Equine Masterpiece: Meet Ben!

UPDATE: During the late summer of 2013 I got to ride Nick (the horse has been renamed)! You can read about it and see the pictures here.

This is part of the surprise I told you about earlier. :) Last week my stable friends cared for a big, gentle (although pushy, sometimes) Belgian gelding. He had been taken into custody by a humane society because his owner was mistreating animals (thankfully not him). Anyway, first one of the vet places cared for him for a day or two, and then we got him.

We weren't keeping him, though. We were only giving him free board until we found a good home for him. A gentleman friend of ours said he would take Ben if he was broke to drive. My stable friends had already suspected Ben was, and when said gentleman came out with his draft harness to try on him, he confirmed our guesses.

Ben is only five years old, and we're pretty certain he was trained by some Amish. Regardless, whoever trained him to drive did well. Ben was calm the entire time (he could've cared less!), didn't freak out when the collar almost got stuck over his eyes, was accustomed to the bit and reins, and didn't mind the blinkers.

Anyway, the gentleman was more than happy with the results, so the next morning (last Sunday) he came and picked Ben up. Once the guy tops off Ben's driving skills, he'll also be showing him. Which means I'll probably see Ben at least five times this year. :D

Ben has a good home now, and will actually have a Belgian friend who's name is Red. :3 Here are some pictures of him on the morning he started on his journey!