Buddy

For those who have visited this page, Buddy needs no introduction. For everyone else,  here's the best explanation of who Buddy is:

Buddy is a 15.2hh thoroughbred gelding - he ranges from dark bay in summer to almost black in winter. Right now he's brown black with two rear white socks. If you browse through this site (Facilities, Hot September Day, Buddy and George, SA and Equine friends), you'll see most of the last seven years of Buddy's life. He is now 17. He's taken me to adult pony club, ranged the Northern Territory bush with me, done a little bit of dressage and a little bit of western pleasure - just for a taste.

He won medals and ribbons in the Royal Darwin Show (adult pony club) and a few elimentary dressage ribbons too!.  As you can see from the pages, he's also done some teaching for adults - including a 60 year old cancer patient who he was extremely gentle with.

He is quite a character who loves people but can be a bit pushy sometimes but has you laughing at his antics. I would never promise that any horse is bombproof and I wouldnt recommend him for a novice  but we've been roaming the countryside together for six years and he is unfazed by cars, trucks, motorbikes, graders, roos, dogs, pushbikes and children. We've crossed rivers, billabongs and swam at the sea on numerous occasions.

He's also been the star of a TV commercial by the NT Road Safety Council on Horse safety on the roads.

He has been ridden barefoot for the last 3 years. Currently I am riding him in a Wintec GP saddle and bitless bridle.

In spite of all the great things he's done, I am retiring him because he can sometimes become unpredictably grumpy. He's been great for the last four months, then got very excited coming to a trot up a small rise. This is a pattern that happens every so often and Im getting too old for that sort of antic.