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Willow Island: A Horse Story Part 3

Category: Animated Animals

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Edited by Martin Wilsher

A few days later, Ben sort out Snowdrop to ask her questions that had formed in his mind after Pip told him stories of Eohippus. Finding the white mare, Ben snapped: “I heard some silly
tale from Pip about the seventh foal of a falabella mare being white and
possessing special abilities, this was a few days ago that she told me and the other
foals this tale, you are White,,,” “Yes, and I was my mother’s seventh foal,”
Snowdrop chipped in. Ben stared at her! “It all fits now!” he squealed. Snowdrop
looked at the colt, Ben was larger than her now, though not by much yet. Even
so, he would have prostrated himself on the floor and polished her hooves if
Snowdrop had been willing to give him the answers he wanted, but she stayed
silent. “You are a very strange mare,” Ben said. “Thanks,” Snowdrop said
aggrievedly. “No!” Ben protested, “I didn’t mean it that way Snowy!” He was
using her pet name to try and endear himself to her, and she knew it. Snowdrop
realised she was different, but played with Ben a bit more, pretending she was
offended by his comments. “I am not strange!” she snapped. Ben was
floundering in the mud of his own mistakes now. “What I meant was, that, well,
you are unusual!” He whinnied shrilly. Snowdrop could see Ben’s distress was
real. He really believed he’d offended her. Suddenly she advanced on him, Ben
squealed in fear and tried to escape, but then he was being hugged by the white
mare, and he couldn’t escape. Ben felt Snowdrop’s soft fur against his, her
muzzle brushing his ear and her general warmth. “It’s okay,” She whispered. Ben
looked into Snowdrop’s eyes. She gazed back kindly. He looked Snowdrop over,
from her head to her hooves. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “You are one
amazing mare,” Ben said, “Snowdrop, what’s all this about marking horses?”
Snowdrop told him what she knew. “so you just touch another horse with your
hoof, and it happens?” He asked. “Yes, but only when it’s needed,” Snowdrop
replied. Ben touched her left forefoot with his. “Does your power ever frighten
you?” he asked. “Sometimes,” Snowdrop replied truthfully, “I see things other
horses can’t, and that scares me sometimes.” Ben hugged Snowdrop tightly. He
didn’t know what to make of this mare, all he knew was she was kind and gentle.
Snowdrop felt his anxiety and asked: “What’s up?” Ben looked into her eyes. “I
don’t really know,” he replied, “I’m confused, scared even.” “Scared of what?”
Snowdrop asked gently. “I don’t know really,” Ben said quickly, “I’m scared of
your power. I mean, what if you got really furious with one of us youngsters,
what could you do then!” Snowdrop lay down and patted the ground beside her for
Ben to do the Same. When he was lying beside her, Snowdrop hugged him. She
noticed Ben was trembling as she embraced him. “I will never hurt any of you,”
Snowdrop said gently, “my power isn’t malicious. Let me tell you something Ben,
only Whitehoof knows this, and you should tell no other horses, but when
Whitehoof was born, I saw his white hoof and knew he would be different, like I
had been. Ben, Whitehoof is more powerful than you could ever imagine. He is not
my seventh foal, something went wrong, and I only had one foal, but Whitehoof is
about as close in power to the seventh foal as is possible to get. The only
thing was that he was my first, not my seventh.” “What were you going to tell me
that I couldn’t tell other horses?” Ben asked, “and what is all this about
eohippus?” “it is said,” Snowdrop replied, “that the seventh foal of a Falabella
mare has communication with Eohippus.” “That’s why Sandy thought you were
Eohippus!” Ben squealed. “Yes,” Snowdrop said, “I am the dawn horse, and
Whitehoof is my one and only foal.”
Ben hugged Snowdrop tightly. The white mare laughed merrily at him. “You
are a soppy young thing aren’t you,” she said. Ben rubbed her muzzle with his.
Snowdrop got up and Ben followed her in search of Whitehoof. They found him
lying asleep under a tree. “Shh,” Snowdrop warned. They crept towards the
sleeping gelding. Snowdrop lay down beside her foal, Ben watched them lying
together, wondering what else these two horses would reveal about themselves.
Whitehoof opened his eyes. “Where’s Pip?” he asked sleepily. “I haven’t
seen her” snowdrop replied. “I bet she’s wandered off again!” Whitehoof sounded
agitated, “I told her she should stay here, not to go wandering off alone!”
“I’ll look for her,” Snowdrop said, getting up from where she was lying.
Whitehoof got to his feet and shook himself. “Why did she disobey me!” He
squealed. “She is her own horse Whitehoof, you can’t keep her under your hoof
dear,” Snowdrop said. “I’m concerned about her though mum!” Whitehoof yelled,
stamping his white foot in anger. “I know,” Snowdrop replied, “but if you carry
on too much Whitehoof dear, then she’ll rebel. As you said once, she’s a very
private mare really, she needed to be alone I’ll bet.” Whitehoof sighed heavily.
He followed Snowdrop through the forest. They found Pip lying beneath a bush,
she seemed to be asleep. Whitehoof was so relieved to see her he snapped: “Pip!
I’ve been looking all over the place for you!” Squealing with surprise, Pip
leapt to her feet. “Where did you come from!” She demanded shrilly. “I was
worried about you,” Whitehoof said gently. “I wanted to be alone to think!” Pip
whinnied angrily. “Told you so,” Snowdrop said. Whitehoof turned on his mother
and lashed out at her! Snowdrop dodged the hoof and floored her foal. Whitehoof
knew he’d done wrong. He lay on the grass looking up at his mother glairing down
at him. It was like once before when he was young and he’d lashed out at her in
anger. That time she’d done exactly the Same as now, and he’d regretted lashing
out, now was no different. Whitehoof felt very ashamed of himself, and as small
as he was when he was newborn. “Sorry mum,” he whimpered. Snowdrop showed him a
hind hoof. “Don’t hit me!” Whitehoof pleaded. She lowered her foot to the floor.
“Have I ever?” She asked. “No,” Whitehoof replied. “I think you and Pip need to
talk about this,” Snowdrop advised.
Whitehoof looked at his mother. “I’m sorry,” he said. “let’s forget it
now,” Snowdrop replied. Pip looked at her mate. “I think we really do need to
talk about this,” she said. Whitehoof and Pip made their way to a secluded place
to talk, and lay down together. “I wanted to be alone for a bit,” Pip said. “But
Pip dear,” Whitehoof replied, “I asked you to stay with me, for your own safety
love!” Pip yelled: “I have got a mind, and I am capable of taking care of myself
Whitehoof! You imposed Poppy on me, and I’m not taking it any more!” Whitehoof
stared at his mate, fighting back tears of anger and frustration. “I only want
you to be safe!” he whinnied. His voice cracking, he said: “Pip, if something
happened to you, I’d hate myself forever!” Pip suddenly hugged him tightly. “I
know Whitehoof, I know you love me, I love you darling, of course I do! It’s
just that I need space sometimes, and it’s hard to get it here.” Whitehoof
finally dissolved into tears. Pip hugged him to her, stroking his ears, muzzle,
and finally his white hoof. This ministration seemed to calm him. “I love you so
much,” She said, “but I need my space Whitehoof dear!” Whitehoof sniffed and
replied: “I know Pip, I know.” Pip looked at Whitehoof. She took him in from
nose to tail, fixing him in her mind, from his black ears, to his hooves. How
she loved this gelding! Pip touched his white hoof with her muzzle, remembering
the first time she’d seen this amazing gelding who had changed her life.
Whitehoof hugged Pip to him burying his muzzle in her thick mane. “I love you so
very much Pip, and I don’t want you to get hurt,” he whispered.
Whitehoof held Pip close to him for a very long time, not wanting to let
her go. Pip knew that she was so very lucky having the herd leader as her mate,
how she loved him!
“Come on Whitehoof darling,” Pip said gently, “we must go back to our
duties.” Whitehoof reluctantly released Pip, who frankly wanted to stay there
forever, but knew she couldn’t. The two horses couldn’t keep their eyes off each
other. Shaking leaves from their coats, they made their way down the track to
the herd’s main base. Snowdrop met them, and she had another horse with her. Pip
couldn’t believe her eyes! Standing before her was a huge Shire mare! Pip’s mind
said “Petra!” but her eyes told her the piebald mare wasn’t Petra. Whitehoof
noticed his mate’s reaction and said gently: “Every Shire mare is going to look
like Petra to you Pip dear, It’s natural.” Snowdrop said: “Whitehoof, this is
Emma, she has come to us from another herd. She needs sanctuary because her
foal’s due soon.” Whitehoof took Emma in from nose to tail. She was large, on
account of her foal, but also on account of her breeding. He remembered the
general massive proportions of the Shire horse breed. Emma watched the Falabella
gelding appraising her. She said: “I am due to have my foal any time now, I need
a place to have it where I am protected. I’ll be going as soon as my foal is
able to walk enough to embark on a journey.” Whitehoof rubbed noses with Emma,
who returned his affection with a hint of: “This horse isn’t herd leader is he?”
in her manner. “You can stay here,” Whitehoof said. Emma looked relieved. “Thank
you,” she said. Then To their utter astonishment, Emma suddenly lay on the
forest floor and gave birth to her foal there and then! Whitehoof, Snowdrop and
Pip stared at the mare as she delivered her foal. “I can’t cope with this!” Pip
whinnied. Emma was doing well though, her foal half born, it was happening so
quickly! Another massive effort from Emma and the foal was born. Emma lay
exhausted and frightened. “I didn’t expect it to happen like that!” She whinnied
shrilly. “Neither did we,” Whitehoof thought, but said nothing. Snowdrop asked:
“Are you all right Emma?” The Shire mare looked at her. “In shock mainly,” she
replied. “How many foals have you had?” Snowdrop asked. “Six, this one’s my seventh,” Emma replied.
“that fits,” Snowdrop mused. Emma suddenly stared at her! “Snowdrop, you’re not,
are you? I mean, you’re not the seventh foal?” Snowdrop smiled: “I am,” she said
softly. Meanwhile, Emma’s foal had got to it’s feet and was demanding a drink!
“I’m starving!” it Whinnied. Pip couldn’t believe a foal could be so huge! It
was almost as large as she was! Emma fed her foal, all the while looking with
wondrous eyes at Snowdrop. Whitehoof surveyed the scene, wondering what else
would happen that day. He first angers his mother, then has a fierce
disagreement with his mate, and now a mare, who he’d met only a few minutes
before, foals in front of him! Whitehoof wondered if anything else could happen
to cap all this!
Pip introduced Emma and her foal Jasper to the rest of the herd. Later that day, Jasper was taken by Pip to meet Ben, Emily,
Jess and the other foals. The herd seemed to be growing in size at an enormous
rate. “You remind me very much of Petra,” Pip said to Emma. “Who is Petra?” Emma
asked. “She used to be our herd leader, she took me and Ferdinand in and adopted
me as her foal.” Pip relayed the story of Petra to Emma. “You know, I think I
knew Petra!” Emma said.
Emma looked down at Pip. “Was Petra a dray horse?” She asked. “Yes she
was,” Pip replied, dreading what was to come. “I know her I think,” Emma
replied, “she had an accident didn’t she. Something about a cart running over
her.” Pip’s face told Emma all she needed to know. “yes,” she said faintly. Emma
asked: “What happened to Petra?” Whitehoof looked at Pip. Pip turned and walked
away. “What did I say?” Emma asked aggrievedly. “Nothing Emma, it wasn’t your
fault, Pip hasn’t got over her foster mum’s death yet. She was killed by two
horses from this herd,” Whitehoof replied. “That’s awful!” Emma whinnied. “yes
it was, but they have been punished now, so I don’t want you tracking those
horses down and making their lives hell!” “I won’t!” Emma whinnied shrilly, “I
won’t do anything of the sort!” Pip returned then, Jasper following her. “I’m
sorry Emma, Whitehoof,” Pip said, “I just can’t face talking about what happened
to Petra, not so soon after.” Whitehoof hugged her tightly. “That’s okay,” he
whispered. Jasper asked: “Who is that strange white mare I saw? She looks
weird!”
Whitehoof favoured Jasper with a warning stare. “That weird mare is his
mother!” Emma Whispered. Jasper blurted: “Who is he anyway? He has a funny white
hoof and acts as if he is a horse of some importance mum! How can a horse like
that be important, he’s too small!” Emma knew Jasper had blown it. She snapped:
“Whitehoof’s white foot is none of your concern, and he’s leader jasper!” Her
fur stood on end and she was stoking up to a gargantuan fury! “That white mare
is Snowdrop, and she’s a lovely mare! I won’t hear another bad word said about
her or Whitehoof Jasper! You hear me!” Jasper slunk away. He mistrusted the
smaller horses, feeling that they were useless and couldn’t be any good for
anything. Emma knew this, and it made her fear for her foal’s safety. She knew
that Whitehoof wouldn’t think twice about clobbering Jasper if the foal really
offended him. As it was, Whitehoof had taken note of the foal’s comments and had
made a mental note to talk with Sam and Snowdrop with a view to talking with the
newborn foal. Whitehoof walked away to find his mother and the herd’s second in
command. Finding them both, he told them of his concerns about Jasper. “I think
he’s got a bit of a thing against us falabella horses,” Whitehoof said. “What
makes you say that Whitehoof?” Snowdrop asked. “He asked his mother who you were
and said that he thought you were, in his words, weird mum,” Whitehoof replied,
“and that was only the start! Jasper then went on about my white hoof and a
whole lot more horrid stuff!” “To some horses I may be weird,” Snowdrop said.
“But he doesn’t have to say it does he,” Sam replied. “Um, ‘er, no,” Snowdrop
conceded. She was actually quite offended, but her natural good nature made her
put a lid on it. She would only get furious if the foal refused to change his
ways, or refused to keep his views to himself if he refused to change his ways.
“I don’t know Sam, what Jasper will think of you when he finds out about your
disability,” Whitehoof said. “We’ll have to see what happens,” Sam replied, “but
I think it would be good for us, that’s me, you Whitehoof, and you Snowdrop, to
have a chat with this foal.” Whitehoof and Snowdrop agreed, so they went in
search of Jasper.
Whitehoof told Pip what he was proposing to do. She was naturally anxious
that during this talk, Jasper didn’t get a chance to do anything dangerous.
“He’s got large hooves, and he could do a lot of damage with them,” she said. “I
know,” Whitehoof replied, “and I think we’ll have Emma there too, just in case.”
Pip seemed happier with this arrangement. Whitehoof called Jasper over to him,
and when the foal was standing beside him, he said: “Jasper, I have called you
over because of your comments about my mother and me you made a few days ago.”
“yes,” Jasper said, “what do you want from me, and apology? ‘cos you ain’t gonna
get one! I still think you, Falabella horses, as you call yourselves, are jumped
up and totally unfit to lead a herd! What a name for a horse breed Falabella is
anyway! It sounds like you’d command respect, but you don’t! You are small, your
hooves are puny! How can you do any damage with those!” Emma shifted her feet
nervously, she wondered how far Jasper would have to put his hoof in it before
either of the three Falabella horses , or worse still all three of them did
something serious. She was relieved to see Whitehoof was calm, but maybe that
wasn’t such a good sign, for who knew what he could be planning for her foal?
“You say that we are small?” Snowdrop asked. “Yes!” Jasper whinnied, “and you
can’t deny that!” “No Jasper, we can’t,” Snowdrop replied quietly, “but then I
turn to the matter of our hooves, and how small and ineffective they are,,,”
Jasper cut her off mid sentence: “I’ve heard a stupid tale about marks on horses
made by Whitehoof’s white foot, that’s bonkers! What rubbish! I’ll tell you what
that is shall I Snowy?” Snowdrop bristled at the use of her pet name by this
obnoxious creature, “it’s a tale, a way of making you scrappy horses seem big
and worthy of respect. You are a horrid mare Snowdrop! I hate you! I also hate
your foal! Ugh yuck!” Jasper then turned his back on them. Snowdrop took one
pace forward towards the colt’s hind legs. Whitehoof didn’t have time to scream
a warning before Jasper had tried to lash out at her! What happened next only
Snowdrop could tell, and she wasn’t exactly sure herself. Jasper’s right hind
hoof cleared the floor, exposing the sole of his foot to attack. Seeing what he
was about to do, Snowdrop lifted her right forefoot and placed it in the hollow
of the larger horse’s hoof. Jasper suddenly screamed and tore his foot away!
“What’s wrong!” Emma asked. “She burned my foot!” Jasper squealed, “Snowdrop
burned my hoof mum!” “let me take a look,” Emma said. Jasper lifted his hind
foot. Emma looked down at the sole of his hoof, but could see nothing, no burn
mark, no discolouration at all. “Are you sure?” She asked. Jasper snapped: “Of
course I am!” Snowdrop stood flat footed on the forest floor, giving away
nothing. “I hate that mare mum, I hate her so much!” “You did say horrible
things about her and her foal,” Emma replied, “she’s not going to be very happy
with you is she now Jasper.” “And you did try to lash out at her,” Sam said,
“Jasper, your behaviour is disgraceful!” Jasper then tried to kick Sam, who
flipped the colt onto his back. Jasper lay pedalling the air with his large
hooves. “You look like a dying fly!” His mother whinnied. Jasper was humiliated
and angry! These horses were making a fool of him! Leaping to his feet he
attacked Whitehoof! Whitehoof managed to overbalance the colt, Jasper finally
crashing heavily onto his side in a gorse bush. Emma and the three Falabella
horses left Jasper to find his own way out of the bush. Emma was disgusted by
her foal’s behaviour. She planned to have a stern word with him very very soon
indeed.
"Jasper, what is it you have against these horses" Emma asked. "I don't like
Sam, his eyes are moving with out focusing on anything..." Jasper said. "He's
blind." Emma said. "He's what?" Jasper cried out.
Emma hadn’t finished though, she persisted: “Ok, Sam’s sorted, but what
about those others, Whitehoof and Snowdrop, and whatever could you have against
Pip?” Jasper thought for a bit. “They are just too small!” he yelled. Jasper
wanted to follow up the matter of Sam however. He ran away from his mother in
search of the chestnut gelding. Finding him, he tried to creep up on Sam.
Thinking he was doing very well, and that Sam hadn’t noticed him, Jasper thought
he’d try screaming into the gelding’s ear when he reached him. Sam listened to
the colt coming with what Jasper obviously thought was light steps, but to Sam
were clomping great footfalls. When Jasper was level with him, Sam whipped round
and grabbed hold of a chunk of the larger horse’s mane in his teeth! Terrified,
Jasper tried to run, ripping out a chunk of his mane as he did so. Sam tripped
the colt and Jasper crashed onto his side. “I caught your thoughts you horrid
creature!” Sam Whinnied shrilly. “I thought you were blind!” Jasper moaned. “I
am,” Sam replied, “but I’m hot on the trail of horrid horses like you Jasper!”
Jasper felt fear then, who knew what this horse could do! Getting to his feet,
Jasper ran for his life!
Jasper galloped through the forest. He was so intent on putting his hooves
to the floor as fast as he could that he failed to see Brock until it was too
late. Tripping over the badger, Jasper fell sprawling. Brock recovered faster
than the colt did, and, getting to his feet, he looked the winded colt over. “Me
thinks you be named Jasper,” he grunted. “I am,” Jasper croaked. “Me also think
you try terrorise herd second in command!” Brock yelled. Jasper drew his legs to
him, trying to curl into a ball to avoid the badger, who he was certain didn’t
like him at all. “What do you want with me!” Jasper wailed. Brock looked him
over from nose to tail. The badger walked round the prostrate colt, touching
Jasper’s ear, muzzle, and finally all four hooves. “You have big feet Jasper,”
Brock observed. “I’m a Shire horse! What did you expect me to have? Tiny hooves
like those disgusting Falabella horses?” Jasper demanded. “Falabella horses no
disgusting!” Brock roared, “me no like horses that say bad things about
Falabella horses!” Jasper looked at the badger, and Brock took the colt in from
nose to tail. “You be in trouble with Whitehoof, Snowdrop and Sam me hears,”
Brock grunted. Jasper snapped: “You don’t miss much do you!” “Brock miss little
that go on with horses, me like horses big much!” Jasper got to his feet. “Why
you running anyway?” Brock enquired. “I was running from Sam,” Jasper replied,
“that gelding’s dangerous!” Brock yelled: “Sam no dangerous! He probably
defending himself from horrible colt named Jasper!” Jasper lost his temper and
lashed out at the badger with a hind foot, who caught his hoof and twisted it
sharply! Squealing in agony, Jasper scrabbled with his free hind foot, as the
badger dragged him backwards. Jasper ended up on his side with Brock holding
onto his right hind foot, twisting it painfully. “You’re hurting me!” Jasper
screamed. “You no lash out at badger and get away with it!” Brock yelled. Jasper
cried with pain. Emma came running at the sound of her foal’s screaming and
stopped dead at the sight of him on the floor. “What on earth is going on here!
She yelled. “Tell him to let me go mum!” Jasper wailed. Brock let the hoof he
was holding drop to the floor. “What have you done now Jasper?” His mother
asked.
“All I was doing,” screamed Jasper, “Was running away from the scrap
called Sam, he grabbed my mane and tripped me up!” “And what did you do for him
to do that!” his mother asked sharply. “Nothing!” “Don’t lie to me jasper, you
were creeping up on him and thought he didn’t hear you!” “So, why are you asking
me when you already know!” Jasper was fuming, after being infuriated by Brock
and now being interrogated by his mother.
“Get up Jasper! On your feet now!” Emma commanded. Jasper, angry and sore
from Brock’s assault, struggled to his feet. Emma was apoplectic with fury!
“Don’t ever! Ever! Ever! Go after Sam again! You hear me? Do you understand me!”
Emma squealed. “Yes Mum,” Jasper said quietly. Then she nipped his ear hard!
