The horse business

[cowman]

A guy was telling me that the PMU business is toast. Now I knew they had cut back alot but this guy claims they are all losing their contracts. Is this true?
I saw on the news that they now want a traceback on all horses like they have with cows so they don't get into some sort of wreck like we are in...maybe they get mad horse or something? Then there's West Nile! Things are not all that sweet with the horsey set!
Now I will tell you the horse business has been good for the hay producer. In fact I sold a couple of hundred round bales last fall for $50 a bale to a horse outfit. I doubt any cow outfit would pay me that. So what will happen to the hay market if there is a big reduction in horses? My hay producing neighbor says the pleasure horse trade will never dry up and they don't care what they spend but the PMU business is going to be gone.
Apparently they found out that horse urine was really bad stuff and probably did more harm than good. They have replaced the whole hormone process with yams or soybeans or something.

[kato]

It's true. Ayerst cut off not all, but most of their producers. You can get a really good horse in Manitoba for not a lot of money. A friend of mine says Americans are coming up and can buy good big bred Belgian mares for as little as $100.00. Does this have a familiar ring to it????

The good thing is, at least Ayerst is giving them a buyout/compensation package. The bad news is over the past few years Ayerst has also forced a lot of guys to spend a LOT of money on facilities. One of our neighbours got out of the business because Ayerst said the ceiling in their barn was 6 inches too low, and they would have to build a brand new barn to keep their contract. Boy are they happy now that they didn't do it!

We have another neighbour who is going to end up with a one hundred thousand dollar calving barn.

[Cathy]

It is going to be very intersting.
Back in the 70's When I was buying young horses to train and resell. The meat price reflected the price of a horse. Now these were all grades and there were lots of them. In the next 10 years. The Fad was to have a regestered horse. So all the grades went for meat. Horse meat prices did some bouncing Then has been around $1.00 a lb. since. The by product from the PMU farms (foal) were sent for meat. The last few yrs. the PMU farms when into raising regestered foals some did go for more money as riding horse work horses but there were lots of them so the meat trade was still there main source to get rid of the foals. Now a regestered Gelding is just a horse. The papers mean nothing. And the papers did not guarentee that the horse would be any good to you. Those grades I use to have could out work and live any of the regestered horses of today.
Now the PMU farms are all but gone where are the horse meat plants gona get there meat. In case you did not know there was a very good trade of horse meat in Canada. I know of 3 plants Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba there could be more. Most of the meat goes to France. May be I should get back into raising horse The meat trade is gona go up in price. Sounds a lot better than the $50.00 Cow. Not to mention anyone with a large horse better lock it up couse some interprising person is gona steal it and take it to the nearest horse meat buyer.
Now don't get me wrong I love horses and meat is not the best way to use a horse.
But its gona be intersting to see how we keep our horse meat trade going with out the PMU farms. the numbers of horses processed for meat is really surprising.

[kato]

This fall, at the colt sales, you could buy colts for as little as $20.00. That would be light horse breeds. That was just before the big cutbacks, not after.

I have a registered Quarterhorse gelding I bought at one of these sales a few years back for $140.00. That included the papers. It would be a big price now.

It's a very sad state of affairs. I don't know what's going to happen to all the extra foals this spring. Lots of these mares are not going to be sold by spring, either. There are just too many of them, especially in Manitoba.

[15444]

Cowman

Does your mind ever stop ticking? I am thinking that your idea of the horse market might be the next big thing for Canada. Here we are with struggling cattle markets and a dying PMU market. Cut our losses and start buying and shipping horses? Might not be a bad idea if one gives it serious thought! Least we would never have to worry about the whole BSE crap again.

Now if we could just get a decent price for cattle to reduce the herd.

[cowman]

Well I wasn't thinking of getting into the horse business, but then I never knew they were worth $1/lb.! Cathy there is also a federally inspected plant at Fort Macleod in Alta.
When you think about horses they are kind of tough suckers. Put them in a pasture with some grass in it and they pretty well take care of themselves all winter.

[ValueChainFX]

Oh my now you are really putting your necks out! There is only one horse plant left in the US, any plants left in Canada basically are under the control (or influence) of one Export Company! France will take a lot of horses but every horse that goes through a plant must be tested (the lab is usually right in the plant) the meat going to France is basically retail ready and has special labels inside the sealed bag. The cuts are done the way France wants them which means you need experienced people to cut them. I have had people from France pestering me to build a plant specifically for horses and they would guarantee contracts!

I know several of the PMU guys and they are pretty much toast for sure! Not only the animals but everything to make a PMU business work! A health investment worth nothing now!

[Horse]

Cowman in another thread you said the govmt cant do anything about the lease land in alta because it wouldnt be fair to those that bought leases but see things can happen when there is a will just as ayest did. I am in the horse business and it has been a long time since there was a $1 a lb horse real good ones are mabey .60 cents and average is 40-45 cents.

[WoolyBear]

Not to make lite of an awkward situation but has anyone figured out how to groom a cow to make it look like a horse? Might be a way to get the 4 stomached creatures across the border?
PLUS
Any way we could make a new kind of "haggis" using a horse to get the sheep across too?

[cowman]

Horse: It seems to me that 50 cents was about the last price I heard a couple of years ago. There was a guy around here that used to feed a couple of hundred horses for slaughter but he quit when the drought was bad here in 2002. I assume feed was just too high.
The grazing leases and the PMU situation. Apples and oranges...can't be compared!
I have a friend who has done very well in the oil and gas business. He recently bought a huge grazing lease(18,000 acres) near Water Valley. I think it came with 2 quarters of deeded land. This purchase was made for the sole purpose of tax relief on his stock options! He intends to run steers on it via a farm manager. He couldn't care one bit if there is any oil revenue...he wants a playground and a tax writeoff! How many more of the grazing leases are held like this? Well most of the heritage ranches south of Calgary? Tendered leases will be bought up by this type of guy if we decide to go that route. It won't be the little guy who gets a chance.

[Horse]

Well coqwman I conseed you have a point but I know there will always be people with a lot of money but it just rubs me a little knowing that I am helping to subsidise my competition so I guess I would rather the money went to the govmt than my imediate compitition How do you supose oil companys would like it if say 25% were paid to look for oil and the rest had to pay . There has to be a better way.

[cowman]

Horse: I do agree with you that the lease system is not fair. The problem is how we can obtain a fair system. That is not going to happen now. Klein went home with his tail tucked between his legs after Jack Horner and the boys got done with him! You'll never see him tackle this one again. Now if the NDP got in...but then we'd have to believe in miracles, right?