Shila was galloping around her pasture to begin that terrible day when two mysterious men parked they're truck and trailer on the side of the road next to our farm. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Lets see. It all started one day when I let Shila out into the pasture. I was watching her romp and play with the other horses when a red truck and trailer pulled up to the side of the road, very close to Shila's pasture. I could tell that there were two men inside whispering to each other about how they were going to... Oh, my, I really am spilling the beans. Well, then I had to go into the barn to muck out the stalls. When I came back out, I led some the horses into the barn for they're evening grain. It was then that I noticed the truck and trailer were gone, one section of fence was sawed through, and Shila plus three other prize horses were gone too!
Shila's story: Shila galloped around her pasture, putting in a few bucks for good measure. Then something big and red pulled up to the side of the road. After a while two, two-legged creatures climbed out, each carrying something. The two-leggeds walked up to the fence and started rubbing the... things, against the fence. Soon that section of fence was gone and one of the two-leggeds was walking towards Shila with lead shank and some sweet smelling carrots. Now, Shila was crazy for carrots, so she galloped right up to
him. In a flash, the two-legged had blindfolded Shila and before you could say Jack Robinson, Shila was in the trailer with a sedation shot! Pretty soon three other horses, Jack, Austin and Maybelle were in there also, and then the truck squealed off.
Back at the farm:i ran into the house strait to the phone to call my Dad who was in town with my Mom picking up supplies. I grabbed the phone and quickly dialed my Dads cellphone number. He answered on the first ring.
"Hello?"
"Dad! Shila's gone and so is Jack and Austin and Maybelle and theres a hole in the fence and there was a red pickup next to our farm and..."I spoke so fast I said all this in one breath.
"Whoa! Whoa, Honey,"Dad stopped me. "Now, slow down and start from the beginning."
I took a deep breath and told him the whole story.
When I was finished dad was silent for a moment before saying,"Alright, keep the other horses under close surveillance. I'll call the police and be there as soon as I can."
In a few minutes, a police car pulled into the driveway with my parents car right behind it. Officer Bradley stepped out and exchanged a few words with my parents before walking up to me with a pencil and paper in his hand.
"Can you describe the truck and trailer to me?"he said, readying his pelcil.
"Well..."my photographic memory showed me a 'picture' of the scene. "It was big and red,"I started."It was in absolutely perfect condition. The windows were tinted, the bed of the truck was full of a bunch of metal junk, and the trailer was a big, blue, four-horse Featherlight with black plastic over all the windows."
"Can you tell me anything else? The license plate number?"Officer Bradley prodded.
I tried to make the 'picture' more vivid in my mind.
"No,"I said, to answer the officer's question. "It didn't even have a license plate."
"Alright," he said."Can you describe the two men int he truck?"
"No, but I could tell that the driver was wearing a yellow shirt."
"The horses? Describe them for me."
"Well,"I said."One of them is a dappled grey mare and her name is Shila, The other mare is a chestnut thoroughbred and her name is Maybelle.
"There are two geldings named Austin and Jack. Austin is a buckskin and is very sweet and trusting of anyone who might cross his path. Jack is a bay arabian and strictly a cross-country horse."
"Thanks," Officer Bradley said."That 'll be all."
The trailer bounced and jounced along a winding mountain road, and finally pulled into a gravel side road with more potholes than you could count. It wasn't a matter of which side had no potholes, but of which had less. The drivers didn't care which. After an hour or so, they pulled into a yard in front of a big, white, house. The truck kept going on deeper into the woods and came to a stop in front of a small barn.
The horses became nervous and fidgety.
"Go get that whip I left in the barn,"said the driver, who was opening the trailer to get the horses out.
"But, Boss,"the dumb, and fat, passenger said."Can't we just grab them and put them all in a stall?"
"No, Vernon,"Boss said."We can't just do that. Horses are more intelligent than you think. And way smarter than you,"he added under his breath."We're unfamiliar to them. they'll probably kick at us and stuff. But I want them under control. So could you please get that whip out of the barn!"
"Alright, alright."
