Sara And Star

In memory of the real Star, the best saddle-pony any little girl could ever want.

A NOTE TO PARENTS: There must be very few little girls who do not want a pony at some point. Girls just seem to love horses. Unfortunately, some of the books written about horses do not teach a realistic or safe attitude toward animals; horses are depicted as being almost human-like in their intelligence and naturally gentle. When the child doesn't have experience with real horses, she may believe this sentimental view of equines. While there ARE wonderfully gentle horses who love children, it's best to teach a child early how to behave safely around horses. Too many children (one was a little girl who lived very close to me) have been badly hurt even by small ponies. This is not intended to be a negative view, but a realistic one, and I hope this story will teach girls a little bit about horse safety and also some basic vocabulary. There may be other advice that you, as the parent, wish to add. Of course, there is no substitute for parents' or a riding instructor's supervision while a young child is around horses.

1. SARA'S BIRTHDAY PRESENT Sara Jordan loved horses. Ever since she was four and had ridden a Shetland pony at the fair she had wanted a horse of her own. "Horses are a lot of work," her mother cautioned. "You can't just get one and then forget about it." "I'll take care of him," she had promised. "Maybe when you're a little older," her father said. Now it was Sara's birthday. She had stayed overnight with her grandparents, and her Mom and Dad came to pick her up.  When they stopped the car in front of their house, Daddy turned around and grinned at her. "There's something in the barn you should see." "Did Calico have kittens?" Sara asked her mother. Her mother didn't say anything, but only smiled as they all walked to the barn together. "Daddy! It's a horse!" Sara cried as she saw the animal standing in the stall. “His name is Star,” her father said. "He's all yours." Star jumped when he heard the shout close by.  Like most horses, he could sleep standing up, and the loud noise startled him. He didn't know what was happening. He put back his ears and rolled his eyes. Sara started to climb over the fence, but her father caught her and lifted her to the ground.  "Sara, settle down. You have to be quiet and calm around horses. Look how you scared him." "But I want to pet him,” Sara said. "You will. Just be patient," her mother replied. Mr. Jordan came in, put the lead rope onto Star’s halter and led him over to Sara.  Now, pet him on the neck at first," Mr. Jordan said. Sara did.

Star couldn't understand the words the people said, but he knew by their tone of voice that they liked him. The little girl put her hand on his neck. It felt good and warm. He turned to look.  She was smiling and Star could sense that she was happy. He felt safe now. He relaxed and lifted one of back feet. "I want to ride him," Sara said. "Not tonight, honey," Mother said. "He traveled a long way today, and he's tired.  Let him rest. You can ride him tomorrow," "May I stay with him for a while?" "Yes, if you  promise not to go in the stall," her father said. Sara nodded. "I won't." Mr. and Mrs. Jordan left, and Sara sat on a bucket. She looked through the gate into the stall. "You're a nice horse, aren't you?" she asked. She reached out and petted his face. Star sniffed of her. "You wouldn't hurt me if I came in there, would you?" Sara opened the gate and went inside.  Star looked down at her and blew air out of his nose. She petted him. "I like you, Star." Suddenly they both heard a sound, and a little dachshund dog came running into the stall. He saw the horse and began to bark furiously. "Midge, be quiet!" Sara said, but the dog continued to bark. Star laid his ears flat and began to back up. Midge began to rush forward, nipping at Star's feet and barking. Star put his head high and began to neigh. Midge rushed forward again, and Star reared up slightly on his hind legs. Sara screamed. The dog ran at the horse again and again. Then Star jumped and ran forward. Sara was standing  in front of him, and he knocked her down as he ran past. Star ran out of the barn to the far end of the pasture and just stood there for a while. Finally, he lowered his head and began to eat grass. Sara picked herself up off the ground and ran to the house. “Daddy! Daddy!” she called as she threw open the door.  She told her father what had happened. "You promised not to go into the pen," her father said.  He put on his boots, and then they went to the barn and got some feed. Dad carried the bucket into the pasture. When Star heard the sound of the feed shaking in the bucket, he trotted toward them. When the horse was safely back in his pen, Sara asked her father why Star had knocked her down. "Midge scared him, honey. Star is a very big animal. He didn't mean to hurt you. You were just in the way. You have to learn how to be around Star safely. Now let’s go in the house and let Star get some rest.” They walked back to the house together. "Sara, you disobeyed us and were very irresponsible," Mrs. Jordan said. "I think the scare you got is punishment enough, but in the future you should do exactly as we tell you." "I will, Mama," Sara promised. She was ashamed of having disobeyed her parents. Having a real horse was going to be a lot different than just playing with toy horses! Sara got ready for bed. Her dreams that night were filled with running horses and barking dogs.

QUESTIONS 1. What type of animal did Sara Jordan want? 2. What did Sara's parents give her for her birthday? 3. How did Star react when Sara was noisy? How should you behave when you are around horses? 4. When Sara stayed outside in the barn, what did her father tell her not to do? 5. What happened when Sara disobeyed? 6. Did Star mean to hurt Sara? Why did he run into her?

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