Buddy's Big Trip

Today, I hauled my rear end out of bed at 6:30, fed the horses and hitched up the trailer.  Buddy was going to be embarking on a new adventure.  I loaded him up.  Well, I attempted to load him up (this was his fourth trailer trip).  It took my mom nervously clucking behind him and holding up her arm to get him to step into the stock trailer.  And we were off.

After tensely navigating the extremely icy country roads I hit the highway.  It took Buddy a ways before he figured out how to stay balanced and then it was smooth sailing.  I was heading to cowboy country and my old mentor Grant who has agreed to give Buddy his start.  Now normally I'd have no qualms starting a horse.  However this year I haven't been on a horse since May.  You see in May Whiskey sprained her hock and is still lame.  I was further derailed by my doctor telling me riding with fluid in my ear is not a good idea (that's where your balance center is).  I thought I'd best err on the side of caution and not make my first riding experience in the better part of a year on a baby.

While Buddy is at Grant's, I'll periodically drive out and ride some of Grant's horses to get some muscle tone and balance back.  This is a commitment as Grant lives a comfortable three hour drive from my house - one way.  When we arrived Buddy came out of the trailer slightly bug eyed, clearly wondering what was going on.  I took him into the barn and pulled of his blanket only to have him steam.  Apparently he found the drive a wee bit stressful as he was a hot sweating mess.  

With some luck, he'll settle in and be a little superstar for Grant and I'll be able to figure out just what his purpose in life is supposed to be.