Pretty soon some weenlings will have more money paid into incentives then they are acatual worth

Just another 200 though LOL 

Agreed. I have 1 foal coming in 2020 and was considering nominating for PB and now there is the RB. To pay $400 annually to stay elligible for both seems too steep especially when you have to nominate as a foal and will have $1600 invested by the time they are 4 or $2000 by the time they're 5. I just think if people wanted to spend that kind of money, they might be better off investing it in a higher stud fee. I will likely pick one or the other if I decide to nominate at all.... 

Ruby Buckle now has a FB page.  With a little more info on it. 

I agree with this.

It costs enough to get them on the ground and to rideable age.

Nominate them for everything and you have another few thousand to recoup IF you sell them before the next annual payment is due.

That’s going to start to either limit the pool of potential buyers who can afford what breeders are forced to ask to make a living, or the small breeder goes broke.

I think the PB added a nice incentive - I did not like the annual fee aspect, a race like that would be a destination race for someone like me, but I’d have to keep ponying up each for year for the “someday I hope life lets me go”.  But I guess that’s how they make the numbers work too.  I’m not much of a gambler.

I've got two horses who are now Ruby Buckle eligible. I'm going to pay them in. Especially the Triple Vodka 2YO because you never know, someone may pry her out of my hands.  The ones of mine that are Pink Buckle, idk if I will also pay them into RB. I now have 3 horses on the ground either in RB or PB, and one on the way. So paying four in each year plus doubling up on the PB ones idk. I better win some money haha

Horses like to die and or get hurt too easily to have so much invested in them (personally). We still make money raising them without using any other source of income. I have my own stallion in a few incentives that surround my area- Colorado Classic, Cowboys State (WY), Grid Iron (SD), Cornhusker (NE) & VGBRA (SD -  Roper Rally). It just doesn't work to try and make them worth a crazy amount in the hopes of selling them at high prices to the elite. I'm content raising good using & arena horses with potential and staying out of the red. Nothing against those that have a sugar daddy or use other income ie hobby, I just can't and not sure I would if I could. Barrel racing is sadly getting like TB racing. You have to be of the elite to be able to run for the big money. When we first started raising horses years ago, anyone could run at the Silver Cup/Gold Cup and BFA. It wasn't un heard of for an unknown to win big. Now it is the same names -owner/trainer etc. Times change...hope it is for the good, but only time will tell.

I see some stallions are now being advertised as a Ruby Buckle Stallions. Is there a website yet with more information and a list of enrolled stallions? With the stallion auctions right around the corner, you would think they would want that list available to the public already. Thanks in advance if someone has a list already ??

You bring up a good point about dying or getting hurt.

How are the insurance agents looking at all these incentives and placing a value on a weanling/yearling/2 year old with no performance record?  I realize it adds value, but if you paid into everything could you convince an agent to cover that 100% and increase it with each year's payment?

My insurance agent thinks nothing about the incentives the weanling/yearling/2 year old is paid into. I wanted to put insurance on my weanling that is already paid into Pink Buckle and that didn't matter. All they wanted to know was the stud fee and said to double that for the amount they would insure my weanling for.... In my opinion is just wasn't worth it. I have paid more than that just getting the foal on the ground. 

Spot on!

I see the posted the first race in South Jordan Utah the first of June, but still no stallion list. . . . .

 It's interesting to see it is the stallion owner that owns the RB Slot, not the stallion. Isn't that what FF did in the beginning also? Is the PB the same way? I was under the impression PB was the stallion that owned the slot but I could be wrong.

Just a thought but the American pays great and all you have to do is be a BBR member and no commitment until you decide to enter

As a small breeder and stallion owner i can tell you my point of view

We run our own mares and have a stallion

I cannot afford either end of this game.

The stallion fees are $25,000 for the pink and $7000 for the Ruby

then you have to pay $200 for each colt each year.

Of course then there are at least 7 other incentives you can nominate the stud to

Without a big name owner or Ranch behind the program, breeders like us cannot afford to enter up in the big games like Ruby and Pink

Those incentives are for the stallion owners with a lot of cash not for people like us

Pink buckle fees for me would wipe out the breeding fees for each year

I'm trying really hard to support anybody and everybody that wants to make improvements to the industry.    However, the barrel industry is doing more exclusion than inclusion and while there is more money involved, it is fewer people and in the long run that never works.  It is becoming more transactional and less relationship based.  Some will temporarily profit because of this but it will cause significant problems down the road.  

I totally agree. Many might view PB and RB as being great for the industry. I don’t really agree with that in some respects. If you have an outstanding stallion prospect, 3 years old or under...these types of programs have totally screwed you for when you decide to try and stand your horse in a couple of years. Even if you can afford the fees, there are no slots available.

You'd better have a Plan B and make sure your colt has another potential breeding market other than the barrel industry. 

exactly SKM.  For this reason I decided to head my JC stud prospect to the roping pen instead.  At 2 years old it just didn't make sense right now, or for the next 4 or 5 years.  

I’m in the same boat with my 3 year old ASOF. He’s with a ranch horse versatility trainer. Figured we’d go that route before putting him on barrels since he’s a really nice mover and super athletic. 

In a perfect world...he’ll get his ROM and a World Championship first, lol! A girls gotta dream! 

No judgement on the dream at all.  I have a 2018 colt that is going to be a AQHA superhorse one day (crossing fingers, toes, many prayers, & picking up every penny I can for good luck)!

Wyoming Barrel Racer for President! Dang, that reply makes good sense.

Too many incentive programs dilute the market IMO.  No idea how stud owners without endless bankrolls can even attempt to compete.  Also makes it difficult for colt/prospect trainers.  I have literally had to make a list of who’s eligible for what to even keep it straight.  And forget about paying my personal aged mare into FF.  I personally would like to see less programs, but a couple great programs covering more stallions as options.  I think time will weed many of these programs extinct, but until then it’s a bit of a cluster...