March Story Contest

In the Hoof Prints of Sundance!
by D.Z Weedorocks!
Age 11

         As I lay down, waiting for the pain to stop I think back, to all my memories, my first memory is that I was born at a stable were you had to behave. I was one of the foals who did what they wanted to do, when they wanted to do it, and how they wanted to do it. My master, Tom came to start training me. I was mad that I was being taken away from my mother. I bucked, kicked, bit people, but when I went back to my mother, I was as cute as a button. Once again they took me out. Put me in the round-pen and tried to put this scary thing on my face. I galloped and bucked; soon I got tired and listened to them.

 

        A week later I found out that scary thing is called a halter. I got used to it after a while. They put me into a round-pen again. But this time, I saw this huge piece of leather, with something dangling from the side, they put it on me! I ran, bucking till it was off. "This horse is un-trainable!" my master told Joe, the stable hand. "We will sell him tomorrow! Put him in the trailer!"

           I had a short time to say goodbye to my mother. It was hard to say goodbye. They loaded me up into this huge, scary, box, called a trailer. They took me to what’s called an "auction" but what horses call it "The places were your life gets sucked out of you." A bunch of horses were there. Then Tom took me by the halter and led me in. It was so scary! People were staring at you. There was a guy behind me yelling out random stuff. Three men were standing in front of the metal fence, yelling out numbers, raising there hands, My next home was worse than my last.  
 
         My new owner took me into another Trailer. But it was much bigger and other horses were in it. The horses next to me were very nice. “Hi” I said. “Hello” one of the horses said. “I’m Topaz and this is Mac. What’s your name?” said Topaz. “My name? I don’t have one.” I answered back. Before they had time to answer our owner stopped the trailer and took us out. He led us into a pasture. “Get in there you lazy animal!” Lazy animal? I thought why was I a lazy animal?  

 

    The next day my owner put me into a stall. The horse next to me was so mean; she was a rich chestnut mare. “Hi” I said. She rolled her eyes at me and said “Who are you?” Then she looked down and up at me, like she was checking me out, then rolled her eyes again. I didn’t answer. The other horse next to me said “That’s Autumn. She is always like that. Just because her owner is rich she thinks she is the best.” I was about to say something but Autumn interrupted me “At least I’m not a beginner school pony!”

 

         When I was four my master, Mark started training me to do cross country. I already trusted him; He had gotten on me and ridden me when I was Three and a half. He put a saddle and bridle on me. I bucked and bucked but then calmed down. Then he got on me, but not all the way just halfway. I decided that I was not going to buck, kick, or rear any more. Then he got all the way on me. Then he pushed his feet into my body. I automatically walked forward. He never told me what a good girl I was.

 

      The next day I had a vet checkup. They said I needed Strongid in my diet. At the end of the check-up he asked my owner for my name. “Hmm, put her down for Sundance.” Sundance? That was my new name? Finally! I have a name! When my owner gave me the strongid and grain I tried it. “This is pretty good!” I said. Autumn said “you don’t know what’s good.”  The horse next to me said “You’re just jealous because she has food and you don’t.” Autumn rolled her eyes.           “Have you got a name yet?” she asked. “Yeah! I do! It’s Sundance!” I said “I didn’t catch yours before, what is it?” I asked. “My name is Annie.” She said. “Yay! You know your names now!” Autumn said sarcastically. “Can you be quite now I’m trying to talk with someone?” Sadie rolled her eyes. Is that a thing around here? I thought.

 

        Annie and I became quick friends. She told me about her life, and I told her about     mine. She has been to four different homes. Most of them were nice; some of them sounded nice, but were very mean. Annie told me about the leather. She said “it’s called a saddle; people will ride you in it.” A saddle? What a weird name.

 

         The next week I was in training to become a cross country horse. Cross country was hard. My trainer always rushed me over the jumps. Once he rushed me over the jump, my knees hit it and I fell over it. The jockey who was riding me had to go into the hospital. A different jockey rode me after I healed. Her name was Jen. She understood how I felt about the jumps. When we went over them, she slowed me down, so I could concentrate on the jump.  She was nice.
   
         My owner led me into the trailer me and Annie said our goodbyes when I left. I got into the big box again but with my surprise Annie and Autumn were in it too! “Now you don’t have to leave without us!” Annie said. “I didn’t want to lose you so I bucked four riders off me including our master!” Annie said. I told them I was only going for a trail ride.

