Our Story
We have owned and loved horses all of our lives. We bought our 1st Shetland pony for our youngest son for Christmas in 1996. A few months later we took the pony to be bred, and at the breeder’s fell in love with a pinto foal, CSF Mickey Gilley (HOF), which we bought for Cheryl to show. We were very successful in everywhere we showed that pony, and so we were hooked! Since then we have bought, bred, raised, and shown some of the best ponies in the country, and quickly grew to love our ponies even more than our horses!
We have focused on buying and breeding for not only conformation and looks, but also for performance ability, and especially for the kindness and willingness to perform and please their owners. We love our ponies, and they bring us such great joy to see our ponies perform so well in pony events all over the country, and to go to wonderful homes, bringing their new owners happiness. And the crowning jewel is the excitement and pleasing aura of our grandchildren as they participate with us in different types of showing events, CDE (combined driving events), family summer camp pony trail rides & drives (Papa Camp), and the annual VLTRA trail ride/drive and parade into downtown Houston kicking off the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. There is so much that we can do and have fun with our ponies, as you will see on the pages of our website.
Before we started with our ponies, Cheryl and I decided that ponies were something that we could all enjoy and grow together as a family. Married since 1971, Cheryl and I have 10 children and now 22 grandchildren, so family is very important to us, and obviously it keeps us very busy! So we try to prioritize our time, especially since we are so very busy in our Church activities. So ponies were perfect for us because they require so very little care. You can spend as much or little time as you have to do events with them, or just go for a carriage drive.
As our kids will tell you, Cheryl’s favorite quote is simply, “Be Good!”
And likewise, Carey’s favorite quote comes from Matt. 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Certainly, we have been richly blessed with the successes, happiness, and joy that our ponies have brought us, as “these things… added.”
