APRIL 09 TOUGH QUESTIONS - TO BREED OR NOT?
Pacific & Prairie Horse Journal April 09 issue Online Feature
Given the Surplus Number of Horses Being Sold Because of Tough Economic Times, Should Breed Associations put a Moratorium on Breeding This Year?
By Margaret Evans
As the economy tightens its grip on so many sectors of industry and commerce, people are tightening their grip on their wallets, being cautious about where and what to spend their money on, and, in some cases, disposing of former luxuries. For some of those people, selling the horse has become an unintended consequence of the current difficult times. As a result, there is a surplus of horses for sale on the market. Other horses whose owners can barely afford to feed them are suffering from starvation and neglect.
So why breed more?
Horses live for an average of 30 years, ponies often longer. An owner may breed a mare with a set of specific goals for the foal, assuming all things go well with the health of the baby. Or the mare might be bred with the offspring intended strictly for sale. But in a depressed market, how profitable is that decision given the costs of stud fees, transportation, broodmare care, feed, and veterinary needs. What about the foal’s long term future? Is adequate consideration being given to the foal’s value, its care, and its needs in a future responsible home? Economists predict this recession will deepen before we pull out of it (though Canada is better positioned than most countries to weather through) so there could be a time-lag of a year or two before we return to strong growth.
In the U.K., the British Horse Society recently launched a Responsible Breeding Campaign to urge owners to really think through the consequences of producing yet another foal that will enter the marketplace. According to their press release, “The horse market has slowed down and rescue centres and sanctuaries are full to bursting. With an estimated 1.35 million horses and ponies in the U.K.… the BHS is urging everyone involved with horses to think very carefully before breeding a foal and adding to the problem.”
While an overpopulation of horses has created the surplus problem, the recession has exacerbated it with very disturbing consequences. A distressing article in the U.K.’s Daily Mail revealed that horses are being slaughtered for meat in greater numbers than ever before. They are not necessarily old or injured animals but young, healthy stock with their lives before them. Some are just foals and weanlings.
A study done in 1993 by Strategic Equine Marketing in Ontario estimated about 950,000 horses in Canada at that time, of which over 387,000 were represented in the breeding sector. According to a 2006 equine industry overview compiled by Horse Council BC from information generated by the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and Equine Canada it was estimated there were approximately 154,000 horses owned by about 30,000 horse owners who have invested about $3.4 billion in horses and capital infrastructure (land, barns, arenas, equipment, etc.) on some 600,565 acres of land. In other words, a lot of time, effort, and money have been invested in the lifestyle of horses. The income to support the industry may in large part come from within but the horse industry is intrinsically dependent upon those employed in other professions and trades who look to the horse industry for pleasure and recreation. Those other professions and trades, though, may be feeling the pinch of the economic slowdown resulting in people choosing to hold off on clinics, riding lessons, competitions, trail rides, and other activities that pump money into the horse industry.
Understandably, the last thing breeders want to do is put their enterprises on hold. Many have a lot at stake and a lot invested in a breeding barn setup, whether it is to provide stud services with stallions they have purchased or syndicated, or to provide care for broodmares. But are the economics right for producing more foals for the marketplace?
So over to you, our readers. Do you think that breed associations should put a moratorium on breeding this year or do you think that breeders should stay the course on their immediate and long term breeding plans? Send us your thoughts and we’ll share them in the next issue.
We hope you enjoyed the Pacific & Prairie Horse Journal April 09 issue Online Feature