Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

Bopping around to everyone's posts some things caught my eye and make me wonder.

The flooded horse market...

The crappy economy and high price of EVERYTHING is causing people to dump horses left and right. Problem is...We probably wouldn't notice this as much if the slaughter plants weren't closed in the US. Don't get me wrong, we have never raised a horse and thought "Well, if it don't work out, we can always send him to slaughter." My dad and my step-dad used to "ship" their old or crippled horses. WE DO NOT DO THAT ANYMORE. But I was raised to believe that the killer market provided the basis of value for a good saddle horse or prospect. Anything you wanted to ride or train had to be worth more than the killer buyer was paying.
But the thing that makes me go hmmmm, is the fact that the last time the slaughter plants in the US were closed was in the 80's, then the economy crashed. Wasn't that mostly due to the S&L's use of over valuing property, borrowing on it and then going bankrupt when the bubble burst? Horses weren't worth a plugged nickel then either.

And the other thing was...Why does it seem that the least educated morons out there can start breeding horses and get 100% of their mares to settle and raise crappy babies year after year, when people who spend time learning and learning and learning everything they can have about a 60% chance of getting a mare to produce a live foal?

It just makes ya think, WTF????

Edited, to add...
VaqueroGirl asked if I was old enough to remember the 80's. I started to answer her but realized my comment was longer than my post-Sheez, see what happens when the wind blows in SD? I have time to sit on the computer and contemplate things-hehe. So here is what I remember about the 80's...

I remember everyone always worrying about money, falling land prices, people couldn't get operating loans(most ranches have to have them) and poor starving horses standing in grazed to dirt pastures. My mom scrimped and saved to buy me an $800 barrel horse-he was top of the line! That was an astronomical amount at that time.
The rest I learned in college-so many classes that all preached that "it could never happen again" because they were so careful to put all of these checks and balances in-HA!! DOUBLE HA! I could see what they were doing when I worked at a bank in AZ. Make a rule, these people figure out how to get around it to make a buck. And the loans I processed? Holy Crap, a lot of these people had no business buying a house and refinancing it every time it took a jump in value? Idiots!!

It is now starting to hit home around here-cattle prices are dropping drastically. A lot of ranchers have lived pretty good for the last few years; Cattle prices were high, horse prices were high, land values were high, borrowing money was easy. A lot of them drive brand new pickups, have $100,000 tractors, bought more land, at $500-$600 an acre. I know that sounds so cheap to people who aren't from around here, but it is darn hard to get grassland to pay for itself at those prices. What farming that is done around here is dryland(no irrigation), so no corn or soybeans are grown to be sold at astronomical prices. There are very few jobs to be had. The biggest employer in our entire county is the school system. Our county is broke, due to the rising crime rate and the cost to house and prosecute the criminals, most of whom are Indians off the reservation. The tribe contributes nothing toward caring for their members, other than to scream rascism. The reservation keeps buying deeded land in the county and taking it off the tax rolls, so fewer and fewer taxes are collected. Every time the county tried to raise taxes, the people vote it down. It's a freaking mess!! Not everyone is going to survive this. I am already seeing pinched and worried faces and this area is just now starting to feel the impact of what a lot of the country has already been blasted with.

13 comments:

Vaquerogirl said...

BEC- Are you old enough ot remember the crash of the 80's! That is exactly wha' happened, and I just knew it would happen again!
I wish I knew what 'majic potion' those morons use- prolly the same potion they use when they concieve their own passel of crumb crunching curtain climbers- but if they could market it, they'd be richer than us.

kdwhorses said...

Girl~amen...I hear ya! It is so dishearting what is going on with the horse market!

Mikey said...

Amen to that. I think we're all in for a real hard time. So sad to see the horses suffer for it. LOTS of barns closing down, just reading the Pacific Horse Journal and saw an ad for a big farm, closing it's doors.
I'm more than a little scared for what's going to happen next.

SunnySD said...

So true. Sad, too.

Paige said...

Tell it sister.

Even after yesterday's nonsense, I just got called downstairs in my building to an insurance office run by a horse person--who had a man in there trying to sell a three year old "papered" filly--not started, knows nothing, and wants 700 for her. When I asked if she was started, he said no, he is too old. I said I am too fat, but I pay people to do that for me. Maybe I am learning to stand on my hindlegs after all.

DUDE. You are my neighbor. You know I too many horses. I do not want the result of your non-planning. I can afford to feed mine and train them and keep them until the right home comes along.

Why do people not think?

Melanie said...