Soon Vernon was back with the whip. Boss took it and told Vernon to stand back as he grabbed Maybelle's lead shank and yanked her out of the trailer. At first she balked and refused to move her feet. But with a flick of the whip on the ground in front of her, she lounged at Boss and bit his arm!
"Awwww!"Boss moaned."You ornery old nag!" Boss lifted his whip and lashed down on Maybelle's back. She quieted down almost instantly after whinnying loudly. Boss snapped the whip down on the ground to spook her. It worked. Maybelle reared up and came down in a gallop catching Boss unprepared. He was forced to let go of the lead shank or be dragged through the woods!
"Great! Thats just Great!"Boss said as he slowly stood up."Thats all the less money from the dealer."
"Well, I don't see how a couple hundred bucks could make a difference,"Vernon yawned as he said this.
"Vernon,"Boss yelled at him."That horse is worth more than a couple hundred bucks! That horse would probably go for about $60,000 at auction! And we would have gotten about $3,000 more if we'd
sold her to the dealer I was planning to! Thats how valuable that horse is and now was to us!" Boss slowly calmed down after steaming for a few minutes.
"Okay,"he said."Lets just get these horses into the barn."
"Not me,"Vernon yawned again."I'm gonna go inside and eat."
"Okay,"Boss said."I'll finish it myself."
Boss grabbed the whip and took hold of Austin's lead shank and before he could do anything else, Austin was out of the trailer and nuzzling Bosses pockets. Boss loved this kind of affection from a horse(which he didn't get very often), and what Austin was doing, melted his heart.
Without thinking, Boss stroked Austin's smooth coat and led him inside the barn. When Boss came to his senses, he went back out to the trailer and grabbed Jacks lead shank. Jack then decided he didn't like Boss, and whatever he didn't like, he wouldn't let it get within two yards of Shila. The first thing Jack did was kick Boss and didn't stop until the many welts on his back were bleeding slightly. Then he willingly went into the stall and and, out of pity, Boss gave him a section of hay and some water. Jack sniffed the hay and tore some out of the flake but didn't chew. Boss went out to the trailer and grabbed Shila's lead rope and yanked. Shila quickly followed, not wanting to be hurt by the whip. She made it to the stall without it touching her.
With Shila back in sight, Jack's spirits were upped and he ate the hay that was still in his mouth. Then Boss went into the house.
Smart Jack tore his hay into three parts, giving the biggest one to Shila. In case you haven't noticed by now, Jack is very in love with Shila. he gave another parts to Austin and kept the smallest one for himself.
Meanwhile, in the house, Boss was talking to the dealer he'd found in North Dakota.
"Yes, sir,"he said."Yes, they're in perfect condition...not a scratch on them... Alright... Next week you said?...Sure, sure, that's perfect...Alright sir, next Thursday it is... Okay...Goodbye."
He put the phone down, and rubbed his hands together, while looking out at the barn.
--------------------------------------------
I will send Part 2 of Shila and the thief next month.
Showstoppers part 1
by wildhorse22
_________________________________________________
Stars and Swirls woke up,looking at the sunshine-filled groggily."I thought you would never wake up!"whinnied Sky,one of the horses at the barn.Swirls snorted at the hyper bay filly,wishing she hadn't woke up.Well then she wouldn't get her oats,and wouldn't get to be in the best stall in the barn,and that wasn't something she wanted to give up.Swirls got deep in thought about how much awards she had won when she was jolted awake by her human walking in.She nickered as the human walked passed.Swirls watched as the human,known as Allie,gave all the other horses their oats.Then Allie put on Swirls trailer boots and blanket,then loaded her into a trailer.Instead of eating,Swirls watched Allie talk to another woman.Wait-why wasn't Allie getting in the truck?Before she could know why,the trailer started moving away from the barn.
