Chico expects Chasin The Money will appeal primarily to
breeders of performance Paint Horses, at least initially, because racing opportunities in Brazil are limited at the present time. “The arrival of Chasin The Money in Brazil will be the start of a new era in Paint Horse breeding in the country,” he said.
Marketing the Breed The successful sale and eventual exportation of Chasin The
Money came about through a fortuitous conjunction of several factors: a well-bred, handsome horse that should appeal to breeders of performance horses and racing Paints; a seller will- ing to part with the horse; an interested buyer; a final price that satisfied both parties; and an active market for Paint Horses in Brazil. Hank found an international buyer for the horse without
really trying, but other breeders might not be so lucky. For breeders of mid-level horses seeking to expand their sales into other countries, an active and enthusiastic international market is essential. A viable market for Paint Horses can be difficult to identify even when it already exists, though, and even more difficult to create from scratch. “I have no doubt that Brazil is the best overseas market at this time for the Paint industry,” Chico said. “A lot of new peo- ple in Brazil, new buyers, want to purchase Paint Horses. They are not breeders, but they will become breeders in the future.” Chico is optimistic about the Paint market in Brazil, and he argues APHA should devote more resources toward promoting
the breed in his country. Such attention is justified because Brazil is the main door for the South American market, he says. At first glance, the numbers belie Chico’s optimism about
Paint popularity in Brazil, and breeders and owners in the United States might be tempted to focus their attention elsewhere. According to figures released by APHA in the organization’s 2012 Annual Report, only three Paint Horses were registered in Brazil in 2012. Three horses hardly represent a groundswell of interest, but the numbers do not tell the full story. “Our market is growing,” Chico insisted. “We have some horse shows. We’re just starting the races, but we are already very strong in barrel racing, so we will buy the race bloodlines, for sure. Because we have our own studbook, our APHA regis- trations are not very big. But we have close to 21,000 registered horses here, and because we have 400,000 Quarter Horses in Brazil, we have a very good genetic mix to cross with the Paints.”
Capitalizing on the potential market in a foreign country can be daunting. Identifying buyers and assessing the level of inter- est is difficult, especially when faced with a language barrier. To negotiate those hurdles, Chico says a breeder in the United States would benefit from associating with a local partner to pave the way. In addition to Chasin The Money, Chico bought several other Paint Horses from American owners for export to Brazil. International marketing is even more problematic in countries where the market for Paint Horses is small or non- existent. In those countries, the first step often is marketing the breed rather than an individual horse. Wayne Hipsley and Tim Capps have experience in marketing horses internation- ally, and both agree creating demand for a breed in a country where none exists is a task better suited to a breed organiza- tion than to individual horse owners. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, Wayne has an international
reputation as a judge, consultant, expert witness, and educa- tor. He has held executive positions in Arabian and Morgan Horse breed registries, and he has advised many domestic and international equine organizations. Pari-mutual racing is a “natural niche” for Paint Horses around the world, he says, but that the breed’s well-deserved reputation as performance and pleasure horses can make building international demand for racing Paints a hard sell, though promoting Paint Horse racing as a source of tax revenue might help. “Israel wanted to legalize racing to take advantage of the ‘black money’ being spent on wagering,” Wayne said. “China has been reconsidering its horse industry, to use racing as a means to generating revenue for the government. Russia
Identifying foreign buyers yourself is a daunting task. Though interested parties might find you, it’s impera- tive to work with associations, like APHA, and other federal or state economic marketing organizations to help build a market for your product.
PAINT HORSE RACING JULY 2013 15
APHA FILE PHOTO
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