My poor boy has hives.  When I arrived at the stable last night I found it odd that Fox was not munching on his dinner.  When I enter his stall I noticed that his lips were swollen...then all the rest of him too.  He has Hives every where.  We think it's from the spring time gnat like bugs that must have gotten a hold of him in the paddock earlier that day.


So Katie was showing her new lesson student around the facility when they journeyed down into the lower barn.  Katie introduced Fox as the horse with hives.  Then as she listed the residents in our barn, she referred to it as the Geriatric wing.  We laugh, because most of them are in their twenties.  Then she says Fox is like 23.  26 I corrected her!  Katie turns around in surprise and says, "Wow, I remember when he turned 21 and you gave him his first beer!"  That is true.  I did.  And it does seem like just yesterday.

On his 21st birthday I arrived at the barn with a Mich. Light.  It's a right of passage.  I popped open the top...poured some in my hand...and he snubbed it.  WHAT?!  I then unhooked him from the cross ties and tried again.  Fox picked up his head, out of my reach...backed up...and enter his stall.  I was shocked.  "You're not a Batson," I joked with him.  I was also kind of proud that he did not cave in to Peer pressure.

Fox was the first big red head love of my life...perhaps he set me up for the next one.  We've have been together longer.  May 10th will mark 19 years that we have been a team.  He has taught me so much about myself and life in general.  Fox has taught me about true friendship.  That hard work will always pay off.  About commitment.  That mailboxes and cows are scary.  How to mess with an unsuspecting young boy left in my charge (Garrett).  He helped me to learn about bed pans and broken knees (his not mine), 2 day trips across America with me driving a horse trailer (and mom) will make dad chain smoke.  He taught me that there are always options...that you don't necessarily have to jump out of the in and out...you can always turn and go the other way.  He taught me to be a writer as well as a rider.  But mostly he showed me tolerance, forgiveness and unconditional, true love.

Every Little Step...

He Completes me....