My Exploration Buddy

We sat quietly, scarcely moving. The deer lifted its nose and sniffed the air. There was no noise. Everything was quiet. The deer waved its tail twice, then very slowly it turned and walked deeper into the woods. We continued to sit quietly, and soon the birds began singing again. The squirrels also returned to finding nuts.

My partner was eager to get to our destination, so after sitting for a while, we continued down the path. As we began to move, the squirrels all ran up the trees, and the birds stopped singing. We heard the deer in the woods give a loud snort and then run off. We could see its tail waving as it ran through the woods. Once we arrived at our destination, I led my buddy to the barn, unsaddled him, and gave him a good brushing down. My exploration buddy is our mule, named Spanky Hank.

Spanky is a full-size mule. He is about the size of a full-size horse. Spanky likes to travel through the woods. He also likes walking on the roads. He has a white patch on his back, and a little white on his face.

      

I like riding Spanky through the fields and woods. Everything looks a little different from the back of the mule. You can see a lot farther, and you can get a little closer to the wildlife. I enjoy following the creeks, or riding around the trails. I like scouting around our property looking for small critters and other cool things. I can cover a lot more ground with my exploration buddy.

Not too long ago, Spanky and I went out to the backside of our property to do some exploring! Spanky enjoyed walking along the top of the big hills. He got excited when we turned off the main trail and crossed the creek. Spanky likes to walk inside the creeks and follow them.

I am very thankful for Spanky; it is more fun to ride while exploring. I can’t wait until the next time I head into the woods, with just me and my exploration buddy.

~Samuel