Bubby - For Sale

[poseidon]

The mare shuffled up the driveway with two kids and an adult on board. The youngest had to be somewhere around 5 and the elder child possibly as aged as 7, and both were positively beyond comfort hysterical. Bubby was unphased. Their mother, or who one would assume was their mother, had her face set in grim determination; a mixture of sadness and pain as well as anger set her jaw in such a way that made her a sight to behold - simultaneously beautiful and horrifically frightening at the same time.

The mare was bareback save for the large bareback pad they had used; a hackamore over her nose and the long reins draped lazily across her neck. She was unconcerned and obviously very well broke; given the noise level she was enduring with no thought. The beauty of a cold blood. The children screamed their displeasure as the young woman dismounted and tugged them off of their beloved Clydesdale, the roan turning to gaze at her family with a heavy sigh - as if she understood what was going on. She did not.

Putting the kids to work, "Mom" unbuckled the massive bareback pad and handed it to her eldest, leading the mare to a large unoccupied auction pen and flipping the gate over. Standing just outside the gate, she unclipped the throat latch and slid the hack off, patting the roan neck gently as the mare obediently entered the open corral with no further prompting. "Mom" looked mildly ruffled now, her bright blue eyes beginning to pool and shine with unshed tears. Her kids wailed all that much harder.

Gathering her young to her protectively, she dragged them off to sit in the shade beneath a nearby tree, leaving a sheet posted to the front of the corral. As seen, it reads:

!!! For Sale !!!

Registered Clydesdale Mare
Blue Roan
18.0hh
6 years old
hand-raised; well broke - practically bomb-proof!
comes with all tack
$3,500

[jay]

A yawn was stifled as the man made his way around the grounds. He was looking for a horse, his first horse to be honest. He'd taken a couple riding lessons here and there and really enjoyed it, and now he was looking to get a horse of his very own. Something with a good track record of being calm and easily managed would be a good place to start. And considering his 6'3" frame, a horse with decent size to it would really, really help. The last thing he needed was to look like his feet were dragging in the dirt while he road.

Tony Mckay stopped here and there, checking out a few horses that caught his eye. One was far too young and untrained, and another was a biter which took it right of his list. Tony wanted something with personality, but a friendly one. He stopped to look at a rough-looking bay gelding. He had decent lines, but after speaking with his owner, Tony learned that he had a few bucking issues. Tony was still a beginning rider, so bucking issues were out of the question for the moment.

Moving on, Tony was beginning to think that he was not going to find anything here. Then he saw a new horse he hadn't seen when he had first came in. The mare was huge! And she had a cute face. With a grin sliding across his face, Tony went up to the fence and looked over her information. He stuck his hand over the fence and clicked his tongue invitingly. "Come here, girl," he said gently.

[poseidon]

Without hesitation; the Clydesdale wandered over to throw her head over the uppermost portion of fencing, lipping his head lightly as she eagerly received his pats. She was well-adjusted; despite being young - rock-solid. A bottle baby of the best kind. Her owner - "Mom" sans kids - headed over; leaving her sniffling tykes in the shade of their tree.

"Morning, sir!" She said with fake enthusiasm, patting Bubby's neck lightly. "Interested in our mare? Her name's Bubby.. but my kids named her. Short for Bubbles. She's registered as "Bubbles in my Ale". But any name will do.. she's not picky." She glanced lovingly at the roan, who was oblivious so long as she was receiving attention.

[jay]

Tony laughed softly as the mare came over and lipped at his hat. Now that was a cute personality quirk. He felt himself falling in love with her already. Reaching over the fence as far as he could, Tony scratched the mare's neck. She was a cutie, no doubt about it. Solid too, she'd definitely be able to hold his weight without flinching. And she didn't look all that old either, which was a bonus. Tony planned on having a long-term relationship with his first horse.

He turned, keeping his hand gently scratching on the mare's neck when he heard a woman's voice addressing him. Judging by the way she was forcing herself to be cheerful and the slight redness around her eyes, Tony wagered that the decision to sell this mare had not been an easy one. His smile was sympathetic as he nodded.

