Skipper came to franks (here at sterling estate) in 1996 he had injured his tendon the vet told frank to put him down "he'll never be more than a field pet" the vet said,
frank refused "he has to good of ground manners to put him down" with a smile on his face "I'll just put him out to heal and go from there OK doc."
a coffin bone injury had taken him off the track before that. well over a year in the field with the vet coming to see skipper him standing on 3 legs and a boot on the 4th. the vet looked at frank
"well he is healed all you can do is go from here and see how he does"
And away they went on the road to recovery. It took about another year of riding and getting him back into shape that takes us to 1998.
Well, I came to know skipper in 1999 when I started dating frank. I had not been on a horse from the time i was 13 and here I was 25. it was a Friday night when frank said to me
"we're loading up"
I just looked at him "what do you mean"
frank turning to me "we are going to mass for a weekend ride"
"oooono not me" shaking my head
"ooooooyes you" pull on my shirt out the door
"well who am I going to ride"
"sipper he will take care of you. "
so loading up the trail we went. as skipper and coco (the Morgan skipper best friend) stand on the fence line talking to us and frank talking to them
"yes boys we are going"
and down to the field we went to get them. to this point all I had done is brush his horses and feed them for him when he was out of town
Here I was at 6 at night putting a halter skipper and leading him to a trailer. I had never loaded a horse in a trailer. frank put coco in and looked back at me
"Just put his lead over his neck he go right on the trailer "
"OK "
And on he went and wait for frank to take care of him.
And we where off 4hr drive and not a move in the trailer the hole trip.
it was dark when we got to the ride trailer everywhere horses out on lines tied to trailer I looked at frank
"how many horses are here"
Frank with a little smile
"oo about 70 on this ride."
Off to a parking spot and set the truck and trailer up. Frank opens up the trailer manger door and unhook skipper and coco and goes to the back doors skipper side first.
"back up, back up"
out comes sipper and turns to frank. frank puts his lead on and hands him to me tie him right there on the trailer. so I do. than he gets coco and those out some hay
"we are set to go to bed."
the next day I tack skipper up and ready to ride. thinking to my self
"I'm going to kill myself to day."
But I did not. The whole ride skipper did great with me we went though rivers over steel bridges and up hill and down and me still on him and skipper just gong where the other horses went and loving it. We did 6 trail rides that first summer. Skipper came to the point that everything I wanted him to do he would without fail.
Well, its 2005 now and I have a new horse her at the farm and skipper has been hand down to my 10 year old to ride at the age of 23 he love to go out on the rides with her and never miss a beat on the trail. You can always look back and see skipper coming down the trail and my daughter with big smile on her face.
Skipper loves his summers up the road in his summer field with coco we never have to worry about them even if the deer take down the fence they will not leave. In the winter him and coco and the other guys are the first in the am to tell us its hay time looking in the widow here at the house.
And yes skipper gets to go out with a wagon and once a year for a week he is a pack horse for frank in northern VT.
Bunny