BEADED HERON

On Friday it will be a year since I lost my big red boy.   It's hard to believe it has been this long already, as the pain in my heart feels like it was only yesterday.   

Anyway, I should continue with the story....

The first time I saw Bucko I fell in love with him on the spot.  Bucko was born to an Appaloosa mom and his daddy was none other than the famed Splash Bar, a world class award winning and producer of champions, Splash Bar.  You can see Bucko's daddy here....

http://qhd.com/horse/stallion.asp?id=10284

My friend Roy Jerde of Esko Mn has a Quarter Horse farm and an honest as the day is long horse trader.  Quotes that I can think of from Roy that first night when we stopped by to see this wonder horse,  were... "he's full of piss and vinegar", and something about "the person brave enough to run this horse".   Roy was riding Bucko in an indoor arena and telling us these things and he seemed surprised that I would ask if I could ride him. 

I only rode Bucko at a walk and a trot in that indoor arena that night but I could feel a whole lot of horsepower coming from that magnificent steed, plenty to spare under my saddle.  I could feel his spirit.  I could feel that we would be best friends, for he know right then that i was in love with him, I am sure of it.  As I write this I can't believe it was so long ago for the memory is fresh in my mind. 

I bought him on the spot.  No way was I going to walk away to "think about it", and risk losing the horse of my dreams.  I also paid Roy to ride him for a week for me, and take him outside the arena and get him going outside.  The story was, he was born on a farm to some folks that had the mother but when it came time to train baby Bucko, well...his name wasn't Bucko for nothing!  That boy could buck like a rodeo bronc!

I gave Roy $450.00 for this spunky red horse named Bucko and a couple hundred more for him to ride him for a week.  Now, this would be the deal of my lifetime if you count the fact that I got 26 years of never ending pleasure in the deal.

I don't have any photos of the meeting Bucko night.  I must have been busy over the move and everything else going on because if I had photos they would have been kept with the photos of the day Bucko came to live with me.  

I'll be back with those photoe and the story to go with them soon....

Stephanie