wildhorse22 & Summer Storm
2012-02-21 01:23:14
The Joy O' Spring
By Maid Mairain
Ah! my life is so happy and joyful now. Perhaps my name, The Joy O' Spring, or Spring Joy, finally fits me. I am at peace now, but that was not always so. We will go back to when I was a foal. Lizzy Sarafina, a darling seven year old girl, was my partial owner, her father owned my mom, Happy Days, or Daisy as I came to call her, but he promised me to his daughter. She was the sweetest thing on two legs, even sweeter then Chip, my Robin friend. But one day, when I was about three years old, and just getting used to Lizzy riding me, but her dad told her, I would have to go. He had lost his job but found a new one, clear across the country, in New York! I don't pretend to understand what New York is. All I know is that it is miles and miles from Montana, and that the city they were going to was no place for a horse. So I was sold to a horse farm in Iowa but I didn't let a single person ride me. I was too sad. I missed Lizzy so badly! Finally Miss Lindstrom, who would have been a very nice person if I had acted nicely, said "This horse has to be trained properly, obviously Miss Sarafina hadn't done such a good job of it as she said."
Anger was boiling up inside of me, but I suddenly realized that if I bit Miss Lindstrom for that and then kicked out the top rail of my fence and leaped over, she would think even less of Lizzy. So I made up my mind to be a very good pony.
When she began the training, she brought out a horrible contraption called a stock used for jumpy horses when you wanted to shoe them or something. When she started pushing me in I almost kicked her, trying to tell her that I didn't need this, but then I realized that that would make her think I needed this more then ever. So I walked in like it was a stall full of oats and carrots, and not a huge scary contraption. She was glad of that and praised me for it and then when I stood when she put on all the tack she removed the tack and simply tied my to the hitching rack. I stood like a statue. I didn't even jump to the side when she tightened the girth too quickly, which was my custom. Suddenly it seemed that Miss Lindstrom understood me.
"Joy," she said to me, "I think you need to be around children. You miss Lizzy badly and don't like adults much. You need to be in a riding camp or lesson barn. I know a very good one, you'll like it a lot. It's called Clover Leaf Stables. It's just across the way too, I could ride you there in an hour. I think I will, Joy, then you can see if you like it." I was loving Miss Lindstrom to bits by now. So she mounted up on me and rode me to the Stable. A woman leading a boy on a horse met us.
"Hello Ruth," she said to Miss Lindstrom "I see you have a nice pony. I like the gray ones, especially with a black mane and tail and a stripe on their faces. Do you want to sell her?"
Miss Lindstrom smiled. "I'm not intending to sell her. I am going to give her to you. He name is Spring Joy. I call her Joy though. Her Dam is Happy Days and her Sire is Father Time."
"You're kidding! Those are both purebred award winning ponies! Just a minute. LOUISE? COME GET JOEY ON TEXAS!"
"OKAY MOM!" shouted a voice from within the large barn. In a minute, a capable looking 11 year old girl came out and led the boy on the pony away.
"So Joy is a purebred Dartmoor! Is she well trained? Good for children?"
"Yes. She is." Said Miss Lindstrom "Linda, she HAS to be around children, because her previous owner was one and she got so attached to her. I've owned her for five years. it was during that time her parents grew to be champs. They were just normal backyard ponies before that. She is very well trained. Do you want her?"
"Ruth, you silly! Of course I want her! Thank you so much!" smiled Miss Linda.
"Well Linda I'm thanking you for letting her be by children. This is her tack, so you can keep it all. I'll call my husband, he can pick me up in a bit."
So in a short while Linda's daughter, Louise was un-tacking me. She gave me a good brushing down and I was hoping she'd braid my mane and tail the way Lizzy used too, but she didn't. She didn't have time for those things, she said. She had to give several lessons yet. She looked really tired, I was thinking there would be nothing better then a nice long ride in the woods, Like Lizzy and I used to do. Sometimes she would fall asleep and I'd just meander around in flat safe places till she woke up again and took us home. But Louise didn't have time for that. She just hopped on my back and cantered me down the long row of ponies in the barn. All the ponies were talking about me. I caught snippets of their conversations as she slowed me to a trot and turned me into an empty stall.
"I guess that's the new pony, Max. She's nice looking but who knows if she's nice. She may try to make me step down and let her be a lead mare."
"Oh come on Genevieve. No one's going to take your place. She doesn't look dominant."
