July 2009 Story Contest

Jellybean Licks the Lollypop by Mistyhorse11 & Snow Love age 8

I, Sasha, woke up in the morning to the sound of a horse neighing.  But, that was no horse, that was my horse!  I threw the bed covers off me, not wasting time to make the bed again.  I burst open my door, ran down the stairs grabbed a jacket on the way, put it on, and ran out the door.  Then, I ran fast as I could to the little stable in our yard.

“Jellybean!” I called when I was about a yard away from the pretty, little stable.  Jellybean, my seven year old, beautiful light dapple colored mare, was prancing uneasily in her shiny stall.  “What’s wrong girl?” I whispered to her.  She looked very strange and looked like she had news for me, just I couldn’t understand as I don’t know horse language.  I saw my mom and dad running to the stable.

“What’s wrong with Jellybean, sweetie?” my mom asked breathing hard.
“Get a vet, now,” I told her loudly.
She ran to the house to get the phone.  She dialed the vet’s number so fast it looked like her fingers would fall off!  “Vet, its Mrs. Wood, Jellybean my daughter’s horse is acting strange and looks in pain!” she told the vet.
“I’ll be there in 15 minutes maximum,” she told her and then hung up.
My mom ran back to the stable.  “Dr. Martin will be here in 15 minutes maximum,” she told me and my dad who were watching Jellybean closely from outside the stall.  She joined them and looked at her daughter’s crying, sad face.

Ten minutes later we saw Dr. Martin park his animal vet van in the driveway.  My dad ran over to the driveway to meet him.  My mom and me watched the men run over to the stable until they we’re close as four feet from them.  Dr. Martin got stuff out of his vet bag and walked into Jellybeans stall. He examined Jellybean head to hoof.  Until, finally he gasped.  “Did Jellybean have a mate, as in a stallion?” he asked.
“Well, yes but he passed away a few months ago, his name was Charm,” I said.
“I know what’s wrong with Jellybean, she is having a foal, Charm’s fault,” he said.

I smiled a deep loving smile... My mom gasped and smiled, my dad just smiled silently with joy.
“How long do you think it’ll be?” I asked Dr. Martin.
“Two weeks to one and a half months,” he replied.
“I can’t wait! But, wait remember Jellybean still looks like she’s in pain,” I said.
“In the wild horses are almost always in pain when they have foals, some die sadly, but there foals are alive in memory.  But, this is not the wild and vets have something to cure this pain,” he said and opened his bag.  He took out this cream looking stuff and rubbed it all around Jellybeans body.  “Would you like to help?” he asked.  He saw everyone nod our heads.  “Sasha, you hold Jellybean still and spread the ointment on each side of her neck.  Mrs. Wood, you spread it on her right side.  Mr. Wood, you spread it on her left side.  I’ll do it on her belly and in special spots,” he said and everyone went to work.  When everyone was done he gave Jellybean a shot that would make the foal easier to come out and less painful to get the foal out for Jellybean.  “Someone feed her a few apples or carrots, she’s been a good girl,” Dr. Martin said.

My dad ran to the house to get some.  I stayed with Jellybean, my mom, and Dr. Martin. A few minutes later my dad came back with 2 big carrots and an apple.   He gave them to me.   I let Jellybean bite the top of the carrot then made my hand flat and let her have the rest.  Her lips tickled against my hand as she ate the carrot.  I did the same with the other carrot.  I took the apple held it by the stem and Jelly bean bit pieces off the apple until only the core remained.  I put my hand flat with the apple core and let her tickle my hand again to get the tasty treat. Cute, I thought.

My parents gave the vet, Dr. Martin a fare and square pay of $550 and then another $50 for medicine and things for the foal.  When my parents were done talking to Dr. Martin and thanking him, we all watched him walk to his van, and watched him drive away. “Sasha, go to bed now, my watch says its 3:30!” my mom said. Wow, I’ve been up since 2:00 I thought. “Wake up at 6:30 a least and walk Jelly bean in the field starting at 7:00 to 7:30 not the everyday riding at 6:30!” my dad said. I walked up to the house just realizing that I was with the vet with my pajamas on! My parents put on clothes I realized. I blushed, climbed in bed and fell asleep.

BLING! BLING! BLING! My alarm clock rang at 6:30.  I yawned, threw the covers off me, and made my bed.  I dressed in a T-shirt, put jeans on, and put a pretty little sweater on so I wouldn’t freeze. I walked downstairs into the kitchen and made a small bowl of cereal and poured milk on it. I  ate it quickly.  I did my chores including: Feeding the cat, Misty, feeding the dog, Clover, and watering the garden.  I took the watering can to the storage shed and walked to the pretty, little, stable. “Good morning, Jellybean,” I said. I gave Jellybean some hay, oats, and water.  While she was finishing I was washing and polishing my saddle and bridle, and also waxing my saddle pad so it’d be softer. I got out my bridle when I saw Jellybean was done and I put it on her. I took out a curry comb and started getting the burrs and dead hair off her body then used a body brush to get dust and dirt of her. I took the hoof pic out and got all  the stones and dirt out of the hoof. I lead her out of her stall and closed the stall door. We walked on the forest trails until 7:40 and I decided I should get back. Around 8:00 we got back to the stable. I used a body brush on her so next morning I wouldn’t have to dirty of a horse. When I was done I walked out of the little stable.

