My Dashing Big Red Comes Home

I drove to Breaux Bridge, Louisiana today to pick up Dashing Big Red.  I was so thrilled to see him.  His maneis short now and his tail is shorter.  They will grow out.  He trailered well as he always does.  I stopped in Lake Charles to grab a bite to eat as I had only had a latte for breakfast.  I stopped again in Orange at Tractor Supply to see if they had some feed for him as our barn doesn't feed Triple Crown.  I wanted to close the window  as there was some rain coming in and a man was nice enough to close it as it was too tall.

I went in and the didn't have Triple Crown.  I bought a container of treats, some fly spray and a compressed bale of alfalfa.  I came out and put the hay in the truck and a man came up and asked me if I had a Clydesdale in the trailer!!!   That was a hoot.  I said " no, just Dashing Big Red  -  A Quarter Horse!"  He said "this is a really tall trailer!"  I told him it could hold a 17hh warmblood and that the trailer was European and made to haul tall horses.   My trailer always attracts attention. 

We hauled on down the road to Plum Nearly.  I pulled in and turned the trailer around so the truck was heading back out of by the water trough of his old paddock.  I got out and lowered the ramp and told him to back out.  He was a little hesitant and on his tip of his hooves as he kept thinking he had to step down.  He took one look around and got a little excited.  He was looking at everything and grabbed a few bites of grass.  I am sure he remembered exactly where he was.  I took him to the arena and it was totally dry so I turned him out.  He walked around then trotted around a little.  He went over to sniff up Jarbaree and give him a little nibble.  Sada was pretty dang interested and strutting around but Red did as he always did with Sada - totally ignored him.  I just let him meander around and then I went and got him a little feed.  Just about 2/3 of the little pail the barn uses of Safe Choice.  I walked out to the arena and he was on the other end and I called out "Dashing Big Red" and he turned around and broke into a fast trot to come over to where I was at.  LOL  I always hollered his entire name at him and he'd come running.  He ate some and dropped some (he is still a pig when eating) and he lost interest in that and went exploring again.  He came back and I handed him some alfalfa.  Now that he was interested in. 

Lisa came up and I said "come see Red".  I had told her all about Red when we rode together out at Tyrrell Park.  She used to exercise and breeze race horses and Kash Kitty is a former race horse too.  She thought he was a nice looking boy!  I told her he had lost the huge muscles he used to have on his shoulders but I think that may make saddle fitting a little easier.  We went into the arena and he came up to us. She said he was really a good looking fellow and Red always basks in the glow of praise.  We chitchatted and then I moved my truck so she could go down and see Kash Kitty.  I got Red several flakes of barn hay to put in the arena so he would have plenty of forage over night. 

The barn cat came up while I was on the wash rack and was meowing up a storm.  I went into the feed barn and checked her bowl and it was empty.  She jumped up on the counter and was thrilled to have feed dumped into her bowl.  Later she appeared on the wash rack again while I was sitting there admiring Red...rubbing up against my legs meowing her thanks.  What could be cuter than that?  She appreciated the meal and let me know it.  What a well mannered little Quaker girl she is!!!

Tomorrow I will take Red up to Jasper.  He will have red ribbons in his mane and we will have one surprised thrilled happy camper girl when Alex realizes she now has her very own horse and doesn't have to ride a lesson horse.  Red will participate in his first ACTHA ride next weekend.  He knows how to side pass, turn on his haunches and turn on the forehand so he should be able to do dang near anything she needs and he isn't scared of dang near anything.  I am giving Alex his one of his old bridles and his blue bell boots and loaning her my Aussie saddle and pad til she gets a saddle. 

The best thing about this is I will be able to see him anytime I want to.  We go up there on a regular basis and so I will be able to kiss him up whenever I want to.