Buddy Boy!

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.  ~Arabian Proverb


It's April, and the north wind was blowing again today.  I am just not certain ol' Buddy appreciated the wind as he headed down to the big slough at the east end of the pasture.  Buddy is pushing 30+ in years and has been a solid horse all those years.  He has always been our 'go-to' horse when we needed to quickly cut cattle or get something in.  There have been many occasions he has been boarded bareback and rode with a halter!  The one and ONLY time Buddy EVER raised an eyebrow occurred with myself in the saddle!  While rounding up for branding ... Buddy and I managed to step right above a duck nesting in the grass close to a slough!  Needless to say, Mama duck flew up hitting Buddy in the belly!  She hit him hard!  We were NOT expecting a duck nor a duck to smack him hard in the belly!!!  Let's just say ... I don't care ... but there is not a single champion saddle bronc rider that could have out rode his buck!!!!  And ... neither did I!!  He never bucked before that instance and has never bucked since!  Poor bugger, can't say as I blamed him!  Now in his senior years, with his grey hairs ... he babysits the boys on his back!   I love watching him kick up his heels and blaze across the prairie with youth in his soul!  He's a pretty special lad!