| At just
about every gathering of horse people, you can find a discussion
taking place somewhere concerning the high cost of breeding fees
these days and the unhealthy focus stallion owners have on blue
ribbons. Since I’m one of the stallion owners charging the
fees and vying for ribbons, I want to describe life on the other
side of the fence.
Simply put, mare owners often don’t recognize how much it
costs to import a stallion and then to realize that stallion’s
championship potential. And without excellent stallions and
mares, our breed will not improve.
Over the past 16 years, I have imported four stallions from
Europe: four month old Hostar from Holland, two year old Marnix
from Holland, three year old Felix from Norway and three year
old Prydarson (Sonny) from Norway. All had high scores for
conformation in their respective countries. Later, in North
America, every one of these stallions earned an overall Grand
Championship in halter and a Championship in driving. Why did I
go to Europe for stallions? I wanted to bring new bloodlines
into North America. I wanted to start with approved animals.
To get an idea of the costs involved, take Prydarson (Sonny),
my most recent import. He arrived on my farm a year ago to the
tune of $22,000. $8,000 was Sonny’s price in Norway. Trucking
him to Germany cost $2000. The flight to Canada was $8,000 which
included a brokerage fee of $2000. Then the government fees and
permits, import fees, vet checks and quarantine fees took up the
remaining $4,000.
Over and above these costs were the expenses of my trip to
Norway, and the salary for someone to teach my log building
school while I was away. That was another $3,000. |
When Sonny
arrived in Canada, I had a lot of money invested in this horse,
as yet unproven in North America. Every stallion owner has then
to get out and make a name for his or her horse.
With
Sonny I was able to achieve my championship goal in just one
year. That doesn’t always happen. The trip overseas puts a big
stress on horses and they all adapt differently. The trip from
Norway is a particularly long and grueling one. The stallion
arrives to different ways of dealing with horses, a new language
and new foods. And then there is his ability to learn. Every
horse is different and you have no way of knowing in advance how
long your newly imported animal will take to settle in.
Other "special to stallion" fees you face are
insurance fees. After all your time and money, it’s wise to
consider insuring him, especially as stallions seem to get into
more mischief than other horses. $1500 a year seems a middle of
the road fee, although you will be surprised at what it doesn’t
cover. If you’re not a trainer yourself, there’s the cost of
outside help, as well. And then, most important is promoting
your new find. Advertising costs are a must. The Fjord Herald
charges $365 a page and that’s four times a year.
Meantime, you have all the regular bills to cover. Vet bills,
farrier bills and the feed costs will set you back $3,000 a
year. A horse you plan to show in the ring and to mare owners
for prospective breedings must be in good form at all times.
Shows are expensive to attend, especially if
it takes in three or four days and if you have to cross the
border as I do. This year I attended five shows and one
evaluation. Three of these shows were in the United States. To
attend the Woodstock, Vermont show, for example, from farm to
the show |
and back
home again cost me $2,000 to take Sonny. This included show
fees, gas, rooms, meals and someone to look after the farm while
I was away.
The
Morrisville, New York Evaluation fees and related expenses were
also $2,000. I entered five different tests with Sonny and came
home with four blue ribbons, one red, a silver medallion and one
gold medallion. Each ribbon cost around $300. In conformation
Sonny scored 87 points. That makes him the high point stallion
in the NFHR evaluation system and well worth the outlay!
However, this doesn’t always happen so fast. It can take years
for the stallion to get enough exposure to make up for the
dollars spent to bring him home.
So when you hear the mare owners commenting on
the high costs of breeding fees and the intense interest in blue
ribbons among the stallion owners, give a thought to the high
cost of stallion owning. Sonny’s breeding fee will be $1000
for 2003 but it will take a long time to make up for this first
year’s investment. I feel strongly, however, that bringing new
bloodlines to North America will improve our chosen breed. |