“That hurt!” Jasper wailed. “It wasn’t meant to be a picnic!” His mother
shouted. Jasper ran away, he was humiliated and angry! He hated the badger, he
hated the Falabella horses, and somehow, he knew they ran the show here. Who
else would he meet that would take an instant disliking to him? Blundering
through the forest, he found Sheissain lying under a tree. “Hi!” Sheissain
whinnied. “Hello,” Jasper mumbled, thoroughly furious with everyone. Sheissain,
in an attempt to lighten the mood, asked: “Who got out of the wrong side of the
bed this morning?” Jasper’s control snapped! He lashed out at Sheissain! The
Shire colt’s hoof smashed into Sheissain’s ribs! Sheissain’s shriek of pain and
surprise brought Emily and all the foals running, with Sam, Jess and Whitehoof
not far behind. Seeing them, Jasper tried to run, but was tripped by Foxy!
“Surprise!” She barked, as the colt crashed onto the floor! His head in a gorse
bush, Jasper yelled: “You can’t do this to me!” “Who says we can’t?” Foxy asked.
“I’ll get my mum on you!” Jasper wailed. “Oh yeah yeah yeah, of course you will!
I’m so scared! Boohoo!” Ben scoffed. Jasper floundered in the bush, finally
managing to extricate himself. He got up and looked at Sheissain. “I’ll get you
back one day! I’ll find out what you really hate and I’ll get you back for what
you’ve told these horrid creatures to do to me!” “He told us nothing,” Foxy
replied, “we just defend those who we love against those who would harm them.”
Jasper looked around, spotting Whitehoof he said: “Ah, White foot,” “It’s
Whitehoof!” Whitehoof snapped. “Whatever,” Jasper drawled. “How are you going to
punish me for this then?” Jasper asked, “bet you can’t! I’m bigger, I have
bigger hooves than you, and you wouldn’t dare come near would you?” Whitehoof
didn’t reply or change his position. “Thought not,” Jasper scoffed. He walked
over to Whitehoof, and when he was standing beside him, said: “I put it to you
lot that this horse is impotent, He is no leader! A tiny horse, with a white
foot! A misfit if ever there was one, and I’ll think you’ll agree. And what
about his second in command, a blind horse! Even worse! Whitehoof, your
decisions are terrible!” During all this, Jasper’s feet had left the floor.
Whitehoof lifting him into the air just by imagining him rising off the ground.
It didn’t take much effort, none at all. Jasper was so intent on rubbishing the
herd leaders that he didn’t notice until he was a good three or four feet off
the ground. “I’m, oh no! I’m flying!” he squealed! Jasper pedalled his huge feet
in mid air. “Put me down!” “No,” Whitehoof replied, smiling grimly, “You’ll stay
up there until I say you will come down. With that Whitehoof lay down beneath a
bush and fell asleep, all the other horses and forest creatures leaving him to
sleep. “Let me go Whitehoof!” Jasper pleaded. “Please be quiet,” Whitehoof said
civilly, “I’m trying to sleep.” “No!” Don’t go to sleep!” Jasper screamed,
“You’ll forget about me, and, and I’ll fall!” Whitehoof yawned expansively.
“Maybe,” he said, stretching out languidly. “Good night Jasper.” With that he
fell asleep. Jasper remained suspended three feet up. He tried willing his legs
and hooves to touch the ground, but they wouldn’t. Jasper looked down at his
hooves. They were large, a lot bigger than those of the horse who had put him
there. Soon Whitehoof woke and crawled out of the shelter afforded by the bush.
“You all right up there?” He asked. “No!” jasper whimpered, “let me go!” “I
could,” Whitehoof said, “from that height too, but you’d injure yourself when
you fell, so I can’t do so. My mother taught me how to get horses up, but she
didn’t teach me how to get them down again. Sorry about that.” Jasper squealed
hysterically, pedalling the air with his massive feet. “You Can’t do this!” he
yelled. During his angry display, Whitehoof had been lowering him to the floor.
As soon as his hooves touched firm ground, Jasper bolted!
Sheissain was frightened. “Suppose JASPER finds out about my not liking my
hooves being touched?” He confided to Ferdinand. “I thought you had overcome
this phobia?” Ferdinand replied. “I HAVE … BUT ITS ALWAYS THERE I guess.” “I am
sure everything will be fine!” Ferdinand continued kindly, “Surely you saw what
Whitehoof did to him!”
“I saw,” Sheissain said, “I was there all through it after Jasper kicked
me in the ribs!” “Well then,” Ferdinand said. Meanwhile, Jasper had found his
mother and thrown himself at her feet crying hysterically. When she asked him
what the matter was, Jasper told her what had happened. “Those forest creatures,
they went for me mum!” The colt wailed. “Why did they go for you is what I want
to find out!” Emma snapped. She was too used to her foal causing trouble among
the other horses to believe his tale that the forest creatures just started on
him. She looked down at her foal. “Get up!” She commanded. Jasper struggled to
his feet. “now we will go and find Foxy and the rest of them and see what went
on,” she said. Jasper followed her through the forest. They found Foxy,
Whitehoof, Snowdrop and Sam chatting animatedly under a willow tree. When the
group saw the two shire horses, they stopped chatting and turned to watch them
coming. Emma demanded: “What is all this I hear about you attacking my foal!”
Foxy favoured Jasper with a look of pure hatred! “That colt, that stupid idiot!”
She barked, “Sheissain saw him coming through the trees at an alarming rate!
Sheissain asked him quite civilly how he was and Jasper was so off hoof with
him! Sheissain asked if Jasper had got out of the wrong side of the bed this
morning,,,” Emma was laughing now. She found this line of questioning hilarious!
Foxy waited until the Shire mare calmed down before continuing: “Jasper got
furious and lashed out at Sheissain! We couldn’t let him get away with that, so
we attacked him, Whitehoof finally suspending him in mid air as a punishment for
saying dreadful things about the Falabella horse breed and Whitehoof himself.
That’s the short of it,” the vixen concluded. Emma turned a thunderous
expression on her foal. “You have behaved disgracefully!” She whinnied. “Those
horses were making fun of me!” Jasper squealed. “I don’t think so!” Emma yelled.
With that she clobbered Jasper with a hind foot. Jasper walked away dejectedly.
He found Sheissain sleeping under a tree. Thinking it would be fun to see what
this horse hated, Jasper crept up on Sheissain and touched his right hind foot
with his left forefoot. Sheissain screamed and leaping to his feet, bolted!
Sheissain ran through the forest with Jasper chasing after him. Sheissain
was frightened and knew he couldn’t keep running. Suddenly he tripped and fell
sprawling! Jasper took this opportunity to touch the stallions hooves one at a
time, delighting in tormenting Sheissain. Sheissain shrieked and squealed as the
Shire colt touched each hoof. Jasper made it worse by rubbing the sole of
Sheissain’s right hind foot with his hoof. Sheissain squealed and begged for
mercy! “Please stop! I hate having my hooves touched by anyone!” Jasper kept on
touching Sheissain’s feet. After five minutes, Sheissain was exhausted, and
could no longer fight. The fun went out of it for Jasper then. It was no fun now
the stallion was no longer squealing. Sheissain was going through hell, but was
too worn out to protest any more. Suddenly Jasper was falling! He crashed
painfully onto the forest floor! Looking up, he stared straight into the angry
eyes of a piebald mare! Jess stared down at Jasper with pathological hatred!
“You are fit for nothing!” She squealed. With that she kicked him hard! Jasper
screamed in agony! “I will make you pay for this!” Jess shrieked. She waved a
massive hoof in front of Jasper’s eyes. “No! no! no!” Jasper wined. “You deserve
nothing!” Jess screamed, “did you think Sheissain was enjoying what you were
doing to him? Didn’t you notice his fear and terror? Or were you enjoying
yourself hugely!! I think it was the latter! You are a horrid colt! I will
personally make sure you suffer forever!” Meanwhile, Sheissain wept into the
long grass.
Jasper got up and cantered away, leaving Sheissain and his foal to pick up
the peaces. Jess looked down at the shivering sobbing wreck that was Sheissain.
“He’s gone,” she whispered. Sheissain’s eyes focused on her face. “He tortured
me Jess, he touched my feet!” Sheissain whimpered. “I know, I know Sheissain
dear,” Jess said gently. Sheissain looked at her. “I thought the treatment would
have done the trick,” he said, “but I’m still terrified!” Jess stroked his
muzzle with hers. “Maybe you’ll never get over it,” she said, “maybe that’ll be
something you’ll have for life.” Sheissain was horrified! “I can’t live like
this, I must beat the fear!” He squealed. “We’ve tried everything!” Jess
whinnied. “I know Jess love, and I’m grateful!” Sheissain said with genuine
feeling, “but it hasn’t worked.” “Is it that you don’t trust other horses than
me?” Jess asked. Sheissain nodded: “Yeah,” he said. “how about if Whitehoof, or
Snowdrop, or even Sam tried touching your hooves, you trust them don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” Sheissain replied. “I’ll see how Sam feels about helping you over
this then Sheissain,” Jess said, “I will help you beat this, and so will
everyone else!” Jess asked Sam if he would help with Sheissain’s treatment.
“What do I have to do?” the gelding asked. “Just come up to me any time you like
and ask me to pick up my feet,” Sheissain said, “then when I have my foot off
the ground, whatever one it may be, you touch it with your hoof.” “Make sure you
choose random times, and random hooves,” Jess advised, “Don’t let Sheissain get
into a pattern.” So that was settled. Sam was on the team to help Sheissain beat
his fear.
Sheissain walked away. Sam turned to his mate and asked: “Jess, were you
in a fight?” Jess replied: “Yep, rather one sided it was though, Jasper was
terrorising Sheissain as you know. I heard Sheissain’s cries of fear and waded
in to get rid of Jasper. That colt disgusts me!” Jess whinnied shrilly. Sam
hugged her tightly. “You did the right thing,” he said gently. “So I won’t get
punished for flattening him?” Jess asked. “No,” Sam replied, “You were defending
another horse, that’s okay.” Sam nuzzled her ear. “I love you Jess,” he said.
Jess hugged him. Meanwhile, Jasper was lying on the floor, his mother screaming
at him! “What did you think you were playing at!” She demanded. “Sheissain’s no
fun!” Jasper wailed. “You call torturing another horse fun?” Emma asked crossly.
“I thought he was enjoying the game!” Jasper squealed. “yeah right, bet you
did!” His mother snapped. “Have you ever seen a horse that is so scared his eyes
are nearly popping out of his head?” She asked. “I frightened Joy badly once,”
Jasper admitted. “What!” His mother yelled. “yes,” Jasper continued, totally
unapologetic for what he’d done, “I tripped her up and held her prisoner for
ages. That was ages ago now, and she won’t tell anyone, because if she does,
she’ll get one of these aimed at her!” he waved a massive forefoot. Emma
realised her foal was turning into a terrorist! “What have I done to make him
like this?” She asked herself. Emma knew her next duty was to inform Pip of
Jasper’s crime. She went in search of Pip and Whitehoof. Emma walked slowly
through the forest, all the while thinking of Jasper. Where had she gone wrong?
What had she done to turn her foal into a horse, that quite honestly, she now
hated and feared? This train of thinking reduced poor Emma to tears. Emma lay
down and wept. Snowdrop, walking through the forest on her usual early morning
stroll, heard a mare sobbing close by and went to investigate. Finding Emma in a
terrible state, Snowdrop asked: “Emma dear, what’s the matter?”
"I don't know what I did to turn Jasper nasty!" Emma sobbed.
Snowdrop lay down beside Emma on the forest floor. “Emma dear,” she began
gently, “it’s not your fault.” “Not my fault?” Emma asked, “but Jasper’s my
foal, I brought him into the world, and he’s my responsibility! Now, now he’s,
a, a terrorist!” She sobbed. “Sometimes foals go like that Emma,” Snowdrop
replied, “no matter what you do to help, they’ll go off the rails. When this
happens we have to hope that they don’t go too far astray.” “Jasper could end up
dead very easily if he carries on how he is,” Emma said. Snowdrop replied: “Yes
he could, but not by the actions of any of the horses in our herd. I can’t say
anything about the horses from other herds though.” Emma looked at the white
Falabella mare. “Snowdrop, I, I don’t know if I can cope any more!” she
squealed. Emma shook violently. “Hey, it’s okay Emma dear,” Snowdrop said
softly. Emma became hysterical: “I can’t cope any more! None of my other foals
turned out like this! What have I done Snowdrop? Tell me where I went wrong!”
Snowdrop looked into the eyes of a terrorised mare. “Emma, you did what you
could, now it is up to Jasper,” Snowdrop said gently. Emma clung to the smaller
mare, weeping pitifully into Snowdrop’s thick mane. Snowdrop felt Emma shaking
uncontrollably beside her. “I’ll help you as much as I can Emma dear,” she said,
“Whitehoof and I will help you through this, I promise.” Emma hugged Snowdrop to
her fiercely.
"Remember Emma, that you have to help us too." Snowdrop said.
“I’ll do what I can,” Emma said, “but I’m lost for solutions to this
problem Snowdrop! I’ve tried everything!” Snowdrop got to her feet, Emma did
likewise and they went in search of Whitehoof and Sam. When they found them,
Emma was horrified to find her foal tied up with the badger she’d once seen
holding his right hind hoof standing over him! “What on earth is going
on!” Emma yelled. “Horrid colt named Jasper tried hurt Pip,” Brock replied
angrily, “Brock no let him do this! Brock make plenty sure that Jasper no get
another chance to hurt Pip!” “Was she hurt?” Snowdrop asked. “No,” Brock
grunted, “Whitehoof manage get in front of her, Jasper hit him instead.”
Snowdrop’s blood ran cold! “Is Whitehoof all right?” She asked anxiously. “Try
asking me,” Whitehoof said. He’d crept up on her without her noticing. Squealing
with surprise, Snowdrop whipped round to find her foal laughing helplessly. “Hi
mum,” he said, “yes Jasper did go for Pip and me but it’s okay, we’ve stuffed
him now.” Relieved, Snowdrop went in search of Pip. She found her in a less than
composed state. Pip was lying on the ground, shivering and sobbing, with Sam
trying to comfort her. “What happened?” Snowdrop asked. “That colt,” Pip sobbed,
“he tried to kick me! Such big hooves! Whitehoof got in the way and I haven’t
seen either of them since! I don’t want to see the colt ever again, but
Whitehoof, where is he!” Snowdrop smiled and replied: “He’s fine, he’s just
about to warn Jasper off I think Pip dear.” Meanwhile, Emma was furious! “What
have you done now Jasper!” She screamed. “Pip got to hear about me frightening
Joy and she tried to bite me!” “You deserve that!” his mother yelled. “I tried
to kick her, and, and, got my hoof burnt!” “Whitehoof,” his mother thought.
“Then,” Jasper wined, “I was tripped by Sam, and, and then, this badger came and
tied me up! Mum, tell them to leave me alone!” All the foals had gathered round
now, and were laughing at him. “You do look funny!” Ben scoffed. “Shut up Ben,
Shut your mouth before I do you serious damage!” jasper shrieked. “Oh yeah yeah
yeah, I’m so scared, boohoo!” Ben whimpered mockingly. Jasper was apoplectic
with fury!
Jess strode up to Jasper, who was prostrate on the forest floor. As Emma
watched, she placed a huge forefoot on his shoulder pinning him to the floor.
Emma couldn’t believe her eyes! Jess, barely out of foal-hood herself, was
dealing out punishment to her foal! Feeling as well as seeing the hoof on him,
Jasper began to squeal and whinny for mercy! “You dare to go after Pip when she
is only doing her job!” Jess screeched. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Jasper squealed.
“No you’re not!” Jess snapped, “you don’t know the meaning of the word!” She put
a little weight on the foot pinning the colt to the floor. Jasper shrieked!
“Don’t crush me!” Jess looked down at him with naked hatred! “I don’t know what
made you into the horrid colt you are,” she said, “I pity poor Emma that her
workload is so massive! You are a horrid creature Jasper! If you were not so
young, I’d have you gelded and then thrown out of the herd!” Jasper struggled
madly beneath Jess’s hoof. “You wouldn’t have me gelded!” He screamed, “Anything
but that!” Jess smiled grimly. She knew of forest creatures that could perform
such an operation. Down on the riverbank there were creatures that were just as
happy in water as out of it, she thought they were called otters, and she knew
they were the creatures of medicine. They could geld Jasper if necessary. Jess
also knew it would be Whitehoof’s decision as to whether this action was taken,
as it was he who decided on things like that. She knew, that if she had ultimate
say, she would have this colt gelded so he could not reproduce a foal, that
could be as horrible as he was. Jess looked into Jasper’s eyes, and saw he was
truly terrified. “You can’t geld me!” he whinnied shrilly. “I can’t, but I know
who can,” she replied. Jess released Jasper and went in search of Whitehoof to
discuss what should be done about the colt’s behaviour. “Geld him?” Whitehoof
asked. “Yes, then he couldn’t sire another foal that might turn out as horrible
as he is,” Jess replied. “Gelding a stallion is a very serious thing Jess, I
can’t do it just because he might produce a foal that might be as disagreeable
as he is! I have to do it for sounder reasons than that.” “It would make him
quieter though, gelded horses are more placid, as they don’t have, um, the urge
to, well, you know,” “procreate?” Whitehoof asked. Jess looked embarrassed. “Yes
Whitehoof, I mean just that,” she replied. “Nothing to be shy about,” Whitehoof
said smiling. “What would you know about it anyway?” She asked, “you’re a
gelding yourself.” “That I am,” he replied. “So what are we to do if gelding
Jasper is out of the question? We have to do something Whitehoof! That brute
could have killed Pip!” “I know that,” Whitehoof replied calmly. “And you don’t
care about that?” Jess asked, getting very upset now. “Of course I care!”
Whitehoof snapped, “I don’t think gelding him is a very good course of action to
take that’s all!” “Sorry,” Jess said contritely. “You need to learn that gelding
a stallion isn’t the answer to all behavioural questions Jess!” Whitehoof
yelled, “where would our herd be if all the horses were gelded?” “Dead within
fifty years Whitehoof,” she replied. “Exactly,” Whitehoof said, “there has to be
another way to deal with Jasper’s behaviour. He needs to learn that he can’t
resort to violence every time someone angers him. He’s large, with large hooves,
but the saying goes, the larger they are, the harder they fall. There’s got to
be a way of putting an end to his actions before it’s too late and more drastic
measures need to be taken. Give me time, I need to think on it.” Whitehoof said.
With that he ended the meeting and walked away to talk with Sam and Snowdrop.
He found them still trying to console a weeping Pip. Seeing Whitehoof
arrive Sam and Snowdrop started to get up from the ground, “No, stay there!”
said Whitehoof, “I need to talk to you both!” Whitehoof was disturbed to see Pip
in such a terrible state. “Listen, dear!” Snowdrop said, “You stay here with Pip
Whitehoof, she needs you right now!” “Yes mother!” he replied and taking that as
a hint Snowdrop led Sam away leaving Pip and Whitehoof alone.
Whitehoof looked at his mate still shivering and sobbing beside him.
“Jasper tried to hit me Whitehoof,” Pip sobbed. “I know,” he said, “it’s down to
Snowdrop and Sam to deal with Jasper now, I can’t do anything now.” Pip stared
at him! “But, Whitehoof, you’re, you’re herd leader! Now you’re saying you can’t
do anything to stop Jasper, and it’s down to Sam and Snowdrop to do it? That
means you have no power at all!” “I need to stay with you Pip,” Whitehoof said
gently, “You are my main concern now.” Pip was still uneasy. She remembered the
colt and his huge hooves, and the memory frightened her. “Whitehoof,” Pip asked,
“How can Snowdrop or Sam sort this matter? They are as small as we are, for all
his qualities, Sam is still a blind horse, and Snowdrop is so gentle she
couldn’t raise a hoof to any horse!” Whitehoof was concerned too, but didn’t
wish to burden Pip with this. “They’ll be fine,” he said airily. “No they won’t!
Pip squealed, “they’ll be dead before you know it Whitehoof! Jasper isn’t going
to think about you or Jess when he puts the hoof in! Sam and Snowdrop are in
danger Whitehoof, I can feel it!” Pip dissolved into tears again. Meanwhile Sam
and Snowdrop walked through the forest, tracking Jasper. Sam noticed something.
“I can’t hear your footfalls Snowdrop,” he said. “I’m not walking on the ground,
I’m walking on air,” she said calmly. Sam stopped dead. “You what!” He whinnied.
“I’m walking on air, go on, I’ll stand here, and you can feel my hoof, see if it
is touching the ground. Sam did so, and found that Snowdrop’s feet were not
touching the ground, they were a few inches off the ground. “How?” He asked.
“The mind can do amazing things Sam, you should know that more than anyone,”
Snowdrop replied. “Yes yes, indeed I do,” Sam said, “but what you are doing is
amazing!” “No, not really,” Snowdrop replied, “it’s just sensible if we are
tracking a horse with stealth. Your feet weren’t touching the ground either, I
made sure of that.” “But Snowdrop, I felt the ground beneath my feet,” Sam said.
“No you didn’t,” Snowdrop replied, “you felt a cushion of air. Sam, we are now
lighter than air.” Sam tried pushing Snowdrop with his nose, but she didn’t
float away as he had expected. “It’s an unusual power this one,” Snowdrop said.
“You bet it is!” Sam whinnied. They continued their journey, silently tracking
Jasper. “Oh, by the way,” Snowdrop said, “we’re invisible to him too, I made
sure of that also.” Sam said: “You are invisible to me anyway, but how can you
do that!” “Oh, it’s working on his brain again,” Snowdrop said, “when he looks
at other horses he can see them, but when he looks at us, his brain doesn’t
register our presence. Other horses can see us still,” she said. “Is there
anything else you want to tell me about?” The gelding asked. “No,” Snowdrop
replied, “of course there is a lot more I could say, but I don’t want to.” They
saw Jasper stop ahead of them, Sam thought it strange that the colt hadn’t
overheard their conversation. Catching his thoughts, Snowdrop replied: “Don’t
ask, because you’ll never believe the answer.” Sam accepted that. Jasper looked
round, sensing another horse nearby. “Who’s there?” he asked. Then fear growing
in him, more sharply: “Who’s there? Show yourself!” Snowdrop put the thought
into Jasper’s head that she was close by. “I am the dawn horse,” she said.
