07/07/2025
Don't count the little guys out...the breeders you never heard of, the ones standing the stud who is dragging calves to the branding fire, running hard-knocker times at the local jackpot, roping steers everyday without fanfare or Instagram fame.
Too many times these days, it's the little guys who can't sell their colts. Or have to make deals. Or tighten their belts until their ship comes in. They try diligently to get their horses placed into programs where the horse's talent will be showcased, brought to light, and just maybe, maybe, some fairy dust will sprinkle down the ivory tower and fall on the rest of them. Drawing attention from a fickle hearted world too easily wooed by fool's gold, glitter and souls without substance.
Don't count out the hard workers. Those hardy ones with their heads down, calloused hands and hopeful hearts busy building dreams around well built brood mares with accomplished grandsires and dams on their papers. Mares with more good foot and bone, pretty baby doll heads, than outstanding bloodlines, on their resume. Don't count out those folks who know that a female line with a good mind and bulging gaskins, straight legs and low hocks, can be counted on to go further to re-creating greatness than any 'own daughter of' ever has.
This horse business is like a snake eating its own tail these days. Performance horse trainers (and horse traders) can't do all we do without the breeders. So we have to remember, and respect, the little guy. After all, over half this industry is made up of those horse folks you have never heard of, doing the same thing everyday that the big name breeders are, just on a smaller scale. Unfortunately it's not buying them any clout and I'm seeing a ton of mom & pop operations hanging up their hats. They are being ground to dust in the competitive take-no-prisoners world that the performance horse industry has become, because lets face it, not everyone stands equal on this particular platform, and money brings might.
There was a post going around the internet a while ago inviting us all to talk about the ugly side of the horse industry...well here it is; my input into that conversation.
Have a good day folks. ☺️
P.S pictured below; one of those excellent local studs I mentioned, doing a days work in the branding pen…talking about the horse of course, not the rider! 😜
