

When promoting, you need to get creative. I for one imagine it's done more often than we know, but if you put a horse through the ring and bid him to a big number, and only have to pay 2.5%, it's sort of like good advertising. If you believe in your horses, you may need to try something different. Give them away to a good trainer, keep a percentage and pay a percentage... that way you can see what you have. Problem is, the market is in turmoil. You can't even give them away, nowadays. And even if your stallion can throw runners, it's not enough. There are simply no buyers. This is the trickle down of letting the industry run amok. The smaller guy is usually left holding the bag, but fortunately, everyone pays this time. The pain will be felt all over.

When medication abuses all but took away fair practice, it left those who don't use/abuse in the lurch. Competitive advantage meant a great deal to those who could afford it, it made the investment in thoroughbreds palatable. Could you imagine that only a few short months ago the racing world allowed the unregulated use of steroids? To what cost both physically and psychically? How do you recover the loss of trust, the foundation of fairness? For three decades, we muddied the gene pool through misleading and augmented race records. What became "class", how is it determined when so many trusted the needle?

It's the perfect storm. Incredible financial turmoil smacked straight into unrestricted greed and mismanagement. If we are to survive, the act of investment... owning and breeding race horses, needs to hint at sanity. The potential to make money, through selling or purses, needs to exist. Reduce racing days, vote in VLT's if that's what's needed, increase purses, eliminate performance enhancing meds (regulate vets), market a clean product and smarten up. Enough already.

[Rachel Alexandra]

This is what is wrong with the entire horse industry. You people can not see the fact that the market has totally disappeared and continue breeding horses with a hope that an occassional good sell will occure.
None of the horses in the last book at Keeneland should have even been bred. The lack of pedigree is the #1 reason. Hopefully, this sale will open peoples eyes and less mares will go to the shed next spring. The market has too many horses and the hit it took this sale is just a reality of what is out there. Those horses that brought only $1500 are only WORTH $1500. There will be no stakes winner from that last book. It should not even exist.

You TB breeders for racing only are also the same, that's why you are catagorized together. I don't call breeding a handfull of my mares is mass breeding, LOL! TB racing industry says let's mass breed 'um, and maybe we'll get rich with 2 to 5 %, what a joke people like you are, to think the elite breeders are the only ones that count, may God forgive whoever the hell you are. It's not just Book 7...........DAHHHHH. It's people like you that truely make people sick.

See, you aren't even reading what I am posting. I am one of the people that realizes what is wrong with the ENTIRE HORSE INDUSTRY. Not just the TB industry has mass bred. In fact, the TB industry was the last to feel the flooded market. Finally. The Quarter horse industry is getting their asses kicked, yet the fools continue breeding. Hopefully, the TB industry will take this sale seriously and understand what needs to be done. The word is that many will not be bred next year and stallion fees will be drastically dropped. Yet, fools like you still fantasize that non-pedigree colored yearlings should bring more than $11,500 at the sales.

[reedhill]

Color and conformation are not the same. Again, a well conformed doesn't mean they can run and win. I never said you didn't have well conformed horses.
Yes, even horses with a pedigree didn't bring much (view my first post in this thread) but people like you think because of your horses color, you should have gotten more than $11,500??? You may have not been in the CLUB that paid out the wazoo for a stud fee but you are in the CLUB FANTASY for thinking your horses should have brought more than $11,500. You paid no stud fee and still didn't sell for $11,500. There are paints and quarter horses selling for $50. Who is the fool playing this game?
Oh, and you are right, it wasn't just TX and OK there the last day, I did see Missouri, Colorado, Ohio, South Dakota, etc.... [/quote]

What does color and conformation have to do with each other seperately, nothing. Put them together you have something. Add stronger pedigrees and earnings, and you have even better. Everyone is allowed to put a value on what they beleive their horse is worth. To some, not as much, to others more. Thank God people like you aren't in charge of pricing everyone's animal, they may look like crap, be crooked and run, but will become a 5 y/o headed to Mexico if they don't have something else going for them. Is that what you want peole to believe. That pedigree alone is all that is needed to win. If so you don't care mauch about the end for horses do you? I'm in a Fantasy, no I live in the real world, and I know what equines like mine sell for, it's too bad your CLUB hasn't caught on to that yet........who is REALLY the fool here? I just sold our white colt this AM for much more than what he RNA'd at, which was completely pridictable for me. You are too funny!

[Rachel Alexandra]

What does color and conformation have to do with each other seperately, nothing. Put them together you have something. Add stronger pedigrees and earnings, and you have even better. Everyone is allowed to put a value on what they beleive their horse is worth. To some, not as much, to others more. Thank God people like you aren't in charge of pricing everyone's animal, they may look like crap, be crooked and run, but will become a 5 y/o headed to Mexico if they don't have something else going for them. Is that what you want peole to believe. That pedigree alone is all that is needed to win. If so you don't care mauch about the end for horses do you? I'm in a Fantasy, no I live in the real world, and I know what equines like mine sell for, it's too bad your CLUB hasn't caught on to that yet........who is REALLY the fool here? I just sold our white colt this AM for much more than what he RNA'd at, which was completely pridictable for me. You are too funny!

You really need to read my posts before you continue making yourself look like a bigger fool than you already are.
Do you really expect anyone to believe that you sold anything privately after you RNAed something that in reality is only worth $1500 (at best) for $11,500???
It's people like you that is hurting the industry by thinking you have something for the market when you really don't.

[reedhill]

Yet, fools like you still fantasize that non-pedigree colored yearlings should bring more than $11,500 at the sales.

