It was hard to leave this horse at Hemphills. He was put out in a paddock with wall to wall horses and a cow. I guess I could have brought him home myself but because he didn't belong to me I didn't want to assume the responsibility of trucking him. I didn't know how he trailered and the ride home is approx. 1-2 hrs depending on traffic. So I left him there knowing that the 2 weeks would be long, but I decided to keep myself busy with other things and tried not to think about his housing situation.
Finally the morning of August 24th I got the call that my horse would be delivered that day, sometime between the hours of noon and 4pm. They had 4 horses to deliver and he was the last.
I had to admit that life was a little easier without another horse. Was I crazy to be getting one so soon after selling Lanie? Yes I was crazy, but the need to fill the hole I was feeling without a horse was way to big. Regardless, he was on his way.
I was going to board him at A's place for a couple of months while I got to know him. I would have friends to ride with and some much needed training. I arrived at A's a little before noon and of course he didn't show up until 4:30. All that waiting gave me plenty of time to wonder what shape he would be in after all day in a trailer. I pictured this wide-eyed, nervous wreck of a horse bolting off the trailer to find himself at yet another place. So I decided that I was going to let the driver unload him and put him in the paddock. I would stand close by watching and hold the gates open.
As I sat there reading a book I finally heard the trailer coming up the road. It was a huge 30' stock trailer. The driver backed all the way up the long driveway. Once I thought he was going to fall off the road into the ditch, but he didn't. He got out of the truck, I paid him the trucking fee and signed the paper, then he opened the trailer. There was #131 the sorrel QH standing tied to the trailer. Yep, it was the right horse, 2 front socks and a white spot on his withers shaped like Australia. The driver untied him, they walked into the paddock where I had water and a couple of flakes of hay waiting. The horse looked around and very slowly and quietly went to the hay and started eating. So much for the wide-eyed nervous wreck of a horse I was picturing. I'm really glad I was wrong.
The driver left and I stood with the horse checking him out for any bruises. He was just a little thin compared to some of the other horses at Hemphills, his mane and forelock where very thin and scraggly. His tail was absolutely beautiful. Thick with many colors in it. He ate and I sat nearby watching him. The only thing that made me nervous was the way he was standing. With both front legs way out in front of him and both back legs way out in back. I called the vet and she said it was probably from the long drive, watch him for signs of colic. He ended up being just fine. 7 1/2 hrs tied to the inside of a trailer would have stressed me out too.
Well, he was finally here. I took the collar off his neck that had #131 written on it and gave him a new halter. Now he needed a name. Nothing was coming to me, naming him was going to take a while.
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