CAMARILLO : Broker Matches Horses and Riders

When Camarillo resident Jeanne Seymour wanted the perfect horse for her daughter, she went straight to Carole Hagal -- one of Ventura County’s leading matchmakers of horse and human.

“There’s a horse out there for everyone, and if anyone can find it, Carole can,” Seymour said.

In the past five years, Hagal has matched nearly 300 horses with people throughout Ventura and Los Angeles counties, as well as with movie companies and the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara police departments.

“It’s like a dating service,” Hagal said about Horsefinders, her Camarillo-based matchmaking operation.

“There are so many different types of horses and so many different kinds of people. It started out as a hobby, but now it’s a full-blown business.”

Hagal has 40 horses listed for sale, ranging in price from $1,500 to $5,000, but some, such as show horses, can go for as much as $100,000, she said.

Any money that she makes goes to feeding and housing the horses.

“I’m not in this for the money,” she said. “I just love horses and making people happy.”

Seymour credits Hagal with finding the right horses for her and for her daughter Emily, who now rides a horse that was used in the television movie “The Gambler Returns.”

“We bought a horse out of the newspaper that didn’t work out. It was a real jerk,” Seymour said.

“We went to Carole, and she sold it for us then found another one that was just perfect.”

Two years ago, the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara police departments began using Hagal’s service to find horses for their mounted patrols.

She said they usually request dark-colored American quarter horses because of their strength, speed and calm manner.

Before buying a horse, police officials usually test the animal by lighting fires in front of it or firing their guns, she said.

“Most of the horses they used during the Los Angeles riots were probably ones that I sold them,” Hagal said.

Hagal screens every buyer before selling a horse to make sure that the horse and person are compatible. “I make sure the animal will not be mistreated,” she said.