Times Of Swaziland: LUCRATIVE MARKET: MAN SELLS HORSE FOR E70K

LUCRATIVE MARKET: MAN SELLS HORSE FOR E70K
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Nkosingiphile Myeni on 10/02/2024 07:12:00


MBABANE - While there is a lucrative market for horses, the same can’t be said
for its cousin, the donkey.
It turns out that horses attract such a price tag even in the country. This was
evident when a citizen by the name of Jeremiah Shabangu of Mabeleni in Dlangeni
said he was selling his horses for E70 000. He is known in the area for breeding
the horses. This price could be equated to the purchasing of some pre-used cars.
 This is because horses appear to have much usefulness.
They could be used as a mode of transport. They can carry both humans and loads.
Horses come in different breeds.  They include the Appaloosa, Clydesdale,
Rahvan, Mustang, Dutch Warmblood and Morgan horse. The inconsequential use of
horses for transportation has an environmental impact as they do not need to be
refilled with the limited resource of fuel as cars do.
They can also be used for the horse racing sport and betting. One South African
sport betting company, Cash and Sport, said an average race horse can cost E300
000 plus E50 000 to E60 000 a year for maintenance. A quick search on Gumtree
online shop showed that some listings of horses for sale varied. In the
platform, it showed a South African selling a horse for E85 000 while another
one put up an E80 000 asking price.
Breeders
The South Africa National Hor- seracing Authority (NHRA) said breeders or stud
farms earned an average of E44 000 per horse. Shabangu said he owns 13 horses.
He said he has been keeping and breeding horses for the past 35 years. He
explained that he often sold horses to those who wanted them for diverse
reasons. He said he has never sold one to anyone who wanted it for commercial
reasons like horse racing.
Shabangu said he had sold 20 horses from his stock in the 35 years he has kept
them. He made it clear that he did not discriminate against anyone who wanted to
buy a horse. He further said most of the previous buyers were farmers who wanted
a horse for patrol reasons.
The farmer said he sometimes sold them to ordinary people who admired them. He
said he was yet to meet a businessperson who might, perhaps, want to buy it for
business purposes. If anyone did not afford to pay the E70 000 price, he said he
was amenable to barter trading. Though negotiable, he said he usually took four
cows for a horse as acceptable payment.
Not only are horses lovable animals to keep, they have been introduced into the
security agencies in the country for their capability for speed. Unlike its
cousin the donkey though, the horse proves to be much more valuable. A
comparison of two breeders led to the differences on the value these two animals
attract.
Donkey
On the other hand, Sibongile Mavuso from Nhlalakahle is a donkey breeder.
Shabangu and Mavuso both shared the usefulness of the animals and the love they
have for them but differed on their worth. Mavuso said that her investment in
donkey breeding was paying off gradually. Mavuso is an owner of seven donkeys.
Donkeys are capable of independent thinking and decision making.They are also
intelligent, sociable and calm.
Just like cattle, she said she used her donkeys to till the land. She said she
used ropes to tie up the plough to the donkey, which then dragged the plough
with her at the controls at the rear. “I saw their value from my growing up. I
am able to make a living out of them,” she said. She said she ploughed not
only her fields but were sometimes she was hired by some members of the
Nhlalakahle community for ploughing. Mavuso said she only charged her clients E2
per line tended. She said the interest was not in making money but was assisting
neighbours.
Mavuso said the donkeys had multiplied from the time she started keeping them
years ago. She said it was an inheritance for her. Proving that she turned the
inheritance to work for her, she said she learnt about the usefulness of donkeys
from her uncle who unfortunately passed away. Mavuso said she relies on the
donkeys for heavy loads but not for their meat.
Shabangu, who rears horses, also concurred with Mavuso and said these animals
could not be kept for their meat because it is not edible. When the donkey dies,
she said she simply buried it. Mavuso said she would dig a hole in the ground
and covered it with soil and rocks.