My very own Black Beauty Story: Sparkle Eyes Returns

The summer of my freshman year in high-school my mom and me headed to Ft. Worth to "watch" the Paint World horse show and just kinda "check out" the World Paint Auction. The auction is where they sell about 100 qualified Paint horses from all around the US. The day before the auction each hose is taken into the arena and given about 15 minutes to show off for potential buyers. One horse caught our eye, she was a sorrel paint mare, very elegant, long legs, green broke but showed sooo much potential. Well, just "watching" and just "checking out", quickly change to bidding. Within a matter of minutes my mom was bravely flashing her paddle in a bidding war. As the price kept rising my mom looked at me and said "this is it, this is my last bid, if its meant to be we'll get her". So I guess it was meant to be, my mom and I were the proud owners of a four year old Paint mare, name Sparkle Eyes.

I trained and showed Sparkle for 3 1/2 years. We did everything from western pleasure to jumping. My mom and I hauled her all over the state of Texas, and California. We had so many amazing moments. She taught me so much about training a young horse, because of her I was introduced to tons of people in the horse industry that helped me along in my journey. And, I cannot tell you how many days and nights she brought me and my mom together. She gave me and my mom memories together that we will cherish for a life time.

The summer after I graduated high-school I showed Sparkle at the APHA World horse show and won third. What an amazing accomplishment it was to have taken a horse from a youngster all the way up to placing in the top ten at World. Unfortunately that summer would be my last year to show. I was going off to school and Sparkle was too nice of a horse to just keep in the pasture. We made the decision to sell her which at that time was our first horse to ever have to sell. After the show we left Sparkle for the last time with our trainer to be sold. I remember sobbing in the aisle way at the barn as we left her and my mom saying "we dont have to do this, we can take her home".

After she was sold we kept up with her for several years. While at college I drove an hour and a half once a week to go and ride her with her new owner. Unfortunately she was not a great match at her new home and was sold. A few years later we lost track of her.

Several months ago my mom and I got to talking and wondered where Sparkle was and if she was ok. We tracked down her new owner and sent them a letter, but it was returned. My mom however is a genius and looked them up on none other than facebook. Low and behold they still had her. They're story was similar to ours...they're daughter who rode her was going to school and no longer had time for her.

This past sunday, after TEN years, Sparkle Eyes has returned home to us! At 15 years old she is still as elegant as she was at 4. We had our first ride yesterday, it is like she never left.

me and sparkle, 10 years ago.


me and sparkle, the day she came home for good.