When I reached the house and opened the door I smelled something awfully good.  I walked into the kitchen and saw French toast, bacon, eggs, and muffins.  “I made a wonderful breakfast that’s special a toast to having a new foal soon,” she told me.  I smiled.  I sat down at the table with my mom, dad, and the yummy looking breakfast. “Dig in!” my mom said.
“Yummy, thanks for breakfast mom!” I told her and walked to the nearest bathroom.  I brushed my teeth until they sparkled, brushed my hair till not a strand was misplaced.  I put my hair up and tied it with a pretty red ribbon.  I got my backpack that had about a billion horse keychains on it.  I said bye to my parents and walked out of the home and walked to my 7th grade middle school class.  I put my back pack in my locker and took out my home room books and my essay.  RING! RING!  The school bell went, so I walked to my home room plopped down at my desk and talked to my friend, Ashleigh.  When everyone saw the teacher come in they were silent.

“Now, please hand me your essays and I will grade them while you’re in your other classes,” she said nicely.  Me and Ashleigh smiled at eachother and handed the essays to the teacher.  Okay, go to your next class she said and got out a correcting pen.  Math went by in a flash with Ashleigh and my smart brains.  Next was lunch and we took a seat in the cafeteria.  I told Ashleigh about the foal that was planned to be born.  She was delighted.
“Would you like to come to my dad’s ranch?  You can’t ride Jellybean when she’s having a foal that soon, and any horse lover would be dying to ride a horse,” she told me.
“Sure, I’ll call my parents and tell them,” I said and took out my cell phone, dialed the numbers and told them.
“What’d they say?” Ashleigh asked.
“They said a big yes, in fact I’m allowed to go almost every day!” I said
“Yay!” Ashleigh said and smiled.
We walked together to the Language Arts room and sat in our seats.  When class was done we went to the homework lounge and collected our homework then made our way to the homeroom.  Mrs. Lizzy handed us our essays with the grades printed on them.
“What grade did you get?” I asked Ashleigh.
“An A,” she said.
“I got an A+,” I said.
We went to our lockers, put our books back in took out our backpacks and put our homework and graded essays and finally shut and locked our lockers.  Which means school’s over.  We walked out of the school with a whole bunch of others.  We went to the hitching post and got Ashleigh’s horse, Tango.  Ashleigh mounted and gave a hand down for me, I grabbed her hand and mounted.  I held tightly around her back and we walked toward a trail, when we reached the trail we trotted, it was fun.  Tango had such a cool gait.

When we reached the ranch I got to ride a Andalusian 12 year old, mare.  She was so sweet I realized when I first saw her big, loving eyes.  I groomed her short dark grey coat and used the hoof pic to get the stones and dirt out of her hoof.  I went into the tack room and O.M.G. there was so many saddles on racks in the middle of the room, dozen after dozen bridles and bits on the biggest wall.  A grooming bucket for every horse on the ranch, 37 horses!  Tack the ranch was selling to riders there on the last wall.  I walked to the middle of the room and look for the saddle Ashleigh described.  Finally, I saw the beautiful black leather English saddle with Layla’s little nametag on it.  (the Andalusian) I got her bridle with Layla’s name printed neatly on the nametag.  I brought the saddle and bridle to the stall and put them on the stall door.  I put the halter around her neck and put the bridle on and I took the halter off from around her neck.  I put the saddle pad on her back and gently dropped the saddle on it and fastened the girth.  I let her out of the stall to the riding ring.  I was ready to ride!

I saw Tango and Ashleigh cantering in the ring and gracefully soaring over the jumps.  I admired them and when they were done I mounted Layla and met her in the ring entrance/exit.  I said good job and trotted past her.  I started into a canter it was so smooth, we soared over the jumps like Tango.  We were cantering toward the polls when we saw a skunk come into the yard.  Layla got spooked she reared and reared for a dozen times, I was holding on tight to her mane with the reins still in my hands, cutting into my skin.  I finally fell off, splat on the ground.
“SASHA!” Ashleigh yelled and ran fast as she could toward me.
“Call your home phone for your mom to get so you don’t leave me!” Sasha said in a loud whisper.
“Okay,” Ashleigh said and got out her cell phone fast.
A minute later Ashleigh’s mom and dad came running to the riding ring.  They had called my parents and they were on their way.  They were going to take me to the doctor just to be sure I didn’t break something or sprang something.

Two days after the day she got reared off Layla, I was in bed healing.  Nothing was sprng or broken just a few bad cuts.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner was brought upstairs for her and she had to stay in bed until she was healed.  This continues for 2 and a half weeks until she felt great that day and happy she thought she should get out of bed and stretch until her legs felt better from not walking in a long time.  I got clothes on and walked down the stairs.  My parents were happy I was feeling better.  I ate breakfast and walked to the stable to groom and walk Jellybean in the yard.  When I was done I realized it was summer break and the last time I went to school was the last day!  I got started on the homework that you had to do during the summer.

It finally was the end of the good day, eating dinner.  We had Pasta with meatballs and yummy sauce. I went to sleep that night with wonderful horse dreams. All the sudden I woke at 5:00, I mostly sleep a bit longer this she said. Then I thought more. No…. In woke up to a neigh! I made my bed, put on clothes knocked on my parents door and told them then ran downstairs and got a little sweater on then ran out the door. When I reached the stable I saw something strange, a little leg, it’s the foal! I watched Jellybean lick the foal. So cute I thought. A few hours later I was still watching the foal and Jellybean, my parents were sitting in a chair in the barn watching me.
“What are you going to name her?” my mom asked.
“How about lollypop,” I said
“I like it, cute,” my mom and dad said.

We watched Jellybean lick Lollypop. It was the start of something perfect. The horse I’d train from the beginning. When I talk about them I could say Jellybean licks the Lollypop, I thought and smiled.