http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/scottsdales-planet-ranch-a-costly-goof/ Fri, 18 May 2012 16:21:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/scottsdales-planet-ranch-a-costly-goof/comment-page-1/#comment-1237 SaraD Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:04:00 +0000 http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=807#comment-1237 At just about the time the ranch got started, the bottom dropped out of the horse market - the Arabian horse market, in particular. Contributing factor: IRS rule changes that disallowed "hobby" horse farming as a tax deduction (a good thing). Arabian horse ranches in Scottsdale began moving out or shutting down, and the city offered no incentive keep them here because developers wanted the land they occupied and the city wanted that always-of-primary-importance tax revenue from it. By the early 1990s, there were fewer horses in the area. That meant fewer mouths to eat hay and hay-based products. That meant hay sales that were lower than anticipated by Planet Ranch. Those of us who had horses here in the Valley hoped for low hay prices from that "local" source. It never happened. You could buy Colorado hay for less than you could Planet Ranch hay. Throw in that new legislation that protected water rights (a good thing). The whole deal was in the wrong place at the wrong time and there were just way too many "bean counters" involved. IMO At just about the time the ranch got started, the bottom dropped out of the horse market – the Arabian horse market, in particular. Contributing factor: IRS rule changes that disallowed “hobby” horse farming as a tax deduction (a good thing). Arabian horse ranches in Scottsdale began moving out or shutting down, and the city offered no incentive keep them here because developers wanted the land they occupied and the city wanted that always-of-primary-importance tax revenue from it. By the early 1990s, there were fewer horses in the area. That meant fewer mouths to eat hay and hay-based products. That meant hay sales that were lower than anticipated by Planet Ranch. Those of us who had horses here in the Valley hoped for low hay prices from that “local” source. It never happened. You could buy Colorado hay for less than you could Planet Ranch hay. Throw in that new legislation that protected water rights (a good thing). The whole deal was in the wrong place at the wrong time and there were just way too many “bean counters” involved. IMO

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