A Hard Lesson

By Ellie R.

Fourteen-year-old Andrea Carter stepped into Taffy’s stall and closed the stall door before Taffy would leap to freedom. “Sorry, girl,” she said as she stroked Taffy’s creamy mane. “I don't want you rolling in dirt when I ride you after supper, Especially after I just washed you this morning.”

Shasta stood by her mother's side watching Andi curiously.

Taffy stomped her foot impatiently as if saying, “Get me out of here!”

Andi grabbed a brush and brushed Taffy and Shasta until their coats shone brightly. Then she grabbed a hoof pick and picked out Taffy’s hooves.

“Andi! Where are you?” Chad yelled loud enough to be heard across the ranch.

Andi sighed, “In here, Chad.” She turned to taffy. “I promise I will bring your sugar after supper!” Andi hugged Taffy a farewell and patted Shasta’s fuzzy head.

Shasta nuzzled his mistress as if to agree with his mother that he was too tired of being cooped up in a stall too.

“I will be back with your weekly sugar,” she promised Taffy when she started to walk to the stall door.

Chad appeared on the front porch of their family’s two-story ranch house. He walked through the barn until he reached Taffy’s stall.

“I’m coming,” Andi said as she exited her horse’s stall.

“I thought you would be in here,” Chad said. He told her it was nearing supper time and she had to get ready.

Andi closed the stall door behind her but forgot to close the latch. “I have so much on my mind already, Chad. Katherine is coming tomorrow. I have to clean my room and clean and scrub all the horses water troughs by tomorrow.”

Chad looked like he had a lot on his mind too.

Andi sighed, then started to walk back to the porch. I try to always be with Taffy when I am not in school,” she thought silently.

Andi kicked a rock as she passed by Chase’s stall. She looked over the stall door and saw her brother’s horse munching on hay. Andi had been in school all day and just wanted to go riding. She left the barn at a run and was about to open the huge door that led into the big house. She started to open it when she heard a horse scream.

She froze.

Andi spun around toward the barn and left the house at a dead run. “Taffy?” she yelled when she threw open the barn door. She rushed to Taffy's stall. She found the stall door hanging wide open.

What in the world? she thought shaking. Then she caught her breath. I forgot to latch it, she thought getting ready to panic.

Another terrible scream pierced the air.  

“Dear God please help Taffy be alright,” Andi prayed.

She followed the noise and came to a stop in front of the corral that held Chad’s stallion, Whirlwind. Andi’s eyes adjusted to the light of the hot sun outside. Her eyes fell onto an object on the ground with another one next to it.

She caught her breath as she saw the massive stallion snort. Why would Taffy go in here? Her eyes shifted from the two horses.

I just have to go in there! I need to get to Taffy and Shasta! They need me! But another thought pierced her head, “The stallion will trample me if I do.”  She gulped as she looked up at the massive stallion. He looked ready to leap on anything that moved.

Whirlwind was throwing his head up and down as he dared the two horses to get back up from the ground.

She gave into her first thought and climbed through the fence. “Taffy?” she whispered as she neared up to her.

Shasta was the first to get up as he stood up on four wobbly legs. He whinnied at Andi to walk faster.

Andi breathed heavily as she tried to run to Taffy and Shasta. She was caught too fast as the huge stallion stood between Taffy and Andi. He snorted a challenge.

Andi prayed aloud that God would protect her. She started to sing soothingly to calm the stallion down. The dappled-colored stallion was covered in sweat. But he stood his ground.

Tears leaked down Andi’s cheeks as she tried to sing some more, but no words came out. More tears spilled out but she could not stop them. The thought of being trampled startled her. “Whirlwind, it’s okay,” Andi whispered.

The stallion reared close to her, too close. She felt scared more than she had ever been in her life. She heard voices behind her but couldn't make them out. The stallion reared and slashed his hooves into her head.

Andi fell to the ground in pain. She put her hand onto her head. Dark-red blood oozed down her fingers. She caught her breath as the giant horse walked closer to her, so close, when a loud gunshot pierced the air like a cannon.

Andi closed her eyes and expected the huge stallion to be on top of her, but she opened them to find the horse on the ground not too far away. She did not know how it happened but was too scared to look around. Andi burst herself onto her legs that wiggled like jelly. She walked to Taffy and knelt beside her.

Taffy’s coat was covered with dark red scratches and thick sweat.

Andi knelt down beside her and tried to stroke her when strong arms wrapped around her. She turned to look at Chad’s white face.

“Are you all right?” he said shakily as he looked at Taffy and Shasta.

Andi shook her head then burst into tears, as she told the story of what had happened. “It is all my fault!” Andi cried.

Then she turned to look at what once had been a huge stallion, who now lay on the ground. “Y-you shot him!” she said gaping at Chad.

He turned to look at her. His expression made her shudder. “He almost killed you,” Chad said as he wrapped his arms around her more tightly.

