Horse Gentler in Training by Dandi Daley Mackall

Author:Dandi Daley Mackall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUVENILE FICTION / Religious / Christian / Animals, JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Horses
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2018-10-08T16:00:00+00:00

Very Tricky

School is harder left-handed. My journal looks like a chicken danced in it. I have to sit out in gym because we play gaga ball. And you need a good wrist for that one. I don’t go out at recess because Miss Pento is afraid I’ll fall and hurt my wrist.

Plus, everybody knows I fell off Austin’s horse. Austin claims if they don’t see progress by the weekend, they’re moving Princess to the Triple Bar Ranch in Laramie, where they punish horses to break their spirits.

Wednesday, Simon walks home with Lizzy and me. I can’t stop complaining about Simon’s brother. “Sorry, Simon. I just don’t want Austin to move Princess from our ranch. And I can’t do anything about it.”

Simon sticks his book, Millions of Marvelous Magic Tricks, in my face. He wiggles his eyebrows. “If you need an answer quick, you could always try a trick.”

Note to self: well, I’ll be a Horned Toad! That’s it!

At home, I beg Mom to let me go to the barn.

“Yes,” she says, making it sound like no. “But no riding, no leading, no sitting on any horse.”

“Got it.” I take off for the barn. If I had more time, I could go to the library. Maybe they’d have books on teaching horses tricks. But I don’t have time. I need to teach Princess a trick by Friday.

I brush Princess one-handed. I stroke her all over and find her sweet spots. She loves being scratched where Mom scratched her, under the mane. But I find another favorite spot. When I rub behind her ear, her eyes close and she tilts her head closer to me.

“Let’s shake hands, Princess.” I remember seeing a TV show where the horse could shake hands. I reach for her foreleg with my good hand.

Princess eyes me and takes a couple of steps back.

I run my hand down her leg. “Shake?”

Her hoof stays planted.

I stroke her foreleg again and press my fingers to her pastern, the part of the lower leg between the fetlock and hoof, kind of where an ankle would be.

No go. I try the other foreleg. No luck there, either.

For over an hour, I try and try. Twice, Princess lifts her leg. But she thinks I want to clean out her hoof.

This is not working.

Thursday after school, I race home and try the handshake trick again.

Once again, I fail.

I rub behind her ear. “Princess, they’re coming tomorrow.”

Without warning, Princess bobs her head, nose to chest. I shoo the pesky fly that was bothering her.

The fly returns. Princess bobs her head again.

I flick the fly away. Then I get an idea. I barely touch Princess’s chest, just like that fly.

Yes! Princess nods.

“That’s it! Princess, do you like me?”

I touch her chest. She bobs her nose to her chest and answers yes.

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