FOR SALE: "Pepper ",
aprox 11.3/12 hands, aprox 8 years old (8-8-10) $700 -

See videos at the bottom, please read the ad before emailing questions, or requesting to come see him. Thank you.

Picture from 7-2010

Pictures from 6-2010

Summer 2009

Pepper is located at our farm. For more info see our contact us page.

We have taken him out to various trails (riderless, we hiked with him because I'm too big to ride him), public parks, and even prepped him to do the towns parade (though he didn't end up going because it stormed). We have not done any showing with him.

I have (and do occasionally) ride him, but at 5'5" and 125 pounds I'm just a tad big for him to school him in any kind of 'serious' manner beyond bareback for about 15 minutes in the arena (and yes that is me schooling him in the recent videos).

Pepper will lunge at walk & trot with or with out side reins in such a manner that he allows his rider to do balance exercises, etc. Pepper has a working/posting trot and a very smooth, slow sitting jog that you can get by voice command. He also does lots of ground/obstacle course work with the kids including desensitizing exercises (mostly for the kids to experience).

Pepper is not prone to being spooky or shy, overly sensitive to stimuli, hot, excitable etc. He is not overly sensitive to the aids, but he is also not dull. He is starting to get a 'head set' at the walk/jog. He isn't very keen on getting into a canter (you have to ask & ask), and doesn't stay in it very long So I doubt he is going to run off with anyone. :) (please see videos at the bottom for canter work).

Pepper is about 80% blind in one eye due to an old eye injury. He can see larger things but, for example, does not notice when you are lunging him that you have a lunge whip in your hand. In the year+ we have owned him he has had no symptoms (tearing, weeping, discharge, pain, swelling, rubbing, head shaking, light sensitivity) and can provide references of such. His condition does not affect him in any way - he is very sure footed over obstacles, over varied terrain, with other horses in a pasture situation (he is very confident), has never come close to having an accident running into things and is NOT the least bit spooky. RECENT: I had the vet look at his eye in May and she stated she felt like the eye received a trauma type of injury that left scar tissue and that it should not be a problem as in a degenerative way.

Other than his eye, he has been healthy and sound, and easy to maintain since we've purchased him. I do not know his health history beyond the time we have owned him. He does not easily get overly fat, he has shown no tendencies towards being a founder candidate with the life style he lives out here.

His 'big flaw' is that he can be slightly bossy towards a timid or small handler (eating grass, rubbing his head, not picking his feet on que, moving his head while bridling, that kind of thing). Most of his lesson students in the past year have been 8 - 12 years old and with in 6 ground work lessons they all learned to manage him for daily routines (getting him out of the stall / pasture, tying and grooming, tacking up, leading out to the arena and doing basic ground work). At his previous home you could tell they did a lot of hand feeding so he had a 'busy mouth' (checking sleeves, pockets, hands etc). We do not hand feed at our farm and I tell my students not to play with a pony's mouth and we've had no problem with him being a 'greedy grabber'.

His only stable management concern is he does not do well in a mixed group herd. He will run meeker geldings off if mares are around. I have either kept him up front in a 'gelding only' pasture, or I've kept him with only my mares. With boarded horses at my farm it is just easier that way. Out in pasture he eats in a pasture/group situation, doesn't test fencing, stays out fine in both the heat and the cold. I have not had any issues with him being worked in our arena, in our lesson program, with multiple horses/kids.

Pepper has not exhibited any 'stable vices' such as wood chewing, cribbing, weaving, digging holes, etc etc etc.

Pepper has been fine with the farrier, vet, standing straight tied and cross tied, loading/hauling, going places.

ALSO Here is a video (pictures) of him with his first 'rider' (the family that had him 'first' and broke him etc). I'm guessing this was about 4 years ago now? :-) He is at 1:37 - 2:22 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Yn_7hMRKg