Buddha on Pride

Prologue

Sitting in the bleachers, my mother watching horses being auctioned off. I sitting on her lap with my black suede cowboy hat upon my head. My papa had gotten it for my when I was a baby, said Id grow into it and of course i did.
I was 6 years old and wasnt quite sure what an auction was but all i knew was that this was where most of our Brood mares, stallions, prospects, and just horses who needed some where to rest their heads until they were rehoused to somewhere other than a Kill pen - came from.
My mom bounced me on her knee to keep me entertained, even though i was really intrigued in the language and slang that the auctioneer spoke. As a child, I did laugh at the sound of the auctioneers voice over the microphone.
Hours went by and my mother hadnt yet raised her number or hand ( all depending on the auction ). Sometimes we went home empty handed, other times we'd come home with 5 new horses. Not always the prettiest bunch of horses that we'd leave with, but once they received an abundance of food as they were with us and some training; they'd look completely different. Like brand new horses.
I swear, my mother had a gift. She sensed something about horses. Not all of them but certain ones. If she raised her hand or number, shed go home with that horse. Most people like the thicker horses that go into the little show pen to be displayed, but not my mother. She picked the scrawny, weak ones. The ones that would most likely succeed to make it into the slaughter truck unfit for horses at the end of that day. I didnt understand until i was older that when the horse left that pen and wasnt bid on, they went to a slaughter house or Kill pen.
As we were waiting for the next horse to enter the small ' arena ', my mother looked down at me, smiled, and grabbed my hand.
A pretty little white brood mare was led out, limping on her right hind, almost like she was dragging it along in the sand.
My mother raised her hand to the auctioneer. The auctioneer pointed at a man a few seats down from my mother and I. The man looked at my mother and my mother shook her head.
The bidding war went on for a good 10 minutes as you know, my mother and i would be going with this Brood Mare.
She was the last to go, we walked down towards where they stalled all the horses. My mother handed the man at the door her money and we led the limping mare to our trailer.
I stood outside the trailer door waiting for my mother to exit.
" This girl knows shes going to a good home, Kaci. Look at her eating that hay. I think we picked a good one. " She closed the trailer door and latched it shut. She put her arm around me as we walked toward the passenger seat of the truck. She opened the door and set me inside on the warm suede seat.
" Buckle up, kiddo! " She smiled and closed the door, walking to the driver seat. The door squeaked as it opened, it was my grand Papi's truck from a long time ago. I fiddled with my seat beat as i heard the engine of the old seemingly rustic, Ford, start to rumble. And we made our way down the dusty road back to our 7 generation ranch. Little did my mother and I know that this little Brood Mare would bring a whole other world of happiness and joy into our lives.