Mystery is 14.2 hh, 1,200-ish lbs, can carry 240 lbs (tack + rider), hard to spook, barefoot with no problems, used for our family trail rides (bitless) and as a pack horse (with previous owner), needs an intermediate rider, more whoa than go, a good husband horse prospect. We bought her 4.5 years ago and was told she was 13 then, so she is approximately 17 years old. Her breeding and detailed history is unknown.

For us, she’s VERY CALM when riding with the herd/in a group, has never tried to buck or bolt or rear, easy to load in a trailer, low in the hierarchy in the herd, usually a follower, but she has taken lead before.

We've only ridden her BITLESS in a halter - on roads with traffic and on difficult mountain trails with bareback pads or Western saddles.

She needs an intermediate rider. She tests you until you establish leadership. She did well for our adults and teens, but she's too much horse for our younger children. She also frequently, but not always, has pushy ground manners when she has been sitting/not worked (she's not so opinionated when she's not just sitting in a pasture). Her price accounts for it.

In the past, I used positive reinforcement while riding her. I'd “click” her and offer a reward (some alfalfa pellets) when I asked her to stop. She really, really loved it, and was keenly attentive to me and what I wanted. I had zero issues controlling her on the roads or trails while bitless and riding on a bareback pad. She was eager to stop when asked because she loved the treat.

Recently, I didn't do that on a road ride, and she was eager to get back home the whole ride. She didn't find the ride rewarding, and she wanted to go at a fast walk the whole time (even faster, if I let her). We haven't used her much in over a year, and her “boyfriend” (our gelding) was very displeased she went riding without him. She was anxious to get back to him. I had to use the one rein stop a number of times on my last ride (a bit might have helped) and had her walk in circles repeatedly until she was ready to walk at the pace I wanted. I still had a lot of fun, despite her being more difficult.

Currently, she will do best in a situation where she lives with another horse (she's not confident on her own but is calm with other horses or with a confident rider), and she's taken out riding with another horse. (Remember, she was originally used as a pack horse, so all she has known is riding with other horses.) But if you worked with her riding alone, she'd do well. Like any horse, the more you work with her, the better she'll do.

Our teens and adults had fun with her. We're selling her because I've gone back to school and can't make the finances work for both tuition and hay. I'd keep her, if I could. We chose Mystery to sell because our older kids traded their interest in horses for cars, she's too much horse for our younger children, and now she's not getting used.

My adult son will be handling the sale.

$3,000 Cash, PayPal, or Venmo.