arenosahistory

The History of the Arenosa
Pony
The Arenosa Pony Farm Story
by Scott Uzzel

The story of the famed Arenosa Pony Farm started in 1941, when Audrey and Clinton
Barrett first came to Victoria, Texas. At that time, most of the local cowboys had gone into
the military, leaving the ranch work to the women, children, and those too old for the
draft. Audrey, a former Miss Arkansas Ranch Girl, had owned a riding academy in
Arkansas and was an expert horsewoman. With an outstanding string of cow horses, she
found plenty of work on the local ranches. Children of friends and neighbors were always
asking Audrey to ride her saddle horses, which she did not allow. A couple of grade
ponies were purchased to occupy these area children. Later some mares were added to
raise a few foals to help defray the cost of keeping the ponies. Arenosa Pony Farm was
born.

The lives of many Victoria area children were enriched through Audrey Barrett and her
Arenosa Shetland ponies Several local children who were headed down the wrong path
were righted by the efforts of Audrey and her mission to introduce youngsters to the joys
of working with Shetlands. Over the years, Audrey worked with hundreds of children,
sometimes as many as 20 at a time, with some being as young as two years old.

“During the summer months, the parents had to come out here to visit their children,”
Audrey said.

People often wonder where the Arenosa name originated. At one time the Barretts were
going to raise ponies on a farm owned by Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Readding, along Arenosa
(Spanish for dry) Creek in Victoria County. That plan did not develop, but because ponies
had been entered in several shows under the Arenosa banner, the name stuck.

In the late 1950s the Barretts began acquiring nationally known show ponies for their
breeding program, including Richardson’s C-Jo Topper, a “Top Ten” harness pony and
son of the $56,000 C-Jo’s Topper. Others included Atkinson’s Hillswicke Dark Fancy, by
Hillswicke Oracle; Richardson’s Pete of Fable Stables, an under 40” son of six-time
national grand champion Curtiss-Frisco Pete; Supreme’s Gold Nugget of Royal Crescent,
a son of the $85,000 Supreme’s Bit of Gold; and Fran R.’s Althea Cody, a national futurity
winner by Silver Mane’s Frisco Cody.

Many other royally bred Shetlands entered the Arenosa breeding program, as the Barretts
sometimes purchased entire herds of ponies from breeders who were dispersing, keeping
the best and culling the rest. Some of the top foundation stock came from Mrs. Lloyd
Richardson of Aransas Pass, Texas, who let Audrey have first pick before dispersing her
ponies.

Over the years, however, the Arenosa name has become synonymous with one illustrious
Shetland sire: Kewpie Doll’s Oracle 27889A. Foaled in 1950, this exquisite 39”, black and
white stallion was sired by Hillswicke Oracle 24491A, one of the breed’s most influential
sires, and a national champion in hand and harness.

The dam of Kewpie Doll’s Oracle, Streamliner’s Kewpie Doll 25066A, was the greatest
model mare of her time, winning the blue at the National Shetland Congress in 1948 and
1949.

Dr. E.S. McClelland, Aledo, Illinois, purchased Kewpie Doll’s Oracle at the Perry Carlile
Sale in 1954. When McClelland dispersed his Shetlands in 1956, the sale catalog offered
the following excerpt about Kewpie Doll’s Oracle:

“Irregardless of their likes and dislikes, everyone who has seen this pony has kind words
for him. He leaves a lasting impression that few can equal ... With a natural spring to
every stride, Kewpie has the greatest pair of natural hocks we have ever seen. Without
benefit of training, he literally ‘boxes’ with his hind feet.”

On a bid of $5,100, Kewpie Doll’s Oracle went to E.C. Adams, Sr., Blue Springs, Missouri,
where he enjoyed a successful show career in model and fine harness classes. But it was
in the hands of J.A. Stovall, Era, Texas, who owned the stallion from 1959 to 1967, that
Kewpie Doll’s Oracle came into his own as a sire. From 1961 through 1963 his get
dominated the hand and group classes at the Congress, thanks primarily to the 5-G Pony
farm show string owned by J.W. Griffith, Longview, Texas.

