Summer 2007: How we met Bucky . . .

After we finished building our modest barn, we needed an equine companion for our retired Morab mare, and a friend suggested Spring Hill Rescue in Clarendon, VT. With an older trained mare in mind we set out to visit Gina and her horses in July 2007. As soon as Gina met us she said, "You're little, you should check out Bucky . . ."

I have always had a soft spot for buckskins and had been looking for one, but was trying to keep an open mind and get a sensible, trained, older horse in need of a home, instead of selecting a new horse based on appearance or color.

As soon as we met Bucky, we were knew all sensibility was out the window. . .

This is Bucky the first day we met him, following close behind us as we toured the rescue and met the horses.

So we went home to talk and think about it, we had also met a perfectly sensible older Appendix QH mare and then there was Bucky. He was too little and too young and too green . . . but he had stolen our hearts. We went back on August 5 (my birthday) to finalize his paperwork and he was delivered to us the next day.

This is me at the rescue the sitting on Bucky for the first time, he was calm and well mannered.



Gina and her daughter did an amazing job of starting him with groundwork and under saddle so it was no big deal to sit on his back. His willing and calm temperment convinced me that we had made the right choice and he would be a great training partner.


We learned more of Bucky's story from Gina, this is from the Summer 2007 SHHR newsletter:

"It's been fairly busy so far this year. We got a sweet little buckskin colt in around the first of the year. He was emaciated with severe edema (swelling) in all four legs, infested with lice, had a fuzzy matted coat and his front teeth had a gap and stuck out. Being a buckskin and having bucked teeth, guess what name he fell into? Bucky! With good nutrition and lots of love Bucky pulled through the winter and is now up to his natural weight. In fact he is completely off grain and gets free choice hay and grazes like all of the other healthy horses. This spring we had him gelded and wouldn't you know he just lost his buck teeth and two straight adult teeth have come in:-) Bucky shed his ragged mattes and he now sports a beautiful rich shiny golden coat...truly a diamond in the rough. Bucky is about 3 yrs old and I think he'll mature to around 14.2 hh. I've started him on a driving harness and under saddle—what a wonderful student he's been. He'll be great for a small adult and children when he's had more training."





This is a photo of Bucky that Gina showed us from when he first arrived at the rescue, poor little buckskin!