Bolding Horses

When Susen Arenholtz Von Warburg wanted a western horse, she knew that her search may take her far from home. Having recently moved from the city to a farm twenty kilometers from Copenhagen, Denmark, she was finally in a position to own horses and was excited about purchasing one of the wonderful animals that she fell in love with as a child. Susen has come to feel that horses bred and raised in Europe are bought and sold primarily for their beauty, and sellers pay little attention to working with the animals. Since she says that one cannot ride on beauty alone, Susen felt that she must look to the West for a working horse. She began to explore various equine websites online and ran across a listing that captured her attention. When she examined pictures of Chester, an Appaloosa gelding, she just knew he was meant to be her horse.

Chester was listed on various equine websites by Terry and Sherry Bolding of rural Larchwood. The couple built their business, Bolding Horses, after they purchased their first paint stallion in 1989. Terry and Sherry say that the experience of buying and caring for that first horse changed their lives. They always had a love for horses and had been around the animals all of their lives. In those early years they began to purchase young horses and breaking them to ride. As the number of their horse herd increased, the Boldings built barns to accommodate the growth and began to haul their animals to horse sales in Oklahoma and other locations in the United States. Changes in the national horse market led the Boldings to create a website for Bolding Horses. This website, as well as their listings on other sites have opened up a market with almost

no limits, and allowed them to connect with horse lovers like Susen in far away places. Currently, Terry and Sherry are working with a man from Italy who is interested in one of their horses.

An initial email about Chester from Susen to Terry and Sherry eventually led to a trip to the Midwest. While it was Chester who originally held Susen’s attention, a lovely blue roan quarter horse mare named Shine who lived on the Bolding farm also kept catching her eye. Falling in love with both horses, Susen began to make arrangements to transport them both back to Denmark. In order to live in Denmark, the horses will first travel to Nedpoint Quarter Horses in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma where they will be kept in a quarantine station for 30 days. At the end of that timeframe, they will be transported to Houston, Texas to board a plane that will fly them to Amsterdam. A Danish transport company will pick the horses up in Amsterdam and bring them to Susen in Denmark. Each year, Nedpoint Quarter Horses exports 1000 horses to Europe, leaving the Boldings and Susen confident about the long process.

Susen first flew from Denmark to Paris where she boarded another plane that took her to Cincinnati. Her last plane transported Susen from Cincinnati to Sioux Falls where Terry and Sherry met her at the airport and drove her to their home in rural Larchwood. Once here, Susen was impressed by the quality of horses that the Boldings care for, and would bring more home if she was able. The cost of getting the horses to Amsterdam is $4,500 each, and she will pay another $2000 to get them to her home, plus a $500 fee for Chester since he will not be used for breeding purposes. While Susen has made other visits to the United States, this was her first experience in the Midwest. She says that she enjoyed the trip very much as the people are extremely grounded and warm. Comparing the Midwest with her home in Denmark, Susen comments that life is much bigger here. The vast farmland and open spaces, as well as the sizes of automobiles, homes and other structures are larger than what she experiences at home. Susen was also impressed with the food in America, and especially enjoyed cakes, pies and desserts. Following her short stay with the Boldings, Susen will use the rest of her trip to America to inspire articles for her magazine in Denmark.

In Denmark, Susen works as an extreme journalist. She has been a freelance writer for the same magazine for the past ten years, and has been sent on exciting assignments such as a trip to the Amazon where she covered a tribe who had never previously been exposed to light skinned people. Considering her experiences, Susen feels that she is blessed to have such a great job. At the same time, Terry and Sherry have created the perfect place for their 70 head of horses. Sitting close to the Sioux River provides a wonderful place for the animals to roam. More information about Bolding Horses and the animals that are available for sale can be found at their website www.boldinghorses.com.