From Stovall’s, Kewpie Doll’s Oracle went to Bob Reinhardt in Louisiana, then to Texan
Buck Bucheit, who presented the stallion to young Nancy Barrett as a gift. While at
Arenosa, Kewpie Doll’s Oracle sired many top ponies, including the sorrel and white
stallion, Kewpie’s Topper of Arenosa 128828A, the sire of many champions in both The
Classic American Shetland and Miniature Horse divisions.

“He certainly had the ability to transmit quality,” Audrey Barrett said of Kewpie Doll’s
Oracle. “To see him move was a joy to behold. He passed that down, too.”

Kewpie Doll’s Oracle passed away at Arenosa in 1973 In addition to Kewpie’s Topper of
Arenosa, he left behind another famous son in the Arenosa stallion battery, Kewpie Doll’s
Diablo 84342A. Diablo was bred by J.A. Stovall, and was described in the 1961 Stovall
Production Sale catalog as “the most beautiful stud in the sale.” Diablo was purchased by
J.W. Griffith and joined the vaunted 5-G show string. Edna Kratz, Mesquite, Texas, bought
Diablo at the 5-G dispersal sale in 1964, and exhibited the sorrel and white dynamo in
under roadster classes throughout the Southwest.

The Barretts bought Diablo in 1969 for Nancy to show, with the stipulation that he never
be sold. Throughout the early 1970s, Diablo amassed wins in the roadster stake at San
Antonio, Dallas, and Pin Oak on the old Southwest circuit, defeating several national
champion road ponies along the way.

With this caliber of show ponies in the stallion battery, one would expect the Barrett’s
breeding program to gain national prominence. But the Arenosa program went beyond
that, gaining international recognition, and becoming the leading exporter of Shetland
Ponies in the United States for several years. Arenosa Shetlands have been sold to
Canada, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Guatemala, and other Latin American countries.

The Latin American market proved to be especially lucrative during the 1970s, when the
Shetland market was at its lowest ebb in the United States. Over a period of 20 years,
Senor Perotti of Guatemala, an importer of fine livestock from Europe and the United
States, imported dozens of Arenosa Shetlands. His son of Diablo, Painted Indian, was
named grand champion stallion of Central America at a show in Honduras. Arenosa
Shetlands were also owned by the mayor of Monterrey, Mexico, and the president of
Honduras.

At a time when crossbreeding to Hackneys was rampant in the Shetland breed, Audrey
Barrett steadfastly refused to crossbreed. Instead, she intensely line-bred her ponies in
order to retain as much closeness to Kewpie Doll’s Oracle as possible. The average size of
the Arenosa ponies was 40”. However, many were small enough to be registered as
Miniature Horses, as well. Two of the better known Arenosa miniatures were the many-
times-champion F.W.F. Charro of Arenosa and Juana Machete of Arenosa. Three Arenosa
animals were entered in Volume 1 of the American Miniature Horse Registry Stud Book,
all with their Shetland pedigrees intact!

During the 1980s, Audrey rejected several lucrative offers from prominent Miniature
Horse breeders to buy her entire herd of Classic American Shetlands.

“I couldn’t imagine living my life without Shetland Ponies,” she said. “I tell them that
they don’t have enough money to buy me out. The ponies bring me more pleasure than
the money ever could.”

Arenosa was at the forefront of the Classic American Shetland movement that began in
the early 1980s. When the first annual National Classic American Shetland All-Stars
were announced in 1983, three of the top five stallions, three of the top five mares, and
two of the top five pleasure driving ponies were Arenosa owned and bred. Kewpie’s
Gabriella of Arenosa 132389A was the first National All-Star Champion Classic Mare.
Kewpie’s Topper of Arenosa was the Reserve Champion Classic Stallion.

At the 1992 annual meeting of the American Shetland Pony Club, Audrey Barrett was
inducted into the ASPC People Hall of Fame, a fitting tribute to a lifetime devoted to
raising the finest in Classic American Shetland Ponies.
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