"Let me introduce you. This is our boss." After greeting the man named Bob, Robbins said to him with a smile on his face. Hearing Robbins' words, old Bob also happily shook hands with Jiang Hai.
Although old Bob did not know Jiang Hai, the recent sale of Green Forest had become quite famous in this area.
Many people had heard about Jiang Hai.
In the United States, the people who should not be offended the most are the rich. Of course, there are also some young people who are uncertain.
"Hello, my name is Bob George, and I am the owner of this horse farm." While shaking hands with Jiang Hai, Bob also introduced himself.
"Hello, my name is Jiang Hai; you can call me Jiang or Hai." Hearing Bob's words, Jiang Hai also smiled and replied. Seeing that the two had finished introducing themselves, Robbins interrupted.
"Bob, this time we are here to buy some horses." Looking at Bob, Robbins then glanced at the horse farm behind and said.
"I know. I heard that recently, that guy Lehman sent 15,000 cows to Green Forest. It's big news in this area. Let's go and see which little ones are lucky enough to be picked by you." Hearing Robbins' intention, old Bob chuckled. He had been prepared for this, so without saying another word, he led everyone to the stable at the back.
According to Robbins, Bob's horse farm was the largest in the area, and there was no doubt about it. There were over a thousand horses in the entire farm, which supplied horses to farms and ranches in the east. Raising horses was an ancestral craft of Bob's family. Even the horses in some ranches out west were imported from him.
Recently, the ranching industry in the United States had not been very prosperous, so Bob was considering entering the horse racing industry.
However, the situation didn't seem very ideal at the moment.
While listening to Robbins' introduction, Jiang Hai and he walked into the horse farm. As soon as they entered, they saw many horses grazing in the distance. When the horses saw them, they were already accustomed to the presence of people, so they simply looked up and then continued grazing. Robbins kept staring at these horses.
"If you want to buy horses, have you thought about what kind you want?" Bob, who was walking in front of them, turned his head and asked. There were four huge stables in front of them. Looking at the stables, it was clear that the horses inside were different.
"What are the differences between horses?" Hearing Bob's words, Jiang Hai asked Robbins in a low voice.
Jiang Hai, like most ordinary people, didn't know much about horses. He had only come across some horse breeds when playing games or reading novels, like the very famous Ferghana horses in China, as well as Sanhe horses, Yi-Li horses, and so on.
But when it came to the real differences, he didn't know much about them.
"The price varies depending on the breed. If it's a common wild horse or a spotted horse, it will be much cheaper. A purebred horse will cost much more." Though Jiang Hai's voice was not loud, Bob still heard it clearly and chuckled, responding to him.
The so-called wild horses weren't real wild horses. After all, while there were many wild horses in North America, they weren't particularly numerous. In the United States, all wild animals are protected. The wild horses mentioned here were the descendants of the original wild horses that had been domesticated. As for the spotted horses, these were horses born from the hybridization of wild horses and domestic horses, with various colors on their bodies.
These horses weren't fast or strong, but one thing they had going for them was that they were easy to raise. They could be used for work or for riding. The horses used in general family ranches were mostly of this type.
In addition to these, there were purebred horses, which were much more expensive.
"Of these four stables, the first one holds wild horses and spotted horses. The middle one holds some quarter horses. If I had to choose, quarter horses are best for a ranch. The last two stables—one holds purebred horses, and the last one holds racehorses. Although they haven't won any awards, they are indeed racehorses." Seeing Jiang Hai's puzzled expression, Bob continued explaining. In fact, according to Robbins, the best horses for ranching were quarter horses. Of course, Jiang Hai was the main buyer, so if he bought wild horses or spotted horses, that was fine too, but the purebred horses and racehorses were not suited for ranching.
"Let's go see the purebred horses and racehorses!" When Jiang Hai heard about purebred and racehorses, he immediately lost interest in the quarter horses and spotted horses. Although his funds were nearly depleted, he still had enough to buy horses.
"Racehorses and thoroughbreds are different from ordinary ranch horses. Most of these horses are hot-blooded, so they don't have strong endurance and are only suitable for sprints and races." After hearing Jiang Hai's words, Bob led them to the purebred stables, but as they walked, Robbins stepped closer to Jiang Hai and whispered.