Jasper began to shake with fear! “Eohippus, where are you!” Jasper whinnied
shrilly, his eyes almost starting from his head. “I’m in front of you, look, and
you will see,” Snowdrop then relaxed the hold on his brain and Jasper saw her,
but not Sam. “You are Snowdrop!” he screeched, “not Eohippus!” Then his eyes
briefly looked into the smaller mare’s, and he couldn’t drag them away. Jasper
squealed as the white mare looked deep into his being! “You can’t do this to
me!” he shrieked. “You resist, and I’ll risk hurting you,” Snowdrop replied,
“take it nice and easy, and I’ll not cause you any pain.” She probed deeply,
reading, learning. “You are a vindictive creature,” Snowdrop said. Exhausted,
Jasper lay down, but Snowdrop’s gaze followed him. “leave me alone!” He pleaded.
“I want to know why you terrorise other horses,” Snowdrop said, “start with
Sheissain, and then work through every horse you have wronged, including your
poor mother!” “I know not being truthful won’t work,” Jasper replied. Sam
couldn’t believe his ears! “Sheissain, well, I worked out what he hated, and I
terrorised him with it, just because it was fun! Real fun to watch him struggle
and squeal as I did such a tiny thing as touch his hooves! He’s weak, and cried
like a foal! Sheissain’s the foal, I’m not!” Snowdrop showed no emotion, and
commanded him to continue: “Whitehoof,” Jasper said, “he’s no leader, he’s a
misfit, his white hoof proves him to be so.” Snowdrop implanted the tale of the
seventh foal, then of Whitehoof’s birth and what that meant for equines. “No!
That’s not true! It can’t be true!” Jasper whimpered. “it is,” Snowdrop replied,
“and I should know, I gave birth to him.” Jasper began to shake with fear. “He
is leader,” Snowdrop said, “and Sam is second in command.” Jasper was finished,
and he knew it. “What do you want me to do Eohippus?” he asked. “Stop
terrorising other horses, that is all. If you dare to disobey my instructions,
you will know my full anger!” Snowdrop released Jasper from her mind probe and
they walked away, leaving Jasper to think about what had happened to him.
Snowdrop and Sam returned to the tree under which Pip and Whitehoof were
resting. Seeing Snowdrop, Pip ran to her. “Thank Eohippus you’re safe!” She
whinnied. “We are safe,” Snowdrop said. Whitehoof saw his mother and leaping to
his feet, ran to her. “How did it go?” he asked anxiously. “I don’t think Jasper
will trouble us again,” Snowdrop replied, “if he does, then he knows things will
get worse for him.” “How did you get him to listen to you Snowdrop? He’s got
massive hooves, he won’t listen to a horse like you, would he?” Snowdrop smiled
at her. “Yes Pip dear, he would listen, and he did listen.” “What did you do to
him?” Pip persisted, “he’s got massive hooves, and with all due respect Snowy
dear, you’re hooves are tiny!” Snowdrop looked down at her hooves, then at
Pip’s. “So are yours,” she said, “but he did listen. I also learned a lot about
him.” “He told you why he terrorised other horses?” Pip asked. “No,” Snowdrop
replied, “if you can’t get a horse to give you information voluntarily Pip, you
need to get it yourself.” Pip knew not to question Snowdrop further. Snowdrop
shook herself. “Jasper won’t be troubling us again, I hope,” she said.
"Thank you mum!” said Whitehoof. They all made their way back to the herd.
Pip and Whitehoof had slept and felt somewhat refreshed.
Pip returned to her duties looking after the newborn foals. One day, while
she was marshalling all the foals round her prior to going to the river to
drink, she spotted a shaggy welsh pony mare with a scrawny foal beside her
coming through the trees. Seeing her, the mare brought her foal to Pip. “I am
told,” the mare said hesitantly, “that, that you would look after, after, foals,
I need you to look after my little one, you see, he, I mean, I, well, I can’t
give him any milk.” The poor mare looked desperately at Pip. “I had little Joey
only a few hours ago, and I can’t feed him, I, I don’t know what to do!” Pip
couldn’t look into the welsh mare’s panic stricken eyes. “I can’t do anything
myself,” Pip replied, “but I could ask our leader.” With that she cantered away
in search of Whitehoof. Finding him, Pip told him what had happened. “We can’t
take a foal on who’s mother can’t produce milk,” he said, “I’m sorry Pip, we
just can’t do that!” Pip’s heart sank. She knew there were no mare’s producing
milk at the moment who would consider taking on another foal. Dispirited, she
returned to the Welsh pony mare with her bad news. On reaching the clearing, Pip
saw the mare and Emma talking together. Seeing her, Emma waved a hoof at Pip to
come to her. “I’ve decided to help Joey out,” Emma said, “Jasper’s weaned now,
he couldn’t wait to get off my milk. I still have plenty going though.” “if you
feel you can,” Pip said, hardly believing her ears, “then go ahead, and thank
you Emma.” They came to a problem then, Emma was so massive that the tiny Welsh
pony foal couldn’t reach to suckle, so Emma had to lie down so Joey could feed.
Joey’s mother looked relieved that her foal was getting food at last. As Pip
watched, the mare’s legs collapsed beneath her and she crashed onto the forest
floor! Squealing hysterically, Pip ran for snowdrop who came tearing over the
grass when she saw the Falabella mare’s distress. Snowdrop took one look at the
welsh mare and shook her head. “it’s no good Pip, there’s no hope for her,”
Snowdrop said sadly. “You mean, she, she’s dead?” Pip asked. “yes Pip dear, I’m
afraid she is,” Snowdrop said gently. Pip walked away, unable to cope with the
situation. Snowdrop checked the poor Welsh pony mare over, but found no sign of
life. “Another job for the badgers,” Snowdrop thought. She wondered where this
mare had come from. Snowdrop had heard that she had only that day foaled, and
that she was desperate for food to feed her foal. Brock appeared, and said
gently: “Me know what happened, me arrange bury Welsh mare. Snowdrop no worry
about a thing, Brock got everything sorted.” “Thank you Brock,” Snowdrop said.
Meanwhile, Joey had finished his drink and was lying on the ground cuddled up to
Emma, who found she couldn’t stop stroking the tiny foal. Finding warmth, and
the attentions of this massive mare to his liking, Joey fell asleep. “Could you
look after him until he’s weaned?” Snowdrop asked. “yes, I would be delighted,”
Emma replied.
Pip was so relieved that Emma had taken little Joey on, it was good
for Emma to have another foal to think about. Pip loved her job helping with the
foals, and she knew that Snowdrop was always available to give her a hoof if
things got too hectic.
Whitehoof still couldn’t believe what had happened. He was furious that
another orphan foal had been taken on! “What was this herd, some kind of
refuge!” He thought angrily. Whitehoof’s anger was not directly aimed at the
foals themselves, they couldn’t help it, and it was sad that their mothers died,
but surely fostering a foal had a bad affect on the mare and on the foal being
looked after, for it wouldn’t know it’s real mother. He thought this over.
Snowdrop noticed her foal’s preoccupation with something and asked him about it.
Taking his courage in his tiny hoof, Whitehoof told her all. “Whitehoof,”
Snowdrop said, “if we can pick up an orphan foal then it’s a good thing. Orphan
foals who are not helped within the first few hours will die. They are born with
very little in the way of fat to survive, actually, none at all! If they were born
any bigger, I’d pity the mares. Well, that aside, they haven’t got any means to
survive long, so we have to help where we can! I know you cannot sire foals, so
it hasn’t crossed your mind Whitehoof, but we have to do what we can as a herd
to help foals in need! We can’t just turn them away!!” Whitehoof felt helpless.
He wanted a herd with mares who gave birth to foals sired by stallions in the
herd, not mares who adopted orphan foals, that wasn’t right! He turned tail and
walked off dejectedly to talk with Pip about it. “Absolute nonsense Whitehoof!”
Pip snapped. She turned a furious expression on her mate. “As Snowdrop said, it
doesn’t matter where the foals come from! They’re coming, and as for your ideals
of fertile mares, we have some mares who foal, others don’t, but that’s not a
problem. If we get orphan foals such as Joey, and we can save them, let’s do it
is what I say. Whitehoof, in the end, who cares what parentage the foals have,
as long as we have foals!” Snowdrop listened, wondering where her little
Whitehoof was going wrong. His ideals were at odds with the situation, and Snowy
knew that if he didn’t come round soon, Whitehoof would either leave the herd or
start turning orphan foals away, and she didn’t want that. Snowdrop felt she
must talk with another horse about this, so she went in search of Bobby, a wise
old cart-horse who’d been around the herd for years. Bobby, having heard of the
tiny white mare, was surprised when she told him she was looking for him. He
looked at her through, what seemed to Snowdrop, and impossibly matted mass of
mane. “Lie down here, and tell me all about it,” Bobby said kindly. Snowdrop did
so and, after swearing Bobby to confidentiality, recounted everything.
“Whitehoof is wrong!” Bobby pronounced, “I know I’m old, but I know also that
our leader, good horse that he is, is wrong. I agree with Pip on this, get the
foals in where we can. It doesn’t matter where they come from. For Eohippus
sake, we could get them from the moon, as long as they kept coming. It is our
duty Snowdrop, to look after foals in need. That is a herd’s overriding and
absolute responsibility! I hope I never live to see the day that we turn foals,
or any horses away because of a feeling that they are somehow not worthy.
Snowdrop, believe me, if this got out, the whole herd would be in revolt, and
Whitehoof would be a busted flush. He would be finished as herd leader. I have
no power, but those who have his ear must, must stop him! If they do not, I
don’t know what will become of this herd. Mares don’t foal at the leader’s
command, it is their own choice to bare a foal, and if they won’t, or if they
can’t, as poor Blackberry couldn’t, then it is not their fault. I am very
concerned about what you say, very concerned indeed. Snowdrop looked at the
massive old horse. “Thank you Bobby,” she said. “My pleasure,” Bobby replied.
Snowdrop got to her feet and went in search of Sam to talk with him. Her
conversation with Bobby had shaken her up a great deal, and she needed to talk
with a younger member of the leadership.
Snowdrop found Sam lying beside Jess, who was asleep. “Sam,” She
whispered, “I need to talk to you, private, and, now,” Sam sensed the white
mare’s distress. “Let’s go somewhere else to talk,” he said, “I know Jess
wouldn’t repeat anything she overheard, but it’s best.” With that they found
their way to a secluded spot and lay down. Snowdrop told Sam about her fears,
and about her talk with Bobby. “I know him,” Sam said, “Bobby’s a horse of
steady character, but gets names wrong, by Blackberry, I think he meant Petra,
but he says whatever name comes into his head poor fellow. Fundamentally though,
he’s a decent chap. You did well to confide in him.” “But he’s got no power, no
influence,” Snowdrop said. “No, but what he says is true enough. If Whitehoof
doesn’t relent, and this was to get around the herd, then the herd would revolt.
Whitehoof would be running for his life.” “I know Whitehoof feels strongly about
this matter, and he really doesn’t like orphan foals coming into the herd,”
Snowdrop said, “but if he had to be replaced, who would do it? Who would be the
best horse for the job?” “I think she’s lying beside me,” Sam said. Snowdrop
stared at the gelding: “No, Sam, I couldn’t do it, not me.” Sam replied: “It is
herd law, that if the leader is deposed, then the second in command is asked to
take the job, if the second in command does not want the job, then he or she
gets to nominate whom ever they wish to be leader. Snowy dear, that nomination
is final.” “I hope for Whitehoof’s sake it doesn’t come to the point where we
have to make that choice.” Snowdrop replied. “We both need to talk to Whitehoof
Snowdrop,” Sam said, “and it better be done now.”
Whitehoof was asleep next to Pip under the willow Tree. Snowdrop shook him
gently, “Whitehoof dear!” she whispered softly. Whitehoof woke, “We need to
talk, its urgent!” Sam said. They left Pip sleeping and returned to the secluded
spot they had just come from.
Whitehoof plodded along behind Sam and his mother. He knew what the talk
was about, and he wasn’t looking forward to it. There had been word flying about
the herd that his feelings on the orphan foals issue were known, and that some
horses didn’t like them. Reaching the secluded spot, Snowdrop and Sam lay down,
but Whitehoof kept pacing about, agitated and not willing to settle. “I know
what the talk is about,” he said, “and I’m not changing my views. No leader can
have orphan foals coming into his or her herd right left and centre! If they
can’t fend for themselves, then let them die, for that is what nature intended
them to do.” “Whitehoof,” Sam said, “all the orphan foals we’ve taken care of
have been those of mares who have been driven from their native herds. We
haven’t gone looking for orphan foals, the mares have come to us with their
foals, or have had their foals and then sadly died. We can’t help what happens
there.” “I also don’t like the fact our mares are not producing foals! If this
herd is going to remain true to itself, rather than being made up of all sorts,
mares need to have foals, by our stallions! If we aren’t careful, we’ll end up
with a herd of mixed horses, who have no heritage apart from the fact they have
no mothers! This is wrong!” Snowdrop asked: “So you think that we should turn
orphan foals away?” “yes mum, I do,” Whitehoof said. “You didn’t turn me away,”
Sam said. Whitehoof had forgotten that Sam was indeed a disowned foal, and
wasn’t that similar to being orphaned? He realised he’d made a huge error.
“Also,” Sam said, “You Whitehoof, say that our mares do not produce foals. They
have, Gemini did, Emma has, Tilly has, twice in fact. The foals are beautiful
creatures, and you haven’t noticed them? I have, and I can’t see them!”
Whitehoof knew what was coming, and it was unavoidable. “Our mares do not
reproduce on your command Whitehoof, and you’d better remember that,” Snowdrop
said. Whitehoof couldn’t abandon his stance though, he felt strongly about the
foal’s heritage, and about the mares. He also knew what this meant for his
position in the herd. If the rest of the herd agreed with Snowdrop and Sam, then
he’d be replaced by another horse. Whitehoof turned tail and walked away. “He’s
under no illusion as to what’s about to happen,” Snowdrop said. “No,” Sam
replied, “and it’s down to me to instigate the meeting.” He hugged Snowdrop
tightly. “It’ll be okay,” he said, “we’ll get through this.” Snowdrop looked
into his face. “Sam, do your duty as you are charged to,” she said, “I will not
hinder you.” Sam walked away to convene the meeting of the whole herd, leaving
snowdrop to think about what was to come.
Pip was not happy at all. She knew how she had to vote, she didn’t want to
go against Whitehoof but on the other hoof the foals were very important to her,
after all, her job was to look after them. Would this be the end of her and
Whitehoof? Was she going to have to choose between them? She didn’t want to lose
either, she loved whitehoof so much that it hurt and he knew how much she loved
the foals.
In Desperation Pip turned to Bobby for advice. “I know you’ve probably
heard about all this thing with Whitehoof not wanting orphan foals in the herd
Bobby,” She said, “and you know what I do, and what my relationship to Whitehoof
is.” Bobby replied: “Yes, I know, and I know also what you are about to ask me.
Pip, it’s hard in your position, but you have to do what you feel is right.
Could you live with yourself if Whitehoof turned all orphan foals away, because
he would make the ruling retrospective if he could. Or if you do go against him,
and the vote is carried, then could you live with what that might do to your
relationship.” Pip knew it was up to her, and her alone, and the meeting was in
an hour. She made her way to the meeting place. Sam presided over the meeting.
He outlined the case before them, asking Whitehoof to state his reasons for
wanting to expel orphan foals from the herd. Pip could see that many of the
horses, stallions included, did not like what was said. “So,” Sam said, “all
those who would support Whitehoof, gather over by the river, and all those who
would appose him, gather over by the great oak.” Whitehoof was prevented from
seeing who voted which way by having to turn away and keep his back to the
horses until the vote was decided. Pip nervously made her way to the no camp,
deciding in a split second that she needed the foals for her own sanity. The
vote went the way of keeping the orphan foals. Whitehoof was informed of this
and was then asked what he was proposing to do next. Whitehoof looked at Sam.
“You take it from here,” he said, “I can’t take any further part in this herd.”
With that he walked away. Sam knew he must, for the herd’s sake, keep things
running. So he took charge, invoking the rules that were laid down for such an
occurrence. “As is herd law,” he whinnied, “As Whitehoof has walked away from
the leadership, the second in command takes the place of the leader, unless that
is, the second in command does not want the leadership. I don’t. I feel I cannot
lead this herd, but I know a mare who might be able to, if she will.” Some
horses murmured: “Snowdrop, I’ll bet it’s Snowdrop!” Sam heard this and looked
over at the white Falabella mare. “Come here Snowdrop,” Sam said. Snowdrop went
to him. “Would you be so kind as to take on the responsibility of leading this
herd?” Sam asked. Some horses felt he wasn’t commanding her, more asking her,
but kept their views to themselves. Snowdrop felt trapped, but knew Sam had no
choice but to ask her. “I’ll do it,” she said softly, wondering how on earth she
was going to perform her duty. Meanwhile, Whitehoof had caught up with Pip. He
knew how she’d voted, and wasn’t surprised. Snowdrop had talked severely to him
about how his views had affected his mate, and he was now torn apart with
remorse for what he’d done to Pip. Whitehoof threw himself down on the ground,
thoroughly worn out with emotion. Pip saw the state he was in and lay down
beside him. They lay there in an awkward silence for about five minutes before
Whitehoof broke it. “I know how you voted Pip darling,” he said neutrally. “How?
It is illegal to observe a vote Whitehoof,” Pip replied flatly. “I know,”
Whitehoof said, “but mum had a chat with me that put me in no doubt as to what
your views were. Of course I knew, you’d told me yourself, but she rammed it
home to me what you, and the other horses felt about the foals.” “yes Whitehoof,
we need those foals,” Pip replied. Whitehoof found it very strange that Pip
hadn’t once tried to say he should agree with her. She’d expressed her view that
what he stood for, was in her view, “absolute nonsense,” but she hadn’t once
tried to brand him a bad horse for holding the views he held. Whitehoof felt
very small indeed. Wanting to curl up into a ball and die of shame, he looked at
his mate, wondering where they’d go from here. Catching the turmoil of his
thoughts, Pip suddenly hugged him. “Whitehoof darling, I’ll never leave you,”
She said. Suddenly Whitehoof felt the control on his emotions snap, and, burying
his face in her mane, he burst into tears.
“its ok, its ok!” Pip stroked Whitehoof’s mane gently. “I was worried that
you would leave me!” Whitehoof wept uncontrollably. “I would never do that! I
love you!” she said. They clung together for a very long time.
Meanwhile, Snowdrop and Sam talked together. “How does it feel to be
leader?” Sam asked. “I can only lead the herd if the horses respect my judgement
and decisions Sam, otherwise, I am not able to lead the herd,” Snowdrop replied.
“Before we talked about this a few days ago,” Sam said, “I checked with many
horses as to whether they’d object to you taking over. The herd knew about
Whitehoof’s views, and also felt that things needed to change. The horses were
anxious that you get the leadership if I wouldn’t do it, and I’m not doing it.”
Sam hugged Snowdrop tightly. He felt her warm thick fur against his cheek as he
nuzzled her ear. Sam noticed Snowdrop’s fur was thicker than his, |Pip’s, or
even Whitehoof’s. He couldn’t stop stroking, stroking, stroking her cheek with
his muzzle. Snowdrop smiled and said: “You enjoying that Sam?” Startled, Sam
stopped nuzzling her ear and replied: “Ay? Oh, oh dear, I’m so sorry, I, I was.
was miles away,,,” he gabbled. “I know,” Snowdrop said, hugging him tightly, “I
know what you mean.” “But, your, your fur Snowdrop, it’s, so, so warm and soft!
How do you get it so soft?” Snowdrop brushed his ear with her muzzle. Sam
blinked back tears from a rush of emotion he couldn’t explain. He didn’t desire
Snowdrop in any way, but, just by nuzzling him, she triggered the remembrance of
a feeling he’d not known since he was very young, before he knew anything about
rejection, about being second best. A time when he could cuddle up to his mother
and bury his muzzle in her soft warm fur. Snowdrop seemed to feel Sam’s emotion,
and, because she felt she could do nothing else, she lay down and drew him to
her. Sam felt he had no control over anything now. He lay down beside Snowdrop,
wanting this strange warmth, wanting to feel the soft fur. Like a foal seeking
warmth and reassurance, Sam cuddled up to Snowdrop. Sam’s tears, born of the
realisation of what he’d lost from his early life, wet Snowdrop’s mane, but she
didn’t seem to mind. “It’s okay Sam, it’s okay my pet,” Snowdrop whispered
soothingly. Sam felt secure in Snowy’s presence, and the softness and warmth of
her fur against his face served to reinforce this. He knew he wanted this to go
on forever. Jess arrived and watched the goings on from a safe distance. She
wondered why Sam had mentally disintegrated. She thought he was made of tough
stuff, but now, well, would he tell her if she asked? Jess saw her mate cuddled
up to Snowdrop, like, like a foal would it’s mother, but Snowdrop wasn’t Sam’s
mother, Cleo was, and she’d disowned him! Jess suddenly demanded: “What on earth is going on!” Snowdrop gave her a look that silenced her. “Leave
it for Now Jess,” she said.
Snowdrop roused Sam, who’d fallen asleep with his head resting on her
shoulder. “Come on Sam dear, time to wake up,” she said softly. Yawning, Sam got
to his feet and shook himself. Jess looked at her mate, an expression of
confusion on her face. “What on earth was going on earlier?” She asked. “I can’t
explain it Jess, I don’t know quite what was going on,” Sam replied truthfully.
Jess turned her eye on Snowdrop. “You must know what went on there,” she said,
“what were you doing to Sam!” “He wanted a hug, so I obliged,” Snowdrop replied.
