Buck
Foaled Approximately 1982
17 hand Black Tennesee Walker

I’ve been advised that Buck has the true Tennessee Walker breeding, and his former owner Misty and I both agree that there may have been Fresian in the woodpile at some point. Buck over his years with Misty and Jeff has lost most of his gaits - only very occasionally will he break into the natural "walk" that TWHs are born with. He’s spent a lot of years keeping pace with his best girl, Hava, a Quarterhorse with half his stride. Buck and Hava are the happy trail companions of Misty and Jeff of Santa Barbara. The two are inseparable, with Buck being the caretaker of the highstrung Hava. Buck was a show horse, and as so many of them are, he was hard to handle. He would attack anyone who came near to his food, and showed many signs of being overworked, overstressed, and under loved. Jeff spent many hours teaching him to be calmer, and to show him attention that wasn’t directed at achieving any particular performance, and those hours paid off. Despite a habit of snorting in a very stallion-like way, Buck has become a big puppy - mostly interested in obtaining all possible carrots. He was very aggressive in his first few months, but time has shown me that those attacks on other horses were mostly designed to instill respect for himself, and protection for Hava. As time has gone by, he’s moved a few notches down in the herd hierarchy; and although you still don’t dare take one somewhere without the other, Buck and Hava have relaxed enough to spend time with the other horses. In particular, Buck and Falcon like to play ‘bite my face’.  In October of 2005, Misty and Jeff stopped sponsoring Buck and Hava - they are both available for sponsorship now.

  Buck is wonderful with little children, as seen here with Marsi Marsh's toddlers giggling on his bare back.  He is an enormous horse, but I love him best for his enormous heart.  As his friend Hava has become enamored of Falcon since 2005, Buck has branched out and become the greeter of visitors, and occasional escort of various mares.  I think he's relieved to have some of his Hava-protector duties taken over by Falcon, and is blossoming in his freedom.  I still, however, would hesitate to take him anywhere without her - although he'd be glad to go, I think his worry about her would damage his fun.

In February of 2008, Buck's love, Hava, died.  Buck has not really been the same since.  Hava also loved Falcon, and Buck and Falcon have become friends.  I moved the two into adjacent stalls, and they've been inseparable since Hava's passing. Buck lost weight in the first few months after Hava died, and I've been working, with some success, to put weight back on before winter.  His arthritis has flared terribly too, as I also saw happen when Domino lost his first love Teke,  and thanks to Naturvet I've been able to provide some relief for him.  This sweet gelding deserves your good thoughts, and his own sponsor.  A feed sponsorship for Buck would be $125 per month.  Can you help?