Natalie and Liz took seats in a middle row trying to blend in They watched the teenage rider in the auction pen When the rider jogged the pinto pony past the gate its strides got sluggish and reluctant The pony bulged its neck sideways like a stretched-out rubber band and tried to duck out of the arena The rider gave him a prod with his spurs and the pony bucked It was clear that he didn’t have much training or else he was used to riders who let him get away with misbehaving Here’s a perfect family pony for the kids folks said Chad Ingott Who needs a babysitter or lawnmower when you’ve got a pony like this Who’ll start the bidding at five hundred dollars He spoke in a singsong voice so quick that his words blurred together No one bid so Chad lowered the opening price to four hundred and then two hundred dollars A man leaning against the fence raised a piece of paper with a number on it I have two hundred two hundred who’ll give me twofifty warbled Chad A short stocky woman in a tan cowboy hat
raised the bid by fifty dollars Those were the only two bids Chad Ingott banged a wooden gavel on the table and said Sold The woman in the cowboy hat got up from her seat and went over to the edge of the arena where another farmhand wearing an Ingotts shirt helped her fill out some paperwork Liz nodded with satisfaction I know that woman she said leaning over so Natalie could hear her over the noise of the auction She runs a lesson program out in Lone Star Heights It’s not a fancy place but she’s a good trainer That pony could have done a lot worse The pinto pony was followed by a buckskin mustang with a barcode-like brand on its neck After that was an elderly draft horse trained for driving followed by a herd of miniature goats Most of the animals were plain and a little bit scraggly At first glance none of them looked sick or seriously underweight But Liz had explained that a lot of problems could be masked for the auction arena A horse with lung problems might be given a dose of steroids so it wouldn’t cough Or
an anxious horse could be given a sedative so that it looked calm and easygoing in front of buyers Ingotts had a reputation for doing exactly this but there was no easy way to find out if it were true Natalie looked curiously at the other buyers They seemed like a normal mix of people mostly adults but a few teenagers and families with younger kids Many were probably looking for inexpensive animals for 4-H projects Lots of people didn’t have enough money to buy purebred horses sold by professional trainers Auctions were a place where people could find a diamond in the rough But they were definitely a buyer-beware situation If someone weren't careful they could end up with a sick lame or uncontrollable animal Next up number seventy-three A grade palomino gelding ten years old broke English and Western said Chad Natalie turned her attention back to the auction pen The teenager in the red shirt was now riding a tall golden horse with a creamy white mane and tail Despite its pretty color the horse had poor conformation Natalie thought it was unlikely to
have the athletic ability to succeed competitions in most The man who had bid on the pinto pony raised his number again With his long gray ponytail intense eyes and lean sharp face he reminded Natalie of a coyote That’s Cash Delgado said Liz following Natalie’s gaze He’s the buyer for a big slaughterhouse across the border Natalie swallowed hard Horse slaughter was illegal in the United States but animals could be shipped to Mexico or Canada where it was allowed To Natalie’s relief a man and his teenage daughter made a higher bid on the palomino gelding and Cash Delgado didn’t bid again They seem like nice people Natalie remarked watching the girl who was hugging her dad and jumping up and down with excitement But Liz was frowning at the palomino as the Ingotts rider dismounted and handed him off to another farmhand That’s a funny swelling on his neck Liz muttered half to herself
