February Story Contest

BART

by Sephriam2 & Iridessa

age 12

 

I had wanted a horse since my third birthday, the day I began riding horses. I had not actaully had a horse until I was ten, going on eleven. We live in a beautiful area, and I have a barn at my house. My mom told me one day that she had bought a horse. I was kind of upset, because she didn't even include me, I didn't even have a say in WHAT horse we would buy. But then I saw Bart, and I was smitten. He was a georgious, chestnut, 17 hand quarter horse, 18 years old, with a very fancy pedigree. In fact, he was part of the Skip-A-Star bloodline. I could barely ride him, because of his insane size, but he was mine. Although stubborn, he was the best. I remember one time when I decided to ride him while my mom led him, but we had no mounting block at the time, and my older brother wasn't around to give me a leg up. If my mom tried to give me a leg up, she would drop the lead rope and he would probably go trundling off, slowly, but terrifying me! He also had no saddle on. So I attempted to leap from the ground and onto his back. First time didn't work. Bart looked around at me with a "What are you doing?" look on his comical face. Second time almost worked. I was hanging over his back, with my eyes bulging out of my head from imagining the terrifying fall from his 18 hand back. I groaned and swung my leg over his wide, barrel-belly. I was finally up there. I gathered up the lead rope looped from one side of his halter to the other, that was supposed to be like reins, and looked down at my mom. "Made it?" She laughed. I groaned and rubbed my belly where his spine was jabbing me. "I think so." We began a slow walk around the paddock. After a few minutes of sheer terror, I began to relax. The view was amazing. I felt like the green giant from the vegetable commercials. I wound my fingers through his mane and leaned down, breathing in the smell of hay and grain. I think that day really bound us together. I didn't get to ride him much after that. One day my mom, myself, and some friends of ours were at a cross country show. I even bought a new saddle blanket for him that day. I was so excited to do some more riding. But on the way home my brother called and said that Bart was lying down in the pasture, and not getting up. We had him call the vet immediately, then he called us after the vet. I began screaming into the phone, "Push on his abdomen! Run your hand slowly down his muzzle! Massage his neck!" MY brother did none of these. As soon as we got home, I ran into the pasture, and began doing those things. The vet came a few minutes after, and said that he had a stomach problem that would cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. We decided to put him down. I couldn't even watch. I ran inside, and the next time I looked out, he was covered, and the vet was leaving. He is buried in our paddock, and every day, after I take care of our companion pony, I silently say good-night to Bart.