Chapter 5: FASTER AND FASTER
The next morning, Sara could hardly walk outside with her daddy to feed Star.
"My legs hurt!" she said.
"Your muscles are just sore," her father laughed. "It will pass in time."
Around ten o'clock that morning, Mother took her outside to ride again. This time, she let Sara put the blanket on Star all by herself.
Sara walked Star around the pen for a while, making him turn different ways and stop. Mother sat on the stump, petting one of the barn cats.
Then, suddenly, Star was going much faster and Sara was bouncing all around in the saddle.. Bump! Bump!.....Bump! Bump!
"Whoa!" Sara said, and made him stop. "What was he doing?"
"He was just trotting," her mother said.
"It was bouncy," Sara said. "I almost fell off."
Her mother smiled. "You have to learn to move your body with his," she said. "Get off, and I'll show you something."
Sara slid down. To her surprise, Mother got on Star. She didn't even use the stump.
"Stand over there and watch me," Mother said, patting Star's neck. Sara went back to the stump and watched. Mother made Star trot and, as she did so,
she moved up and down in the saddle. Then she stopped.
"People who ride on western saddles usually sit when their horse trots," she said. "But you can go up and down like that if you want to. That's called
'posting.' Trotting is a two-beat gait: bump bump. You rise up on one bump and go down on the other. You'll have to build up strength in your legs to do it,
though."
"I didn't know you could ride," Sara said, amazed as her mother slid down from the saddle.
Her mother patted her helmet.
Sara rode Star in the pen every day. After a few weeks, she could almost lift the saddle onto his back by herself, although her mother still helped her tighten
the cinch. She could make Star walk and trot in circles. She could make him stand still and back up.
Then one day, as they were bouncing along at the trot, everything became smooth and flowing. It was like riding a rocking horse. Sara didn't want to stop,
but Mother held up her hand after a few minutes. "Star needs to get in shape just like you do," she said. "Don't lope him too much at first."
"Lope?"
"That's what you were doing," Mother said. "Sometimes people call it cantering."
"Was he galloping?"
"Not quite. Galloping is a little different, and faster."
"It was more fun than trotting. Not as bumpy."
Mother smiled at her. "Most horses have four natural gaits- or ways of moving," she said. "Walk, trot, lope or canter and gallop. Some horses have even
more gaits. Saddlehorses or gaited horses, like Tennessee Walkers and Peruvian Pasos, have special, smooth gaits like the foxtrot and running walk. They
can move quickly and very smoothly."
"I wish Star were a saddle horse," Sara said. "He bumps so much at the trot."
"We'll work on that," her mother said, "but I'm afraid that Star may always be a little bumpy when he's trotting."
Questions:
1. Name the four natural gaits of a horse.
2. Is trotting a bumpy or smooth gait?
3. What is a "gaited horse" or "saddle horse?"
Chapter 6: A FRIEND FOR STAR
"We're all going riding this weekend," Daddy said to Sara one night. He looked up at Mother and smiled. "Star may have a friend soon."
"We're getting another horse?"
"Mrs. Marilynn has a mare for sale, and your mother wants to try her. We're going to take Star over there and ride together."
Sara knew Mrs. Marilynn. She lived down the road and was her mother's friend. She had a stable where she and her son raised and trained horses.
On Saturday afternoon, Mother rode Star to Mrs. Marilynn's while Sara and Daddy rode in the truck.
"Riding on the road is different from riding in the pen," Daddy said. "Your mother wants to see if Star is afraid of cars."
Mrs. Marilynn already had the horses saddled when they arrived. She led Star up to them to see if he would try to kick or bite them, or if they would try to
bite him.
"He's a sweet horse!" Mrs. Marilynn said to Sara. "When horses first meet, they have to decide who's going to be the boss."
"What are the horses' names?" Sara asked.
"The buckskin that your Dad is going to ride is Capt. Jimson. Your mother is riding Lady, and my horse is named Plain Jane."
Sara laughed at these names.
Mrs. Marilynn bent down and grasped Plain Jane's front leg. "Hoof!" she said.
Instead of lifting her hoof, Plain Jane started to raise her back leg to kick.
Mrs. Marilynn stepped away and gave Plain Jane a quick, smart slap on the rump. "NO!!" she said. Jane jumped and turned to look at Ms. Marilynn. Then
she turned her head straight ahead and began to make a chewing motion with her mouth.
"She's thinking about what just happened," Mrs. Marilynn said.
"Why did you slap her?" Sara asked. "Isn't that mean?"
"It would be even meaner, to me as well as to Jane, if I let her kick me." Mrs. Marilynn said. "Real horses aren't like the trained horses that you see on the
movies or cartoon characters. Many people have a romanticized view of what horses are like. I bought Jane from a family that did not make her behave.
