March Story Contest

Sara and Tornado
By Leenie

Age 8

Sara's parents were taking her to a horse farm to pick out a horse of her own after school.  As soon as Sara got home from school, she hopped in the truck.  Her dad drove for two hours.  As soon as they got to the horse farm they went in the barn. The stable hand met them at the door and lead them to the paddocks. Sara saw a black horse in the middle paddock.  He was all alone.  Sara decided to try the black horse.  She walked around the ring, and trotted, but he would not canter.  He wanted to gallop instead!  It took her three tries before she got him to canter.  His trainer walked out of the barn.  He said that the black horse needed a lot more training.  He said the horse needed to go a good home with people willing to train him.  

Sara remembered about when she used to ride at Pine Hollow with her friend Makenzie.  Sara started riding there when she was 6 years old because Makenzie told her about it.  Sara rode a lot and tried hard to become a good rider. When she was older she got Best Junior Rider Overall three years.  She had to stop riding for one year because her parents thought she was too busy, but now they were buying her a horse to start again.  

Now she is 13 years old.  She decided that she wanted the black horse and that he was meant for her.  She was willing to work with him a lot and get help training him.  She got off the horse and walked him.  She tied him to a fence and untacked him and put him in a stall labeled sold.  Her dad took her top the Feed and Tack Store.  She bought a halter, lead rope, saddle pad, saddle, two bales of hay, a bag of grain, a pair of leather riding gloves,  and all of the other things for caring for a horse.  She put all of it in the truck but the halter and lead.  She went back to the barn and went to the horses stall and changed his halter.  She walked him outside, walked him up the trailer ramp but it took her almost one hour to load him.  They drove to Pine Hollow and unloaded horse and feed and tack.  She fed him his supper and went home to eat her own.

At breakfast the next day her younger brother Alex asked what she named the horse.  "Tornado" she said.  After breakfast she walked to the barn, fed Tornado. Her friend Makenzie was waiting for her.  They were excited to get to ride together again.  They had fun all afternoon with each other and their horses.