Leo came to town

He stepped off the trailer with his head high and ears pricked. There was a slight tremble in his muscles, a hint of nervous excitement. He walked gracefully, almost catlike, down the ramp and across the drive. His fuzzy winter coat glistened in the sun. He was a rich dark bay. His manners were impeccable as he entered the barn. I could tell right off the bat this one was special; he was tall, dark and oh so handsome.

The Short One put him in the empty stall next to Oreo. Within seconds his head popped out over the back half-door as he surveyed his new home.

Who was this new guy? I wondered.

“Hey, Leo,” whinnied Oreo as we walked over to say hello. Well, obviously, they knew each other.

“What’s his story?” I asked.

“He lived at the same dressage barn I did,” Oreo said. “Last time I saw him was in the warm place with the lizards and the flying squirrel.”

I made a mental note to ask this Leo fellow about the flying squirrel Oreo kept going on and on about.

Leo spent the remainder of the day resting in his stall and patio. He had come a long way on one of those big trucks I used to ride in as a racehorse, so he was tired. I introduced myself and we did some snorting and squealing and such over the fence. He seemed like a nice fellow.

The next morning when Oreo went out in the big field, the Short One turned Leo out with me in the dry lot. I’ve been around the block a time or two, so I have learned to give the new guy plenty of room at first. It is best to let them look around and get the feel for the place. If you barge right in and start bossing a new horse around, you might get bitten or kicked. I am too old for that foolishness, so I kept my distance.

You could tell Leo had been around too. He walked the perimeter of the dry lot, checked out the fence and the automatic waterer. Once he got the lay of the land, he sauntered up to one of the ground feeders and started eating hay. He seemed pleasant but not at all pushy.

I love making friends, so I watched for a bit and then moved closer. He didn’t seem to mind so I moved a little closer still. I kept an eye on his ears: if they went back, I knew to retreat, but they didn’t.

I eventually got close enough to ask if I could share the hay with him. He said sure and let me join him. That was that, and we have been besties ever since. He has never as much as laid an ear back at me or lifted a back hoof.

We spent the entire day eating and napping in the sun. I never met a big horse quite as kind as he is. We have swapped lots of stories, but more about that later. I see my dinner coming, time to eat.

Until my next adventure,

Taco