December Story Contest

The Story of  GYPSY -- A  TRUE STORY

by French Indian & Nelly    age  12

 

To me of course it was just another fall day, the leaves were changing and everyone was waiting for the turkey and stuffing which was only a few days away, as I was outside with my little sister and helping her and her pony Flicka go over a course of jumps set up in the yard when my mom got a phone call from an old and dear friend of hers, a REAL World Champion trainer, he was in a lot of old magazines and was truly admired by many, Donnie B**. He called just to say that the horse trader was in town.

 

Now, I really don't like the idea of cramping 30 in a goose-neck trailer and hauling them from Indiana to Florida to see what sells, but when someone says the horse trader is in town that's like saying the circus has come to town! That night during dinner while we were all sitting in the living watching RFDtv's Pat Parelli my mom mentioned that tomorrow night we would head down to Sarasota to see "Uncle Donnie" and meet the horse trader. My mom was the master at ANY type of horse trading there is to come by, and if anyone else said otherwise they would have wish they hadn't and left with their jaw dragging the ground out of amazement.

   The next day at about 4:00 p.m. we left for Sarasota. When we entered the gates at Laurel Valley Ranch we saw the HUGE goose-neck horse trailer parked outside the jumping arena. We were invited in the barn and a rather hefty man introduced himself as the horse trader. I blew right through the barn to the first stall with one the horses inside.. a short slim black gelding with a curved roman nose and big brown eyes came to greet me. Turns out when the farrier went to ride him that night he bucked, and bucked, and bucked, and bucked.... for some reason I was drawn to the trailer. There was more horses than I thought there would be...

   We came home late that night. And that morning there was a surprise at the front gate. The horse trader and his, horses, wife, and stable hand I guess. He began to unload one horse at a time. About 3rd from the back was the most beautiful and elegant buckskin mare I have ever seen. Her coat was dark gold with creamy dapples spotted along her tummy. She had long and slim legs stained with black. As I was looking at her, past her color and beauty, she was skin and bones. She was a meal away from starvation and had a bloody gash on her right back leg. I almost cried at the sight. I walked over to her and checked her teeth and ran my hand down her back. Feeling every bone. I tugged my ear and my mom nodded. (the secret signal of I LIKE THIS HORSE!!) lol

 

   My mom tugged her ear to approve of the horse. I walked over to the horse trader and asked if she rode.

  "Ha! Barely. Hey kid get over here and get on that buckskin mare, show them that she rides OK." he said.

  "Yes sir." the stable hand answered reluctantly.

  He mounted her with a halter and lead rope and yanked her head around to "turn" her and spurred her deep in her sides to get her to "move." When he spurred her she let out a sad grunt and moved in the direction he wanted. I insisted on him getting off and me looking her over again to stall. My mom ended up trading a mean chestnut filly for the mare. The mare who is now my dream horse named Gypsy.

  Gypsy is now broke to ride and will be having a baby in March. When the foal is weaned I plan on showing her, but for now she is my horse and I love her too much to ever let her go!