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I've posted about Ladd's horse L.B. for many, many years. After all, he has lived on the ranch forever---well, not forever, but almost as long as I have. He came to the ranch to be Ladd's horse twenty-one years ago, and I came to the ranch to be Ladd's wife (haha) twenty-five years ago...so let's just say we go way back, L.B. and me.
I didn't grow up a horsey person. Not by any stretch. So that fact that I've been in love with L.B. for years says a lot. It's hard to explain to those who haven't spent time around horses (and I certainly didn't understand it during the years I was growing up), but there is something unquestionably spiritual about the magnificent beasts. They are large and mighty, strong and formidable...but their eyes are a whole universe and I always find myself wanting to know what on earth they're thinking. They have personalities and quirks, and sometimes they're very funny. In "Titanic," the older Rose reflects that "a woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets." Well, a horse's soul is a vast expanse of mystery.
I've never quite cracked L.B.'s code, but I'm always going to try. Most of the time, he's fine to get attention from me, like a little ear scratch or a back pat. Or sometimes I'll just caress his face and look deeply into his eyes for more clues as to what he's all about. Every now and then, he's not in the mood and he'll coldly walk away or jerk his head a couple of times to drop the hint that I'm invading his personal space and he's not feeling it. I never take it personally and just look at it as another little facet to his equine personality, then I go right in for the love next time I see him---and almost always, he's back to his soft old self and he'll just close his eyes, nuzzle a little closer, and soak it up. (And if I'm lucky, nibble my finger.)
L.B. is mostly retired now. My nephew, Stuart rode him when he helped Ladd work cattle this week, and they'll use him here and there if they need the extra help. But generally speaking, he's living a life of leisure, grazing and doing what he wants...and lemme tell you, he has earned it!
Have I ever told you what L.B. stands for? It's Little Buddy.
I love him so darn much. Not bad for a non-horsey girl!
I’m a desperate housewife, I live in the country, and I’m obsessed with butter, Basset Hounds, and Ethel Merman. Welcome to my frontier!
