Posted in Black Knight
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Black Knight reared with his ears flat against his head. Prairie Fire tossed his head and neighed in his pen. Sheilah snorted and galloped to the far end of the pasture for fear. But, Alan kept walking slowly, haltingly towards Black Knight. Again the mighty stallion reared and then again. Black Knight was trying to scare the man out of the pasture, but he was beginning to get angry that it wasn’t working. Alan stopped and then began talking in a low voice, “It’s ok, lad. I won’t hurt ye, Knight.” Slowly he walked forward again. Black Knight reared and then snorted. Alan stopped and spoke again, then continued on. Black Knight bucked and bared his teeth. Finally, the horse’s curious side came out and he began inching his way toward Alan as cautiously as Alan had before.
Alan put out his hand to the stallion. Black Knight smelled it with quivering nostrils. Again, Alan spoke in a low voice and Black Knight came closer and closer until he was right beside him. Then, Alan pet him for a while to give the horse confidence and then, slowly, he slipped onto the stallion’s back. At first, Black Knight stood with his head held high and his ears turned forward. But, suddenly his ears swept back flat against his head and he bolted. Black Knight bucked and reared, and jumped and kicked, and thrashed and bared his teeth, but, when he finally realized that this man was not to be unseated, he stopped. Alan patted Black Knight’s neck and began trotting him and then galloping around the pasture. Soon, Alan began to urge Black Knight forward. In Black Knight’s mind, he was reminded of another great race far away in Arabia. He remembered the hot sand being thrown into the air by his flashing hooves and the gentle coaxing of his master on his back. The horses next to him flashing past, not forward, but behind him. He saw the tall hill that almost cost him his life as he galloped up that steep, slippery climb to the top. He could feel the hot sun’s rays as it beat mercilessly down upon his sweaty back. Then, he saw the finish line ahead! He lunged for it and won. Black Knight was a smart horse. He knew that he was being trained for racing for this is how his gentle master had once trained him. A few rounds in the pasture at breakneck speed and then a few special hand signals on Black Knight’s back to tell him when to turn and when to go faster. Alan was just like his gentle master in many ways and that relaxed the otherwise wild horse. After a while, Alan brought Black Knight to a stop and then dismounted. He shooed Black Knight with his hands as a signal that he was done and the stallion galloped off. Lily and Samuel were delighted with the sight of Alan being able to handle the magnificent stallion. “Well,” exclaimed Alan, “I won’t have too much trouble with him. He’s been trained before. I have a very great feeling that he’s been raced too.” For months afterwards, Lily watched in awe as her beautiful stallion was raced around the pasture at extreme speed. Slowly that horse was getting faster and faster each day and Lily knew it. She could see that it would soon be necessary for her to find a race track for him to practice on. And her chance came that summer. Leslie had signed Black Knight up for the Saratoga Springs race so; they soon were transferred to the racetrack stables. Sheilah went with them. Lily, Samuel, and Alan were excited about the race yet a little nervous about the outcome of it. Black Knight could sense there nervousness, but kept calm. He’d already been to one big race with a lot of other horses and riders with whips of all sizes. He was accustomed to the noise because he’d once lived in the palace of the Rajah where there was nearly always something big happening that included a lot of noise. Though he was still a very young horse, he already had enough experience to keep him calm and steady. Finally, the announcer called, “All riders for the race please mount immediately. The race will begin in ten minutes.” Alan, dressed in the new green and white silks, hopped onto Black Knight’s back and calmly walked him to the starting post. Once they were in the gate, Black Knight stood waiting eagerly for the gate to open. He remembered the time that he had stood behind white gates like these. His master’s son accidentally opened it too fast and Black Knight bolted. The boy chased him all over the place and Black Knight soon made it into a game. He soon had released all the horses by pulling each gate open as he ran by… |
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