A Barter-Based Horse Economy?
I had one of those intuitive flashes the other day that's got me looking around for evidence to back it up. Well, make that FURTHER evidence, because the evidence I do have is what enabled my intuition to connect some dots.
The dots create a picture that looks something like this: As economic and demographic conditions squeeze the horse industry tighter, making horses harder to sell and harder to afford, the degree of BARTERING could be increasing, while the degree of cash exchange could be going down.
I don't know about yours, but in my little corner of the horse world, there's more trade-out stuff going on that I ever remember seeing. Sometimes it's the trading of one horse for another. Sometimes it's a trade of a horse for services, or for goods that don't eat. Sometimes it's a trade of goods for other goods--say, a saddle in exchange for a load of hay.
I've started doing a certain amount of barter-based business myself, and I guess that's what got me tuned into it as a possible arising trend. Most of the time, it's not me who's initiated it. Instead, someone's come to me with an offer to trade X for Y, with no cash involved.
My rule of thumb on trendspotting is to start paying attention whenever something happens in three unrelated instances. I'm way past three personal episodes now on the bartering concept. My antennae, therefore, are up.
Your thoughts?
posted by Juli Thorson @ 11:15 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I have traded/bartered over the years-several things: trading a Brahman bull for a bred mare, trading a yearling colt for a semiload of hay, and recently traded a mare for a Limousine bull. Since we cattle too, I have traded calves for a round pen, for hay, and for labor. This has been going on in our world for 20 years! I imagine with the economy the way it is it will continue.
I recently traded horses with my dad, horse for a horse, but haven't bartered at arms length with anyone. I'm not opposed to the idea, I've just never been offered anything I wanted when I had something up for sale/trade. My family has bartered occassionally for as long as I can remember. A used pick up to acquire a broodmare, a steer, some goats and a jar of homemade jelly to acquire a gelding (the most interesting trade I've heard) and occassionally a horse for a horse.
I think bartering has been common in some segments of the equine industry forever. I imagine some of the other folks are just catching on to the notion. Kind of like some people have always shopped thrift stores and the classifieds, but there's a whole new part of the population all excited about Craigslist and Freecycle like they're new and novel concepts.
I had a gaited horse that I rescued - even though I paid good money for him. I couldn't leave him where he was, weighing just 635 pounds and cut up by much more dominant horses! Over a year later, when he was healthy and happy,(and over 920 pounds) I wanted only the best home for him. The wonderful man who does natural trims on my horses loved him, as did his young daughter. I wanted so much for them to have him, but money was tight. We came to an agreement whereby he got my great little horse, and I got trims for my other 2 horses. It was the BEST barter ever! Everybody is happy, especially my rescue and his new little girl!
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