02/23/2026
Yesterday I touched on the subject of seventy thousand dollar ponies and shared my thoughts on this page as I often do. After that I wandered out the door to gather some horses and head up to the arena to start my day. When I got back, I found myself hip-wader deep in messages as my post, written partly in jest, had struck a note with a lot of people.
Among these messages however, were several videos of the two hundred thousand dollar gelding spooking those two kids off just as the gavel fell proclaiming him sold. What a horrific moment for the seller, the buyer and the horse...never mind those kids dusting themselves off in front of a crowd.
First off, we all know that horses will do what horses will do. It looked to me like that black gelding spooked and came up against a combination of a big bit and a pair of unsympathetic hands, and got his mouth je**ed on. The resulting fit he threw was understandable because, well, horses will do what horses will do, but it was unacceptable in a kids horse as far as I could see. A true kids horse has got to be made of sterner stuff than to react to a cheering crowd and the fall of a gavel.
Most horses that I have sold in my horse-trader career would have packed a kid around long enough to make himself look good, but maybe not much longer than that. You see, true kids horses have a mindset from the beginning, and even then they still take years of experience to make. They have had their actions and reactions, their core character, held to the fire, so to speak. There are absolutely no doubts as to how they will handle themselves when the s**t storms of life roll down the pike, as they often do.
I think it is high time sellers (and buyers) start to consider this fact before tossing the 'littles' up in the ring.
Just because kids can ride them, doesn't mean they should.
As a seller, I'd ask myself if I'm selling a kids horse or a horse kids can ride? Because some buyers don't see the difference, and that's on me.
Have a good day folks. 😊