Keeping and raising horses is one of the few branches of animal husbandry that often begins as a hobby, and then develops into something more serious. However, if we consider horse breeding as one of the main sources of income, then this is a rather complex business associated with high risks.
Its full payback occurs in at least a few years (the maximum period is up to fifteen years). And then in the most favorable cases. Most of the modern stud farms in our country are unprofitable enterprises. All this discourages entrepreneurs, therefore small business in the field of horse breeding is very poorly developed. As a rule, private horse breeding and equestrian clubs belong to the "business for lovers." This means that you should not expect big money from such activities, but, nevertheless, you can get a small income and, most importantly, pleasure from work.
One of the most difficult and costly business options in this industry is horse breeding. The purposes for which these animals are raised are directly dependent on the breed. All breeds of domestic horses can be divided into two main types - riding and heavyweights. Riding or riding horses are used for riding. They are more popular and are of most interest for breeding. Heavyweights include massive and hardy animals, which are usually used in agriculture or for transporting heavy loads. A good purebred horse can cost like an expensive sports car. So it is not surprising that breeding breeding animals is not a cheap pleasure. The number of pedigree factories, not counting small horse farms, in our country is several dozen. However, it is more difficult to estimate the size of this market more accurately (if not impossible at all), since most thoroughbred horses are sold at auctions, and therefore their prices will vary significantly. The population of large breeding factories in Russia totals no more than 350-400 heads. And about a third of them are breeding uterus and stallions-producers. More than half of domestic horses, according to the Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding, are sold at western auctions. The number of domestic sales is significantly inferior to these indicators.
Entrepreneurs often buy young sports horses (usually imported), which are subsequently trained and put up at tournaments. The more often the horse participates in horse racing and wins, the correspondingly, its price will be higher. Animals with a large number of victories are sold at auctions, where their price can rise by several thousand dollars at once. The organization of the auction in itself makes a profit, since an application for participation in it costs a little less than $ 1000 (of course, we are talking about major international bidding). In addition, the organizer receives another 10% of the amount received for the sold horse.
The cost of maintaining one horse is 1000-3000 dollars per month. This amount includes feeding, training, veterinary care, care ... In addition, to improve the line for breeding, the uterus should be periodically covered by foreign stallions-producers, which entails additional costs (deductions to the owner of the stallion, transportation, paperwork, etc. .). At the same time, the horse breeding industry is not supported by the state. Yes, and a bank loan for such a business will be problematic to get. Investors consider horse breeding as a risky direction, since it is impossible to calculate in advance or plan something here. Good animals are very expensive, and it is impossible to insure them from all risks.
Horses can be raised for two main purposes - for the further sale of animals or for the provision of various services (in addition, horses are bred for meat, but this option is not considered here). In the first case, foals are purchased, feed is purchased, pastures are rented. For two to four years, animals are raised and then sold. Special attention should be paid to the organization of "sales". Dear elite breeding horses are usually sold through auctions. The most popular animals are sports breeds, which are purchased to participate in various races, as well as walking breeds, which are used in the tourism industry.
In order to breed horses, you need to have a lot of knowledge and experience in this field. If you don’t have one, then you will have to hire a specialist (livestock technician) with the appropriate salary, or even better, seek the advice of specialists from the All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding, who will give recommendations on the successful development of your equestrian business. However, you can do self-education. Moreover, in our country there are even specialized courses that teach the construction of effective business models, the wisdom of creating horse farms, in accordance with modern technologies and rules, the basics of selecting breeding stocks, qualified personnel, modern technologies for growing young animals.