She learned that if she kicked, she wouldn't have to get her feet trimmed. The family loved her and didn't want to 'hurt' her by correcting her. They thought if
they loved her enough, she would be good. Instead, she took control and hurt someone very badly."
"What happened?" Sarah asked.
"She kicked her owner one day and broke several of his ribs," Mrs. Marilynn said in her usual blunt way. "She also went for a long time without having her
feet trimmed, and she was almost lame when she came here. She was going to be sent to an auction as a bad, dangerous horse, but I bought her first. She
still tries to kick every once in a while, but she's learned that I won't let her get away with being bad. She's too good of a horse to be spoiled like that."
"Star is a sweet horse, but even he might try to be bad if you let him." Daddy said. "Horses are like people. some are naturally better-tempered than others.
You are Star's rider, and he has to respect you like he would respect the head mare in his herd."
"A mare is a woman horse, right?" Sarah asked, "And a foal is a baby?"
"Right- a girl foal is called a filly and a boy is a colt. Geldings are boy horses who can't be fathers anymore, so they don't worry about chasing mares and
fighting other boy horses. A horse herd is usually led by a mare, though. If a young foal is bad as a baby, his mother or the head mare will nip him or run him
away from the herd to discipline him."
"There are many ways to get a horse to respect you as his leader," Mrs. Jordan said. "Sometimes you can use a round pen, or makes the horse run in a circle
around you on a long rope called a lunge line. This recreates the feeling of the horse herd, and the horse begins to accept that you are the leader of the herd.
For right now, though, you'll need to leave that to the grown-ups. If Star tries to kick or bite you, though, you can give him a quick, sharp spank. Be sure
that you don't do anything to make him think that kicking or biting is good, though."
"Horses, like dogs, want to follow a strong leader," Mrs. Marilynn said. "If you aren't the leader, then the horse will be the leader and decide what to do.
You may get hurt in the process: thrown off, rubbed off on a tree or under a barn, or bitten. Between the horse and rider there has to be a balance of both
love AND respect. Horses are big. A horse HAS to respect you, or he can hurt you very badly. Remember, discipline is very different from abuse. We
never beat a horse, and never, ever hit a horse over the head with anything. Discipline makes the horse respect you, abuse makes him either fear you or hate
you."
A high-pitched squeal sounded across the yard.
"Who's that in the pen?" Sarah asked, pointing to a beautiful bay horse with black mane and tail. His coat shone, and his tail streamed out as he raced around
the pen.
"That's my stallion, Brimstone," Ms. Marilynn said. "He's the daddy of most of the foals we have here."
"May I pet him?" Sarah asked. "He's so beautiful."
"It would be best if you didn't get around him," Ms. Marilynn said. "He's a little too spirited.. He jumped the fence last night, that's why he's in that tall pen."
"I saw a movie about a stallion once," Sarah said. "A little girl found a wild white stallion and tamed him. She could ride him bareback."
Ms. Marilynn shook her head. "That was just a movie," she said, shaking her head. "Some stallions can be very sweet, but a stallions can be very, very
dangerous and unpredictable. Stallions think they're supposed to fight other boy horses and also protect the mares and foals from danger. If you're in the
way, or if the stallion thinks you're a threat, he might try to kick or paw you. Also, if a stallion sees or smells a lady horse he likes, he will try to get to her.
That's why most people ride mares or geldings. As I said, there are exceptions but usually only experienced riders should try to handle a stallion. Star is
enough of a horse for you right now."
Mrs. Marilynn held Star while Sara got on him. "Stay here until we're ready to go," she said. "It's not polite to ride off and leave everyone else."
"Ride beside me," Mrs. Marilynn said when they were all moutned. So Sara did.
"That's a funny saddle," Sara said. "Where's the horn?"
"This is an English saddle," Mrs. Marilynn said. "It doesn't have a horn."
Sara nodded. The saddle looked so small next to the ones she was used to, and it didn't have any fancy decorations.
"What do you think?" Mrs. Marilynn asked the Jordans when the ride was over.
"I like her," Mrs. Jordan said.
"And what about you, John?" Marilynn asked. "Capt. Jimson seems to like you."
"I think two horses are all we can handle right now," he said.
Sara hugged Star. "You're going to have a friend now," she said. "You won't be lonely anymore."
Star nickered at her.
Questions:
1. What is a father horse called? What is a mother horse called? What is a foal?
2. Why do horses sometimes fight, kick or bite when they first meet?
3. What did Mrs. Marilynn do when Plain Jane tried to kick?
4.Why is it important that the horse respect you as leader?
5. Is it safe for a child or young person to ride most stallions? Why?