These are definitely unsure times that we are living in, and I just hope that we have not ruined the futures of our children.

The horse market-well ANY market!-is so bad right now, and I know people who are begging anyone to please take their horses. The trouble is no one can afford to feed several horses when hay is $30/bale at the feed store right now.

I hope things at least stabilize and hold steady at some point. They don't have to go back to the way they were, just quit dropping.

PS-Glad that the court hearing went well for your mom!:)

cdncowgirl said...

Its scary out there, and it will probably get worse before it gets better.
But so many people spin their wheels shouting about what's wrong, we need more people to use their energy trying to think of solutions.
Sure it can't all get fixed at once but as they say "Rome wasn't built in a day". Small steps and small goals lead to the big picture.

(no I don't have any solutions myself right now! lol I just think negative thinking/energy begets more of the same)

Train Wreck said...

What even wors is that the people in charge of the debt aren't sufering at all! Did you hear about the people who just got their ass saved, with the payoff, and went to a ritzy resort for a weekend!WTH? We are responsible and pay our own debt? Now we are responsible paying others debt while they have a weekend at the spa!??

Callie said...

I've been preaching this crap for a couple of years now. There is something to be said about regulating the overpaid morons in Wall St.. There is a lot more to that "bail out" bill then just paying the CEO's. Unfortunately, it had to be done. Unfortunately, it hasn't even made a dent and the World economy is just as bad, except for China. We live within our means, but even Steve and I have put in a few safety nets. My retirement went down the shitter. And I don't think we've seen the worst of it yet. I just put a padlock on my main gate to my horses. I don't want anyone trying to eat them, but mostly I don't want to make it easy for someone to dump theirs on my property. I can afford to feed my own, but more? I don't think so. This is precisely why I'm worried about getting my kid through college. No banks, no credit, no loans, people even for those of us who are in good standing like myself. This affects us all! And I do not envy anyone who gets into office cuz it will take a lot of bold moves to even start it mending and Nobody will like it! And it will take years........years!

Mrs. Mom said...

I am old enough to remember the last "crash" episode, but unfortunately, I was too ignorant to pay attention then.

As to todays mess- well, there was a time when I was freaked out about it. Know what? Stressing over what *might* happen, or what we *dont have* only got me more focused on what is WRONG. It dragged me even deeper downwards, and that spiral sucked. I made a supreme effort to change my thinking, and change my outlook- and know what? Its working. Be smart. Live smart. Be creative. Stop looking at what is NOT there, and start looking to what IS there, and BUILD ON IT. No, we cant fix everyones life, but we CAN set an example for them, by living SMART, and living STRONG.

Is it a solution for the World economy? One person at a time, maybe. Will people do it? Lots of them, hell no. It is easier to be negative, and drown in the bad stuff and dwell non-stop on the bad bad bad. And to look for someone to blame. And someplace else to lay the blame.

OK- off my soap box now. Sorry BECG... didnt mean to sound off on here.... you can zap me if you want! ;)

Mikey said...

Wow, your comment on my page blew me away. That's so sad so many registered horses are going to slaughter. Damn. Sigh.
Wade says much like the Depression, this will weed out the crap and the back yard breeders and leave better horses. But I think it's sad it got this way in the first place.

Andrea said...

My father in law goes to the sale barns around here. I don't think he misses a sale. He went on Tuesday and found a 17 year old QH gelding that was an old roping horse, kids were doubling on it,and they were riding it in a baling twine. My father in law's friend bought it for 225 dollars. he is going to try the horse out for us to see if the gelding would be good for my kids. There are some pretty good horses going through our sale barns, people just can't afford them any more. But 225 was a lot to pay for a horse at the sale barn. It's sad.

They did close the Baton Rouge Sale Barn down for a short time becuase they weren't making any comission. The sales were so low. I have never even been to a sale barn until I moved here. I always want to buy all the horses. The majority of the horses around here go to the Kill Buyer. My father in law said one reall nice TB mare, a 4 year old, was sold to the KB for 10 cents a pound. That is sad.

Everything is going to get bad before it gets better. It's just sad to see the animals go first. I have a weanling that I refuse to sell for 100 bucks, so she is staying with me.

Vaquerogirl said...

Wow! BEC- there is a lot of worry out ther- you touched a nerve I'd say. Were all worried, but since we are all right thinking and solid citizens, I think we all will be alright. It's going to take time and effort on our very own part- to hell with the CEO's AND politicians- to get things right. I only pay with cash now- from gas to grocery- and have since the 80's! I did learn my lesson then! Hope your animal pals are safe and sound too.