I got my father to agree on naming her Hummingbird. But not on racing her. She was about one year old. My hopes on her becoming a racehorse faded. She started looking less and less like a thoroughbred. She got more hefty, and the feathers on her hooves were more noticeable. But she kept her long legs, and she was quite fast. She would run around the pasture a lot. My father said we should try and break her in. I leaned against the fence, watching my father enter the pasture with a halter and lead rope. When he came in Lullaby trotted over to him. He put the halter on her and led her to another smaller pasture. He took the halter off and went back to the pasture with Hummingbird. It was a windy day, and wind makes horses jumpy. Every time my father got close to Hummingbird she would run, farther away from him. I laughed. But not for long. Soon he got angry and threw rocks at her. But she dodged all of them. But one. One hit her. Right in between her eyes, making her bleed. Her ears shot back and she reared. Then she let out a scream. It hurt my ears. I wanted to run and help the poor filly! But my father had locked the gate. He finally got close enough to her to grab her forelock. She tried to rear but he yanked her back down. He got the halter on and tried to lead her, but she started to buck. Father hit her with the lead rope.
"Dad stop!" I finally yelled.
"Shut up you stupid girl!" he yelled, sending a rock past my face. He went inside the barn, leaving a terrified Hummingbird in the corner of the pasture. Lullaby was rearing and screaming, trying to get to her injured foal. Then my father came back...with a whip!
"Stop! I'll do it! I'll break her in! Just go inside!" I yelled.
He threw the whip on the ground and went inside. I grabbed the halter and slowly made my way to Hummingbird. She was shaking, but she didn't run. I slowly put the halter on her. I tried to lead her out of the pasture but she wouldn't move. I stroked her neck and slowly pulled the lead rope. She started to follow me. I tied her to the fence and looked at her wound. It was deep, and would leave a scar. I cleaned it with a rag and led her to her stall. I would break her in when her wound healed. And that will be a while.
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Hummingbird (on hold...probably not going to finish)
Teen FictionOn December 12 a miracle happened. The snow storm was terrible, leaving me, Jennifer Wilson, in my father's barn. As I sat there, outside a mare called Lullaby's stall door when a bird flew in from a window. I did not see it at first because Lullaby...