“He was cuddled up to you like a foal Snowdrop!” Jess squealed, “how do you
explain that away?” “He wanted reassurance,” the white mare replied, “so I gave
him reassurance.” Jess couldn’t believe her ears! Forgetting Snowdrop was leader
now, she snapped: “You are a horrid mare! You wanted to seduce Sam didn’t you
Snowdrop! You are a disgusting creature!” Snowdrop turned tail and walked away.
Sam turned a furious expression on his mate. “Now you are being stupid Jess!
Why on earth did you say that? Snowdrop’s got every right to hug
another horse if she wants. There was no other motive than reassurance in her
manner, none at all! What you said to poor Snowy was inexcusable!” “Snowy now is
it,” Jess shrieked, “is that your pet name for her?” “It’s a pet name all horses
have for her, they always have Jess. Indeed it was Poppy who coined that one.”
Jess walked away, furious and confused.
Snowdrop looked at Sam. “Are you all right?” She asked. “Yeah, better now
I think.” Sam replied, “Snowy, I’m, I’m sorry about earlier, I don’t know what
came over me.” Snowdrop hugged him once more, which almost reduced Sam to tears.
“That’s okay,” Snowdrop said softly. Sam gulped hard, fighting with the longing
to cuddle up to this mare, and the conventions and restrictions placed on him by
his post as deputy leader. “I, I can’t explain why I’m feeling like this,” he
said. “If you want a hug, that’s okay,” Snowdrop said. Sam touched her muzzle
with his. He suddenly blurted: “Snowy dear, I’ve never been hugged like that, my
mother never used to,,,” He knew what he’d inferred, and was waiting to be
clobbered by a hard hoof, but the blow never came. Snowdrop was standing next to
him, her muzzle touching his. “It’s okay Sam,” She said, “I’m here to be a
mother figure to all horses, of all breeds.” Sam didn’t understand what she was
saying. “You didn’t, couldn’t have given birth to all these horses Snowdrop, so
how could you be a mother to them all?” He asked. “Some horses do not have
mothers, like those orphan foals. Even grown horses need a hug sometimes Sam,
Eohippus decreed that it be my job to do what I could for horses in distress.”
Sam felt safe with Snowdrop, and he thought she knew it. “I’ve got to go, he
said, “I’ve got to talk to Jess about this. I don’t think she understands what
happened.” Snowdrop nuzzled his ear. “That’s okay,” Snowdrop said, “tell her I’m
here for her also, for she is an orphan foal herself.” Sam didn’t know what Jess
would say to this, but he said he would mention it to her.
Sam found Jess sulking under a tree. “We need to talk, Jess!” he said
kindly. “What do you mean we need to talk! I saw what was going on with you and
Snowdrop, it seemed that you were a bit too familiar with her!” Jess said
coldly. “Now, that’s not fair!” Sam reminded her. “Snowdrop was just showing
something of the mother in her, it was no more than that Jess, if you cant see
that then you are more blind than what I am!” “I don’t know what you mean!” Jess
stamped her hoof in rage. “I can see that!” Sam tried to keep calm. “I have no
interest in Snowdrop whatsoever except for the fact that I am her second in
command and that is all, if this does not satisfy you Jess then that’s it
between us. “I don’t know why you were cuddled up so tightly to her!” Jess
continued to whine. “Listen to me!” Sam went on, “Perhaps it would be a good
idea if you went and talked to Snowdrop yourself. Now, I have work to do.” At
this Sam left Jess and made his way back to the herd.
Jess stormed through the forest in search of Snowdrop. She found the white
falabella mare grazing peacefully in a clearing. Seeing her, Snowdrop stopped
grazing. “Hi Jess, what can I do for you?” She asked. “I want answers!” Jess
screamed. “Answers to what questions?” Snowdrop asked. “What were you and Sam
doing in that clearing?” Jess asked crossly. “Sam needed a hug,” Snowdrop
replied, “he was lonely and I hugged him. That’s all.” “He’s lonely? He’s got
me! How on earth can he be lonely!” jess yelled. “yes he has you Jess, but
sometimes horses need more than just their mates, they need a horse they can
cuddle up to. A horse that will love them no matter what they do or are. A
mother figure in other words. Sam had no mother figure, you did, you were
fortunate to have Tilly to bring you up. Sam was cuddling up to me because he
wanted a reassuring hug. That’s all Jess. I don’t want to hear anything more
about it. You never know, one day, you might need a hug from another horse.”
Jess stared at the white falabella mare. “How can a grown horse act like a
foal!” She squealed. “If they need some time to think in a place of security and
safety, then they can come to a horse like me,” Snowdrop said. Jess turned tail
and walked away, unable to muster the fire she had when first confronting
Snowdrop. She had to talk to Sam some more to find out what he’d gained from his
proximity to their new leader.
Jess wandered off to find Sam but instead of Sam she found herself talking
to Poppy. "Oh Poppy!” Jess wailed "I was looking for Sam, I need, I need to talk
... she started to cry. "Jess. what's up?” Poppy asked. Jess told her what she
had seen and how she had confronted Snowdrop. "You have no cause to be jealous
of Sam!” Poppy said kindly to Jess. "Come here!” she said and held Jess close to
her. Jess suddenly realised what was happening and cried, ashamed of what she
had done!
“Hey Jess, shh my dear,” Poppy whispered. “So all Sam wanted was a warm
hug from Snowdrop?” Jess asked. “yes,” Poppy said, “as Snowdrop probably said,
he was feeling lonely. He needed a hug, so Snowdrop hugged him. She’s soppy
Snowy is. She probably desperately wanted to hug him. Snowdrop’s as soft as they
come Jess. She means well.” “I see that now,” Jess sobbed, “I can’t believe I’ve
been so stupid!” Poppy smiled suddenly. “I remember being hugged by Snowdrop
once. Her fur was so warm and soft it felt like being wrapped up in the softest,
warmest blanket I’d ever known.” “I think I’d better go back and talk to
Snowdrop,” Jess replied, “I said some terrible things to her in the clearing. I
must try and mend things between us!” With that she gently disengaged herself
from Poppy’s embrace and went in search of the white Falabella mare.
Jess wandered through the forest, not really wanting to meet her leader.
All too soon however, she found herself face to face with Snowdrop. “Snowdrop,
I, I’m sorry. I know it probably sounds cheap and useless to say it but I’m ever
so sorry for what I said!” Snowdrop took Jess in from nose to tail, her gaze
falling finally on the filly’s hooves. “There was nothing more than reassurance
in what I did,” Snowdrop said flatly. “Yes Snowy, I know that now,” “It’s
Snowdrop,” the Falabella mare said curtly. “But Sam,,” “I know Sam calls me
Snowy, but you cannot do so Jess. I am Snowdrop to you.” Jess realised Snowdrop
was cutting her out in the most brutal way she knew. It wasn’t physically
violent, but emotionally Jess felt shattered. “I think Poppy showed you what Sam
felt,” Snowdrop said. “yes she did Snowy, I mean Snowdrop,,, Don’t hit me!”
Snowdrop had raised a hoof from the ground, frightening Jess so badly that she
turned and fled! Charging through the forest she nearly tripped over Sam. “Woh
there! What’s happening?” He asked. Jess collapsed onto the forest floor. “I’ve
put my hoof in it with Snowdrop. She threatened to hit me Sam!” “She’s very
upset Jess,” Sam said. “I know, I know!” Jess wailed, “and I tried to apologise,
but she didn’t accept it, and, and,,,” “I’ll bet you tried endearing yourself to
her by using her pet name,” Sam said angrily. “Yes Sam, I did,” Jess admitted,
“but how is it that you can call her Snowy, but I can’t? She’s meant to be a
mother to all foals, so she said, and she’s not acting like one!” “If a foal
needs disciplining, then she’s acting correctly,” Sam said. Jess knew what he
meant. “You are acting like a spoiled foal Jess,” Sam said, “and Snowdrop’s only
doing her job in putting you right. She probably raised a hoof to you too.” Jess
squealed: “Yes, Sam she did! She’s dangerous!” Sam lost his temper with her.
“Jess, has Snowdrop ever hit a horse that hasn’t physically gone for her?” “No
Sam,” She replied. “Not yet she hasn’t,” Sam said, “and she would like to keep
it that way I’ll bet. If you push her though, she might just lash out, and a
sorry thing it will be for you.” Jess thought of Whitehoof’s power, then she
thought of what Snowdrop might be able to do as she was his mother, and the
thought made her sweat with fear. “Snowdrop doesn’t want to make you fear her,
but she’s only doing her job Jess. You will have to wait until she feels you
have served your time of punishment. Be warned also, if you ever call her Snowy
to her face without permission, you’ll feel the business end of a kick from a
white hoof!” With that he got up and walked away to find his leader, leaving
Jess to think about what he’d said.
Sam found Snowdrop dealing with a minor scuffle between two horses. “Hey
Snowdrop, want some help?” He asked as he approached the sound of the shouting
horses. “Its ok Sam Dear, all sorted now, Shoo you two and Don’t let me see that
happening again!” the two disgraced horses slunk away nervously. “Right, now
what can I do for you Sam dear!? Snowdrop asked. “Oh I just came to find you and
see if you were ok, I know Jess was talking to you earlier. “Yes!” Snowdrop
replied, …” “She’ll be ok!” Sam said. “I have just left her to think, I’ll go
back in a while and see if she has calmed down.”
“What was all that squealing and whinnying for Snowy?” Sam asked. “Oh,
nothing, just Jasper and Ben in an argument. Jasper tormented Joy, Ben walloped
Jasper, and he came crying to me.” “Jasper’s not my favourite horse,” Sam
admitted. “No, he’s noone’s favourite, but we can’t be partial, we have to take
no side,” Snowdrop said, “So I found out what had gone on and gave Jasper a kick
for his troubles, Ben then got the worst of it from Jasper, for Jasper thought I
was taking Ben’s side, but I wasn’t! Jasper started it, so he got clouted. That
argument was what you heard. They’ve now gone away to lick their metaphorical
wounds.” Sam hesitated: “Um, Snowdrop, I, I talked to Jess about the reasons why
you got angry with her for calling you Snowy to your face.” “I don’t mind people
calling me Snowy, it’s just that she tried it to endear herself to me, and I was
telling her it wouldn’t work! She said horrible things to me Sam, horrible
things that I couldn’t excuse! So I let her know I wasn’t happy at all!” Sam
sensed Snowdrop was close to tears. “I’m only doing what comes naturally to me
Sam,” She said faintly, “the hugging other horses thing n’all that. Not the
anger.” Taking his courage in his tiny hoof, Sam went to Snowdrop and hugged
her. Snowdrop, unable to keep a lid on her emotions any more, buried her face in
his mane and cried. “It’s okay Snowy, “It’s okay,” he whispered. “No it isn’t,”
Snowdrop wailed, “I hit Jasper! I lost my temper and hit him!” “There’s nothing
wrong with that Snowy dear,” Sam replied softly, “you talked to Jasper first,
and he didn’t respond, he kept disobeying you and tormenting Ben. So you had to
hit him. If you hadn’t, he’d still be tormenting another horse. You did right,
you did what any other horse in your position would have done. Now dry your eyes
Snowy dear, and let’s here no more about this, all right?” “You’re beginning to
sound like me!” She laughed. “That’s better,” Sam said, “Now let’s go and find
Jess, together.” They went in search of Sam’s mate.
Snowdrop and Sam found Jess where Sam had left her to think. “Are you
feeling better now, Jess?” Snowdrop asked. “Er, yes, thank you Snowdrop.” Jess
answered. “good.” The older horse replied, “Now, you get along and give Pip a
hand while I go and talk to Emma!” Jess left the two falabella horses and
Snowdrop went in search of Emma. Sam wandered off into the forest almost falling
over Brock on his travels.
“Woh Sam!” The badger remonstrated. Sam picked himself up off the ground.
“I’m so, so sorry,” Sam gabbled. “That be fine, me know you no see Brock,” the
badger grunted. Sam smiled at him. “Yes, me no see you,” he said. Brock slapped
his shoulder with a hard forepaw! “Don’t say thing like that!” Brock roared. Sam
knew he was in trouble. “Sorry,” Sam said contritely. “You no talk like me, so
why you do it now?” Brock asked. “It was an attempt to talk your way,” Sam said
truthfully. “it be no matter now,” Brock grunted, “but you no do it again,
right?” He said. “Right,” Sam replied. Brock stroked the Falabella gelding’s
shoulder with a forepaw. “Me hear that Snowdrop now leader of herd. Me also hear
Whitehoof in very big trouble with horses for saying he throw out orphan foals!”
“You’d be right there Brock,” Sam said, “we had a meeting, and Snowdrop is now
leader of the herd.” “Very good,” Brock said, “Snowdrop good, kind mare. She
make good leader. Brock like her plenty.” Brock asked Sam to pick up his right
hind hoof. When he did, the badger looked down at it. “Me still think hooves on
you and Pip and Snowdrop be too small! Me know you be born with tiny hooves, but
Brock still find it impossible to believe!” “We are tiny horses,” Sam said, “so
we have tiny hooves, that’s the size of it.” Brock measured his paw against
Sam’s hoof. “Brock like small horses because they more like me. Hooves of small
horses more size like Brock paw too! That be good thing. Me no problem with
large horses though, but me scared of big hooves! Them do big damage! Me see
Emma, what big hooves! Brock plenty nervous!” “No,” Sam laughed, “Emma wouldn’t
hurt you! When she’s next in this part of the wood, I’ll ask her to show you her
hooves. She won’t hurt you.!” “Um, ‘er, are you sure?” Brock asked. “Perfectly,”
Sam said. With that they went in search of Emma and Snowdrop.
Emma saw snowdrop coming towards her. Her heart sank, what had Jasper been
up to this time! Snowdrop saw the tension on Emma’s’ face. “It’s all right, Emma
dear!” she said reassuringly. “I sorted it all out, It was nothing too serious!”
Emma relaxed, she was pleased that Snowdrop had taken the leadership of the
herd. She trusted both her and Sam.
Sam and Brock found Snowdrop and Emma talking together. “Hi you two!” Sam
whinnied. “Hello Sam,” Emma replied. “Emma,” Sam said, “I don’t know whether I
can ask you this, but Brock is terrified you’ll do him damage with your hooves.
Could you lift a hoof and show him that you won’t hurt him?” Smiling, Emma
lifted a huge hind foot and showed it to the petrified badger. “me think you
have big dangerous hooves!” Brock said. “They are large, but I’m no danger to
you,” Emma said. Brock put out a paw and touched Emma’s raised hoof. “Okay,” he
said, “I believe you now, but hooves still massive!” Brock yelled.
Emma laughed. She had heard about Brock from Pip and now saw for herself
what a hardy character he was. “Brock Like Emma!” he said “Even though she have
big hooves!” Snowdrop chuckled to herself, this badger knew all that was going
on around him, he and Foxy were very cunning and kept their ears to the ground
constantly.
Jasper passed the little group. Seeing his mother with her right hind foot
in the paws of possibly the biggest badger he’d ever seen, Jasper stopped and
asked: “Mum, what is that badger doing to your hoof?” “Brock’s just looking at
it Jasper, I don’t mind. I once had humans looking at my feet all the time, at
least twice a day they’d pick up each hoof and examine it, so I’m used to it.”
To prove her point, Emma turned her head and said: “Brock, could you possibly
look at my left hind foot? I think I might have a stone in that one.” “No Emma,
me no good with getting stones out of hooves, that be Foxy’s job.” Emma
grimaced. “It’s really painful though, and I can’t see foxy anywhere!” She said.
Terrified, only having been shown once how to pick a stone out of a horse’s
hoof, Brock dropped Emma’s right hind, and went to her left hind. She picked it
up, and Brock cradled the massive hoof in his right forepaw. Staring down at the
sole of the Shier mare’s hoof, Brock used his long claws to gently get rid of
all the debris from the hollow of Emma’s hoof. Soon he found the stone, and had
removed it. Relieved, Brock let Emma have her hoof back. “Thanks,” she said.
“That was well done,” Foxy said. She’d been hiding in a bush, watching Brock
attending to Emma’s hoof. “You be here all time Brock here?” Brock asked. “Yeah,
thought I’d let you deal with the stone in Emma’s hoof,” Foxy replied. Brock
yelled: “Emma have massive hooves Foxy! Me plenty scared!” “Brock, dear Brock,
listen to me,” the vixen replied gently, “If I wasn’t here, what would these
horses do? They can’t remove stones from their own hooves! So you or another
badger would have to do it for them. I want you to teach other badgers.” Brock
stared at Emma’s hooves once more. “Brock scared of huge hooves!” He protested.
“You need not be,” Foxy replied, “I’ll get some of the smaller horses to help
you at first, but then you must learn to pick out a larger horse’s hooves
Brock.” Snowdrop volunteered to help Brock with the small hoof work. “I’ll do
it,” she said, “my hooves aren’t large, but I don’t mind having them handled.”
“Thank you Snowdrop,” Foxy said, “but who will we get to do the big hoof work?”
She looked around, her eye falling on Jasper. “You!” She barked, “you will help
Brock by letting him handle your hooves.” It was clear Foxy didn’t like Jasper.
Jasper looked at the vixen. “Me?” he asked. “yes,” Foxy replied, “you have never
had your hooves handled, and Brock needs to learn on a large horse.” “But I’ve
never had my feet handled before!” Jasper wailed. “You’ll have to learn
someday,” Foxy snapped. Miserably Jasper lifted a hind foot and Brock examined
it. The colt squealed as the badger cleaned out the hollow of his hoof. “I hate
this!” Jasper moaned. “If you get a stone in there, you’ll have to have it
removed,” his mother replied. “It’s all right for you mum,” Jasper whinnied,
“You’ve been doing it for years!” “I had to start at the beginning,” Emma
replied. Brock finished cleaning Jasper’s right hind foot and moved on to his
left hind. In this manner, Jasper’s hooves were cleaned for the first time in
his life. Snowdrop examined the badgers work. “Would you do mine?” She asked.
Jasper snapped: “If you like it so much Snowdrop, you take over!” “I haven’t got
large hooves like you have,” the white mare replied. Jasper walked away to sulk.
Jasper found Sheissain grazing peacefully under a huge oak. Seeing him,
and still feeling offended from Brock’s treatment of him, Jasper called out.
“Hey Sheissain! You overcome your fear yet?” Sheissain hadn’t noticed the Shire
colt before this, and hearing Jasper’s voice, he whirled round to face him.
“What do you want!” Sheissain demanded, terrified that Jasper might handle his
feet at the first opportunity he had. “I just had my feet handled by force!”
Jasper whimpered, “I now know how you feel!” Sheissain walked towards Jasper.
“Brock was quite civil to you, so Nutty says,” the stallion replied. “Ok, he
might have been,” Jasper blustered, “but I still hated having my feet touched!” Sheissain said:
“I’ve heard that the first time it is done, not many horses like it, but soon
they get used to it. Jasper, what you experienced was not what I go through. You
felt the unfamiliar sensation of a paw on the sole of your foot, and, okay, you
didn’t much like it, but you’ll get used to it. The fear I feel when anyone
touches my hooves is indescribable! As you know, I will do anything to get away,
roll, draw my legs to me, lie on my chest with my feet beneath me, not very
comfortable that, but it does the trick, anything but have my feet handled!”
Jasper saw the fear in the stallion’s eyes. “I’ve now got Sam and Snowdrop to
help me overcome this though,” Sheissain said, “they are asking me to pick up my
feet whenever they wish. I have to comply.” “What will happen if you don’t?” The
colt asked. “I won’t conquer the fear, and I want to Jasper, I really want to
get over this!” “Can I take a look at your hoof?” Jasper asked. Sheissain stared
at him. “O, Okay,” he said hesitantly, “which one would you like to look at
first?” Jasper saw the fear in the older horse’s face, but he now knew part of
what caused it, and it gave him no pleasure this time. “Your right hind,” Jasper
replied. Sheissain waited for the colt to stand at his right hock, before
lifting his foot off the floor. Jasper looked down at the hoof, then lifted a
forefoot and touched the sole of Sheissain’s hoof. Jasper heard the stallion
panting and grinding his teeth together as he fought to stop himself from
lashing out. “Okay,” Jasper said, “now your left forefoot Sheissain.” With that
Jasper moved round to the now terrified stallion’s left shoulder. Sheissain took
a deep breath and lifted his left forefoot. Jasper saw Sheissain’s hoof shaking
violently as the stallion tried to control his panic. “I’m terrified,” Sheissain
said, “but I’m not squealing, neither am I lashing out, that’s a start.” Jasper
touched Sheissain’s hoof with his. Sheissain forced himself to rub back against
the pressure of the colt’s hoof. “I thought you despised me,” Jasper said. “You
persecuted me Jasper, but then you had felt a bit of what I go through,”
Sheissain replied. Jasper removed his hoof from Sheissain’s. “My fear is only
the fear of the unknown,” Jasper said, “I have only had my hooves touched once
by my mother when I was very young, and then again by Brock. I still have to
learn. Placing his foot on the floor once more, Sheissain looked into Jasper’s
face. Jasper saw in an instant how this fear of hoof care ruled Sheissain’s
life, and how he’d exploited it that time under the willow tree. He also saw how
much of a struggle it had been for the stallion to let him do what he’d done.
Jasper had felt an inkling of the fear, and now he was torn apart by remorse.
Throwing himself at Sheissain’s feet, Jasper begged the stallion for
forgiveness, if not forgiveness, for mercy in his punishment.
“Ok, I’ll forgive you !” Said Sheissain to Jasper, “but if I ever, Ever,
see you touch any horses’ hooves without their permission, I’ll … I’ll kill
you!” “I won’t, I won’t, I promise, I promise!” he cried. “and You’d better mean
that!” Sheissain went on “Because I mean every word of what I have just said and
there, there’s Foxy and Brock coming towards us so they can be witnesses, did
you hear that Foxy?” “Yes I did!” the vixen replied sternly. “Me here it too!”
said Brock.
Jasper got to his feet and bolted! “What happened Sheissain?” Foxy asked.