"I've got to say she did catch my eye," he replied, glancing back at the mare. "Bubby, you say? Cute name. And, if you've got kids I'd assume she'd make a good beginner's horse?" He gave a sheepish sort of grin. "I'm just learning to ride and looking for a nice solid, quiet horse to learn on."

[poseidon]

"Oh yes.. beginner horse is her ideal profession. She was a bottle raised baby; came from a PMU farm - yes, they breed registered horses for waste up there, it's ridiculous. Anyway... she's six years old. I bought her shortly after I had my first child; they grew up riding her and she's always been rock solid. Never a spook, a buck, a rear. Very stable."

Bubby dropped her head to allow him better access to her ears, rubbing her forehead against the corral panel. "Mom" smiled, holding up the big mare's tack. "If you're feeling brave, you can jump on and take a ride real quick? She's very good. Do what you like with her." She looped the hackamore over the pipe and turned to watch the mare quietly, waiting for Tony to decide if he did indeed feel brave or not. She was a big mare; that could be intimidating - but her sweet nature was evident, it simply oozed out of her pores.

Bubby took the opportunity to snake her large head between the bottom rungs, tugging on his shoelaces. Stable as a rock, indeed.

[jay]

When Bubby lowered her head to have her ears scratched, David obliged willingly. The mare certainly was a sweetie, and that was just what he was looking for. He listened quietly as the woman explained the mare's history in the family. He glanced at the mare, then made the connection to the unhappy pair of kids off in the distance. Of course, if they'd grown up with the mare then she'd be more family than animal. This decision to sell was probably really hard on all of them.

Tony held his hands up when the lady offered him a ride. "I'd love to, I really would," he said, "but I saw Bubby out of the corner of my eye as I was on my way out. I've spent almost all day here looking and have to get home to take care of my dog and cat. I know it's a naive thing for a first-time buyer to do, but I'm gonna take your word on it all." He snuck another quick look over at the kids. "But, if you don't mind my asking, is there a particular reason you're selling her? I mean, if she's a great horse for your kids.... I don't mean to pry," he said, trailing off with embarrassment.

[poseidon]

The woman shrugged in a defeated manner, scratching Bubby's cheek slightly as she considered the best way to put it. "We're destitute. My husband passed away, and with the economy the way it is.. we have no other option but to sell Bub and live with the kids' grandparents. They're upset. So am I. But obviously.. food or horse.. food wins." She shrugged again.

Bubby was oblivious to most of this discussion, instead dropping her massive head to 'graze' on his shoelaces, tugging on them and his pantleg simultaneously. She was enjoying the attention, having people near to love on. Lifting one somewhat snotty and disgustingly muddy nose, she drew a mud line from his ankle to his hip, ears flicked forward to glance at him for a second for any reaction.

[jay]

Tony couldn't help but laugh softly as the large mare nibbled at his pant leg and shoelaces. "That's not food, silly," he reprimanded gently, scratching her withers. She certainly was a doll. She'd make an awesome stable companion as well as a riding horse. It must really be a wrench or the family to let her go.

Tony's eyes darkened, however, when the woman related her tale. What a thing to be having to deal with. First the death of a loved one, and then having to get rid of another loved one. He could only imagine, but he knew that that would never be even a close estimate of how they must be feeling. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss," he said gently. "Please know that I'll make sure she'll be given the best of care. And you and your family are welcome to come see her anytime. Honest, I don't mind. After all, she was part of your family first."

Feeling more movement on his pants leg, Tony looked down only to see the long streak of snot and mud up his jeans. He couldn't help but smile, though it was now tinged with sadness. He gently ruffled the mare's mane.

[poseidon]

[ahem. we can speed this along, if you like. where ya boarding at? ]

[jay]

[Sure. I was thinking I'd probably take her to David' place. Hidden Acres Ranch.]