Horse trading

complex bargaining or exchange

Horse trading is the buying and selling of horses, also called "horse dealing".

One year old orses at an auction in Germany (2014)
Horse market in Karakol, 2019

The phrase "Horse trading"

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It is sometimes not easy to judge the merits of a horse on offer. That's why some horse traders have duped their customers. For this reason the term horse trading is now often used to describe difficult negotiations in which things are not always entirely honest.[1]

Horse dealing

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The price for a three-year-old horse includes the cost of raising the horse for three years, the cost of keeping the mare for at least one year, the stud fee and other costs. A responsibly bred young horse costs a lot, even if it is just for leisure. A horse's suitability for a task depends on factors like breed, age, sex, health, and character. Other factors are the quality of the gaits, talent for jumping, speed, endurance, or strength in working horses. The horse's training level and background are important.

You can buy a horse directly from the breeder. Many horses are purchased through classified ads, at an auction[2] or at a horse market. There are also horse traders. Young horses are often sold when they are weaned from their mothers, when they are one year old, or when they are three years old.[3]

When you buy a horse, you should have a purchase agreement. You can buy a horse with a handshake even without a purchase agreement. However, there are often misunderstandings.[4] If you buy a horse, you should also consult a veterinarian.[5]

Tea Horse Road

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Map of the Tea-Horse route

The ancient Tea Horse Road was a network of caravan paths going through the mountains of Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet in Southwest China.[6] This was also a tea trade route. Many old hiking trails, bridges, way stations, market towns, palaces, rest areas, shrines and temples can still be seen along the route.[7]

References

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  1. "Lying and Legislation". The New York Times. March 22, 1893.
  2. Buying a horse at an elite sale or auction: H&H explains all you need to know, Gemma Redrup, 7 February, 2024, Horse & Hound. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  3. Looking to buy the next best riding horse of the showing circuit? Read this handy guide…, Alex Robinson, 22 November, 2023, Horse & Hound. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  4. UK law: buying and selling horses (for dealers & buyers), www.equinedealers.com
  5. Kahn, Cynthia (2005). The Merck Veterinary Manual (9th ed.). Merck & Co. pp. 1385–1387. ISBN 0-911910-50-6.
  6. Forbes, Andrew; Henley, David (2011). Traders of the Golden Triangle (A study of the traditional Yunnanese mule caravan trade). Chiang Mai. Cognoscenti Books. ISBN 978-1300701460.
  7. Williams, Tim, Lin, Roland Chih-Hung and Gai, Jorayev. Final Technical Report on the results of the UNESCO/Korean Funds-in-Trust Project: Support for the Preparation for the World Heritage Serial Nomination of the Silk Roads in South Asia, 2013–2016.

Other websites

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  The dictionary definition of horsetrading at Wiktionary