WAVERLY - The horse sale's reputation preceded the event. So when Ann Kizer of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, decided the time had come to sell four Fjords, she set out for Northeast Iowa.

"I've always heard of Waverly," Kizer said.

The trip took three days. On Thursday, Kizer hoped to sell her ponies within the day and make enough to at least cover the cost of her trip. For the horse lover, who lived in Iowa for two years, the adventure at the famous Waverly Midwest Horse Sale is somewhat bittersweet.

"It just always breaks my heart to sell horses," Kizer said. "I'd rather buy."

The feed expense influenced her decision to downsize, said Kizer, who keeps 20 head back home.

She took time to brag on her Fjords. The versatile breed is strong, stocky and lovable, Kizer said.

"They are just big cuddle toys."

Buyers, sellers and the curious are gathering this week at the Waverly Sale Barn, 2212 Fifth Ave. N.W., for the annual fall sale, reportedly one of the best horse sales in the country. The event, which includes equipment, wagons and tack, continues through Saturday.

Regulars at the sale say horse owners aren't immune to economic concerns. But while some at the sale may be watching their wallets more closely this year, it's business as usual for others.

Jerry Janssen and Larry Lorenzen are sale judges. Their job is to help buyers make educated decisions.

On Thursday, owners and trainers hitched Percherons and Belgians to carts and wagons under the watchful eyes of Janssen and Lorenzen.

Owners may offer assessments, but Janssen makes his own conclusions. He scribbles notes on a card, and the information will be made available to prospective buyers.

"I call them the way I see them," Janssen said.

"Our job is to critique 'em," Lorenzen added.

If sellers offer decent animals, they don't have to worry, said Harley Borntrager of Fairbank, a veteran of many sales.

"If you bring a good horse and you are honest about the horse, you can always sell," Borntrager said.

Horses can go for more than they are worth, too, he added, depending on bidders' eagerness.

Inside the sale barn, Carolyn Gray of Leroy watched her twin Percheron fillies being primped for the ring. The pair were on the auction block along with nearly 20 other horses.

"We are not going to buy today," said Gray, who runs a breeding business with her husband.

With 90 horses at home and 38 foals on the way, Gray figured her family had enough on their hands. Expenses are up and sale prices, she thinks, are down.

"The more you have, the more you have to feed," Gray said.

For veteran salegoers, the event is a reunion of friends. That's true for Linda Tesmer of D & L Treasures. She and her husband, Dennis, travel from sale to sale to sell T-shirts, hats, jewelry and other horse-related items.

"It's just we enjoy seeing the same people year after year," Tesmer said. "You make a lot of friends."

For Berniece Wade of Briston, Wis., the Waverly Horse Sale holds many memories. She recalls a particular auction when her husband, Arlyn, surprised her by buying a mare for her 70th birthday.

Her husband kept raising the bid without Wade's knowledge, even as she rested against his legs. When the mare that caught her eye sold, Wade looked around the ring trying to find the lucky winner.

"I cried," she said.

Contact Karen Heinselman

at (319) 291-1581 or

karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.