black beauty chapter 4 getting used to
things
in some ways life at bert wick park was
a lot like life at farmer gray's
the people were kind and i had plenty to
eat and drink
i was frequently ridden and hitched to
the carriage
but in other ways things were different
for one thing i wasn't hitched beside my
mother anymore
my new partner was ginger the tall
chestnut mare
the first time we were hitched together
i couldn't help being worried
what if we didn't get along
what if she wouldn't pull her share of
the weight
as soon as we got started i felt much
better
ginger was an honest worker
she did her full share of the work even
while going uphill
in fact we made a good team
at first she didn't have much to say to
me
but after we'd been out together a few
times we started to become friends
mary legs and i were friends from the
first day i arrived
he was so cheerful friendly and sociable
that he made me feel right at home
the squire's daughters jesse and flora
came to visit him almost every day
they'd love to ride him around the
orchard or take him driving
there were also two other horses on the
estate
they lived in a different part of the
stable but sometimes we all grazed
together in the orchard
the first horse was called justice
he was a sturdy horse who was used for
riding and driving
the second was sir oliver an elderly
brown horse
he was too old to work much anymore
but he was so gentle and reliable that
the squire sometimes used him to carry
one of his daughters when the whole
family rode together
sir oliver was just as careful with the
little girls as merry legs himself
as i said i got to know these two when
all the horses were put out together in
the old orchard
sadly though this didn't happen nearly
often enough for me
that was the biggest change of all in my
life at berkwith park
for my first four years i got to run and
play as much as i liked in my pleasant
field
but now i spent most of my time standing
in my stall
it was large and airy but it was still
boring compared to that big grassy field
i only got to go out in the orchard once
a week or so
i don't mean to complain james john and
the squire treated me very well
but i was a young horse with a lot of
energy and spirit
i was used to being able to gallop
around whenever i felt the urge
now i had to stay still and behave
myself no matter how much energy i had
it was very difficult sometimes
john was usually the one to exercise me
when the squire didn't need me himself
one day when he saddled me up i was
feeling extra lively
i hadn't had much exercise that week and
it was almost impossible to stay quiet
i couldn't help prancing as soon as john
mounted
steady my boy he said with a laugh
let's just get out of the stable yard
then i'll let you trot alright
i was almost bursting out of my skin
but i stayed at a prancing walk as he
rode me out of the yard
once we reached a quiet lane he let me
move into a brisk trot
that was better
i surged forward eagerly and after a few
miles i felt much calmer
there you go black beauty
john gave me a pat as he brought me back
to a walk
i think you needed that
he was right
i felt like a different horse
calm and content
i was happy to walk along quietly as he
turned us back toward home
john kept talking to me as we rode or
maybe he was talking to himself
it's sometimes hard to tell with people
either way i prick my ears to listen to
his soothing voice
a spirited horse like you isn't meant to
stand around without enough exercise
john said
some people might see you prancing
around and think you're a nervous horse
but i know that all you need is to move
after all that's what horses were made
to do
having to stand in my stall so much made
me enjoy my time in the orchard even
more
it was pleasant out there with grass to
nibble and shade from the old trees
usually all the horses were turned out
together
that gave me a chance to get to know the
others better
and i soon discovered that they had some
amazing those sad stories to tell
especially ginger
little fox