Value

The first pictures is a beautiful bay horse named Forever Amber owned by Allison Elizabeth Adams. I really like this mare. She reminds me of my horse, Velvet. The second and fourth pictures are of CGH Flair for Fury with Brandon aboard. She is a three year old mare that is ready to start her 4th show season. This is the second year under saddle. She was the high point winner for Country Trail Pleasure classes this past show season. She also won the Breeders Cup 2 year old under saddle and conformation class during the UMH World Show. The gray filly is Ann's Mt Treasure. She won the High Point Trophy for Yearling Conformation Filly. This will be her third year in the show ring.

I met some people in a feed store last summer and in the course of conversation I found that they were interested in buying a mountain horse. I invited them to come to my farm to look at my horses. I gave directions and went on home. From what I gathered in the conversation, these folks weren't going to buy a horse from me today and probably not any day but I still invited them to come.

An hour or so later they drove up to the barn and started looking around. Bob and I had brought a couple of horses in that fit the narrow description of the horse for which they were looking. In the feed store I learned they were looking for a horse for the wife. She was a tiny little woman, shorter than I am. (Hey watch out there, I am just vertically challenged). She wanted a horse that was not tall to make it easier to mount. I have a horse named Amigo. He is 14.2hh. She wanted a chocolate with white mane and tail. Amigo has a beautiful white mane and tail. She wanted a gelding. Again Amigo.

But then we started to talk about price. That's were the conversation broke down. I told them how I had him priced. (I wasn't taking less.) They did not want to pay that much but they came to see him anyway. They also had the husband's brother with them. So he was also an interested party.

I already how an idea they wouldn't be buying when they got out of the car. We had Amigo in, combed out and brushed to the point that he was almost glowing. He was beautiful. First of all they decided he had to be taller than what we said. I don't have a measuring stick but told them he had qualified for the 14.2hh and under classes. It didn't make a difference. They looked around the barn and ask prices on different horses. I had a chocolate filly that was a yearling that I priced really too cheap. Nope that was too much. So by the time they were looking at the weanling colts I price them at a price that was ridiculously low. Nope that was too much and didn't I have anything cheaper.

I call them tire kickers. Privately of course. They just wanted to come and look around. See what I had for sale and leave without a horse. They never were serious about buying a horse from me or they thought they could run on a well broke trail horse CHEAP. I love the ads on Craigs List. They go something like this. "I need a well broke trail horse. I want a chocolate with white mane and tail gelding. Must be 16hh. It has to be 9 years old and gentle enough to put children on. I only have $500 to spend but would prefer to have registration papers to be able to show if I decide to go that direction." Sound familiar. We all have experience tire kickers. I know all stables and farms have plenty of them.

Thinking of my experiences at the Van Bert's barn I know how to be gracious to tire kickers. I know it is never a wasted moment to be gracious to visitors. One never knows when someone will decide they will buy instead of being a looker. Or that they will go home and mention that Whispering Oaks Farm has really nice horses. Anyway my Granny who was really the smartest Old Lady I ever knew told me you could catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

How does one arrive at a price for a horse. It is really a hard question to answer. So the only way I know to price a horse is what it will cost me to replace it. How well trained is the horse. What is the breeding behind her? What if no one wants to buy it at the price I put on it. Would I hate to have to keep it. I had to answer all these questions when I started to price WOF Ann's Mt Treasure. Annie is the gray filly under saddle pictured above. Because of her color she draws a lot of attention. I have had people who ask for a price. I have made the decision and I am sticking by it. She is a wonderful horse and well worth what I am asking. She is the High Point winner for the 2010 show season in conformations. She is already showing a lot of promise under saddle. On the farm here we have watched her move at freedom in play and have gotten a glimpse into her heart.

Every once in awhile I will get an email from a friend that talks about the value of a woman. It usually asks if the reader knows the value we have as a woman. Something seemed off with that question. But to read on it enumerates the things women do that gives them the value they have. Have you ever really thought about your worth as a woman or as a man. How does one put a price on their worth. Is it your job and your value on the work marketplace that determines your value? Is it your value as a parent? A spouse? Is it your value as a sister or brother? Is it your value as a person who is a teacher, a Bible study teacher or a Preacher.

Although all those things give your life value as you live and serve in your work, home or in your community it is not your real value. Let me answer the question oF your worth and my worth. This came to me as I was hanging my clean curtains of all things. I don't know why. It just may be that God wanted to reveal this to me at that time. I realized I have a high value because Jesus died for me. He shed his precious blood to save me from having to suffer in hell for all eternity.

I am reading the book that George W Bush recently wrote. I am very interested in the section on how he came to a decision on the question of federal funding for stem cell research. He was thoughtful. He did research. He talked to many people including the Pope John Paul II about ethics and science and read every bit of information that was at his disposal. He was challenged between what is ethical and what could be used to relieve human suffering as a result of stem cell research. His problem with stem cell research is that human embryos would be destroyed to do the research.

You can read his book if you want to know all the finer details. You may remember that he announced that he would allow federal funding for embryo research but only on the lines that had been already started and on the embryos that had already been destroyed to do it. He would not allow funding to destroy more embryos because they were human life. To illustrate how he felt on the subject he had several "Snow flake children" present for the signing. Snow flake children are children that have been matured to a full term baby by implanting a frozen embryo into a woman to carry someone else's baby as if it were her naturally conceived child. The couple has "adopted" that embryo.

President Bush had to make a decision none of us will ever have to make. But he knows the worth of human life. He knows that Jesus who died for him died for all of man kind and whatever worth we have is the result of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and the price he paid with his precious blood.

May God bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards

Mary

For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son that who so ever should believe on him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3: 16