A significant expense item is the construction of necessary facilities. These include a stable, a parade ground for horse riding, farm buildings for storing tools and feed. Ideally, the land should be in your ownership, but also the land can be rented. In addition, you can rent an existing stable. A stable is a room for keeping horses. As a rule, it represents one building, divided into sections, separate for each horse, which are called stalls and stalls. The stable can consist of several rooms: fodder, inventory, harness (ammunition), a duty room, a platform for a water tank (cubic), if there is no running water to the building, a room for testing the stallion seed (if there is no artificial insemination point), for washing animals, a room with a solarium. Of course, in most stables, many of these sites are not at all, or they are taken out of the enclosure for horses. Horses are afraid of the cold, so the building must be frost-resistant and must retain heat inside. The width of the stable building depends on the location of animals in it, and the length on the number of horses. If the horses are placed in one row along the wall after the stalls are placed, then a corridor two meters wide must be provided. The minimum length of the stalls is three meters, and the total width of the stable is 4.5 meters. One horse should have about 1.5 linear meters in length if the stalls are not separated by anything. Up to 1.5 meters per horse is allowed if the animals are separated by hanging rollers or solid partitions.
The stalls are recommended by experts to make equal width and length (thus, for each horse in the stall there are almost three meters). They house the most expensive animals, sick, foals, pregnant before a foal, etc. The height of the building where the horses are kept should not exceed 3.5 meters (best - 3 meters). From a practical point of view, the floor in the stable is better to do adobe. It does not dry the hooves of horses and is fairly easy to repair. The floor in each individual stall should have a bias to the hind legs of the animal for urine flow (on average, it is 6 cm, but not more than 9 cm). To clean the stables from manure, special windows are provided in the rear wall of the building. Doors must be strong and close well. The stable building should be well ventilated (without creating drafts that are very dangerous for horses). In summer, there are enough windows for ventilation, which usually occupy about the eighth area of the stable. Each window measuring about 1 meter by 0.7 meter should open inward and be equipped with a net from flies and mats from direct sunlight.
On the territory of your farm will also be located utility rooms, a place for storing feed and for workers to rest. In addition to the area for buildings and walking, it is desirable to have your own pasture, where animals will graze in the summer. Horses prefer green feed, hay, vegetables, fruits and grain.
If you have seriously decided to breed horses, then it’s not worth saving on personnel who will work directly with animals. In addition, carefully select the most reliable suppliers of quality feed and sawdust. Specialists are also advised to conclude a contract for veterinary care with a well-established specialist. All this will help to save a lot of money and protect animals.
Many stud farms offer potential customers the opportunity to rent any horse for the long term. The temporary owner of the animal can visit his pet, care for him and feed him. Often, he is given additional bonuses, for example, discounts on riding lessons. From a legal point of view, the horse still belongs to the stud farm, however, the long-term lease option can significantly reduce the cost of maintaining the animal, which, as mentioned above, is very high (especially considering that preparing one horse for subsequent sale can take from three up to six years old).
Another additional (or even the main) source of income is the organization of your own riding club. Hire a horse costs over 1200 rubles per hour. The exact amount varies by region. Another 2500-3000 rubles will have to pay for the help of an instructor. On weekdays, the cost of classes is lower, and on weekends, as a rule, lower. In addition to the usual activities, clubs and riding schools offer additional courses (for example, riding with obstacles or training in elegant riding). In this case, the cost of an hour of classes can reach 9-10 thousand rubles. Each school sets its own prices, but with proper promotion and a favorable location of the club, it can bring considerable income, amounting to several million a year (these figures are given by the owner of one equestrian club for a dozen horses).
Horse breeding as a separate branch of animal husbandry is a difficult and expensive task. Most entrepreneurs see it either as an extension of an existing business of a similar profile (for example, with a poultry or sheep farm), or as an independent direction in the presence of free and free space (half a hectare per animal) and labor. Many pedigree farms and stud farms in our country did not survive the crisis of 2009-2010 and went bankrupt. Survived mainly those farms that were engaged in breeding sports breeds of horses.
Building a horse breeding complex can cost more than a dozen million dollars. In order for such a substantial investment to pay off as soon as possible, you must have regular customers and an excellent reputation in our country and abroad. In this case, the profitability of such an enterprise reaches 300%! The stud farm is a simpler and faster payback project. If you have a large area and qualified personnel, you can take on the maintenance of other horses, which brings considerable profit.
Sysoeva Lilia
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