Finding the Right Horse

  After teaching and saving my money for about a year, we started looking for horses for sale on Craigslist. The very first horse that we wanted to buy was Pepper, a Gypsy Vanner x POA cross. Pepper was 2 years old at the time and 13.2 hands high. Camille and I really loved Pepper, but we realized that he was just too small for us, and we did not have the experience to train him.

The next horse that we called on sounded great, and I had high hopes for her. Brandy was a 15 year old Mustang mare that was about 15 hands high and had previously been used for 4-H. But she had a lot of energy, and I did not like the way the owners handled her. Not that that was bad, but there could have been potential problems later.

The next two horses were Pecos and Abisha and had been buddies for years. Camille and I got to ride both and really enjoyed each one. Abisha was a Tennessee Walker mare that was 14.2 hands high, and was 18 years old. She had a very prominent sway back, and she seemed like the kind of horse that we might have health problems. Pecos was a Quarter horse gelding that was about 14 years old and 15 hands high. I really liked Pecos because he wasn't completely trained and really was very eager to learn.

Straight after meeting Pecos and Abisha, we went and met Ken Bateman, who owns J and K farms. J and K Farms breeds Pony of the Americas. We met Ken about 2 years ago because he is the neighbor of some friends. Ken introduced us to Barbie Doll, a POA mare that he described as 'cinchy'. We rode Barbie around the pasture with only a little twine around her neck. I was amazed at how obedient she was and really loved her disposition.

We went back and rode Barbie several more times before deciding on Barbie Doll. I was actually leaning more towards Pecos, but we were concerned about his health. And Camille was in love with Barbie!