 

           After a long trail ride they noticed Annie and I got lame, the people who owned us didn’t know anything about horses so, we went to another auction, it was scarier than the last one. My master took me in. The same thing happened as before. But there was someone in the crowd who stranded out from the others. He had an apron on, full of red stuff. He became my new own

 

       He loaded me into the trailer. I saw someone I recognized, my mother! It was her! My mother! We nuzzled inside the trailer, Until we reached our new home.  When we got to the stable it didn’t look like any stable I’ve seen. He loaded me into something where other horses were walking slowly into. I asked the horse in front of me “What is this place”  “The slaughter house” He said slaughter house in a weak tone of voice. I looked at him, the way he moved, how I could see his ribs. He looked miserable. The slaughter house? I had to escape. I turned around ran past the other horses, and jumped as high as I could, I made it! I opened the gate with my muzzle and led the other horses out. We ran, and ran, and finally we were out of sight.  

 

       I lived in the wild with my mom for three years, by now I was Six; I haven’t seen Annie or any other of the horses that I met for a long time. One day, on a crisp autumn morning, I was eating the scrumptious grass in the meadow, I felt like someone was watching me, I looked up to see Annie, Autumn, Topaz and Mac! After we shared our stories about how much we missed each other, I took them back to the herd and introduced them to my mother and her new friends.

      The next day at least five cowboys and five cowgirls came. They woke up the herd. They must have planned the night before because they chased us into a corral. We were so tired I must have slept a long time. I woke up in a pasture with Annie, Autumn, Topaz, Mac and my mother. They must have thought I had been a wild horse my whole life because they tried to “break” me in, which means to try and break my sprit. I acted like I was being ridden, walked when they squeezed in, trotted when they asked, cantered, ext.

    They were very surprised when they saw me obey instead of galloping around the arena, bucking crazily. They put me in a huge paddock. I watched them try to ride some of the horses, they were angry. They put them in a separate paddock. A few hours past and they had most of the horses in the paddocks. Annie Topaz Mac and my mom were in my paddock, Autumn was the last horse to ride, she acted like a show horse, and very fast they decided to put her into the same paddock as us. They loaded us into a bunch of trailers. They loaded my mom, Annie, Topaz, Mac and me into the same trailer. I didn’t see Autumn for the rest of the month.

      A couple weeks later I heard my new owner Tina, talk to someone. “It’s a shame we had to put Autumn down. She was such a good horse.” The other person replied “To bad she freaked out to much in the trailer.” I don’t know why but I knew it was my Autumn. I felt like dying and going to heaven to meet her. Even though we were not the best of friends we still got along.

     For five years, (I was eleven now) I was used as a lesson horse. One day, Tina got a new lesson girl, her name was Emily. She was Sixteen years old. Emily was my best friend from the moment I first saw her. She has such a sweet face. “So this is the barn for horses that are for sale, so take your pick.” When our eyes met it was love at first sight. She walked right up to me and took me out for a test ride in the arena.  She walked me first. She was an advanced rider I could tell.  Then she trotted me.  Then cantered, Then she rose up in her seat and galloped me. I could sense that she was smiling, I could hear her laughter, and I could see the wind in her hair from the corner of my eye. We were just meant to be.
 
       She had me for the rest of my life. She would ride me every day, give me food. All at the same time on the same schedule. Once when she was Twenty three, I was eighteen, She was spending time on dates and her trainer came in late to feed me. It lasted for about two weeks when she came running into my stall crying her heart out. “Why would he do this to me?” she said over and over and over again. When I heard her boyfriend Jim, come into the barn. “Go away!” Emily shouted. “I’m sorry! Give me another chance!” Jim shouted back. “Go live with your other girl!” Emily shouted. He stormed off. Emily stayed with me for another thirty minutes, and then she had to leave.  
 
         Nine years later, when she was thirty two, I was twenty seven, She was dating a really crazy guy, and he was psycho. His name was Michel. They were living together until they got into this major fight about who cooks dinner for their two kids; he came to the tack up area and were fighting while Emily was brushing me, when Emily said “At least I have someone who will be here forever!” “Not for long!” Michel shouted, and everything went black.

    She still rides me in heaven, to this day. I live in a stable were I see Autumn, Annie, Topaz and Mac. Everyone gets along and nobody is mean. We gallop on beaches. Above your heads.