Jiang Hai was stunned upon hearing Robbins' explanation. Was there really so much to know about horses? Wasn't it just about having better horses?
Seeing Jiang Hai's confusion, Robbins couldn't help but smile. It seemed Jiang Hai really didn't know much.
"There are many kinds of horses. Herding horses, for example, first need strong physical strength and endurance. It's useless for them to be fast in short distances; they have to be able to run long distances. Also, they can't be too picky about food." Looking at Jiang Hai, Robbins continued. What he said was quite subtle. In reality, once you bring home a good horse, it's almost like bringing an ancestor into your house. Not only do you have to ride it regularly, but you also need to hire someone to take care of it. Horses in international competitions can cost tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars. These horses are extremely precious and will never be used for anything else except competitions.
However, Robbins and his friends were looking for horses for ranching, so they needed to pay attention to endurance and practicality.
Hearing Robbins' words, Jiang Hai was stunned for a moment. He really hadn't known there were so many factors to consider.
But after hearing that, he was curious to see the horses anyway. He wasn't planning on buying these top-tier horses.
Of course, Bob knew that with Robbins here, he would never let his boss buy those horses that were too expensive for ranching.
So, he didn't take Jiang Hai to see the racehorses, but instead went directly to the third stable, which housed the famous horses.
No matter how valuable the horse, it still needs to eat and relieve itself, so the smell in the stable wasn't as bad as in a cowshed, but it was still noticeable, though it was bearable.
As they entered the stable, several horses appeared before Jiang Hai, and Bob began his introductions.
"This is an Arabian horse, a very ancient breed, also known as the strongest horse breed. It can be said that almost 90% of the famous horses today have Arabian blood. Known as the most beautiful horse, they followed the Persian Empire into battle." As they walked in, Jiang Hai saw a few horses about 1.5 meters tall. This horse wasn't very tall, but it was indeed very beautiful, with large eyes, a white coat, a symmetrical body, and no mixed colors. It was truly stunning.
"This is a thoroughbred horse, the national horse of the United Kingdom. It is the fastest of all horses, but its endurance is shockingly poor. It can only run a few kilometers before it tires out. It can't do anything except race." Behind the Arabian horse was the thoroughbred, which now dominated over 90% of horse racing events and was the most expensive.
Compared to the Arabian horse, this one was taller, about 1.7 meters. While the Arabian horse was more delicate, this horse exuded power. The Arabian horse seemed like a beauty, while this horse looked like a hero. It had no flaws.
"This is a Hanoverian horse, the best show horse. It's brave, strong, and excels in jumping obstacles. It's ideal for dressage, but not for herding."
"This is a Clydesdale, that's an Appaloosa, and this is a Budyonny..."
As Bob continued to introduce the horses, Jiang Hai's eyes began to blur. Bob's horse farm was indeed one of the largest in the Boston area. There were many types of horses, and nearly every breed Jiang Hai had heard of, and some he hadn't, was here.
However, in Bob's eyes, all the horses were essentially the same: they were sold to wealthy people on Wall Street, not suited for ranchers like Jiang Hai. After a long introduction, the three of them reached the innermost part of the stable.
There were a few horses inside, and these horses piqued Jiang Hai's curiosity.
"This horse is very popular with the Chinese. No, you could say it's loved by Asians. It's the Akhal-Teke horse, also known as the Ferghana horse in Asia." Bob patted the white horse beside him and smiled.
Hearing Bob's words, Jiang Hai was stunned. A Ferghana horse? At the mention of those four words, Jiang Hai carefully looked at the horse in front of him, but to be honest, he wasn't too optimistic about it.
Because this horse looked... well, not very beautiful. Compared to the Arabian horse, it didn't have the soft lines. Compared to the purebred horses, it wasn't as tall or majestic. In short, it looked quite odd. This was a short-haired horse. Except for its long mane, its coat was quite short, and its skin resembled a Shar Pei dog, full of folds. The face was long, and most notably, its ears were thin and long, sticking straight up, almost like rabbit ears, making it look quite peculiar.
"Could it be that the horse once called Pegasus is this one?" Jiang Hai thought as he stared at the horse in front of him. It was hard for him to believe.