Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

darlene — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:42:52 GMT

If the owners of throughbreds would all take care of their horses after they are done racing then I would say breed how many you want BUT this is not the case and to many throughbreds are thrown away like they were nothing simply because they dont like to race. They all cant be champions so I say they should breed less , they do not need to keep pumping them out every year in search of a great one The great ones will come along, but lets not forget the claimers still deserve a great home . the rescues just cant keep up BREED LESS thanks Darlene.

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

Horseguy — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 14:16:24 GMT

A 40% drop since the mid 80's is quite a statement. Perhaps now the people that raise horses for a living might have a chance of staying in business and their horses given a fair shake at auction. The breeders of the winners of 3 of the 4 Graded stakes races yesterday lost money. It costs a breeder roughly $20-30,000 from last cover to drop of the hammer to bring a yearling to auction. That does not include the cost of the mare nor the stud fee. The winner of the Alabama G1 sold for $40,000, The Iselin G3, RNA $5,500, Canadian Derby under $10,000 US dollars.

I don't see it having much of an impact at the race tracks. But I do think it will have a significant impact on the large commercial farms along with their suppliers and loss of jobs. Water seeks its own level.

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

Somethingroyal — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:18:21 GMT

I hope and pray smaller foal crops becomes the trend.

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

Susan — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:19:23 GMT

Good piece. Shows the nuance of a multi-variable analysis. We don't know where this will lead, all the what-ifs, but we can take some educated guesses.

Where I hope it leads - to a reduction in speculative over-breeding. Less backyard breeding. Fewer horses dropping into the low-level claiming ranks, needing pain meds to run. With fewer foals, can we expect the #s coming off the tracks will put less pressure on not for profit rescues, that responsible retirement and rehoming can be assured by breeders and owners, registry fees, or is that still an unrelated pipe dream? I hope not.

Let's hope too - with less of a land rush to the breeding shed - we find our way back to sturdier bloodlines and longer careers. I'm all for change that brings more great geldings like Commentator, Better Talk Now, Evening Attire, John Call, Mine That Bird and the late, great John Henry.

John T - word. Where would we be without John Henry and the other passed over, heart-as-big-as-Kansas horses that little guys dream of walking into the winners circle with? These warriors are the heart and soul of racing, the "Hey, you never know."

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

John T. — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:08:24 GMT

No one could call Ole Bob Bowers one of those so called ''Hot Stallions'' Yet he went on to produce one of the most remarkable

racehorses in recent times when he sired John Henry.I shudder to think

of the many John Henry,s the racing

world will be missing out on if breeders are not willing to take chances with stallions like that.

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

Jennie — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:07:03 GMT

I have already seen first hand the ramifications of a stallion not attracting enough mares. The sire of my colt was bred to only 17 mares last year, and has been returned to the racing wars. His first start back, not surprisingly, was a last-place finish at Monmouth Park on July 19.

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

Beth — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:50:00 GMT

Another part of the good news about a a smaller crop is that it increases the chence we may finally get a Triple Crown winner!

With only the better stallions and mares being bred this year, the foal crop of 2010 may be smaller but it will likely have more talented horses. Oh, we can only hope!

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

GHOSTDANCER EQUINE — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:19:50 GMT

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY! LESS UNWANTED HORSES AFTER THEY CAN NO LONGER RACE. BETTER BRED HORSES THIS IS A WIN WIN!!!!

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

Carol — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:55:52 GMT

I think this is going to make a big impact on racing and racetracks. The 'bread and butter' horses, the basis of racing will start to diminish. Which I think would mean the claiming trainers would lose owners and they will also diminish. It will be impossible to fill a racing card with allowance and stakes horses only but no breeder or owner will want his high priced animal running in the cheaper races to fill them and without a full racing card on their allotted racing days, then racetracks will too diminish. Obviously a lot of well bred horses will have little ability and need to run cheaper but I doubt it will be enough. Then the domino effect takes place. This is my worst case scenario, someone come up with something more positive

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

pharlap — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:12:33 GMT

I am hoping that means we will have more competitive and higher quality fields for upcoming triple crowns races!

re: Crop Chop - By Dan Liebman

da3hoss — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:05:16 GMT

Not to be a cynic, which I often seem to be, but fewer foals means the "cream will rise to the top"...it will be hard on the middle/lower levels, so the Rescues will need to pick up the slack of the "unwanted" while the industry adjusts (shouldn't be that way, but it is what it is, not caring for the animals the industry created)...

The top echelon will feel nary a ripple in the quality of horses produced, and as is always the case in the breeding of animals, there will be plenty of "not good enough" to fill the lower ranks of the hard knockin' blue collar runner, God Bless 'em..