black beauty chapter 5 ginger's story
as i've said ginger wasn't terribly
friendly toward me at first
but the longer we worked together the
better we got along
one warm afternoon we were out in the
orchard
ginger and i stood under the big
chestnut tree while the other horses
grazed
i told her about my life before coming
to berkwick park
you're lucky she said when i finished
if i'd grown up with your farmer gray i
might have a good temper too
but i'm afraid it's too late for me
what do you mean i asked
my life has been very different from
yours she said
before coming here no one was ever kind
to me
i was taken from my mother as early as
possible and put him with several other
young horses
we had food and shelter but that was all
there were no kind words or paths like
you had
that's too bad i said feeling sorry for
her
yes
and you just told me that your master
chased away a boy who threw rocks at you
she
said well a whole group of boys used to
throw things at us to make us run
and if my master ever noticed he didn't
seem to care
one colt even got hit in the face
the poor horse probably still has a scar
oh no i said softly
at least you had a pasture to play in i
added a moment later looking around the
orchard
that must have been nice
i suppose so ginger said
but when it was time for my training
things got much worse
do you mean when you had to wear a bit i
asked it took me a while to get used to
that
she swished her tail
i mean all of it
when the men came to catch me in the
field they were in a hurry
they chased me into a corner then one of
them grabbed my mane and another grabbed
my nose
they held me still while a third man put
on my halter
then they all dragged me off to the
stable hitting me when i didn't go fast
enough
there was more to jinger's story
she explained how she had been shut up
in a stall day after day
the men had handled her roughly while
training her they never let her
understand what they wanted before
forcing her to do things
often they made her run around at the
end of a long rope until she was
completely exhausted
when she didn't behave perfectly while
being ridden they put a painful new bit
in her mouth
what a terrible way to get trained i
said
ginger snorted in agreement
things didn't get any better once her
training was finished
her first master sold her to a horse
dealer
the dealer wanted me to match another
chestnut horse she said
he drove us together for a while and
then sold us to a rich gentleman in
london
our new owner liked to drive with a very
tight check rain
what's a check rain i asked
you're lucky not to know jinger said
it's an extra rain that forces a horse
to hold her head up very high
i like to toss my head and hold it high
but it's tiring to be forced to do it
i didn't really understand what she
meant
but it sounded very unpleasant
i stayed quiet as she continued her
story
my new master used a harsh bit as well
she said
and we often had to stand for hours
waiting for the mistress outside a party
if i dare to stamp my hooves or move the
coachman whipped me
how terrible i exclaimed
soon i began to kick or bite whenever
anyone came to harness me
i was miserable and sore all the time
one day i couldn't take anymore
when they hitched me i started to jump
and kick
i soon broke free and that was the end
of that place
is that when you came here i asked
no
i was sold to a different gentleman
whose groom was impatient and cruel
if i didn't do as he ordered right away
he hit me with a broom or whatever else
was handy
one day i bit him
soon after that i was sold again and
ended up here
it was a very sad tale
when she was finished telling me about
her past we just stood there for a while
watching the other horses
but the longer we all lived at bertwick
park the calmer and more relaxed ginger
became
the men noticed it too that horse is
getting much better james said one day
after ginger let him rub her forehead
she'll be as good as black beauty soon
john agreed
kindness is all she wanted after all
little fox
you