“I’m so s-sorry.” She looked back at Whirlwind then looked at the ground. She knew Chad had protected her. It was all her fault she left that stable door open. Clearly, Shasta wanted to get out, and Taffy tried to protect him from the stallion when Shasta went to look at Whirlwind.

“I know,” Chad said, but he did not sound angry, just scared.

Andi turned her head back to Taffy. She was trying to get up but every time she tried, Taffy shuddered and fell down again.

Chad stood up and walked to Taffy. He stroked her and talked to her calmly. “Andi, get Mitch and tell him to hurry. He needs to help me get Taffy out of here and on clean straw so I can fix those deep cuts.”

Andi started to run back to the fence when she saw Whirlwind on the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut but couldn't help the sudden tears.

***

“Good news, Andi!” Mitch said as he looked at Taffy’s cuts a few days later. “Taffy’s going to be fine. He smiled and looked at her.

Andi smiled brightly. “Really?” Happy tears rolled down her cheeks. “When can I ride her again?” All she wanted to do now was ride Taffy and Shasta down to her special spot, bareback, and let the breeze fly through her.

“Next week should be just fine,” Mitch said joyfully.

Taffy whinnied and stomped her foot.

Andi laughed and looked down at Shasta. The little colt looked ready to do anything. He stomped after his mamma.

After Taffy was all settled last week, Mother brought Doctor Weaver over to look at Andi’s head. He had scolded her for doing something dangerous but said no more as he treated her head.

Evan Kate felt sorry for her when she came by for her visit.

Levi whistled at her when he had seen Taffy’s cuts. “Wow Andi!” Levi had said. “How did you leave that door open?” She had frowned and told him it was none of his business how she had left it open. Levi just laughed and rushed into the ranch house. A few days later, they had left to return back to the city.

Chad entered the barn with Chase and tied him in his stall.

“Oh, Chad! Taffy is doing so much better! I can start riding her next week!”

Chad smiled brightly. “Thank the Lord, Taffy was not hurt to badly. She could have been worse off. Have you learned from your mistake last week?”

Indeed, Andi had learned from it. She had checked that stable door twice after she went in and out of Taffy’s stall this past week. “Yes, I sure have,” Andi answered.

“That was a hard lesson,“ Mitch said softly.

Andi nodded. It sure was. Andi wondered if Chad was still sore about Whirlwind, because if it were her stallion she would have been awfully sore to have to shoot her beautiful  horse. Andi looked at Chad. He didn't look mad at all. Odd, she thought.

Chad looked at Andi’s sad gaze and waved her off. “I'm not mad, Andi. I was going to have to do it anyway.” Chad sighed. “You can do your full best to train a horse, but sometimes it just will never work.”

Mitch looked sadly at Chad. “I know what that stallion meant to you though.”

Chad nodded and looked at Andi. “But I would do it a hundred times over to save our little sister.”

Mitch nodded.

Andi grabbed a brush from her tack trunk and started to brush Taffy lightly with a soft brush so it would not mix up the ointment Mitch just put on her.

“How bad off is Shasta?” Andi asked Mitch, who was daydreaming.

“He is all right, but do not let them in the paddock or pasture until Taffy is ready.”

Andi nodded. “I'm going to head up to the house. It's probably supper time by now.”

Mitch agreed. “Yep, we better get washed up.”

***

Andi joined her family in the dining room dressed and clean. She sat down next to Melinda.

Justin prayed and then they all began to eat. “Please pass the biscuits, Chad,” Andi said. Chad handed them to Mitch, who handed them to Melinda. “Thanks.” Andi said taking one.

Dinner conversation blurred into Andi’s head. The boys were talking about cattle drives. I wish I could go, she thought. Maybe next year, I know I will find a way to go. She promised herself.

“Mother?” Andi asked. “May I go out with the horses?”

Mother nodded and excused her. Andi got up from the table and headed outside to the barn. She opened the big barn door and stepped inside. Immediately, the smell of fresh alfalfa greeted her.

Sid was standing outside of Taffy’s stall. He tipped his hat at her. “Why, hello Miss Carter.”

“Hi,” Andi replied, entering the stall.

He grinned at her and left the barn as he whistled a silly tune.

Shasta leaped up at Andi, nuzzled her, and whinnied.

“Oh, you crazy thing!” Andi laughed. He nudged Andi’s pocket trying to get the sugar. “You knew it was in my pocket all along, didn't you?”

Shasta whinnied again.

“Oh, alright.” Andi took the sugar out of her pocket and gave some to Shasta. She turned to Taffy. “Hi girl!” Andi rubbed her nose and gave her the rest of the treat. She noticed a small but faint scratch on her muzzle.

“I am so sorry Taffy!” She buried her face into Taffy’s creamy mane and thanked God that Taffy was alive and with her. “I love you, Taffy, more than any other horse.”

Taffy whickered a deep comforting sound.

“And thank you Lord for blessing me with a horse like Taffy!”