“Jasper came up to me and asked me if I’d overcome the fear of having my feet
handled,” Sheissain replied, “I, then, well, I let him touch my hooves, whatever
one he wished, I don’t know why I did it Foxy, I just did it! I was terrified,
but still managed to lift the foot he wanted, and let him touch my hoof, and
even rub back against his hoof! Jasper said he hated having his hooves cleaned
out, but that’s not the Same as what I go through.” Brock looked down at the
stallion’s feet. “Me take look at hoof of Sheissain if he no mind?” Brock asked.
For answer, Sheissain lifted a forefoot. “Go on Brock, touch it,” Sheissain
invited. Brock did so, then moved to a hind foot and Sheissain lifted that and
let Brock touch his hoof. “How is it?” Foxy asked. “Okay,” Sheissain said, “I’m
coping, just.” Brock then rubbed the sole of Sheissain’s hoof with his paw,
making the stallion want to squeal, but he managed not to. Brock started picking
out Sheissain’s hooves, while the stallion stood, fighting with the fear and
terror! Even though he was petrified, Sheissain complied with the badger’s
requests to show him each hoof in turn. Foxy observed Sheissain’s mental effort.
“He will stop cleaning your hooves if you ask him,” the vixen said softly. “No,”
Sheissain gasped, “carry on Brock.” Then out loud to himself he said: “It’s
almost done Sheissain, almost done! One, one hoof at a time, you can manage
that, now lift that hoof, the right hind, that’s what he asked for,,,, that’s
it! Deep breaths, the badger won’t hurt me, He’s just doing his job, like Foxy.”
Brock encountered a stone, that, when he tried to pull it from Sheissain’s hoof,
almost resulted in the stallion losing his hard fought control. Sheissain
shrieked! Brock stopped cleaning and ran away! Sheissain calmed down a little
and said: “That’s okay Brock, you’re safe, that was just my fear, not any danger
to you.” Brock came back and looked at Foxy. “Go on,” She said. Sheissain lifted
his right hind foot. “There’s a stone in there I think,” he said. Brock found
the stone. “Me try no hurt you when me take this out,” Brock grunted. “it’s
okay,” Sheissain panted, “go ahead,” Brock worked the stone loose and Sheissain
hardly moved. “All done,” Brock said finally. Relief flooded through Sheissain.
“Thanks,” he said, with genuine feeling. “You did very well,” Foxy said.
Sheissain looked away, embarrassed by his foalish display. “No I didn’t,” he
said, “I squealed like a foal, I’m sorry.” Foxy smiled at him. “It’s a start,”
she said, “to have a badger clean your hooves Sheissain. Well done. Now let’s go
and find Jasper and Emma. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Whitehoof,
Snowdrop or Pip lately. Maybe you’d like to practise on them Brock. I’m sure
they wouldn’t mind having their hooves cleaned.” Brock and Sheissain followed
the vixen in search of their friends.
The three friends found Snowdrop, Pip, Whitehoof, Emma and Jasper standing
in a group under a large spreading oak. When Foxy saw them, Jasper stopped
moaning about the fact he’d had his hooves picked out, and how horrible he
thought the whole procedure to be, turned and looked at the advancing group.
Seeing the badger, Jasper hawked and spat at him. “You have disgusting manners!”
Emma whinnied crossly. Jasper launched a hoof at her! Emma shrieked with anger
and knocked her foal off his feet! Jasper collapsed onto the floor and Emma
placed a huge forefoot on his shoulder, pinning him down. “You never, ever! Do
that again! I will warn you only once!” She yelled. Brock said: “Brock arrange
for bad colt to be tied up if Emma want. Jasper no get free when badgers tied
him up!” Emma looked at the huge boar badger. “I hope I’ll never have to take
you up on that offer Brock,” she replied. Emma released her foal, and Jasper
leapt to his feet. Favouring his mother with a look that would have killed her
ten times over, he turned and walked away. Sheissain watched the Shire colt go.
“I gave him a talking to as well Emma,” he said. “What has he done now?” The
Shire mare asked wearily. “I gave him a talking to about touching another
horse’s hooves without their permission. Or, rather, well, he found me, and
asked me whether I’d overcome my fears, and , Emma, well, I can’t explain why,
but I let him touch my hooves! I don’t know why I did it, even now, but I did.
Jasper learned of my fear, and begged me for forgiveness for what he’d done to
me in the clearing a few weeks back. I forgave him, but told him, that if I saw
him touching another horses’ feet without their permission, I’d kill him Emma.”
Emma looked down at the stallion’s hooves. They were smaller than her’s by a
fair margin. Sheissain saw her eyes flick downwards, and said: “Go on, take a
look if you want, Brock has.” Emma replied: “No, I don’t want to. Sheissain, I’m
sorry for what Jasper did.” “You need not apologise for what he does Emma,” the
stallion replied, “he has a mind of his own, he can decide what he wants to do.”
Meanwhile, Brock was cleaning Snowdrop’s hooves. While she lay on her side, the
badger cleaned each hoof thoroughly. When he was done, Snowdrop smiled at him.
“You are very gentle Brock,” she said. The badger smiled at her. “Me no want to
hurt horses, but me get very angry with horses who makes trouble!” he said.
Snowdrop got to her feet and shook herself. Pip watched all this, wondering if
the roomers about Jasper terrorising Ben and Emily were true. She said: “Um, I,
I’ve heard something from some of the other foals, that Jasper has been trying
to touch Emily’s and Ben’s hooves, they didn’t like it. I can’t investigate
that, I’m not large or powerful enough, but maybe, Whitehoof, or Snowdrop, you
could?” Whitehoof said he’d look into it, warning Sheissain off with a look that
put an end to any ideas of instant justice the stallion might have been
hatching. “I’ll deal with this,” Whitehoof said, “actually, I won’t, I’ll get
Sam on the case, he’s good at talking to the foals. After all, they consider him
as one of them.” With that Whitehoof went in search of the herd’s second in
command.
Whitehoof found Sam with the foals. It was clear to him that things had
moved faster than he’d thought possible. Sam said: “Jasper, I’ve heard you have
been trying to touch Ben and Emily’s hooves without their permission, is this
correct?” Jasper looked sulky. To Whitehoof, it seemed like an admission of
guilt. “When I was asleep, Jasper touched my forefoot, I woke and squealed at
him to leave me alone!” Emily wailed, “I can still feel the pressure of his hoof
on mine now,” she pawed the ground furiously, “it’s horrible!” Ben looked at
her. “He even tried it on with me!” He whinnied. Whitehoof said: “I think we all
need to talk about this, as a herd, and as soon as possible!” “You aren’t herd
leader any more,” Emily reminded him. “No, I’m not,” Whitehoof said, “but I
still think it is overdue that we talk about this terrible fascination Jasper
has with terrorising horses! Jasper, you know it upsets the horses, so why do
you do it?” “I’m bored!” Jasper complained, “there’s nothing to do here!” “So
you terrorise the foals, thinking that making them shriek is fun do you jasper?”
Sam asked. Jasper couldn’t admit it, but they knew what his answer was.
“Jasper,” Whitehoof asked, “do you mind horses touching your hooves?” The colt
stared down at his own feet. “Brock touched them once, and I didn’t much like
that,” Jasper admitted. “So how would it be if Brock tied you down and tormented
you by doing just that, touching your hooves?” Jasper looked away. It was plain
to Whitehoof and Sam that the colt hated the thought of having his hooves
handled. Ben said: “Look Jasper, if you really want to look at our hooves, we’d
let you, if only you’d ask, but you don’t! For we horses have to help each other
with hoof care where stones and things are concerned. The smaller horses, with
smaller hooves, can clean the hooves of the larger horses and so on. So if you
ask, we’ll show you, but as I’ve said, you never do!” “”I’ve sorted Ben’s hooves
out many a time when he’s got stones in them,” Emily said, “but I’ve asked him
first!” Whitehoof and Sam listened to this, both wondering why this kind of
conversation hadn’t happened without their instigation. Jasper watched as Emily
walked up to her second in command and asked: “Sam, could I possibly look at
your right hind foot? I noticed you were limping a bit.” This was utter rubbish,
but all the Same, Sam lifted his right hind foot, and Emily took a long look at
it. Then she let him have his hoof back. Turning to Jasper, she said: “There,
even the second in command let me take a look at his hoof, but I did one thing,
I asked!” Jasper’s mouth hung open in astonishment! “I could never ask my leader
to do that!” he whinnied. “I challenge you, next time you see Snowdrop, to ask
her if you can take a look at her hoof Jasper,” Ben said, “I’ll bet she won’t
refuse, and if she does, then you have to respect that.” Jasper walked away
dejectedly. “Sorry Sam,” Emily said. “That’s okay, honestly it’s fine Emily
dear. I knew what you were doing. I thought you might ask Whitehoof, but you
asked me, and that’s fine.” Whitehoof smiled. “I don’t mind horses looking at my
hooves,” he said, “they have been a constant talking point all my life.
Especially my white hoof.” Emily hugged Whitehoof tightly. The Falabella gelding
laughed. “You are so soppy Emily,” he said. Ben wandered off in search of
Snowdrop and the others, Sam, Whitehoof and Emily followed.
Snowdrop and Pip were talking under a tree when Jasper approached them.
“You don’t look very happy Jasper,” Snowdrop observed. “Um, Snowdrop, um, please,
please, may I look at your hooves?” he asked nervously. “Of course!” He backed
off as she lifted her tiny left hind hoof for him, “Its all right!” she said, “I’m
not going to hit you with my hoof!” She said irritably. At this point, Sam, Whitehoof and
Emily arrived, followed by Ben.
Ben smiled as he saw Jasper had indeed asked Snowdrop if he could look at
her hooves. As he watched, Jasper took a look at all four of the white Falabella
mare’s tiny hooves. “They’re so small!” Jasper said. “I know,” Snowdrop replied,
“but they are powerful too.” Jasper didn’t want to see the power of his leader’s
hooves. “Are, are they,” he stammered, “right, um, okay, I’d rather not see if
you don’t mind.” Snowdrop, lifting her right hind foot for him to examine, said:
“No, I’ve never hit another horse in my life. Be warned though, if you really
upset me, I’ll have to show you the power I have in my hoof.” “So you don’t mind
showing me your hooves then?” Jasper asked. “No! of course not! That’s fine
Jasper, as long as you ask first. That’s all I, or any other horses ask.” Jasper
looked down at the mare’s tiny right hind foot. Then he touched it gently. “How
can you get about on such tiny hooves!” he whinnied. “I manage,” Snowdrop
replied. “And what do I have to be careful of Snowdrop? What is this power you
have?” The Shire colt asked. “Ask Whitehoof about that, He’ll tell you of
Maynand and of Sandy. He’s a good relater of tales, but this one is true!” the
white mare replied.
Jasper hugged Snowdrop tightly. “Thank you for letting me look at your
hooves,” he said. “That’s okay, as I’ve said, you only have to ask,” the white
mare replied. Turning to Whitehoof Jasper asked: “What was your mum on about
when she spoke of Maynand and Sandy?” Whitehoof raised his white foot. “My white
foot has something to do with it,” the gelding replied. Jasper touched
Whitehoof’s white hoof with his muzzle. The gelding said: “About twelve moons
back now, Maynand caused a lot of trouble among the horses. Terrorising Pip and
making other horses lives intolerable. I got so angry with him that I marked him
with my white hoof. My hoof left an imprint of a white hoof on Maynand’s
shoulder. Sandy also got on the wrong side of the herd, trying to do horrible
things to Pip and myself, so I had to brand her too. I branded her on the sole
of her hoof to signify that she’d been expelled from the herd, whereas Maynand’s
shoulder mark meant he was on probation. Sandy has rarely been seen around these
parts since. Jasper, my mum also has these powers too. She can mark other horses
with her hoof if the need arises.” Jasper stared at Whitehoof in amazement! “You
are powerful horses then,” he said. “Yes we are,” Snowdrop replied. Jasper took
another look at Whitehoof’s white foot. “Could you mark me now?” He asked. “No,”
Whitehoof replied, “Pip asked that of me, and no matter how hard I tried, I
couldn’t mark her. It only happens when it’s needed.” Jasper said: “I hope I’ll
never have to feel the power of a Falabella horse’s hoof!”
Jasper went in search of Maynand, he needed to hear that what he had just
been told by whitehoof was true. “Did you want something?” Maynand saw jasper
coming towards him looking very nervous. “Um, Um, yes, , I, I wanted to ask if
what I have just been told is true!” “And what would that be?” Maynand asked
enquiringly. “Um, Um, I, I wondered,” Jasper stammered “is it really true that
Whitehoof marked you with his hoof?” “yes, it is!” Maynand replied. “Those
little horses are very powerful when they want to be so you just watch out
young’en!” he warned.
Suddenly the horses heard a horse walking towards them. Jasper spun
around to see who it was. "Hello, may I talk to Whitehoof?" The small stallion
asked in a high nasal voice. "Why sure," Jasper said calmly, "over there." He
pointed with his nose towards Whitehoof. "Ah, oops, didn't see him there,
thanks." The small horse answered walking away. "Say, he was strange." Jasper
said to Maynand. "Why?" Answered the other horse. "He didn't listen but read my
lips." Jasper said wonderingly. "I'll be..." Maynand started, "He's deaf!!"
The short stallion made his way across the grass to where Whitehoof was
talking to Ben. Seeing him, Whitehoof excused himself and walked towards the
stallion. “Hi Jerry, I haven’t seen you since I was cast out of my old herd!” He
whinnied. Jerry replied: “I heard you were leader of this herd,” “No more,”
Whitehoof replied, “you need to talk to Snowdrop,” Whitehoof looked about him,
“she’s the white mare with white hooves, you can’t miss her.” Jerry walked away
to talk with Snowdrop. Later that Day Whitehoof met up with his mother and asked
her what Jerry wanted. “He was just passing through Whitehoof dear,” she
replied, “he wanted to know how you were doing that’s all. I remember you and
Jerry were good friends when you were young.” Whitehoof had fond memories of
Jerry. He had been a small foal, and now he was fully grown he was still small
for his breed, Irish Draft, wasn’t he? Whitehoof couldn’t remember rightly, but
Jerry had been unusually small for his breed. The fact of Jerry’s hearing loss
had been noted, but not dwelt upon, as he managed to interact with the other
horses well enough. Whitehoof remembered that Jerry had found his white hoof a
great source of interest. The gelding smiled as he remembered Jerry’s endless
questioning to him and his mother about why his foot was white, and what did it
mean?” Whitehoof reflected that he was still being asked questions about his
hoof, and he still didn’t know the answers. Jasper appeared round a tree and
headed Whitehoof’s way. “I met a small horse in the wood a few days back,” the
Shire colt said, “Maynand said he was deaf, is that right?” Whitehoof replied
that Jerry was indeed deaf, and that he had been a friend of his for as long as
he could remember. “Noone really notices anything’s different about him,”
Whitehoof said, “it’s only if horses actually realise his ears aren’t twitching
that they guess.” Jasper looked down at Whitehoof’s white foot. Seeing this,
Whitehoof lifted his hoof for the Shire colt to examine. “it’s okay Whitehoof,”
Jasper said, “I’ll take a look at your hoof later if I may.” “I saw you looking
down at it,” the gelding replied. “I was,” Jasper conceded, “but the reasons are
these. Jerry saw me examining Snowdrop’s white hooves, and he asked me if I knew
the reasons why your hoof was white.” “He’s wanted to know that for years,”
Whitehoof said, “and neither of us have worked it out.”
Snowdrop thought she could find something about their history. She headed
off to the forest and wandered around. What if she could go in to her mind, and
find their history there? Would that work? The answer to the white hoof business
might be there.
Snowdrop lay down and thought about her white hooves. She knew Whitehoof
had inherited his white foot from her, but as to what it meant, well, that she
couldn’t work out. Snowdrop thought about Jasper, she wondered what he would say
if she asked to look at his hooves, would he refuse? Of course, he had every
right to, and she would have to respect that, but she thought she’d ask. Getting
to her feet she went in search of the Shire colt. Finding Jasper she asked him
if she could look at his hooves. Jasper lifted a huge hind foot and let the
Falabella mare examine it. They then measured hooves, and Jasper was hit afresh
by how small her hoof was compared to his. “Did you manage to work out what the
white hooves meant?” the colt asked. “Yes I did,” Snowdrop replied, “Whitehoof
inherited his white foot from me. The white hoof can mean power, or just a white
hoof.” Jasper lowered his foot to the floor, and, dropping to his knees, he
hugged Snowdrop tightly. Snowdrop took Jasper in from his head to his huge feet.
“You are such an amazing mare Snowdrop,” the colt said. “I’m just me,” Snowdrop
replied.
Snowdrop made her way back to the herd. Something was not right, Pip was
in a state. “What’s the matter Pip Dear?” Snowdrop asked. “Its Emily, she’s not
very happy and she won’t talk to me, can you help please Snowdrop?” “Well I’ll
try!” Snowdrop replied. She went off to find Emily.
Snowdrop found Emily curled up under a willow tree. Poor Emily had found
possibly the only willow with it’s branches touching the ground. The tree seemed
to be sheltering the shivering filly. Snowdrop walked into the covered space and
lay down beside Emily. “What’s up?” she asked gently. Emily stared at her with
wide terrified eyes. “The white mare, Snowdrop, she, she found me, guessed I was
Gemini’s foal and, and she, she chased me!” “Why wouldn’t you talk to Pip when
she asked you about it?” Snowdrop asked. “I couldn’t, you see, the white mare
chased me, because, because I refused one of their stallions! The disgusting
brute saw me and wanted me to have his foal, but I didn’t want to Snowdrop! I
didn’t want to! So I ran, and the white mare chased me, and I ran and ran,
Snowdrop, it was horrible!” Emma sobbed. “You will have that foal you know,”
someone said. Emily screamed! “No! Snowdrop, it’s, that, that stallion!” “Nice
place for our meeting I think,” the stallion said. He obviously hadn’t seen
Snowdrop, or, if he had, hadn’t thought her a threat. The stallion looked down
at Emily. He was a little older than Emily herself, about four or four and a
half years old, so Snowdrop thought. The stallion advanced on Emily. Snowdrop
got up slowly, shook herself languidly, as if she had no concern for Emily and
looked at the stallion. “You wouldn’t attempt it would you?” she asked quietly.
The stallion took three hurried paces backwards. “No, |I, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t
attempt it, not now, I was only joking!” he lied. Snowdrop raised a tiny hind
foot and showed it to the stallion. “Would you like to feel the power of my
hoof?” Snowdrop asked. The stallion was now looking for his escape route. He’d
recognised Snowdrop, his mother had told him of the tiny white mare with white
hooves, and of the power this mare was said to possess. Now he was meeting her,
and she was angry, and she was about to use, oh no! her hooves! The stallion
turned and fled! “I don’t think you’ll be troubled by him any more Emily dear,”
Snowdrop said calmly. Emily was so relieved, she burst into tears. Snowdrop lay
down and hugged Emily to her. “Shh, it’s okay now, he’s gone,” she whispered.
Emily wept uncontrollably into the white falabella mare’s mane. “It’s okay,”
Snowdrop said again, “look, Whitehoof’s coming through the trees now, He’ll look
after you, I’ll go and find Pip, everything will be okay Emily, I promise.” With
that Snowdrop got to her feet and left, making sure Whitehoof was beside Emily
before she went in search of Pip.
It was raining when Snowdrop got out of the cover of the willow tree. The
rain came down so hard that Snowdrop found herself wading through puddles. She
found Pip sheltering from the downpour under a large oak tree. Pip was about to
ask Snowdrop what she could do for her, when thunder rolled overhead and
lightening arced out of the sky. Snowdrop saw what was about to happen and threw
herself at Pip, knocking the mare off her feet! The two mares rolled away
seconds before the tree was split by the lightening. Pip would never forget the
horrendous bang as the tree was incinerated. Pip stared open mouthed at the
shattered remains of the oak she’d been sheltering under only a few seconds
before. Looking down, she stared straight into Snowdrop’s eyes. The white mare
hadn’t got to her feet. At first Pip thought Snowdrop was dead. Then she opened
her eyes and looked at her. “I took the full force of that,” the mare said. “No
Snowdrop dear, you’d be dead!” Pip whinnied. “it’s fortunate for me that my
heart was on the right cycle when the lightening hit me, or I would have been,”
Snowdrop replied. Pip realised that she, not Snowdrop, would have been in the
line of fire if the white mare hadn’t knocked her to the floor. Snowdrop got to
her feet, shook herself and looked around. Whitehoof came galloping across to
his mother, he looked anxious, his eyes wild with fear! “I saw the lightening
hit,” he said, “I came as soon as I could, once I’d forced Emily to stay
behind!” He whinnied shrilly. “The lightening hit Snowdrop,” Pip replied.
Whitehoof looked at his mother. “You look all right,” he said. “I feel awful,”
Snowdrop replied, “also, my left hind foot is painful too.” Pip took a look at
the white mare’s foot and saw a black mark where the electric charge had left
her. “The sole of your foot is burnt slightly,” she said. Whitehoof also looked
down at the white mare’s hoof. “How did you survive that!” he enquired. “I don’t
know,” Snowdrop replied truthfully, I know the physical reason why, but I don’t
know how or why I should survive that.” Whitehoof said: “But that’s,” then he
looked at the stump of the ex tree, “I mean that was the tree you were sleeping
under wasn’t it Pip?” He asked. “Yes, I was sheltering under there, but there
was no storm then,” Pip replied. Then she blurted: “Snowdrop saw the lightening,
I’m sure she did! She threw herself on top of me and took the shock herself, I’m
sure of it Whitehoof! I’m sure of it!” Whitehoof looked at Pip. “how can she see
where lightening is going to strike?” he asked scornfully, “Pip, you do come up
with some real stories sometimes! All Snowdrop did was hear the thunder and get
you away from the tree, it was bad luck she was hit. She did not see the
lightening, no horse can!” Whitehoof challenged his mother, staring right into
her eyes. Snowdrop stood her ground, staring straight back at her foal.
