He's gone!

Buttie has gone. Six days from advert to departure, that's a bit of a record. Now I am going to make an odd confession - I sold him unseen to a woman who I have never met. I had a number of conversations with her on the phone and by email and it seemed to me that we were on the same wavelength and that she was offering a home which I would find hard to beat more locally.  So I took the risk.

Having met her today I can honestly say that I would want her and her partner as friends if they lived nearer than a five hour drive away, they were lovely. On top of that, they own their own livery yard, so there is little risk of him ever having to move home, where he will be a yard mascot to a 12 box yard which is very smart (but not so smart that he won't be a valuable resource as a yard hoover). The "excuse" for buying him is a tiny girl called Willow, who won't outgrow him for eight to ten years, and can you see a ten year old allowing her parents to sell a pony she's known since her earliest memories?? No way.

I've had a text to say that he has arrived safely  (we swapped him from our lorry to theirs half way), has had an instant love affair with a couple of mares, and is already adored by a number of liveries who have met him. How absolutely lovely for him! I will miss him dreadfully, but I have known all winter that I was not doing right by him. He's been seeking out fibre, and I knew he needed hay, buy I feed the big boys haylage and getting hay and storing it would be a problem. I I have a hya loft but it needs a powered conveyor belt lift - or an awful lot of mandraulics - to get it into the pitch holes).  He needs exercise but the only exercise I can give him bores us both to tears. He needs attention, but so do three other boys, and they have to take priority. On my grass, he faced the summer in a muzzle full time. On hers, he will be able to go out without one.  I have done right by him, but I'm going to miss his gorgeous character and spectacular looks for a long, long time.

C.

 
ps. comments on blogspot have gone doolally again so thanks Jean and ML I had a great time yesterday and as is obvious from his face, so did Radar! No aches or pains today for either of us, though I did pull a piece of twig about 1/3 of an inch long out of his stifle this morning. I've checked it tonight and it's fine.