Initial information concerning the possible donation of Cade to the ranch amounted to little more than an honest recommendation and an old black and white picture. His owner was extremely ill and in desperate need of placing her beloved horse into a supportive home before her fading health robbed her of that decision.
The day that I drove over to pick up our newest charge, I rounded the home of the friend who was caring for him and at my first glimpse . . . literally stopped in my tracks! I was absolutely not prepared to see such a STUNNING little horse!
Abundantly adorned with every bar and stripe that a smoky colored buckskin can have, he turned to look at me with a sweet little face that was heavily smudged with pitch. “He loves to itch himself on the ponderosa” my kind host said with what sounded like a bit of embarrassment caused by his sticky face and neck. With or without pitch, he was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buckskins I had ever seen.
Since his arrival at the ranch, we have been methodically indoctrinating Cade into the kids program. He has already proven that he has great passion for the mountains and is a fearless leader on the trails. Carrying a pack saddle, being high lined and hopping around hobbled in high mountain meadows also seems to suite him just fine. His initial uncertainty about being moved to a new home has been quietly replaced with a genuine love for this simple place and the kids that volunteer, ride and play here.
In the relatively short time that Cade has been with us, he has already been such an enormous blessing. Truly, it is with great anticipation that we look forward to all that the future holds for this uniquely kind and handsome young man.