Buttons Cruisin' Legacy, aka Cruzer

My new horse, rechristened Cruzer by me, is 16 hands of person-loving, powerful, unflappable, go-for-it, all wrapped up in a tri-colored paint package. He does it all; moves up steep hills, walks surely along narrow trails, jumps streams, wades streams, even follows trustingly where he doesn't need to go if his person goes there first. This we know because my niece stepped up onto a flat bed trailer to change boots and he jumped right up with her, even though the trailer was wiggly and not blocked.

He is one owner, I am his second, and he was started by an old cowboy that died last summer. One who raised him with a firm gentle hand and created an animal completely comfortable around humans, believing the best in them. He probably has a better view of humans than most deserve.

I feel honored to be his person. I feel relieved that he didn't end up with someone who uses the whip and the fist to correct those inevitable disagreements that crop up between independent beings. What a waste it would be for him to ever learn the reality of cruelty and domination through fear.

But, with me, he won't ever have to. He will continue to know mutual respect, firmness of handling, and adventure, but never cruelty, never confusion. He is with me now.