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Welcome!

A. Little Mountain Pleasure was established in 2000 and is located in the beautiful rolling hills of Menifee County, Kentucky where we raise quality Mountain Pleasure Horses.

My dad, Arnold Little, raised Mountain Pleasure Horses for over 20 years and supported the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association when they first started the breed registry in the 70's. Dad passed away in 1994 and at that time I inherited his Mountain Pleasure horse yearling filly named Barney’s April. I trained her myself and often rode her as she was a great horse with a pleasant disposition. (She is now our brood mare and does a wonderful job of raising her babies.)

Eventually I bought the house that my dad built in Wellington, Kentucky and in the same year I was married to a wonderful man, Randy Beal. At that time we lived in Ohio and came down on weekends to take care of the house and farm. We moved here permanently in April of 2007 and we love living in the eastern mountains of Kentucky, located 17 miles from the beautiful Red River Gorge.

When we bought our farm and decided that we wanted to carry on my dad’s legacy of raising Mountain Pleasure horses; we named it A. Little Mountain Pleasure Horse Farm. I wanted dad and his spirit and love of horses to be a part of this farm and that is why every colt or filly that is born here will bear dad’s name in part; A.Little. Our main purpose in raising these fine horses is to preserve this breed and promote them in other areas of the country where they are not as prevalent.

For more than 160 years, Eastern Kentuckians have enjoyed their Mountain Pleasure Horses. They are the foundation horse of the Tennessee Walking Horse, Rocky Mountain Horse, and American Saddle bred horses. These horses were bred in the hills of eastern Kentucky for gentleness, to work the fields on the steep hillsides, and take the children to school and church. People in this area had very little income and could typically only afford one horse to do everything. Breeders selected their horses based on the criteria of gait and disposition. Mountain Pleasure horses are smart, gentle, easy-gaited and versatile.

The Mountain Pleasure Horse’s distinctive, easy-riding gait allows the sure-footed horse to cover a lot of ground with minimum effort for both the horse and rider. The gait is an evenly spaced, four-beat lateral gait with moderate forward speed and extension, without exaggerated knee and hock action. The horse moves out with a gait in which one can count four distinct hoof beats and produce a cadence of neat equal rhythm. The gait is natural. It is bred into the Mountain Pleasure horse through generations of proper breeding without action devices or aids; and harsh training methods which are not necessary or allowed by the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association.

The disposition and training of the Mountain Pleasure Horse may be the most appreciated characteristic for novice horse owners. They are a very intelligent horse that loves attention. Veteran trainers of other breeds are amazed at how fast Mountain Pleasure horses learn. It is not uncommon to see 2 and 3 year olds effectively competing with older horses at area horse shows or on challenging trail rides.

Once Mountain Pleasure horses are trained they remember their lessons well. Who has time to ride everyday? You can ride once a month, or once a year, and they are still willing to please you. They make excellent trail horses which are suitable for the inexperienced or experienced rider, young, and old alike. With their easy-gait anyone can enjoy riding these beautiful horses.

If you are thinking of purchasing a horse to trail ride or to show- we encourage you to take a look at Mountain Pleasure horse. You will be amazed. We invite you to come see these wonderful horses for yourself. We are current members of the Mountain Pleasure Horse Association and I also serve on the board of directors. Please call or email to set up a set up a time for your visit. Thank you for visiting our web site and we hope you will check back often for as we update it frequently.

For Information Contact:

Randy & Rebecca Beal
P O Box 23
Wellington, KY 40387

(606) 768-3847

Horses shown by appointment only. Please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to assist you with your mountain pleasure horse selection.