"Girl, set me up on my horse, come on, and get the dogs,” Those are the words of Beth Ferguson's grandfather, even after he was diagnosed with cancer. “He rode up until just weeks before he passed away. I hope that I can enjoy things as much as he did. That was a good life.” Beth's life has revolved around horses since before she can remember. “My mom said when I was little she'd drive down the road and I'd just start screaming. She couldn't figure out what was wrong at first, but eventually she figured out it was horses. Every time I would see one, I'd just get excited and start screaming. I've always loved them, for as long as I can remember, and from what she says, even before I can remember.”
As a child growing up, Beth's mother, a single mom to two girls, told her that if it was in her power, when things got lined out, she would make sure Beth had horses one day. “She bought my first horse for me, and it started from there. I worked on a farm milking goats in the morning and riding horses in the afternoon. She paid for half of that first horse and I worked the other half off.” Beth's mother, Gaye Elmore, is still out in California, where Beth grew up. Gaye comes to Arkansas frequently to visit and see what has come to fruition from that fateful promise. Beth shares, “I feel like the Lord has blessed me and I have more than I ever imagined. Sometimes I'm tired because I've worked all day, and the weather is terrible, and I have to go out and feed and put out hay, and I just tell him, Thank you Jesus. I know I asked for this.”
Beth has been working on her breeding program for 19 years. At her mountain top farm, Journey's End in West Fork, Ark., you can see the harvest from all that hard work. As the wind whips through the field, visitors are greeted by amazingly friendly and docile weanlings.
Beth noted, smiling, that everyone, animal and human, on her farm is expected to be on their best behavior. Breeding for a solid good-natured family Paint or Quarter Horse has been Beth's priority. However, she believes that you don't have to sacrifice conformation or athletic ability to have a well-tempered horse. Her focus has been combining those traits in pedigreed animals, for the best all-around horse available. Her hard work has paid off, as evidenced by her 6-year-old daughter, Brooke, winding through the horses. Not a single horse acts skittish, all of them moving in for a nuzzle or a scratch behind the ears.
The colors of the horses available are also diverse, from blue roans to paints. The locals call them the “rainbow horses,” due to the multitude of colors and the fact that they change with the seasons.
Working off farm, and commuting between her farm's two locations, another is in Booneville, is a balancing act that Beth credits her son Matthew with helping to achieve. “We couldn't do this without Matthew helping run both locations,” Beth said.
In sharing her vision for the future and the farm, Beth says that she'd really like to get word out about her horses more and have them seen by a larger segment of the population. Right now, a big portion of her business is from repeat customers and word of mouth.
Her well mannered Quarter Horses and Paints should have no trouble finding an end to their journey, with people looking for quality horses. With only three weanlings left, and plenty of acreage to keep them until they find the perfect home, Beth has a lot to be thankful for, even in a down horse market.
