When you were talking about the San Antonio show with the excitement of the contestants, I thought back to my own introduction into the business in Alberta, when everyone (in my area at least) showed their performance horses in halter the first day of the show, just for fun. Some people even at large stables actually helped get their horses ready for their classes!

I have seen all the new divisions, ie hunter, country, sport horse, etc. started mostly by people who couldn’t or didn’t want to compete against the really good horses in the existing divisions at the time. That’s good, but it’s why our shows have been cumbersome with too many and too small classes.

One major change over the years was in the entltlement to win that many people have. Forget about learning to ride and paying your dues for a few years before you got to win at Nationals or Scottsdale–how it’s about buying a very expensive horse, a very expensive outfit and being angry if it is just not enough. That other guy who paid just as much and also learned to ride over the years still won the class.

I think the best answer is in getting a great number of people interested in Arabian horses, rather than just the “investors”, many of whom have about as much feeling for a horse and/or knowledge of them as a post. In my area in Arizona, some of these people are giving away horses, but they were giving away horses ten years ago. People have way too much money and way too little respect for these beautiful animals if they give them away rather than taking the time and effort it takes to sell one.

The best thing about this economic downturn in Arizona is that many trainers who couldn’t be bothered to even talk to a “newbie” a couple of years ago are now offering beginner lessons. Down the road, this is going to be great, for all those beginners will eventually own horses. Some of them, who agonize over the purchase price of their first horse will continue and buy or raise better and better horses in the future.