"Looks aren't everything, Max!" snorted Genevieve. "She held her head really high. But don't worry Max, I'll keep my place. I'll show her she's not welcome here if she wants to be lead! No one's taken me down yet!"
I was thankful that I wasn't next to one of them, though Max looked okay. The horse on the other side of Him was rather flirty. In truth, she was rather ugly but she said she was sure she was beautiful underneath. She would have been if she wasn't so silly. Max was the highest one in the barn, and Genevieve was directly underneath Him. It appeared Genevieve didn't like hardly anyone, except Him.
By now Louise had me in my stall. She removed my halter and closed the stall door.
"Love ya girl! I'll take you for a ride tomorrow like Mom said. It'll be good to get out."
The mare to my left snorted and kicked the wall between us. "How dare you try to take my place with Louise! She's my owner! MINE!"
I heard a truck pull up the driveway and then roar off. I was alone, and my one asset of escape was gone.
"She doesn't love you, She was just talking!" My neighbor went on, each word cutting like a knife. "I am Louise's horse! You're not! Don't you ever think you are! I hate you! I Hate you I hate you!" She reached her head over the wall and bit me -hard- in the shoulder. I jumped away, hoping there was no frightful horse on my other side. There wasn't. The stall to my right held not pony. It was empty. As empty as my heart.
To be continued...
Maid Mairain & Dawn Rising
2012-02-23 18:14:19
Moving: Part 1
By FabulousFilly
'Hurry up Ana! You’re going to be late for school!’ Shouted Ana's mom from downstairs.
Ana groaned and rolled over to check her clock, it read 7:00, Ana gasped and was out of bed in a flash. She pulled on her clothes and stumbled groggily down the stairs.
'Thanks Mom!' she shouted as she grabbed a piece of toast and her backpack and ran out the door. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the air was crisp. It was the perfect day for a ride, and then she remembered, she didn’t have a horse to ride on. As she walked down Hyacinth Road she thought about her sweet brown and white Shetland pony, Misfit. Ever since she could remember, Ana had, had Misfit. She'd been riding since she was a baby and knew everything there was to know about horses. But yesterday, Ana had received the news that it was to be her last afternoon with Misfit. Her parents said that they were low on money and everything had to go, and so, Misfit was drivin away with all of their cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens. Ana wiped a tear off of her cheek, 'he's gone.' she thought to herself 'and he's not coming back, so get a grip.'
'Ana! Hey Ana! Wait up!' called a voice from behind Ana.
She turned to see a petite brunette running towards her. 'Hey Alice! Wussup?' she called
Alice had been her best friend forever after Misfit and Ana could not imagine her life without Alice. The two girls both loved horses but Alice was allergic so she couldn’t have one of her own like Ana had.
'You ok?' asked Alice sympathetically.
'Yeah, I'm okay, I guess.' shrugged Ana
Just then the school bell rang and the two girls sprinted towards their school. As they ran through the school gates Ana shoved Misfit out of her mind, she would always love him, but she had to move on with her life.
The girls arrived to their lesson late and mumbling their apologies they hurried to their seats at the back.
Ring! 'At last!' shouted Alice 'It’s the end of the day. Hey, Ana want to come to mine today? We can do our homework together and then go on horse games on the computer.'
'I can’t today Al, sorry, I gotta go home to help mom and dad.' apologized Ana and started walking away from her friend towards her home. It wasn’t much like home to her without Misfit. He brought all the happiness and joy into her life. 'Stop thinking about him, he’s gone.' Ana said to herself. A sudden chill ran through her body, and she quickened her pace.
'Hey mom! Hey dad!' Ana shouted slamming the front door.
'Hey honey? How was school?' answered her mother, she sounded weak and tired, overworked.
'Good. How was work?'
Her mom sighed. 'Honey I need to talk to you.'
Ana went into the living room and flopped down onto one of the threadbare sofas. ‘So what do you want to talk to me about mom?’ she asked
‘Honey your dad has had a job offer.’ Said Ana’s mom
‘Hey! That’s great mom! What is it?’
