Buddy

Buddy is the orphaned calf Sam saved then raised. Sam later turned the calf out with the rest of River Bend's herd.

Description
Buddy is described as a bald-faced red Hereford cow with big brown eyes. She has a River Bend Ranch brand on one side as well as an ear tag.

The Wild One
Buddy is first seen as a calf who fell into the quicksand on the playa. She struggles to get out, but no mother is seen near by, leaving her abandoned and orphaned. While Jake and Wyatt seem ready to take their loss, though sad, Pepper suggests using a the same trick to get people who fall into ice for the calf. Sam crawls across the crust with a rope across her waist and grabs onto the calf, where they are both pulled out. Sam takes the responsibility of bottle raising the calf. Pepper points out the calf is a female, and Sam spends the last night of the cattle drive sleeping outside her tent with the calf, who she names "Buddy". Buddy starts to live in the pens and barn of River Bend, and it is Sam's responsibility to care for her. When they leave to see the mustang corrals, Sam lets Buddy loose into a pen, but forgets to ask Gram to give her a bottle. On their way home, Jake asks Sam how she got the rails back on the fence, but Sam is unaware of any rails being down. Buddy escapes through the opening and it is Sam's job to go onto the range to find her. She finds the calm being hunted by a pair of coyotes and chases them off, and Buddy recognizes her. Sam leads her on a rope back to the ranch.

Mustang Moon
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