Lightning – Equine Storyteller
Charger asks a question
As Lightning dozed, she knew the young colt was standing restlessly nearby, but she chose to test him a little, and continued with her nap. As soon as her eyes opened, the young colt visibly tensed. His head came up, and he was obviously nervous. Lightning sent him a deep, calming breath to support him and lower his anxiety, but she made him wait. After all, she was the lead mare and he was the youngest and newest member of the herd. She needed to know that his mother and the other herd members were teaching him proper manners and respect. They didn’t often have such young horses at Random Canyon Rehab, but he had been born there, shortly after his mother was rescued from a Kentucky coal field.
Lightning was pleased to find that he was controlling his excitement and was willing to wait for her to acknowledge him, even though his body language was clearly transmitting youthful energy. Finally, she gave a little nod, and put an ear forward to ask the youngster what he wanted of her. At her response, he respectfully clacked his teeth before beginning, letting her know that he knew how a good young colt should approach his elders.
“Miss Lightning, Ma’am” he started, “My Mama was telling me that you know ALL about this place and the horses here. I am just a baby, I know.” He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, clacking his teeth some more for courage. “But I want to know about the horses in the other field.”
Lightning paused, while breathing slowly to calm the little one, considering how to begin. She was a Storyteller, and there were standards for the title going back long before her time. And this would be a new story, not one of her collection of long held ones about specific horses. This required a thoughtful response, even if she was never called to tell it again.
“Tell me, young one, what do you know about the other field?” Clacking again, the colt replied: “Only that there are other horses there and they don’t come to this field. I asked my Mama why, but she said I would need to come ask you.” “And have you seen any of those horses?” She asked.
“Oh, yes!” He nodded. “That’s why I want to know. There is a horse there, that seems to be about my age, maybe a little older. I want so much to have a friend to run and play with, but the fence is too far away for us to even talk together very well. We run along the fence, but I would love to have him here in our field. Could that happen?” He was quivering with excitement.
Charger, for that’s what he was called, was very young with abundant energy and with the special cross between graceful movement and clumsiness that is common to baby horses. He was a bay, although his coloring was mixed with baby fuzz, so the final rich colors he would develop were unclear. It didn’t matter to Lightning. She only concerned herself with the inside of the horses she knew, although she knew that colors were important to humans.
Closing her eyes and lowering her graceful ebony head just a bit to reach into her story, Lightning began. “Listen closely, colt, and I will tell you about the other field. It is the closest field to ours, though it is one of several fenced areas here at this farm. When new horses arrive, the woman puts them in a small paddock area on the other side of the farm. They stay there until she is certain they are not sick and that they are safe to handle. Some new horses leave the farm and have never been in any other place here but the first paddock. Sometimes I know their stories and sometimes they are here so briefly that we horses learn little or nothing about their lives.
The horses that stay awhile are moved to another, larger field, and they are in the company of the working horses there. They are closely observed and are placed in training. Many of them go to new homes without ever leaving the training field. Some, depending on their training, health, age and attitude are moved to what we know as the other field. Sometimes they stay there, and sometimes they are introduced to our herd, depending on the woman’s plans.
The young horse you have been asking about is too young for advanced training but has done well with his introduction. He is expected to return to training in a while, but I think the woman will bring him to our field to learn better manners, so you will likely get your wish.” It was all Charger could do to wait for her to signal that he could go. With a quick “Thank you!”, he jumped almost straight into the air, then did a rearing turn and raced down the hill in pure joyful exuberance.
“Babies!” Lightning mumbled to herself and the other horses at her side. She knew they would need to make sure these youngsters were thoroughly versed in respect and herd discipline. It was what was best for the herd.