‘Well… it’s a country job… and it requires us to move.’
‘TO MOVE!’ shouted Ana ‘DON’T YOU EVEN CARE FOR ME ANYMORE!? FIRST YOU TAKE MY PONY AWAY, AND THEN YOU ASK ME TO MOVE?!’
‘Honey calm down!’
But it was too late Ana had already stormed out of the room and up the stairs. Slamming her bedroom door Ana flopped down on her bed and cried herself to sleep.
When Ana woke, sunlight was streaming through her bedroom window, another beautiful day, a day when one should feel happy but Ana didn’t feel happy, her parents wanted her to move. To move away from her life, from her school, from Alice! She rolled over and checked her clock 9:00 it read, her parents had let her sleep in. She recalled her mother’s words ‘Well… it’s a country job… and it requires us to move.’ it was a country job. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad; maybe she could buy Misfit back, and come to visit Alice…
What will happen to Ana’s family? Will they move? Will she get Misfit back?
I will write more next month so if you want to know what happens keep an eye out!
FabulousFilly & Summer Sunset
2012-02-25 19:38:14
Snowed In
By:Danielle Rose
The snow was just starting to fall from thick black clouds when Jen started home from school.
"It looks like blizzard,"Jen said to her identical twin sister, Georgianna, who was walking home with her.
"Yes it does,"Georgianna said.
Even the two girl were twins, they were about as different as day and night in they're own personalities. Jen was a tomboy, and very independent, she didn't get cold very easily and she didn't like sharing her room with Georgianna. Jen loved horses SO much she would use all her money to care for them and let herself starve.
Georgianna, on the other hand, was real girly, she loved playing with dolls when she was little, she likes hanging out with her friends, she got cold even in the summer, and thinks horses smell. Both girls could ride, and Jen was the better of the two, but Georgianna only did it to please they're horse crazy parents.
George and Janet, they're parents, owned a small farm of riding horses with a breeding operation, and had taught the twins how to ride.
"Brrrrr,"Georgianna shivered."It's getting colder by the second."
"Just keep walking,"Jen said, as she walked ahead, leaning into the strong wind they were facing."You can even run a little, that'll get us home faster anyway."
Jen started walking faster, and Georgianna had to run to keep up.
They were both silent all the way home.
When they finally stepped through the door into the hall of they're house, they were both freezing
cold and ice had even formed on they're scarves.
"Whew,"they're mother, Janet, said."We were getting worried about you." She looked outside and said,"I don't think this is going to let up anytime soon."
"Wheres dad?"Georgianna asked as she warmed up by the big stone fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa.
"He's in the cellar trying to get the heating to work,"Janet answered."He thinks we might have to all sleep by the fire tonight."
"What about the horses?"Jen quickly put in.
"Who cares about them?"Georgianna said under her breath so no one could hear her.
"Well,"Janet began slowly and sat down."We checked on them an hour ago, and..."her voice trailed off and she hesitated to continue. Both girls urged her on with they're eyes and Janet went on very quickly,"We found the new foal lying down in its stall. At first we thought he was just asleep, but then we looked closer, and found that he was...dead."
There were a few moments of silent shock for Jen as her eyes grew wider and wider.
"Grady's dead?"she said in a squeaky voice, at the merge of tears.
Janet nodded and then said,"But there are some good news. I told your father just today and he went crazy with joy!"
"What is it, Mom?"both girls said at the same time.
If its about horses, I couldn't care less, Georgianna thought, as she sipped the last drop of her cocoa.
"I went to the doctor's yesterday,"Janet answered."And I'm pleased to announce that...I'm pregnant!"
"Mom!"Jen practically yelled."Thats amazing! When do you go for your ultrasound?"
"When is it due?"Georgianna said when she got over her own shock.
"I go March 8th, and its due in June I think."
Danielle Rose & Dandy
2012-02-29 04:40:59
This is Club Pony Pals, the official Pony Pals game and virtual horse world. Here you can adopt, ride and care for the pony you always wanted. Our site is based on the Scholastic books about three girls by Jeanne Betancourt.
