02/27/2025
We promised you our Rescue Animal’s stories, so here we go…
We owned a boarding facility back in the 90’s where we boarded 72 horses.
One of our boarders was in the process of purchasing two foals from a breeder going through a divorce and needed us to trailer them.
We arrived at the farm and sat outside for a while admiring the herd of horses when I noticed a horse standing off by itself in the pasture. Not really normal behavior for a herd animal.
With permission, I walked out to take a closer look at her. I could tell that she was very sick. When I mentioned my suspicions to the owners, they were in complete denial. So, I told them I wanted to buy her.
I wrote up a purchase agreement for $3500 stating it was contingent upon my vet examining her and that any vet bills incurred would come out of that $3500.
We spent $3500 in the first 24 hours!!
We put her in our Quarantine Barn when we got her home and immediately called our vet out. She had Potomac Horse Fever, Equine Infectious Anemia, Salmonella, was severely dehydrated, and had explosive diarrhea. Oh…and she was pregnant!!
We started her on IV’s and antibiotics along with several other IV meds in order to save her life, not knowing if we could save the foals life or not. It was a chance we had to take.
This went on for several weeks until she finally healed. Then it was playing the waiting game to see how her foal weathered the storm.
March 26, 1996 was the magical date that little “Bucky” entered the world.
We went out to feed everyone in the barn that morning and there he was!! Bright eyed, frisky, and not a care in the world! Fearless! He came right up to the door of the foaling stall to greet us. Foals don’t do that!! They usually hide behind their mothers.
When he was old enough to go outside with his mother, he used to walk, buck, walk, buck, walk, buck the whole way there.
Hence, the name Bucky!
Bucky immediately attached himself to Shana, who was 5 years old at the time, and they became instant soul mates.
So, he was here to stay. He became her riding horse, confidant, show horse, and constant companion.