Whitehoof experienced something then that frightened him so badly he ran to
Snowdrop and buried his face in her mane, crying with fear and terror! Snowdrop
showed him through his eyes what she’d seen in the milliseconds before the tree
was hit, and what she’d seen after that. Whitehoof saw Pip, then he saw the
lightening arcing through the sky, heading for him! Snowdrop had seen the
lightening, impossible as it had seemed. “You see Now?” She asked. Whitehoof,
weeping pitifully into her mane, sniffed and said: “Yes mum,” “Snowdrop saved my
life Whitehoof,” Pip said, her own emotions welling up uncontrollably. Pip ran
to Snowdrop and hugged her fiercely, weeping into her fur. Whitehoof recovered
enough to stand on his own, and Snowdrop tended to Pip, who was overwhelmed by
the enormity of what had just happened. “You saved me!” Pip sobbed. “I couldn’t
do anything else,” Snowdrop replied. “But you could have been killed!” Pip
wailed, “It was silly of me to stand under that tree. You should have saved
yourself!” “ah,” Snowdrop said, “a mother never puts her own foal in danger.”
Pip stared at the white mare. “But you’re not,” “I may as well be,” Snowdrop
replied, “as I’ve said, a mother never puts her foal in danger. I couldn’t leave
you in danger.” Pip replied: “You should have run away! You should have left
me,,,” she stopped, for tears were rolling down Snowdrop’s nose. “Is your foot
hurting you?” Pip asked. “No,” Snowdrop sobbed, “it’s not that Pip. Please,
please understand, I couldn’t leave you in danger, because I’m not like that!”
It was clear to Pip Snowdrop hadn’t thought about herself at all. She had been
prepared to lose her life, rather than endanger Pip. “I am not related to you
Snowdrop, so why did you risk your own life for me?” Pip asked. Snowdrop looked
at her through her tears. “Don’t ask that,” she replied.
Two days passed with out any trouble. Snowdrop went about her duties
quietly. Then one day, Pip came running across the fields yelling for Snowdrop,
Whitehoof, anyone to come help! Sam ran towards Pip, panting Sam asked,
"What is going on?" "The stallion is back, and trying to..." Pip
started. "Don't need to tell me, where is Emily?" Snowdrop asked from the bushes
where she had been hiding. "Over there, under that Same willow tree!" Pip told
her.
The stallion found Emily, but Snowdrop found him faster! All Sam heard was
a scream from the stallion, and then a crash as he pitched over. He heard Pip
squealing something about the stallion just having fallen over backwards! “What
do you mean!” Sam yelled above the stallions screaming. “He just fell over!” she
yelled back. Snowdrop stood over the stallion. She looked into the horse’s
terrified eyes. “You know me I think,” Snowdrop said. The stallion whinnied:
“Yes, yes I do! Please Snowdrop, spare my life!” Snowdrop shoed the stallion,
what to her seemed a tiny hoof compared to his massive hooves. Even so, the
stallion was petrified. “Don’t, don’t touch me with that hoof!” He pleaded
shrilly. “Take a good look at that hoof,” Snowdrop said. The stallion couldn’t
help taking a good look, the white mare was brandishing it in front of his eyes.
“Leave here,” Snowdrop commanded, “never return, and never ever plague the
fillies. If you do not heed my commands and act on them, you will feel the power
of my hoof!” The stallion closed his eyes, dreading the touch of that tiny white
hoof. Snowdrop released the stallion. The disgraced stallion got to his feet and
walked away, not looking back. “I hope we’ll never see him again,” Whitehoof
said. Emily crawled from the cover of the willow tree and ran to Snowdrop.
“Thank you Snowdrop, thank you!” she sobbed. The white mare looked at her with
the Same expression Pip had seen when Snowdrop had saved her life and she’d
asked her why she hadn’t saved herself. “Say no more about it Emily,” Snowdrop
said gently, “you are safe, and that’s all that matters.” Emily hugged Snowdrop
tightly. “Snowdrop dear, I heard something about a lightening strike,” she said,
“Pip wouldn’t say much apart from that there had been a lightening strike, and
something that she couldn’t explain had happened to her and you. She’s not
talking about it much, doesn’t seem to want to tell me it all. Snowy, if I can
call you Snowy, what went on that night?” “I obeyed my instincts,” Snowdrop
replied. No matter how Emily persisted, Snowdrop would say no more about the
subject. A few days later, Emily heard from Joy that Whitehoof had been present
when the lightening struck. Emily decided to ask him what had happened, for she
knew Snowdrop was his mother, and she wouldn’t have kept the details from him,
and she was sure he would enlighten her.
Emily found Whitehoof sleeping beneath a bush. She’d noticed he liked this
bush, and seemed to sleep under it a lot. Pushing back a few fronds, she gazed
at the Falabella gelding. She looked him all over, from his ears, one black, the
other white, to his body with it’s black fur, and his hooves, three black, one
white. Emily couldn’t get under the bush herself, as she was too large, but she
really wanted to hug Whitehoof to her, she didn’t know why this was. “Maybe to
my eyes he looks like a foal,” she thought. Emily had never denied to herself
that she wanted a foal, but she wanted the stallion with whom she had the foal
to be of decent character. Emily had thought about Jasper, she knew he’d had his
problems, but was getting over them. Then she discounted him in that he was too
large, and having his foal would probably kill her. Emily then remembered Jerry,
he’d been a nice horse, quite small, but “a splendid chap,” as she’d heard Bobby
say once. “Jerry was only passing through though,” she thought miserably.
Whitehoof woke, saw her and asked: “How long have you been watching me?” Emily,
shocked by the sound of his voice, began to babble: “I wasn’t watching you, I
wasn’t!” “That bush was sheltering me,” Whitehoof said, “and you have pushed it
aside, and are holding it aside with your nose as we speak, so you were watching
me!” “I’m sorry, really sorry, but, but I wanted to ask you a question,” Emily
blurted. “About the lightening strike?” Whitehoof asked. “How did you know!”
Emily squealed. “Remember, I can read minds, I was asleep, and you came to the
bush. I know what you were going to ask me, and what you were thinking when you
saw me, foals wasn’t it?” Emily was simultaneously outraged, embarrassed and
impressed by Whitehoof’s power. “It was foals,” Emily said, “but I don’t want
you prying in my thoughts!” “Sorry,” Whitehoof said, “but that’s how I defend
myself from attack when I’m asleep. I scan around to see whether there are any
animals wanting to do me harm, if there are, then I wake up and move on before
they get the chance.” Emily said quickly: “I want to have a foal, but not with
that stallion, I want a decent horse not a brute, I want to have a foal so
much!” “I am no foal,” Whitehoof said. “no,” Emily replied. She remembered
hugging Whitehoof, she remembered his touch, the feel of his fur against hers,
his warmth, if she closed her eyes, he could almost be a foal, and his ears and
hooves, tiny, like a foals. Whitehoof watched her face. He knew what she was
thinking, and said: “you can hug me if you like, I don’t mind, come here, touch
me, stroke me, touch my hooves, I don’t mind. Emily lay down beside Whitehoof
and did just that. She looked at him, Whitehoof was indeed like a foal to her
eyes, all right, about five months old maybe, but he was still a foal. Her eyes
travelled from his ears, tiny they were, to his body, legs and tiny hooves.
Emily looked down at her own feet, measuring her hoof against the Falabella
geldings. She touched Whitehoof’s white hoof with her muzzle. “I’m no foal,”
Whitehoof said. “I know,” Emily replied. With that she left, having completely
forgotten what she’d come for. Whitehoof got up and stretched, he knew Emily
wanted a foal, and he hoped she’d soon have one with a stallion of her own
choosing. Snowdrop found Emily wandering about aimlessly. When she asked her
what the matter was, Emily told Snowdrop all. “You really want a foal?” Snowdrop
asked. “Yes, yes I do!” Emily replied. “Did Whitehoof realise what you were
thinking?” The white mare asked. “Yes, we discussed it. He said he was no foal,
but could understand why we larger horses thought he might be. He let me hug
him, stroke him, and touch his ears and hooves. Snowdrop, they were tiny! Like a
foals!” “He’s no foal Emily dear,” Snowdrop said gently. “I know,” Emily
replied. “I hope Pip never gets to hear about this, I don’t know how she’d take
it.” “It was all my fault!” Emily began to cry, “I shouldn’t have asked it of
Whitehoof to let me hug him, it’s disgraceful! But Snowdrop, do, do you
understand why I did it? Why I felt that way? To us larger horses, you Falabella
horses are like foals! So my mind said to me that Whitehoof was a foal, and it
shouldn’t have done.” “And Whitehoof loves a hug, and if he likes you, he’ll let
you hug him,” Snowdrop said. “Yes, he did let me hug him, and then, when I said
his hooves were tiny and I looked down to measure mine with his, he placed his
tiny hoof in the hollow of my hoof, and his hoof was tiny Snowdrop! I know you
can’t really empathise with this, as you are not my size, but I didn’t mean
anything by what happened by that bush, honest I didn’t!” Snowdrop looked at
Emily with sympathy. “I know you want a foal, and I understand why you did what
you did. I’m not angry with you, and I won’t tell Pip, but Emily, remember, he’s
no foal!” Snowdrop turned tail and walked straight into Pip. “I heard all that,”
the grey mare said. “All of it?” Snowdrop asked dumbly, completely shocked and
disconcerted by the younger mare’s appearance. “Yes,” Pip replied, “all of it. I
don’t blame Emily or Whitehoof for what they did. Whitehoof’s a very huggable
horse, I should know that more than anyone, and his natural desire to help
anyone through a crisis was what fuelled what he did. I’m sure he told Emily he
was no foal, so there’s no problem.” With that she walked away. Pip met up with
Whitehoof not long after and they discussed what had taken place between him and
Emily. “I know what went on,” Pip said, “and I don’t hold anything against you
Whitehoof. You helped her, and that’s good! You let her hug you because she was
in desperate need for a horse to hug. I wonder if her longing for a foal is not
a product of loneliness.” “Maybe,” Whitehoof replied, “maybe she needs a foal,
something to protect, something to take her mind off her own troubles.” “I don’t
think she wants a foal to help her through her troubles,” Pip replied, “Emily
wants a foal to love and protect. You looked to her, like a foal. So she obeyed
her instincts and hugged you Whitehoof.” “I’m no foal though Pip!” Whitehoof
whinnied. “No, I know you’re not, Emily does when she’s in control, but
sometimes her mind doesn’t register your age, only your size, and you are to
her, a foal!” “So what should I do if she asks to hug me again?” Whitehoof asked
anxiously. “Let her hug you Whitehoof, let her stroke you, for that’s what she
needs. It’s not a problem is it?” Whitehoof replied: “Well, no, but,” “Don’t
worry about me Whitehoof,” Pip said, “if it was another Falabella mare, then yes
I’d be worried, but Emily isn’t, and she’s only looking for a foal she hasn’t
got. There have to be limits. If she goes beyond just hugging and stroking your
ears with her muzzle, then put a stop to it. Until that time, let her have her
few minutes. It’s not her fault Whitehoof. A Falabella mare wouldn’t think like
a mare the size of Emily does, because they are of a different size, and
therefore have differing perspectives. To the larger mares Whitehoof, we are
foals! If it makes you feel better about things, Poppy sometimes hugs me and
nuzzles my ear. I know, and she knows what’s happening, but it’s a big horse
thing, and we smaller horses need to help them. Remember though, if it gets too
much for you, tell Emily that she’s going too far.” Whitehoof was relieved his
sweetheart wasn’t upset or angry with him. He was as confused about what to do
as Emily. He felt nothing for her, but understood her need for a foal, and the
reasons why she saw him as a foal. He looked at Pip. Looking into Pip’s eyes,
Whitehoof said: “I feel nothing for her Pip, nothing at all.” “I know that!” Pip
replied, “help her Whitehoof, like I’m helping Poppy.” With that she got up and
left Whitehoof to think.
Emily and Pip met under a massive oak. “I spoke to Whitehoof,” Pip said.
Emily looked away, greatly embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have done what I did,” she
said shamefully. “It’s okay,” Pip replied, “I know what was happening. You want
a foal so badly, your body tells you you do, and Whitehoof looked like a foal to
you.” “Yes,” Emily admitted. Ben walked past then, he looked at Emily, and she
at him. They were about the Same age as each other, and Emily couldn’t deny they
were great friends. Ben suddenly ran across, nuzzled her ear and fled! Emily
pounded after him, she knew what was happening, the Same message passed between
them, Their friendship had been strong, but now it was to become stronger still.
The two horses hurtled through the forest at a head long gallop. Ben then
slowed, Emily saw he was limping . Are you all right?” she asked. “No,” Ben
replied, “I think I’ve got a stone in my right hind foot! Could, could you help
me get rid of it?” Emily asked him to lie down, and she then examined his hoof.
There was no stone, this had been a white lie, and she knew it, but played along
anyway. She lay down beside her new-found mate. After a few minutes of just
lying there, they retired to a private place to talk.
Ben and Emily lay together for a long time. “I want this moment to last
forever,” Emily whispered quietly. “I love you Emily!” Ben said holding her
tightly to him.
A year passed, Emily was in foal, and it was now drawing close to foaling
time. Ben, overjoyed at first, started feeling acute anxiety when he remembered
what happened to Gemini when she gave birth to Jess. One day, Emily did indeed
give birth to her foal. Ben stuck by her all through the foaling, and Emily was
very grateful to him, having heard from Tilly how frightening foaling alone
could be. Emily had her foal in the early morning of a cold winter’s day. She
lay down on the cold ground and gave birth to a handsome colt. Ben stood well
back, concerned that he might anger Emily if he ventured too near the new-born
foal. Emily got to her feet after about ten minutes and went over to investigate
the tiny wet scrap of life. She nudged the tiny creature to his feet and stood
quietly as the colt took his first drink of milk. Then, exhausted and hunger
satisfied, he lay down on the frozen grass, Emily did likewise, and Ben, who
could stand waiting no longer, approached cautiously. “Emily dear, can I?” he
asked nervously. Emily looked round at him. “I’m surprised you waited that
long,” she said, “most stallions are only too impatient,” Ben saw the kind look
in his mate’s eyes and came forward to greet his foal. Ben lay down on the colts
left side, Emily was on the tiny creature’s right. The colt, sensing Ben’s
arrival, turned his head and looked at him. “Are you going to look after me
too?” The colt asked. “yes littl’en, I’m here to help your mother.” Ben looked
at the tiny foal, while he stared back. What Ben saw was a tiny colt with black
ears, brown head and body, brown legs, and four black hooves. The colt watched
Ben appraising him. “I’m tired,” he said. “Go to sleep my pet,” Emily said
gently. With that the colt slept, his head resting on her shoulder. Ben and
Emily looked at each other. “Well done Emily darling,” Ben said. Emily smiled:
“He’s lovely isn’t he,” She replied. “That he certainly is,” Ben agreed.
Emily Was happier than she had ever been. She fell into a contented sleep.
Ben watched over his little family, Emily and her foal, what would they call
him, he wondered to himself. After a while Emily woke up. “Hey, did you have a
good sleep?” Ben asked quietly. “Wonderful!” she ;smiled dreamily. “Now, what are
we going to call this littl’en?” Ben asked. “How about Woody!” Emily suggested
laughing, she couldn’t contain her happiness any longer. She hugged Ben tightly
to her remembering this time last year.
“I want this moment to last forever, I
love you so much Ben!” she looked longingly into his eyes. They were both so
very, very happy.
Woody got up and shook himself hard. “I think we’d better introduce you to
the rest of the herd Woody,” Ben said. The foal was very excited by this
prospect. “That’s going to be so amazing, meeting all those horses!” he
whinnied. With that Ben and Emily led the way back to the herd. Snowdrop was the
first horse they saw. Woody squealed with surprise at the sight of her. “Wow!
Another foal!” “No, I’m no foal,” Snowdrop replied gently, “I’m herd leader.
What is your name? I’m Snowdrop.” “My name’s Woody,” the foal replied. “Welcome
to the herd Woody,” Snowdrop said. She looked around her and said: “If you stay
a while, you might be able to meet a few of the other horses, my foal and his
mate should be along soon, and Sam, my second in command should be here very
soon.” Sure enough, Whitehoof, Pip and Sam put in an appearance. Snowdrop
introduced Woody to them. Woody couldn’t take his eyes off the tiny horses! He
couldn’t believe Snowdrop’s assertion that she wasn’t a foal, it just wasn’t
possible to be that small and not be a foal, was it? He didn’t think so. Woody
instantly took to Sam, and they were soon rolling together in play. “He’s got a
way with the foals,” Pip observed. “So have you my dear,” Whitehoof replied. “I
can’t play like that though Whitehoof,” Pip said, “Sam can, he doesn’t mind
rolling with the foals, getting nipped and kicked in play, that sort of thing.”
Woody soon realised there was something different about Sam. Sam explained to
Woody that he had to explore him with his muzzle as he couldn’t see him any
other way. Woody accepted this without question. The tiny foal laughed
helplessly as Sam’s muzzle tickled him as the gelding nuzzled him. Woody then
asked Sam if he was a foal. Sam said he wasn’t, but Woody could pretend he was.
“But, you say you are no foal, and your hooves are smaller than mine, even now!”
Woody held up a hoof to demonstrate this point, then remembering Sam couldn’t
see him, said: Oh dear, I waved a hoof at you Sam, you can’t see that. Come and
touch my hoof, see how small yours is compared to it.” Sam did so, and Woody was
right, his hoof was larger than Sam’s. “I like you a lot Sam,” Woody said. He
nudged Sam, who theatrically fell over, and lay on his back, pedalling all four
hooves in the air, in what to the tiny foal, was a hilarious display. “You are
so funny!” Woody whooped.
Woody was a likeable little foal, he made friends easily and just loved
playing with the other foals. It was a bonus when Sam had time to play when he
was not busy doing his duties as second in command.
Woody quickly made friends with Joy, who missed Ben now he was no longer
playing with the foals. She didn’t like Jasper as he was too large, and too
boisterous. Also, the size of his hooves frightened her, they were so massive!
Woody was smaller than her, his hooves not so large as Jasper’s, and he was
quieter all round. Joy showed the tiny foal secluded places in the woods where
she thought no other horses knew. This was untrue, First Petra, then Whitehoof
and now Snowdrop, had ranged all over the forest. Snowdrop had travelled
extensively during her search for Whitehoof, and often found Joy and Woody
playing together. The foal’s surprise was always the Same, they thought only
they knew about the place, but Snowdrop quickly showed them that they were
mistaken in their belief. She didn’t mean to spoil their fun, but she always
managed to turn up. She was as surprised to see them as they were to see her,
but they always blamed her, as the older horse, for ruining their secret. Woody
soon grew to feel Snowdrop to be a mare who would do anything to spoil their
fun, and he told Joy so. Joy wasn’t very happy about this. She knew Snowdrop
didn’t mean to ruin their fun, she was just passing through a place, in a
forest, that when all was said and done, she had dominion over as the matriarch
of the herd. Woody mistrusted Snowdrop a great deal. She looked strange, with
her white hooves and impossibly white fur, and she was too small to be a leader,
or so he thought. Woody was so angry about Snowdrop’s appearances that he told
his mother about it. “Mum, Snowdrop’s a crazy mare!” “you shouldn’t say things
like that about any horse Woody,” Emily said sternly. “But she is, she is!”
Woody protested, “she turns up whenever me and Joy are playing in our secret
places, she looks funny, with her white fur and hooves, and she’s always there,
always spoiling our fun!” Emily couldn’t imagine Snowdrop spoiling anyone’s fun,
but said nothing. “How does Snowdrop spoil your fun,” She asked. “She’s just
there, all the time!” “Maybe she doesn’t mean to be there all the time,” Emily
replied, “the forest is her responsibility, she’s the herd leader Woody. I’ll
talk to her about it. But don’t you ever call any horse crazy Woody!” Woody
walked away, furious with the small white mare with white hooves.
Emily found Snowdrop sheltering from the falling snow under a large bush.
The weather was horrendous, and getting worse, and Emily longed to get under the
bush herself. “Snowdrop, can I talk to you?” Emily asked. The white mare crawled
from under the bush and got to her feet. “What can I do for you?” she asked.
“Woody told me you’ve been hanging round while he and Joy were playing together.
He said that every time he and Joy found, what they thought to be a secluded
place, you turned up! Are you doing this deliberately? Or is it a total
coincidence, or is Woody merging every sighting of you he’s ever had up into a
big story that it isn’t?” The white mare considered this. “No, Not really,” she
replied, “I have to make a circuit of the wood sometimes to make sure there are
no problems with other herds getting too close, stray horses, mares from other
herds who are foaling in the fields who might need help, that kind of thing. I
don’t think I’ve been harassing Woody, not intentionally anyway. I’ll keep away
from him if that’s what you want.” Emily was upset, she felt she must tell
Snowdrop what her foal felt about her, but she didn’t wish to hurt Snowdrop’s
feelings. Snowdrop saw Emily’s distress, and, lying down on the freezing ground,
Snowdrop beckoned her to lie beside her. Snowdrop hugged Emily to her. Emily
felt warm and safe. She no longer noticed the cold ground or the freezing wind.
“You were upset,” Snowdrop said gently, “what was upsetting you?” “I, I can’t
tell you Snowdrop,” Emily replied, “I just can’t tell you! If I did, then, well,
I, I don’t know what would happen, or what you’d think of my foal, or what you’d
think of me, or anything!” Snowdrop nuzzled the larger mare’s ear. This almost
reduced Emily to tears. She remembered the very first time she’d met Snowdrop.
