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I'm working on a story set in Kentucky, with the main family being involved in TB breeding/training. I'll give a bit of background, and then ask my questions, if that's okay...
So, the main character is a horse trainer. Her husband (soon to be ex-husband) is a member of a successful TB breeding family - lots of money and prestige. She's set herself up to retrain their OTTBs - probably mostly hunter/jumper, but she's a horsewoman, not just a rider, and I think she'd be good at finding the strengths of each horse and working with that.
I have experience riding, so I'm okay with that part of things, but I know next to nothing about the business side of TBs.
I'd like to mess with the family, a bit. I'd like it if my MC continued to have moderate success, while the main family (the ones involved in the racing side of things) experience financial difficulties. So I'm trying to find ways for that to happen. I don't need all the details, but the big picture would be great.
So, does anyone know...
- is it fairly common for 'big name' breeders to just sort of fade out, or is there usually more stability in the industry?
- are there specific errors that family members could have made that would contribute to their failures? Like, I'm thinking that they could have sold one or more horses, thinking that they lacked potential, and then the horses turned out to be great. Is there anything else like this that they might have run into?
- are there any breeders big enough (or in towns small enough) that they contribute a LOT to the local economy? Like, so that the breeder's slump would lead to a slump in the town itself?
- any recommendations of books or websites that would help me get an idea of day-to-day operations on a breeding/training farm?
- anything else I should know? Does my original set up, with the MC doing the post-racing training, sound reasonable? I don't want her to be rich, but I'd like her to be making an independent living.
Thanks for any help!
So, the main character is a horse trainer. Her husband (soon to be ex-husband) is a member of a successful TB breeding family - lots of money and prestige. She's set herself up to retrain their OTTBs - probably mostly hunter/jumper, but she's a horsewoman, not just a rider, and I think she'd be good at finding the strengths of each horse and working with that.
I have experience riding, so I'm okay with that part of things, but I know next to nothing about the business side of TBs.
I'd like to mess with the family, a bit. I'd like it if my MC continued to have moderate success, while the main family (the ones involved in the racing side of things) experience financial difficulties. So I'm trying to find ways for that to happen. I don't need all the details, but the big picture would be great.
So, does anyone know...
- is it fairly common for 'big name' breeders to just sort of fade out, or is there usually more stability in the industry?
- are there specific errors that family members could have made that would contribute to their failures? Like, I'm thinking that they could have sold one or more horses, thinking that they lacked potential, and then the horses turned out to be great. Is there anything else like this that they might have run into?
- are there any breeders big enough (or in towns small enough) that they contribute a LOT to the local economy? Like, so that the breeder's slump would lead to a slump in the town itself?
- any recommendations of books or websites that would help me get an idea of day-to-day operations on a breeding/training farm?
- anything else I should know? Does my original set up, with the MC doing the post-racing training, sound reasonable? I don't want her to be rich, but I'd like her to be making an independent living.
Thanks for any help!