Buddy

Buddy was the embodiment of my dream. 

He was foaled here out of a lovely Arabian mare of Crabbet breeding by a Tarpan stallion who was the son of my stallion (unfortunately made infertile by a frantic mare). I knew as soon as I saw him that I would keep him as a stallion. I also knew that I probably shouldn't. I preach that to other people - but I do love being around stallions. 

Like every foal of a Tarpan, he was stamped with the coloring of one. Grulla coloring, dorsal stripe, finger prints on the forelegs, tri-color mane and tail, and an attitude that says "prove that you are better than me" are just some of the things that come with the package. They are smarter than any other breed I've ever worked with. I have accused them of being able to do calculus and haven't been able to disprove that hypothesis yet - and I've been around them since 1984. 

The Arabian blend gives heat tolerance and some size. Tarpans tend to be around 10-12 hands. The Arabian boosts that up to about 14.0 to 14.3 hands. It also increases endurance potential since the Tarpans do not sweat easily - thus increasing heat related problems. 

Both breeds have tempers and both have enormous senses of injustice. Violate either and you will have a battle on your hands of epic proportions. By the same token, they are also capable of intense loyalties - and you'd best not interfere with one they consider theirs. The Mongols rode similar horses into battle for this reason - they would fight like the soldiers on their backs. It is no wonder Eastern Europe feared the dark little men on the fierce little horses!

So Buddy was of these ancient bloodlines-so I trained carefully and well as he grew. He outgrew the foal coat and turned into a buttermilk buckskin. He was a magnificent horse. 

I never got to ride him much because people are always antsy about riding with stallions. I understand - who wants either a fight with one or one trying to breed your mare while you are riding her? Still, I wished I could have enjoyed him more. 

Time went by - and things worked out that the old mare pastured with him had to be put down due to health reasons. Buddy was not one to live solo and he was not going to accept a gelding. He'd already made that very plain. One of my mares had had a long infatuation with him - and she was the only one completely unrelated to him. So she went out with him. 

In hindsight, I probably should have gelded him then, and mis-mated her in a couple of months. But I didn't. 

The next summer, I had to leave on a business trip. Of course, that was when she foaled - and lost the baby. She also had tears - so I separated them until she healed. Buddy was enraged - that was HIS mare, and she needed to be back out there. She rebred immediately after I put her back out - and 11 months to the day, her filly (Jolene) was born. 

Probably because of the stillbirth, the mare wouldn't leave this baby alone to sleep. So a little human interference was called for! After a little essential oils to calm her and massage, mom and baby were fine. Proud Buddy strutted his stuff - and turned out to be a wonderful baby sitter. A year later, Belle joined us. 

But I had decided that enough was enough - and gelded Buddy. By this time, he was 14. Naively, I thought once the hormones had left that he would simmer down.

Some horses are just always going to be stallions. Buddy was one of them. 

I tried putting him out with various members of the herd and he systematically beat, bit, kick, and ran the entire herd. He nearly killed his own foals - something he had never shown a propensity for previously. He left scars on every mare out there. 

In a moment of clarity, I did the only thing I could do - I put him down. 

It was the death of my dreams. I had always wanted to breed, to ride a beautiful horse that I had bred, and to have a lineage. He was all of that. I was not going to have the rest of the horses hurt. I could not have any humans endangered. I refused to have him go to auction as horse meat and I will never sell a dangerous horse. 

I am now 60 years old. I cannot do that again. It's over. I still have some lovely horses that will likely see me to the end of my days.  So be it. 

Here's to new trails with new partners. Cricket, Jolene, Belle, Dolly, Julie, and maybe Redford. 

God, I miss Buddy.