This message is from: "Peter Randall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> My name is Peter Randall and I live on a 50 acre Fjord farm in Niagara Ontario Canada. We are about an hour and a half from Toronto and 30 minutes from the US border.
I have no idea where you are all at, which makes what I am about to say difficult but here goes.(I always thought every email on the Fjord list should contain state or province). Who in California will be as interested in a horse that seems $500 cheaper than normal when it is in Ontario? Would you all consider listing state or province on future emails? Just a thought. I think it is kind of counter-productive for 20 people to each be carrying their own stallion for a few little mares. I have before suggested to Fjord people, "you buy a stallion, board it free forever at my farm, I pay feed bills vet, farier, etc. You bring any mares you want anytime to breed to him. I breed any of my mares to him. I have feed, farrier, up keep duties as mentioned. You have purchase price and risk of death. Then the buyer has a permanent standing stallion for themselves without ever having to pay board or to care for or feed it. Sometimes I hear of people whose spouse has passed away or who are sick themselves trying to care for horses and that are in difficult circumstances. In soft market times like these, prices can be low and it is not good for people to accept very low prices just because they are rushed. This lowers everyone's prices and does not to justice to the investments put into these animals. Also length of time to sale right now can be substantial. If you get sick and you can't care for all the horses, can you wait a year for sales at a proper price? Are you doing your self and your family a disservice in the meantime? However, there are people out there, like myself, that live on very large properties with an abundance of pastures, stalls etc. Propose mutually beneficial deals. If you need to move the caring for these horses immediately, send four horses to a place like mine, keep offering them for sale and give me one of the horses in exchange for caring for, boarding and showing (to buyers) the other three until sold. Sometime it can be as simple as trading fillies due to bloodlines. Sometimes boarding a stallion for six months while someone spends six months in Florida one year in exchange for breeding all your mares to him during that time. Lists like this make it possible for us to lean on each other. We do that sometimes certainly. But do we do it enough? We cannot always buy horses even if someone lists "Must sell due to dire situation". We can however possibly still offer great assistance to such a person if we are willing to think outside the box. Consignment, barter, situations like Felix (a shared, standing, imported stallion), etc. I think these should be more common. Anyways, feel free to approach me, I will not be shy about suggesting situations other than cash exchanges to you. There are many considerations other than simple dollars. Horses should be where people can care for them without doing it through pain, financial hardship, etc. I remain open to your ideas. W Peter Randall Randall Family Farms