Snowdrop had come up to her after Jess’s birth and Gemini’s death, and hugged
her tightly. Emily was still very grateful for Snowdrop’s actions even now four
years later. Emily looked into the white Falabella mare’s eyes. Snowdrop gazed
kindly back at her. “Woody,” Emily began, “He, he thinks, thinks, that, you,
you’re crazy Snowdrop, and he thinks you’re fake, and he doesn’t like your fur,
or your hooves. He says your fur is unnaturally white, and that you are too
small to be leader, and that your hooves could not do damage to any horse, and
that you are a bad mare, and I know you’re not, and I’m sorry, and Snowdrop,
dear Snowdrop, I don’t know what to do!” Snowdrop hugged her tightly. “You have
nothing to fear,” Snowdrop said, “I’ll talk to Woody. He can tell me himself
what he feels about me. If he wishes, he can touch my fur and hooves. He can ask
me anything he wants. I’ll talk to him Emily dear, now don’t worry yourself
about it.” Emily returned the Falabella mare’s hug. “Thank you Snowdrop,” She
said. Snowdrop released Emily and got to her feet. Emily looked her all over
from nose to tail, from ears to hooves. “You are very well camouflaged,” she
remarked. “I suppose I am,” Snowdrop replied. Emily looked down, and couldn’t,
however hard she tried, see where Snowdrop’s hooves were. They merged in with
the snow. Snowdrop lifted a hoof, and it was only when her hoof was clear of the
ground that Emily saw it, otherwise, it was a perfect match for the snow. “I’ve
got to find Woody now,” Emily said, “goodbye Snowdrop, and thanks for
everything.” With that Emily got to her feet, turned and left, leaving Snowdrop
to her own thoughts.
The snow fell heavily as Emily went to find her foal. “Looks like you are
having fun!” Emily shouted as she approached the group of foals who were playing
in the snow. “Hi mum!” Woody hurled a ball of snow at his mother. “I need to
talk to you Woody, and I mean now!” Woody reluctantly left his friends and
followed his mother to a quiet spot.
Emily looked severely at Woody. “I’ve spoken to Snowdrop, and she’s not
very happy with you, neither am I! Snowdrop is only doing her duty as herd
leader. She said to me, that if you wanted to put your feelings to her, you do
it to her face, otherwise she’ll not listen. Woody, Snowdrop’s no fake! She’s a
very sweet mare!” “You make Snowdrop sound like she was your mum or something,”
Woody said. Emily hesitated, before replying: “She is, sort of,” Woody snapped:
“That tiny mare is your mother? No mum, she isn’t! How could she have given
birth to you? You are as crazy as Snowdrop is!” Emily hadn’t told Woody of
Gemini’s death because she’d thought him not old enough to cope with that kind
of information. Now though, how could she explain? Woody was furious with her,
he thought her crazy, maybe she was. “My real mother died,” Emily said faintly.
“Did she now,” Woody spat, totally disinterested. He’d come to the mistaken
conclusion that his mother and Snowdrop were both insane. “I’m not listening any
more,” Woody said as he walked away, “I’m going to find that white mare, I’m
going to tell her she’s crazy to think of you as her foal, and let her know that
she’d better throw you out of the herd because you’re bonkers!” Tears filling
her eyes, Emily watched her foal leave. “What have I done!” She sobbed.
Ben found Emily in a distressed state. Once he’d coaxed out of her the
reason for her tears, he was both upset and furious. “Woody has got no right to
say what he does!” Ben yelled, “I hope he finds Snowdrop, and Snowdrop gives him
a good talking too. Maybe she’ll even show him the business end of a hoof!
That’ll scare him!” Meanwhile, Woody had found Snowdrop talking with Sam. “Hey
Snowy, I want to talk to you!” Woody yelled rudely. Snowdrop ignored him,
treating him with the contempt he deserved. “Oi!” Woody yelled, “I’m talking to
you, you horrid mare!” Snowdrop ignored him and said to Sam: “So we’ll see what
we can do about this matter of Emily’s problems with her foal.” Sam agreed and
they parted company, but not before Snowdrop had hugged Sam Tightly. She loved
him like he was her own foal, indeed he could have been. Releasing him she said:
“That was very un-leader-like of me Sam. I shouldn’t really hug you.” Sam smiled
at her. “I don’t mind Snowdrop. The truth is, I enjoy it.” Snowdrop let Sam go,
and when he was out of sight, She turned and walked away from Woody. Anger
flared in Woody, and he began to chase her down the track. Woody caught up with
Snowdrop and circled in front of her, bringing her to a stand still. Then he
attacked her! Woody’s hind foot smashed into Snowdrop’s shoulder, sending the
poor mare crashing to the floor. For some reason she hadn’t anticipated this and
was now getting the worst of it. Woody aimed another kick and this one winded
the white Falabella mare! Woody was apoplectic with fury! “I hate you Snowdrop!”
the foal screamed. He then felt himself flying! He saw, as if in slow motion,
the ground coming up to hit him in the face! Woody landed with a crash! He
didn’t know who’d attacked him, but was soon yanked to his feet by a grey mare,
similar in stature to Snowdrop she was, and her eyes were burning rage and
hatred! “Pip!” Woody whinnied shrilly. “yes it is me, and it is Whitehoof too!”
the mare squealed angrily. “Whitehoof? Where is Whitehoof!” Woody demanded. For
answer he was tripped, and soon found himself lying on the ground, with yet
another Falabella horse pinning him down. He saw this one had one white hoof.
Whitehoof stared down at the disgraced foal. “Your mum and Dad saw all of it,”
Whitehoof said, “I made sure of it! They might not be here now, but they know
only too well!” Meanwhile, Snowdrop had got to her feet and made her way
carefully across to them. “Woody won’t forget this,” she said, “I, and I’m sure
you, and all the other horses will make sure of that!”
Woody struggled beneath Whitehoof’s forefeet. “Why are you doing this to
me!” he screamed. “Because you attacked our leader,” Pip replied. “Snowdrop
ignored me, she’s a horrid mare Pip!” Woody whimpered. “She ignored you because
you were very rude to her!” Whitehoof whinnied. Woody stared up into Whitehoof’s
face. “Why did two Falabella horses attack me? You would have stood a better
chance if you were bigger, but no, you attacked me all the Same,” Woody said.
“We won though, didn’t we Woody,” Pip replied. Woody began to cry as he realised
what he’d done, and realised also what his mother would say to him.
Woody tried to hide in the deep snow. He didn’t get very far. Emily and
Ben spotted him. “Your not gonna get very far!” Ben said sternly as he
approached the disgraced colt. “Oh well, its time to face the music!” Woody
thought to himself as he followed Emily and Ben to find a tree to shelter under.
) Woody looked at the two large horses facing him. “Why did you attack
Snowdrop?” Emily asked. “She’s too small!” Woody wailed, “she’s no leader!” “She
may be small,” Ben replied, “but she is leader, and you’d better remember that
Woody!” “You kicked her!” Emily squealed, “You kicked your leader Woody!” “That
mare isn’t my leader, I don’t respect her mum, she’s too small to do anything to
me, so she can get lost!” Emily was shocked by her foal’s language. “You never
ever, say anything like that about your leader!” she screamed. “Snowdrop can’t
hurt me!” Woody yelled. Out of the corner of her eye, Emily saw Snowdrop coming
through the forest. “You say I can’t hurt you?” Snowdrop said. “No Snowy, you
can’t hurt me!” Woody scoffed, “go on, hit me you horrid mare!” Snowdrop turned
rear on to the tiny foal and lifted a hind foot. “See my hoof?” She asked. “Of
course I see your hoof you silly mare! By the way, it’s tiny, although I expect
you already know that!” “I wanted to talk to you Woody,” Snowdrop said, her foot
still raised, “I wanted to show you my hooves, let you touch my fur, all that,
to show you I am real, and that I mean business,” The Falabella mare replied.
Woody looked at the mare’s tiny hoof, then he touched it with his muzzle.
Snowdrop, who had a golden opportunity to do him real harm, never moved. “I mean
you no harm,” she said, “but you hit me, you attacked me Woody! I did nothing to
harm you!” Woody snapped: “Lower your foot to the floor Snowdrop!” Snowdrop
refused, asking Emily to take a look at her hoof. “I think I may have a stone in
it,” the mare said. “You have no stone in your hoof!” Woody screamed. “I’ll be
the judge of that,” his mother said. Emily examined Snowdrop’s hoof, then told
her there was no stone in it. With that she lowered her foot to the floor. “I am
leader,” Snowdrop said, “and I will not be ordered about by a tiny foal! You
Woody, have no right to attack other horses just because you don’t like them!”
Snowdrop walked away, she was furious! She left Ben and Emily to deal with
Woody. She saw Pip and Whitehoof coming towards her as she made her way under
the trees. Whitehoof saw the anger on her face. “Mum!” he said gently. “whatever
is the matter?” he continued. Snowdrop broke down. She shook uncontrollably from
nose to tail both with anger and cold. “Hey, mum, its ok, its ok!” Whitehoof soothed
as he held her close to him and calmed her.
“I don’t know what’s happening any more! Snowdrop sobbed, “I would have
usually anticipated Woody attacking me, but I didn’t, he just turned on me
Whitehoof!” Whitehoof embraced his mother tightly. “It’s okay,” he said, “You
can’t be fast all the time, you just didn’t expect him to do what he did. Foals
like him are usually all mouth and no hoof.” “But he’s both!” Snowdrop wailed.
“yes he is,” Pip said, “but we have to make him see that he cannot treat us
Falabella horses like dirt Snowy dear,” Pip referring to her as “snowy” made
Snowdrop feel a little better. Whitehoof nuzzled his mother’s ear. “We’ll get
through this mum,” he Whispered, “you, me, Pip and Sam, we’ll get through this
together.” This reduced Snowdrop to tears once more. Both Pip and Whitehoof
hugged her. “It’ll be okay,” Pip Whispered, “You aren’t finished yet, neither
are me, Whitehoof or Sam. We’ll teach this obnoxious colt a lesson!” “You are
strong mum, Pip, Sam and I love you very much,” Whitehoof said gently. Snowdrop
began to feel better about things. Being attacked by Woody had given her a
shock. A foal had never attacked her before, she hoped this would be the first,
and the last time it would happen. Her voice shaking, Snowdrop said: “Thanks for
your support, your confidence in me too. I love you all dearly, I hope you
realise that.” Pip said: “We know we can turn to you Snowdrop dear, every horse
knows that.” She felt the white mare’s soft warm fur against her cheek, and this
made her feel safe. Whitehoof also knew the innate power his mum had, and even
though she was feeling battered and sore, she would be back soon, was already
recovering in fact, and, very shortly, would be herself again.
Woody tried to escape from his parents. “Oh no you don’t!” Emily said, “I
haven’t finished with you yet!” “I haven’t finished with that tiny white scrap
yet!” screamed Woody. “If I have my way she won’t last another week, nor those
other tiny scraps, I’ll kill them all!” “You will do no such thing!” Ben said
“They all know what you are like now Woody and you will never survive, Brock and
Foxy keep guard as well so all the forest animals know what you are like!” “I
thought Brock had hibernated for the winter!” Woody went on.
Meanwhile, Snowdrop had recovered sufficiently for Whitehoof and Pip to
return to where Woody and his parents were having an argument. They arrived to
hear Woody asking whether Brock had hibernated for the winter. The answer came
with the sound of crashing in the undergrowth, and Brock appearing. Rubbing a
paw over his eyes, he stared long and hard at Woody. “Me protects small horses
against foal who get above his station!” the badger yelled. “Bet you can’t
protect yourself against this!” Woody squealed, lashing out furiously! Emily
screamed a warning to Brock, then it was Woody’s turn to scream as his hind foot
was caught in Brock’s huge paws and twisted sharply! Woody crashed onto his
side! “I says me protects horses!” Brock yelled. Woody lay stunned. Snowdrop
arrived then, saw Woody on the floor with his hind foot in Brock’s paws, and
guessed all. “Thank you for coming to help,” the white mare said. “It be no
problem Snowy,” Brock said gently, “me very fond of small horses, me protects
them even when me meant to be sleeping!” Snowdrop went across to Brock and
nuzzled his ear. Brock would have liked to return the mare’s embrace, but still
had Woody’s hoof in his paws. “Me arrange for foal to be tied up in tree if
Snowdrop want,” he grunted. “Do that,” Emily said, “maybe that’ll teach him a
lesson that he’ll never forget.” Woody began to cry. “I’ve heard from Maynand
and Lucky what it was like being tied to a tree, and it sounds horrible!” he
wailed. “You shouldn’t have attacked my mum then should you!” Whitehoof snapped.
He looked close to kicking Woody. “You are a horrid colt Woody,” Snowdrop said,
“I feel very sorry for Emily and Ben that they have to suffer your antics!”
Emily looked at her leader. “I know it’s hard Emily dear,” Snowdrop said, “but
be strong, do what you feel needs to be done, for your sake, for Ben’s sake, for
the herd’s sake, and mostly for Woody’s. he needs to be taught a lesson.” Emily
blinked hard, trying to hide her tears. “I’ll go through with it,” she said.
With that Brock and a few squirrels tied Woody’s legs together, then suspended
him from a tree. All the other horses watched, Snowdrop, Whitehoof and Pip to
the fore. “You will stay there till your leader thinks me should release you!”
Brock commanded. Woody had no choice. Emily looked at her foal, thinking of the
short time he’d been in the world. She remembered his birth and the elation and
relief that had followed, her and Ben’s hopes for their new-born foal, and the
promise he’d initially shown. Now though, she blinked hard, hoping it was a
dream, but Woody was still tied to the tree when she looked again. Emily glanced
at Ben, who stood stony faced, fighting with his own feelings of fury and grief.
Emily swallowed hard and said: “I hoped it would never come to this.” “I can
hardly believe it myself,” Ben replied gruffly.
Emily moved closer to Ben. “Ben!” she cried, “I don’t like this! Where did
I go wrong!” she asked.
“It’s not your fault Emily dear,” Ben said softly, “Some foals won’t
listen to what their parents say, no matter what they do. Woody has to learn
from his mistakes.” “Mistakes?” Emily asked, “this is a catastrophe! We’ll be
branded bad parents, the whole herd will know about Woody’s behaviour, and, and
then, we’ll be kicked and bitten! I don’t want that Ben!” She wailed. “The foals
will realise what will happen if they transgress the boarders of what’s
acceptable Emily, we won’t be concerned with that. All we have to do is make
sure Woody learns from his errors. “I don’t like this!” Woody screamed. “Do you
think Snowdrop liked being kicked?” Whitehoof asked crossly. Woody began to cry.
“I can’t cope with this!” He whimpered.
Once Brock was satisfied that Woody had been strung up for long enough he
ordered the animals to take him down. “and, if this do happen again!” warned
Brock “You will be strung up and left alone!” “Ok, Ok,!” Woody whined.
Woody got to his feet and bolted! Brock watched the colt go, wondering if
he would be called upon again to string him up. Yawning expansively, Brock
crawled under a bush and went back to his set to sleep. Woody found Whitehoof
and Snowdrop lying together under a bush. Seeing him coming, Whitehoof laid back
his ears. “I came to apologise!” Woody whinnied. Snowdrop looked at him. “You
will have to do more than apologise to make up for what you’ve done to me!” She
squealed. Woody prostrated himself at Snowdrop’s feet. “I’m really really
sorry!” Woody wailed. He looked at Whitehoof for his reaction. The gelding
stared back, indicating the foal would have to do more than just say nice things
to his mother before he would forgive him.
Woody got up and stared down at Whitehoof trying to intimidate him.
Whitehoof looked the colt straight in the eye, which Woody didn’t like. “I hate
you Whitehoof!” he screamed. “As a point of interest, I don’t like you much
Woody,” Whitehoof replied. Woody tried to kick Whitehoof, who dodged the colt’s
hoof and lashed out himself. Whitehoof’s right hind foot smashed into Woody’s
ribs! The colt collapsed squealing onto the forest floor. Hearing his squeals,
Emily came running. “What’s going on here?” she demanded. “Whitehoof kicked me
mum!” Woody squealed. “He probably had good reason,” Emily replied. Woody got to
his feet and walked away. Emily and the two Falabella horses looked at each
other. “I’m sorry Whitehoof!” Emily said, “I, I don’t know what’s come over him
lately.” Whitehoof looked at her. “You are doing all you can, and noone could
ask any more. We’ll get through this Emily. Ben, mum, Pip, myself and all the
other horses will help you through this.” “Thank you,” she said faintly. “We
will do what we can,” Snowdrop said. Emily looked at her. Sensing her thoughts,
Snowdrop said: “Come on then,” With that, Emily lay down beside the white
Falabella mare, and Snowdrop hugged her. Emily relaxed for the first time in
ages. She felt safe with Snowdrop, safe and warm. Breathing deeply, Emily closed
her eyes. “Sweet dreams Emily dear,” Snowdrop said gently. Whitehoof looked at
the two horses. “She needs you more than ever mum,” he said.
whitehoof wandered away. He was looking for pip. He found her talking to
Sam. “Hi you two!” He said, “I have just left mum, she is with Emily. “Oh, ok!”
Sam left, using the excuse that he needed to see snowdrop, he’d guessed that
whitehoof would want to be alone with pip. It had been a very long day.
Whitehoof collapsed beside Pip. “You look awful,” she remarked. “I’m not
feeling very fresh if that’s what you mean,” Whitehoof yawned. He laid his head
on her shoulder and closed his eyes. “Sam said something about Woody loathing
Snowdrop, is it true?” Pip asked. “True enough,” the gelding replied dreamily.
Pip looked at her mate. “it’s been a long day,” she said. “I hope Woody learned
his lesson,” Whitehoof said. “It took longer than this for Jasper to learn not
to touch other horse’s hooves without their permission,” Pip reminded him.
“Yeah, it did,” whitehoof agreed, “has he been doing it again then?” “No, or if
he has, it has been with the consent of the horses,” Pip replied. “Snowdrop told
him all he had to do was ask,” Whitehoof said. “Yep,” Pip replied, “Jasper asked
me, and I said no. I don’t like my hooves being touched Whitehoof. Jasper didn’t
force me, I gave my reasons and he left it.” “Would you mind me touching your
hooves?” Whitehoof asked. “You never asked,” Pip replied. Suddenly scared, she asked
“do you want to?” “No, not especially, but I will if you wish.” Whitehoof
replied gently. “No Whitehoof, I know I have touched your white hoof in the
past, and you don’t mind that, but if you did I wouldn’t have touched it. I’d
rather you didn’t touch my hooves. “All right,” Whitehoof said. Pip looked at
Whitehoof, thinking how much she loved him. Whitehoof opened his eyes and looked
into hers. “I won’t touch your hooves unless you want me to,” he said. Pip
hugged him. “Thanks, maybe one day I might change my mind, then you, and every other horse can,” she
said. Whitehoof nuzzled her ear. “Whatever you wish my dear,” he said softly.
Ben walked up to Emily. "I wonder if gelding Woody would do it?" He asked.
"I'll talk to Snowdrop." Emily said.
Ben and Emily went to Snowdrop to ask her about gelding Woody. “I don’t
know,” Snowdrop replied, “he’s not mature enough yet to allow that. If we do it
too soon, we will adversely affect his development.” The two larger horses
looked desperately at their leader. “We need to do something!” Emily squealed,
“I can’t cope with this much Longer Snowdrop, and you know what can happen if we
let it go on much longer!” Snowdrop looked down at her hooves. “I know,” She
said, “I’m still sore from the kicking he gave me.” “So why don’t you do
something about it!” Ben yelled, “I know you can, so why don’t you!” “I don’t
think gelding him is the answer Ben,” Snowdrop replied gently, “I’ve seen
aggressive geldings too, and they are just as dangerous as aggressive stallions.
Woody’s anger is directed at us Falabella horses only. If we were larger, then
he’d feel better about us. Gelding him is not the answer I feel. We who are
Falabella horses need to think of a solution. I am not into gelding every angry
stallion. I need to talk to Woody, all of us Falabella horses as a group need to
talk to him. I’ll arrange that.” With this she indicated the meeting closed.
Turning, she went in search of Whitehoof, Sam and Pip.
Snowdrop found Whitehoof and Pip sleeping together under a bush. She lay
down beside Whitehoof and closed her eyes. Dozing, she didn’t see Woody coming
towards her. Sensing danger, Whitehoof opened his eyes and stared at Woody! The
colt screamed in terror and bolted! Woody’s scream woke Snowdrop and Pip who
demanded to know what was going on! “Woody came near us,” Whitehoof replied, “I
looked at him and he fled screaming.” “We Falabella horses need to talk to him,”
Snowdrop said, “we need to find out what he hates about us.” “Let’s not do it
with just us Falabella horses around,” Pip said, “we’d better have a big horse
with big hooves, just in case.” “Emma for example?” Whitehoof asked. “Yes, or
Poppy, either will do. They can show him a huge hoof if he gets out of line.”
Pip replied.
The meeting with Woody was arranged, Emma, Poppy and Ferdinand were also
in attendance.
“Why have you singled me out!” Woody wailed, “and why are there three huge
horses here!” “Ferdinand is here as a witness to this meeting, and as for Emma
and Poppy,” Whitehoof said, “um, ‘er, well, they will make sure we are not
disturbed.” Woody looked around for his parents, Ben and Emily were nowhere to
be seen. Snowdrop had asked that they not attend, so Woody could not look to
them for defence. “I’m sick of explaining his behaviour away!” Ben said once,
“he can stand on his own four feet for once, for it is not mine nor Emily’s
fault he’s acting like this!” So there Woody now was, standing before four
Falabella horses. “We want to know what you hate about us,” Pip said gently, “we
won’t hurt you Woody, we just wish to know.” Woody looked down at his hooves,
then looked at Pip’s, snowdrop’s, Whitehoof’s and finally, Sam’s. Seeing this,
Whitehoof asked: “Is it because of our hooves that you hate us?” “No,” Woody
replied, “I feel that you are too small, all of you! How can you lead a herd
Snowdrop? You couldn’t use your hooves against any horse!” “We can kick though,
can’t we Woody,” Whitehoof said. Woody grimaced, he still felt sore from
Whitehoof’s hoof smashing into his ribs. “Yes you can,” the colt admitted. Sam
lifted a hind foot and said: “Go on Woody, take a look at my hoof if you want,
touch it, measure it against yours.” Woody did as Sam suggested. All the time
Emma, Poppy and Ferdinand watched anxiously. “You said you wanted to kill us
all,” Snowdrop said, “Why did you say that Woody?” Woody let Sam have his hoof
back. “I don’t know,” Woody said, tears filling his eyes, “I don’t know why I
said that.” He tried to bury his face in Pip’s mane, but she shook him off. “You
will have to apologise before I will let you anywhere near me,” she said, “and
you’ll have to mean it Woody!” Woody looked at Sam. He knew of the chestnut
gelding’s status in the herd, and how he played with the foals despite his
status. Woody suddenly blurted: “I suppose I’m jealous because I want to be like
you, I want to be noticed, to have attention! I hate you because you have what I
want!” Woody yelled. “You can’t change your breed,” Emma said. “No,” Woody
replied. He looked at the massive Shire mare. “Have you ever wanted to be
smaller than you are? To have smaller hooves than you do?” Emma raised a hind
foot and looked down at it thoughtfully. “When I was very young, I saw Falabella
horses, and they fascinated me Woody,” she said, “but I never envied them at
all. Sure it amazed me how any horse could get about on such tiny hooves, it
still does, but |I never envied any of the horses. After all, wasn’t it Snowdrop
who found me just before I had Jasper, and wasn’t it Whitehoof who let me stay?
