This message is from: "Dagrun Aarsten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Lois,
interesting question. Just wanted to mention that in Norway, selling a low-quality Fjord abroad is not something serious fjord lovers/breeders would want to do. We do have a certain kind of responsibility and sense of honour for our national breed. At least in theory. Maybe someone will say that it doesn't work like that in practise. The "old" fjord people back in Norway, of course, sometimes complain that all the GOOD horses are sold abroad. Luckily, Norwegians aren't very business-minded in general (yes, there are exceptions!), so nobody has yet started selling low-quality fjords abroad (to my knowledge). Hopefully that won't happen. I think someone with a good eye can make money on importing young horses, since there is less of the "genetic gambling" you have with breeding - when you don't know what you get, you're just trying to do a good match. Even though a horse can change a lot from its impression as a yearling, an experienced eye will know what to look for. I have never heard of "brokers" selling low-quality horses imported from abroad. I can see how you can make a certain profit on high-quality animals whose resell value will justify the shipping cost. And having the chance to import a number of horses at the time probably reduces cost seriously. Being Norwegian (and of course, toying with idea of selling high-quality fjords to the US when I move back to Norway...), I am also interested in hearing what kind of experience people have from importing from Norway, good or bad. Privately or on the list, I am very curious to hear people's opinions on this. Dagrun in San Jose, Ca >My basic question is why do they do it when raising > their own to be > sold would result in less hassle, risk and more profit? > > Lois Berenyi
