Yes, She Can! by Glenn Stout

Author:Glenn Stout
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

JULIE KRONE

Julie Krone in her jockey silks and protective helmet, ready to race.

Racing Ahead

WHEN JULIE KRONE WAS GROWING UP in rural Michigan, she did not just like horses—she loved horses!

As far back as Julie can remember, she has always been around horses. Her father, Don, taught art and photography in high school and college, but her mother, Judi, raised show horses, and when Julie was old enough, both mother and daughter competed in equestrian events. Julie and her older brother, Donnie, were brought into the barn when they were still infants. Julie grew up around horses, and though the animals towered over her, she was never afraid.

Although Julie’s mother sometimes held her in her lap when she rode, Julie took her first ride alone by accident. When she was only two years old, her mother put a beautiful palomino up for sale. A buyer came by, and Judi wanted to demonstrate that the horse was gentle and good-natured. She picked up two-year-old Julie and plopped her on the horse.

The palomino immediately cantered across the riding ring with Julie on her back. As her mother watched in amazement, little Julie reached out, grabbed the reins, and gave them a gentle tug to one side, as if she had been riding horses since the day she was born. The horse stopped, turned around, and trotted right back to Julie’s mother!

After that, it was almost impossible to keep Julie off a horse, or any other animal. Julie’s dog, Trigger, even let her climb on his back and ride him around the yard. Julie’s father once joked that “she made a horse out of everything. If she couldn’t find a racehorse, she’d jump on our backs and make racehorses out of us.”

When Julie was five, her mother got a young colt named Ibn. Together, Julie and her mother raised and trained the colt. Every morning, no matter how cold it was, Julie had to trudge out to the barn, feed and water Ibn, and clean out his stall. In the afternoon when she came home from school, she had to spend hours working with the horse under her mother’s supervision. She learned to introduce Ibn to a bridle and a saddle and ever so gently earned Ibn’s trust until he allowed her to ride him. Ibn and Julie became best friends. She was devastated when Ibn got loose one night and was struck and killed by a car.

A short time later, the family moved to a small farm and was able to keep even more animals. They had a cat named Ben, a Saint Bernard named Gretta, a Great Dane named Arrow, and all sorts of farm animals, including Filly, who was half Arabian horse and half Shetland pony.

It was Julie’s responsibility to care for Filly, but this horse wasn’t like Ibn. While Ibn had been easy to train and care for, Filly was stubborn. Nevertheless, every day when Julie got out of school, she ran from the bus to the barn to begin working with her pony.

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