Horse Shopping 102: Mare Economics

When I bought Lily, the Haflinger, six years ago, Haflingers were harder to find -- especially mares and fillies. "Unless you're breeding, don't get a mare. Get a gelding," a breeder told me. The Haflinger horse market was so hot that people were buying Haflingers in utero. I found a different market when I began shopping late last year. A year into the Great Recession, many breeders no longer believed an economic recovery was around the corner and were selling their mares. Quality mares were selling for less than geldings with the same training.