Well, we've done it!!!  After years of research, saving our money and dreaming, my husband and I along with The Bar S have purchased our first Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Stallion.

It all began with a trip to the Minnesota Horse Fair at the end of April.  While visiting the Kentucky Mountain booth, we met Tara Stone of Stone Hollow Farm.  Along with her husband Chris, Tara owned a few 2 year olds we might be interested in looking at for a stallion prospect.

Many emails and weeks later, my father and I decided there was no help for it...... we had to go see them.  We could look at all the papers and pictures of these horses, but in the end, the only way to tell was to see them in person.

On May 17th my father and I took the 6 hour drive north to meet our destiny!  All the ride up, we talked about the possibilities of owning our own stallion.  We rehashed all the things we knew about stallions and what we would need to do to be 100% stallion proof!  Throughout the entire ride, I kept telling myself not to get my hopes up.  These were the first horses of the season, and they might not have anything for us.

Armed with all the emails from Tara, Dad and I had a pretty good grasp at what we would find when we got there.  We just needed to meet these boys in person!  We were pretty sure going in, we would like one in particular.  He had the bloodlines, the height and the look we were looking for.  Boy were we in for a surprise!

As we drove up to the horse pen, Tara and Chris had three beautiful horses for us to look at.  The one we had been leaning towards was there and we looked him over very carefully.  He was everything Tara had said and more.  However, there was another beauty next to him that both my father and I kept glancing over to.  Our eyes seemed to be drawn to him again and again.  He was a beautiful chocolate with a flaxen mane and tail.  Even with his winter coat, you could tell he was a wonder! 

After asking many pointed questions, we had each one of them led around so we could see them walk and gait.  Hands down, the chocolate gaited like a dream.  We were sold!

After a small and very short conference back at the truck, Dad and I decided he was the one for us.  Two hours after arriving at Stone Hollow, we had him in our trailer and we were headed home.  He was ours!!

For the next six hours, Dad and I talked like excited children.  We called everyone we knew cared (and many who didn't) and told them our news.  We had a stallion in our possession and his name was Slingshot!!!!  What a fabulous name!  He was ours!

For the next few days, Dad and I took turns coming home from work early so we could be with Slingshot.  I think we both thought if we blink, he might disappear like a mirage in the desert.  Our heads are still reeling with all the excitement. 

We have now settled into a routine.  We are just waiting for the paperwork for the transfer of ownership from the association and then we will get down to business.  Slingshot is attentive and willing and he is gaining weight all the time.

Soon, we will be putting pictures up in the "Horses" section of this site.

Part of the dream has been realized,  Dare we dream that one day, we will have it all...... a Slingshot baby :-)