1967-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1967 February Voice RS | Page 16

(Continued from page 14)
if they were buying. As a result, one of the most import
ant links in the chain of sales in the Walking Horse bus­
iness has been upset. The sale of horses at the individua
level is at an all time low. The trainers and brccdcis aic
not able to move the stock that once provided the best
part of their annual income. In an effort to. offset his
loss of income, some trainers have even established then
own auction sales. The established practice of allowing a
10% commission to the trainer making a sale is generally
accepted by everyone in the horse business, and it is
easy to see how a trainer, selling a few top horses during
a year, can supplement his income to the point of making
a fair living. As we all know, a trainer cannot make money
training and showing horses. He must rely on the sale
of horses to provide the bulk of his income.
How does this situation affect other people active in
the horse business. The breeder, who has in years past,
raised some top colts, has always been content to pro­
mote his stock and talk about them until the individual
buyer came to his barn to buy. His approach was to take
a personal interest in every horse and every customer.
Many of his previous customers have now decided to
wait until the sales to see if they too, cannot ‘'get a bet­
ter deal”.
We would Like to point out several factors in defense
of the auctions and the trend that sees so many people
turning toward them as a selling or buying medium. The
trainers, themselves are not altogether blameless for this
development. We often hear of incidences where a trainer
has not dealt fairly with his customers regarding the buy­
ing and selling of horses. Many people feel that a pro­
fessional trainer has a “buyer beware” policy regarding
his customers. By pointing this out we wish only to in­
dicate that a large, part of the attraction of the auction sale
may have been stimulated by the treatment