1968-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1968 January Voice RS | Page 78

fpllmvs can cot their mares to good horses. Horses
cost so much today that a man can hardly aliord to
buy one individually, and I should think it II get worse
aS.Lou Doherty, whost Stallion Station specializes ex­
clusively in the development and management 0f
stud horses, also points to cost as the prime factor
in syndicate development.
rThe principal advantage, he explains, is thatstal-
lions cost so darn much money today it is impossible
for one man to buy a horse. It would be impossible
for me to finance an establishment like this myself.
Syndication is a matter of necessity. It entitles a man
2: i___ o mppp nf a horse he couldn’t touch othpr.
■•Paul Ebelhardt, longtime manager of the late War­
ren Wright’s (now Mrs. Gene Markey’s) (Ed. Note:
*1960) Calumet Farm, Lexington, Ky., likewise em­
phasizes the cost element.
•■ 'Stud fees and stallion prices have gone up so
much.' remarks Mr. Ebelhardt, now associated with
the Thoroughbred Club of America, 'that almost the
only way a group of people can get to a top horse is
io get together as a syndicate and buy one.’
Xol. Phil T. Chinn, owner of Old Hickory Farm,
Lexington, Ky., agrees. 'I think stallion syndication
is highly efficient,’ says this veteran horseman, 'and
necessary to let mare owners have opportunities.’
"But a*number of horsemen feel that the very' rich­
ness of syndicate resources may be a major factor in
the rise of stallion prices.
" Tt seems to me syndication puts a false value, an
inflated value, on stud sendees,’ elaborated a horse­
man whom we shall identify here as Mr. A. (not his
real initial), with broad experience as an owner,
breeder, trainer and seller of thoroughbreds.
” Tve known horses that owners were having trou­
ble selling twenty outside seasons to, to be syndica­
ted: and the four or five open seasons would be gob­
bled up at three times what was being asked private­
ly. It just stands to reason that you are not going to
sell twenty of something for what you can get if you
only have five to sell.5
"A similar concern is voiced by a horseman identi­
fied as Mr. B., who has been a farm owner and farm
manager, and at various times has been associated
with three sire-list leaders.
With the increase in stallion prices.' he asserts,
it s like the old Roman story of the fasces in a bun­
dle mat can’t be broken, while one can be broken. I
■ahix the strength and weakness of syndication is
mat :: has caused inflated prices.
....
V.1V
1IIIU,
nc.rse without its costing any one too much, even
^he whole thing may be costing too much.
„
t-h.e main kink in syndication is that it has
values beyond what they should be.
‘h a man wants $19,000,000 for his horse, you
4
Jvl9,000,000; or you aren't going to put it
a horse. So a bunch of people get together and
\ ecLv
- $*$'000,000. Abroad wo have a yellow strip6
down our backs - the "American Sucker." Why. a
a young untried horse asks 5202.000.000:
-> .?rinor t:Utor contributes to the lofty prices being
stallions, Mr, p>, believes
it. too.
^ i nere s an element of social 'limbing
$'■;
bus an interest In a her;
go* to
‘"A 0
interest In a horse
e e:'.
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v°lce of the IVnnossoo Walking H°r‘