I am not jealous of them Woody, and neither should you be.” Woody looked into
the eyes of each Falabella horse in turn. “I will try not to be jealous of you,
I will try to accept that smaller horses can be powerful, even if they’ve got
tiny hooves. I am sorry Whitehoof, Snowdrop, Pip and you Sam, for what I’ve said
that has hurt you. Snowdrop, I don’t know why, if I wanted to be like you, I
kicked you.” He prostrated himself at Snowdrop’s feet. “Do what you will with
me!” Woody whinnied.
“Get up from the ground!” Snowdrop ordered. Woody got up. “Go away and
think about what we have just said to you!” Sam said. The group separated.
Woody walked away slowly. When he’d gone, Snowdrop and the other three
horses went their separate ways. Sam followed Snowdrop along the track. She
collapsed under a bush, totally exhausted. “Sam,” she said, “that was horrible.
“It wasn’t very pleasant,” he admitted. Sam settled down under the bush next to
her. “I can’t help thinking we’ve screwed his life up forever,” Snowdrop said.
“No Snowdrop dear, we’ve got no chance of that. He kicked you, remember that?”
Snowdrop remembered, she still felt sore from the colt’s kick. “Don’t let him
worry you any more Snowy dear,” Sam said.
Sam hugged Snowdrop. “Thank you Sam!” She said.
“Even the herd leader needs a hug from time to time,” Sam said. Snowdrop
fought back a sudden rush of emotion. “Yes,” she replied, “I’m grateful for it
too.” “You don’t need to worry about Woody any more Snowy dear,” Sam Said, “he
knows that you are leader, we all know that. The other horses respect you
Snowdrop. You’ve never hit a horse in anger, only in self defence. I’ll bet
there aren’t many horses who can claim that.” “No,” Snowdrop admitted. She
looked down at her hooves. “I don’t think I could do much damage with these
anyway,” she said. “You can mark horses with them,” Sam reminded her. “Yes,” she
conceded. “That mark is famous all over the land, even the white mare who leads
the herd across the valley knows about it, and respects it too! You know how
terse and objectionable that mare is.” Snowdrop got to her feet and walked away,
Sam followed. They made their way to where Whitehoof and Pip lay under a bush.
Snow had begun to fall again, thickly covering the ground. Snowdrop and Sam’s
tiny hoofprints were very visible in the snow. Seeing his mother coming through
the trees, Whitehoof got up and went across to her. “it’s snowing again,” he
whinnied. “Um, is it?” Snowdrop asked sarcastically. Whitehoof kicked her on the
fetlock, squealing, Snowdrop walked off, seemingly offended. Whitehoof chased
her, and he and his mother were soon rolling in the snow in play, like they had
when he was a foal. Pip described to Sam what Snowdrop and Whitehoof were up to,
trying not to laugh helplessly. “They’re like two foals!” She whooped.
“Come on you two!” Whitehoof Invited. The four Falabella horses rolled
around in the snow. Sam enjoyed the feel of the powdery snow against his body.
The play soon ended and Snowdrop and Sam returned to the herd. Whitehoof and Pip
huddled up under the bush. Whitehoof held Pip close. “I think the snowball fight
did mum the world of good!” Whitehoof said to pip. “Yes, she deserves a bit of
fun!” Pip replied.
Snowdrop felt energised. She hadn’t felt so good in ages! Playing with
Whitehoof had done her the world of good, for although she hated to admit it to
herself, she thought she’d never get the chance again. When Whitehoof had been
cast out of their old herd, Snowdrop thought, if she ever found him again, that
Whitehoof wouldn’t want to play like he had before their separation. Snowdrop
knew Whitehoof was now a mature horse, but she also knew he was still a foal at
heart. Crawling under a bush, she thought about her foal. Snowdrop remembered
Whitehoof’s birth, and the weeks that followed, up till the time when the herd
leader had to name her foal. As if it were yesterday, Snowdrop remembered the
sick feeling she’d had when she presented her foal for naming. She remembered
the look on the larger mare’s face as she saw the tiny black gelding with one
white hoof. Snowdrop remembered the mare becoming fearful and angry when she saw
Whitehoof’s white foot. She also knew he was a gelding from birth, this was
unusual too! Snowdrop knew her foal was in trouble. She knew the matriarch of
the herd would not have him in her herd because he looked strange. Snowdrop
knew, that her foal’s white hoof would be singled out for comment. The
devastation she felt when the herd leader pronounced that her foal was to be
known from that day forth as Whitehoof, still pricked her, even now. Although
Snowdrop knew her foal as Whitehoof, and that was his name, and quite frankly,
he couldn’t be called anything else now, she still felt terrible sadness that he
had to be marked for life, not only with the white hoof, but with a name that
told everyone from the outset why he’d been isolated. Snowdrop took a deep
shuddering breath. Why was she thinking like this. Was it partly a reaction
against the relief that she felt at being with her foal again? A feeling that
this relief and peace couldn’t last forever? A feeling that somehow, Whitehoof
could be taken from her, and this time, she’d never see him again? The thought
of not seeing her foal again moved Snowdrop to tears. Whitehoof and Pip found
her like this a few minutes later. Seeing his mum in a dreadful state, Whitehoof
crawled under the bush and lay down beside her. Feeling another horse lying
beside her, Snowdrop turned her head and saw Whitehoof. Snowdrop embraced him
fiercely, burying her face in his mane. “Hey mum,” Whitehoof said gently, “shh,
what’s wrong?” Snowdrop hugged him so tightly that Whitehoof was afraid she’d
squash him. ?”Please mum,” he begged, “tell me what’s upsetting you.” Snowdrop
told him everything. It all came out in a rush, her fears and misgivings, her
feeling that her happiness couldn’t last, all that. Whitehoof nuzzled Snowdrop’s
ear. “I know you were upset about what happened in the naming ceremony, I could
see it even then. I am Whitehoof, I could be noone else mum. I know the name
singles me out, I said as much to Pip the first time I set eyes on her. Until I
told her my name, she hadn’t really noticed my white hoof, but now she loves it
as part of me.” Whitehoof said. “I love you my dear little Whitehoof,” Snowdrop
sobbed. Whitehoof felt his own Emotions getting out of control. He loved it when
his mum called him “little Whitehoof,” it reminded him of days long past, where
he knew nothing of rejection, not really understanding what the lead mare had
said. He and his mother would lie together, sheltering from the rain beneath a
bush. Here she would tell him stories, stories of Falabella horses, and of the
special place they held. “I am still her little Whitehoof,” the gelding thought.
Snowdrop looked at Whitehoof. “I don’t know why I’m feeling like this,”
she said. “you’ve had a lot to deal with these last few days,” Whitehoof
replied. Pip cuddled up to Snowdrop, so the white mare was lying between her and
Whitehoof. Snowdrop looked around at her foal and then at Pip. “I feel so
powerless to do anything about Woody,” she said, “I am herd leader, or I think I
am, and I can’t do a thing to bring him under control!” “I agree we Falabella
horses aren’t as powerful as the larger horses, not physically powerful anyway.
What we have got is unity amongst us Snowdrop dear,” Pip said. “You’re right
Pip,” Whitehoof replied, “we Falabella horses do have unity, I don’t think many
breeds could say that.” Emma walked past with Joey. The orphan foal was now
about six months old, and getting into the kind of trouble all foals got in to.
When he saw Snowdrop he ran to her. “Mum tells me you are leader!” he Whinnied.
“I am,” Snowdrop replied. “You’re, all, all white!” Joey squealed. Snowdrop
smiled and replied: “yes, I had noticed that.” This made Joey laugh. “Sarcasm is
the lowest form of wit mum,” Whitehoof said. Snowdrop nipped his ear playfully.
“Hey! That hurt!” Whitehoof whimpered. He thumped Snowdrop’s shoulder with his
nose. Joey looked at Whitehoof with interest. “Mum said something about you, if
you’re whitehoof, which I think you are,” he said. Whitehoof asked Joey what
Emma had told him, but he thought he already knew. “Mum told me that, that you
didn’t want me in the herd, that when I came with my dying birth mother, you
refused to let me in.” Whitehoof looked down at his white hoof in shame. “I did,
and I’m sorry Joey,” he said. Joey turned rear on and showed Whitehoof a massive
hind foot. Even at six months of age his hooves were larger than Whitehoof’s.
Snowdrop glanced at Emma, who stared open mouthed at her foal. “I hate you
Whitehoof!” Joey screamed. He lashed out at the Falabella gelding! Snowdrop
threw herself on top of Whitehoof, and Joey’s hoof smashed into her shoulder.
Joey screamed as his hoof connected! He stood on three legs, unable to put his
hind foot to the floor. “What’s the matter?” Emma asked, fighting to control her
urge to give her foal a hiding. “I burned my hoof!” Joey wailed. Emma took a
look and couldn’t see any mark on the colt’s hoof. “I burned your hoof,”
Snowdrop said, levering herself gently off of Whitehoof. “Are you all right
Whitehoof dear,” she asked. Whitehoof struggled to his feet. “Thanks,” he said,
“thanks mum, for saving my life.”
With that Joey turned around. "Whitehoof, I'm honestly sorry, I shouldn't
have done that." Joey said gently. "That's all right, I'll let it go this time,
I kind of understood what you felt at that moment." Whitehoof said, "Now, go."
The burning sensation in Joey’s hoof subsided after a while. Snowdrop
controlled that, and she decided when he’d had enough punishment. Whitehoof was
strangely subdued after that. He obviously felt ashamed of what he’d said when
Joey had come to the herd. Pip hugged and comforted her mate, who blamed himself
for putting Snowdrop in such a position that she had to defend him once again.
Snowdrop’s shoulder was very painful, but when she went to one of the river
otters for treatment, she was told that she’d bruised the bone, and there was no
treatment as such, only potions to ease the discomfort. Snowdrop left the river,
wanting to let nature sort things out. She made her way carefully along the
track to the herd’s base. Seeing her coming, Emily cantered up to her. “Hi
Snowdrop,” Emily welcomed. “How are things,” Snowdrop asked. “Okay thanks,”
Emily replied, “Woody’s calmed down a lot now. He saw that you Falabella horses
had just as much right to lead a herd as larger horses did. I think he’s more
fascinated by you now. Sam let him touch his hooves, Woody still can’t get over
how small a Falabella horse’s hooves are. In fact, neither can I.” Snowdrop
smiled. “Our hooves might be small, but they have their uses,” she said. “I
heard something about Joey attacking Whitehoof, was that true?” Snowdrop nodded.
“Yep, why do you think I’m limping now?” Emily stared at her. “Why are you
limping?” she asked, “I had noticed it, but I daren’t ask.” “When Joey lashed
out at Whitehoof, I threw myself on top of him to shield him from the blow.
Joey’s hoof connected with my shoulder.” Emily looked shocked! “But surely that
couldn’t have resulted in Joey burning his hoof, could it?” Suddenly Emily
shrieked, lifting her right hind foot off the floor. “My foot’s burning!” she
yelled. “That is what I did to Joey.” Snowdrop replied. “Stop it Snowdrop!”
Emily screamed. Snowdrop released the larger mare. “How on earth do you
do that?” Emily asked, more curious than angry. Snowdrop smiled grimly: “I can
take control of another animal’s mind, I can make them feel whatever I want.
Joey will not kick me again.” “No,” Emily replied. Dropping to her knees, Emily
begged Snowdrop not to do anything like that to her ever again. “I can’t promise
anything,” the white mare replied, “for if you put me or my family in danger, I
will do what I have to.” Emily got to her feet and walked away thinking deeply.
Word got around the herd that Snowdrop had used her power to burn Joey and
then Emily’s hooves, this frightened a lot of the horses. Snowdrop was very
unhappy about this, it had to be cleared up and made known to the herd that this
power was used only when absolutely necessary. The falabella horses stuck
together on this one, they knew that Snowdrop had defended her foal when Joey
had attempted to attack Whitehoof, she loved him, she loved all of the horses,
that was why she was the herd leader, she knew that she and Sam did a good job
between them.
Snowdrop called a meeting late one evening. “I understand there have been
words said about me by some of you,” she said when all the horses were gathered
under a huge oak. “It has been said,” Bobby replied, “that you Snowdrop, have
burned two horse’s hooves. Is this true?” “Indeed it is,” Snowdrop admitted. “It
is also said,” Bobby continued, “that you leave no mark on the hooves of any
horses. Is this also true?” Snowdrop confirmed it was. “Why are you doing this?”
Tilly asked. “I was, in the first instance, defending Whitehoof against Joey’s
attack. In the second instance, Emily asked me about it and I showed her. That
was all.” Tilly asked harshly: “Do you enjoy causing other horses pain?” “Now
that isn’t fair!” Whitehoof whinnied. “It is a very valid question,” Snowdrop
said, “and no Tilly, I do not like causing other horses pain. I only do it as a
last resort, once they have attacked me. I use my power only for self defence.”
Jasper gave Snowdrop a fearful look. “I’ve also been burned by her,” he said,
“it hurt!” Sam could sense the horses gathering on mass against Snowdrop, he
played his trump card. “How would it be if Snowdrop were larger than she is,” he
said, “she could then deal out justice in the normal way of horses, by a kick or
a nip. As she is not large, she cannot do this, so she has to do it in other
ways. Can’t you see that?” Sam had another thought: “Snowdrop, if you will, turn
rear on to the herd and lift a hind foot. Show all the horses your hooves, let
them touch them, let them see and feel how small your hooves are. Then, let them
look at their own hooves, and they will surely see why you need the power you
have.” Snowdrop did as Sam suggested. Turning rear on to the herd, she lifted
her right hind foot.” “Take a look at my hoof, all of you.” The white mare said.
“All right, all right!” Tilly snapped, “I know you have tiny hooves! I looked at
Whitehoof’s in great detail once. I’m sorry!” Snowdrop lowered her foot to the
floor. “I warn you all,” she said, “if anyone attacks me or my family, I will
deal harshly with you.” Tilly believed her, Emily still remembered the pain
Snowdrop had put her through, and knew that the tiny mare was deadly serious. “I
would do anything for you all,” Snowdrop said, “even put myself in danger so
that no other horses are harmed, but I have my boundaries. I will strike back if
I’m harmed.” Snowdrop turned away from the group and walked into the trees,
signifying the meeting over. All the horses went their separate ways. Later that
night, as the horses grazed in the moonlight, the talk was all of the Falabella
horses. The larger horses knew that by “my family,” Snowdrop meant the Falabella
horses in the herd. She protected all the horses, but looked out for her own
breed too.
Whitehoof and Pip found Snowdrop crying under a bush. “Whatever is the
matter?” Pip asked quietly. “I don’t think the herd want me as leader any more!”
Snowdrop sobbed. “Why not?” Whitehoof hugged his mum to try and give her some
comfort. “I think Tilly’s after my job!” She continued.
Whitehoof said he would find Tilly and ask her about it. Snowdrop dreaded
what he’d find out. Whitehoof found Tilly and asked her straight out whether she
was fishing for the leadership. Tilly looked surprised. “What makes you say
that?” she asked. “You were bitter when you were demoted,” Whitehoof said, “and
now you want to get back at the very horses you blame for your demotion.” Tilly
said: “I just wanted to know if Snowdrop enjoyed causing other horses pain.
That’s all she does!” “That’s all you hear about,” Whitehoof corrected her. He
continued: “Tilly, you don’t hear about what goes on behind the scenes. all the
talking and reasoning, all you hear about is the aftermath of severe
punishment.” Tilly spat at the gelding’s feet. “I hate her Whitehoof!” She
yelled. “What has Snowdrop ever done to you that is not justified?” Whitehoof
asked calmly. “um, well,” Tilly stammered, struggling to find a reason to back
up her claims, she couldn’t. “You are as bad as Joey or Woody!” Whitehoof
yelled, “You can’t cope with us Falabella horses can you!” Tilly turned tail and
fled into the trees. “I think I’m right about you Tilly,” Whitehoof thought,
“you are a bitter mare, and you have no reason to be.” He walked back to where
his mother and Pip were lying beneath a bush. “Tilly’s bitter,” Whitehoof
said, “and as for the horses not wanting you as leader mum, well, I think
you’re safe, for you haven’t done anything near what I did. You’ve only defended
your family, no horse can be angry at that.”
. Snow fell for days on end. Snowdrop became increasingly worried as to
whether her herd would survive the intense cold. She was concerned for the older
horses. Bobby in particular seemed to be suffering badly.
One night, a blizzard struck the forest, all the forest animals ran for
cover. Only the horses were out in the open. The Falabella horses and some of
the smaller foals managed to get under bushes, but the others were unable to
shelter much. That night, the temperature dropped further than it had ever done
before. Snowdrop, huddled under a bush with Sam, Pip and Whitehoof, wondered how
many horses would survive the night. Dawn came, and with it a lull in the
intensity of the blizzard. Snowdrop and her little group went out to see what
damage had been done. Snowdrop called a meeting of all the horses who could make
it to the old oak. She watched anxiously as first Tilly, then Emily, then Emma
made their way to the oak, their foals following. “Thank Eohippus they’re
alive,” Snowdrop thought. Then Poppy arrived, she looked exhausted. “Are you all
right?” Pip asked. Poppy didn’t answer at first, then she said: “Bobby, he, he’s
dead. The cold got him,,,” Poppy looked on the verge of tears. “He was a lovely
chap,” she sobbed. “You two were, um, ;er, were you?” “yes we were in love with
each other if that’s what you mean Joey,” Poppy replied. “How old are you
Poppy?” Joey asked. “eighteen,” she said, “but what does it matter!” That shut
Joey up. He took one look at her massive hooves and decided not to say any more.
“I’m sorry,” Snowdrop said softly. Poppy looked at her. “I’m glad all the
Falabella horses are okay,” she said. “We had the best of it Poppy, we could
shelter under bushes,” Sam replied. “I heard Maynand got buried under the snow,”
Ferdinand said. He’d come up from the frozen river where he’d had to smash the
ice with a hind foot before he could get a drink. “How is he?” Snowdrop asked
anxiously, dreading the answer. “Oh,” Ferdinand said dismissively, “his head
hurts apparently, but he’s fine otherwise. It seemed the snow protected him.”
“Where did you find him?” Pip asked. “In a clearing, lying down beneath a pile
of snow,” Ferdinand replied. “Out in the open?” Poppy asked. “bingo,” Ferdinand
replied. “What a stupid horse!” Emma fumed, “and what did he do to get a sore
head?” “You Know the apples in the orchard a few miles from the wood?” Ferdinand
asked. All the horses knew of the derelict orchard, there were rich pickings
there in the autumn. “Well, Maynand’s only gone and stock piled a load of these
apples, put them in an old hollowed out tree trunk, added water and left them
for ages.” “What of it?” Pip asked. “If you leave them for long enough, they’ll
ferment and make cider,” Emma replied. She’d been in a riding school where one
of the horses had done this by putting a load of the apples he’d got as treats
into a bucket of water and hiding the bucket away. One day the other horses
found him lying on the grass, rather the worse for drink. All the horses now
knew what Maynand had been up to. Sure enough, the horse himself came weaving
towards them, stumbling over his own feet and looking like he’d been dragged
through a hedge. “You look Terrible!” Emily whinnied. “Shut up!” Maynand
whimpered. He collapsed at Snowdrop’s feet. “Get that good for nothing creature
out of here!” She commanded. Ferdinand and Ben bullied Maynand to his feet, the
colt protesting profusely. “Cider indeed!” Emily snapped, “what an example to
set the young foals!” “I could do with some of that,” Poppy said, “I need a
drink after last night.” She’d been up all night trying to keep Bobby awake and
warm, now she was exhausted and consumed by grief. “Is there anything we can do
for you?” Whitehoof asked. “Tell Brock,” Poppy replied, “that is if he isn’t
asleep, and well he might be, and I couldn’t blame him, but he must know as soon
as is possible.” Whitehoof went to find the badger. Brock was not asleep, he’d
been awake all night, fretting about the safety of the horses in general, and
the falabella horses in particular. When he saw Whitehoof coming through the
trees Brock asked: “how Pip and Snowdrop be?” Whitehoof told him they were both
safe, but Bobby had died in the night. “Brock very sorry to hear this about Bobby, but pleased like crazy about Snowdrop and Pip,” the
badger said. “Poppy was great friends with him,” Whitehoof said. “Me know that,”
Brock said, holding up a paw to stop the gelding, “me know what you now ask me
to do. Me already done what you ask, me know that horse need be bury plenty fast
before ground too hard for me dig.” Whitehoof looked down at his hooves. “Yes
Brock, thank you,” he said.

READ PART 4

This story is a product of collaborative writing on Fabulous Fiction. The contributing writers are Whitney, Hannah, Miranda, Anna, Benjamin, Jazzy, Saffron, Jo W, Katherine, Katie, Martin, Nicky, Mule, Lisa, Vaughn, Cindy, Wendy, Italics, Vanessa, and Justin. Special thanks to Martin Wilsher for leading the story and later editing it for this web site.