It's not a fantasy you uneducated idiot. Call up color breeders and see what they sell for. If you can't stand that someone is making money and holding out for more, don't look, you may have a heart attack or something worse, your head may explode, get over it already!

Dray I agree, 200%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[madelyn]

It is a very tough market out there for horses that are bred to run, well conformed, with no major issues, but are not by a sire on the top 20 list. I have opted, this year, not to even try since I can usually sell off the farm and save the $2K+ per horse it has COST me in the past to take them to a sale. I, personally, think you can buy a HECKUVA lot more advertising for $6K than you can possibly get out of book 7 at Keeneland. I venture to say the 'international' crowd left there after the 21st are not buyers.

My selling cost would break down as $1K for the book, $600 for the xrays/scope, $4-500 per horse for halter, stall card, salesground expenses, shipping, my helper, my motel and my meals. That allows for last minute hay, straw, grain purchases, broken bucket or tub, forgetting the hose or pitchfork at home, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum. Saying that you got all that exposure for $1K when you paid for 3, took 3, and took 3 home sounds a bit out of touch.

I've experienced that people will say the NICEST things when they have no intention whatsoever of bidding on your horse. It is their form of "payment" to you for having you take the horse out, whisk it off, polish hooves, etc., and perform in the walk ring. The ones who furiously scribble in the catalog and then walk off with just a nod, or come back later with a couple of others, have been the buyers, in my experience.

[reedhill]

It is a very tough market out there for horses that are bred to run, well conformed, with no major issues, but are not by a sire on the top 20 list. I have opted, this year, not to even try since I can usually sell off the farm and save the $2K+ per horse it has COST me in the past to take them to a sale. I, personally, think you can buy a HECKUVA lot more advertising for $6K than you can possibly get out of book 7 at Keeneland. I venture to say the 'international' crowd left there after the 21st are not buyers.

My selling cost would break down as $1K for the book, $600 for the xrays/scope, $4-500 per horse for halter, stall card, salesground expenses, shipping, my helper, my motel and my meals. That allows for last minute hay, straw, grain purchases, broken bucket or tub, forgetting the hose or pitchfork at home, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum. Saying that you got all that exposure for $1K when you paid for 3, took 3, and took 3 home sounds a bit out of touch.

I've experienced that people will say the NICEST things when they have no intention whatsoever of bidding on your horse. It is their form of "payment" to you for having you take the horse out, whisk it off, polish hooves, etc., and perform in the walk ring. The ones who furiously scribble in the catalog and then walk off with just a nod, or come back later with a couple of others, have been the buyers, in my experience.

It cost you about $800 dollars more than I to put mine in. Mine were not scoped or x-rayed, halter $50, made stall cards, I hauled, had no slaes ground expense, my son helped, we slept at the barn, showered at a friends hotel, ate drive through. Brought hay and straw, our buckets are not broken, we brought our own feed, we brought a pitch-fork, and wheel barrow. I think madlyn you've had it out for me from the git go, so your trivial attempt here isn't working. I think you are out of touch honey.

I have never walked up to someone with an ugly horse and said how much will you take for it? Or started taking multiple photos of it, wouldn't waste my film. Eveyone that said nice things didn't have to bid, they liked a horse and said so. I guess you have never complimented anyone but yourself? I have complimented many people, I appreciate good horseflesh. And yes, those that scribbled and came back did have questions, and we were happy to answer them. WOW no shocker there. If my reserve had been met, we would have sold horses, simple as that. Many others held out too, are you saying they are full of it too, or just the colored breeder from TN you feel the need to chew on because you have nothing else to do?

[madelyn]

You think I have it Out For You??? You foolish little girl, I will not waste one single more moment reading your posts or responding. I think your neuroses are showing.

[Fireslam]

Im amazed you can sell anything with your attitude.

[Derby Lyn]

I am sitting back and reading all of this and I am amazed. The reason I breed for hunters and dressage, and yes color on top of that, is because of the lack of respect that the racing world has for a thoroughbred breeding program that is not specifically directed towards racing. I am sure there are many arguments to this statement that the "race horse people" will argue until their face is blue...so go at it, but I am not going to return to the sales forum to read anymore. I just don't understand the hostility that you are showing towards reedhill. What does this hostility stem from? Jealousy? something personal? I guess I just don't get it. So carry on...b/c you all look like fools to me

[reedhill]

This is funny, you all can say anything you want to try and make me look ignorant. What hurts you is your neuroses, in thinking that you are all knowing and the posters here are just going to take what ever you dish out. Maybe some do, and I know some that won't speak up because of attempted put downs. But at least they know I support them and they do me, and several others that don't own colored TB's. So it is you that may need to go to your "happy place" and reflect.

[Desert Oasis Sporthorses]

As I have said before, it is shame to come to a site to look for information, etc. and see this kind of stuff going on. I do not come here often for this very reason. I do not have time to partake of this kind of thing. The market stinks all the way around. We should all be supportive of anyone who is trying. It is the try that is important, not just the $$$ (tho as we all know, $$$ is nice ). Positive energy and thoughts are the most important thing we have. That is what keeps us going forward, race breeders and colored breeders alike. Good for you Reedhill for going forward. It is the start of a brave new world and as always I wish you the very best.

[ct2346]

Remind me what we're arguing about?

[reedhill]

Business IS hard enough right now for EVERYONE but some just like to play God and see if they can make someone else feel more miserable than they do, LOL. As most of you all know, I don't back down to repeated garbage. Thank you for being positive Kim.

[Desert Oasis Sporthorses]

Exactly.