[QUOTE=NE_Rider;4900923]
An excellent lens which will be a bit better than the third party, IMO ;), but not as expensive as the 70-200 VRII, is the older Nikon 80-200.[/QUOTE]
If you patiently check the Craigslist of major cities near you, and ebay, etc, you can also sometimes find the old workhorse Nikkor 80-200mm/f2.8 push-pull lens for around $500. No VR, but completely crystal clear razor-sharp images. Takes a bit or getting used to zooming by pulling or pushing, but worth the effort to save so much money and have a professional quality lens.
Back to the OP and others on here who don’t aspire to be pros, but just want good photos for a good value:
Most serious photographers are equipment junkies. This means they are constantly waiting for and buying the latest and greatest new product. This in turn means that they often sell off their older stuff that is still in perfectly good condition.
I’d recommend this for those of you looking for something not too complicated but capable of taking just the sort of pictures most horse people need: Buy an older model from a pro. How do you find them? Visit the photographer forums’ “For Sale” section, watch Craigslist, peruse ebay, etc. And entry level “prosumer” DSLR (like the Nikon D50) can often be found for less than $500 for the body.