Starfire's Trust

Chapter 4

There was only time before we will meet our new owner. I thought this place looks grand. As Dutches said though, not all people are nice. But Ashleigh expects them to treat us fairly so they’ll be nice. Unless they lie……… That made me more startled. Then I heard loud foot steps of steel toe boots. Along with Lightning and Sonya I quietly looked up to see a slightly old man. He was probably around in the 50s because he had a clump of grey hair. His face was covered in wrinkles and his cheek bones stuck out. He was eating gum that might have been days old for his breath stunk terribly. He smiled at the three new arrivals of us. He had a pair of ugly yellow teeth and he smelled as though he hadn’t token a shower in years. I stepped back from the front cage like door trying to avoid the terrible smell. I heard a horse rear near my stall. I turned my head in time to see a dark brown horse rearing at the present of this intruder. He was saying to him,” Get away from me you smelly human! You suck Chester ! You really do!” Chester must be this man’s name. He entered the stall of the horse near me. He shouted at the dark brown horse, “Get down Rear or you’ll face the consequences! Rear reared again. The man took out a pole and for some reason Rear stopped rearing instantly. “That’s what I thought.” Sneered Chester . He put tack for carriage pulling on Rear and left the stall. He entered my stall and did the same. Then he did the same for Sonya and Lightning. Then three other men rushed in. One that I learned was named Justin had brown hair. He was somewhat looking in the range of 40 years old. He was dirty on his hands and arms and legs. He wore dirty copper boots and a dirty white shirt and ripped up pants. His hair came down curly to his ears and his teeth were slightly yellow. Another man looked around 48 years old. He was even dirtier then the other man. His whole body including his face was dirty. He wore dirty boots that were so dirty that no one could recognize the color. But his outfit was a nice one but sadly dirty too. I learned his name was Bobby. Then there was a slightly clean man wearing a shirt much too wide for his skinny body. His trousers were much too long for his short legs. His name was Frank. Justin said,” Chester ! Our lady is impatient and wants to see the three new horses in action pulling the cart. She is very curious about the racehorse too. She knows it’s the winning champ and she is interested in examining him. You better know witch horse is the champ because she is expecting you to point him out to you. Come on hurry up! She’s waiting!” Chester replied angrily,” If our lady would like the horses connected to the cart faster she should demand you three to help! Or else she’s going to have to wait! So Justin! Get the black horse! Frank! The white!” “You mean grey white horses are considered gray Chester . You know that.” Said Frank. “Just do it! Bobby! The copper one! I got dumb old Rear here! Now move!” Said Chester loudly. I hated all the movement happening at once. I was quickly led out with the heavy tack on. Behind me was Rear and the following were Sonya then Lightning. Within minutes all of us were connected to the cart. I was in front with Rear while Sonya was directly behind me and Lightning next to Sonya. Then Chester and his crew got in. Chester took the reins and urged us on. We all started walking as one team. Each horse’s pace matched perfectly. Then all of a sudden we were pulled to a sudden halt. Then I noticed we had stopped in front of the door of a huge house. I turned my head to see the doors burst open. A tall blond haired lady walked out with around ten guards around her. The guards were clean and had nice white teeth and a white shirt with a red vest over it. It fitted perfectly on each person and there pants were perfect too.

The pants were black white and there shoes were a shiny black. The only lady was beautiful. Her blond hair flowed like a waterfall. Each strand seemed to be in perfect position. She seemed to have been warring many conditioners. Her face was smooth and wrinkleless due to something she must of spread on her skin for her eyes and height were probably making her 50 years old. She wore a beautiful white gown that reached to her feet. The gown was very long but short enough that you could see her sparkling white shoes. Her hands were covered in white gloves and she wore a beautiful white had to protect her skin from tan. Her teeth were the purest white. Her eyes looked mean though as I began to look at her eyes. Her guards were holding long crops in their hands. As they reached the first step all of them halted. Then they stared at us. Staring with their critical eyes. I turned my head to see a beautiful white cart. I heard the women say,” Which one’s the racer?” Chester said politely,” The black one there. He’s the racer. A good one too. Won many champions. Won lots of-“The women interrupted,” All I wanted to know was who the racer was Chester !” Chester ’s face turned slightly pink. “Sorry my lady.” He said quietly. The lady looked at every single horse and said,” Still got mean old Rear huh? Rear is a stud we need nice horses like the new three. And surely bring the black thoroughbred to races. Tell me, what names did you give the three new horses?” Chester seamed to turn even redder. It seemed that he didn’t know he was to name them. “Umm… The black one is…… umm…. Racer and the white one is Whitey….. And the chestnut one is Chestnut.” The lady said,” Racer! Ha! Hilarious! Ha ha ha!!! You my as well name it Butt! Ha ha ha!!!” Chester turned yet redder. He sputtered,” Then……..What do you suppose…..We……..Name him?” The lady laughed loudly and Chester turned yet redder. The lady said,” How about Fatty because he looks awfully fat to be a racehorse.” Chester said under his breath,” He’s not fat at all.” There was a long pause of silence then my lady brook the silence. “What are you guys waiting for? I have a tea party to attend to!!!” “Yes my lady….. You may enter the cart.” Said Frank opening the cart door. “Ha! You must raise their heads higher Frank!” Justin said quickly,” I’m sorry my lady but the White Book farm or whatever it’s called owner said that the horses weren’t used to a bearing rein. He said he never used one on neither of them.” My lady said,” Pish posh. It’s not like the bearing rein will kill them now will it?” Frank turned slightly red and said, “Yes my lady.” He turned around and said,” Chester , you get….umm… oh yes Fatty and Justin you get….. Umm……. Whitey. I’ll get…….Chester.” All three men walked over to us. I thought what is the world is a bearing rein? I soon found out. When mine was tightened, it pulled your head uncomfortably high. It must have made horses look fancy but it made Rear and Sonya angry. Chester and his two men got in the trailer and urged us forward. The bearing rein raising our heads caused pain to shoot through our backs and legs. Instead of trotting with our heads down and forward, now we had to pull with our heads up. For what? For fashion! “Raise them higher Chester !” Shouted our lady as we got back to the house. The bearing rein was tightened on all of us. I pounded the ground in pain. I saw Lightning pulling to lower his neck. Rear and Sonya were rearing a little. There front hooves barely came off the ground but in their eyes, they looked furious. I pounded the ground once more. Then we were urged forward. As we trotted back to my lady again she shouted,” Are you ever going to get those horses’ heads up? Raise them at once!” Chester said,” Yes my lady” And then it happened. Our heads were raised so high that I could barely stand it. My lady shouted,” Higher! Higher!” Our heads were lifted so high I could hardly breathe. I felt sharp wood hit my lags. Startled I reared. I noticed that, that was made because both Sonya and Rear had reared viscously. Lightning must of got hit too because he was rearing too. I had to gasp hard for breath. The baring reins were choking me. I reared again and we were all separated from each other and the cart. We all spread out to rear. Men tried grasping my reins but I was losing air and choking on the baring rein’s force that I didn’t know what to do. I soon gave way getting weak of no air. I snorted loudly. A few men grabbed me. One of them cut the baring rein so my head was released. I gasped for breath and laid there unable to stand up. I heard my friends and Rear neighing loudly. All the men but one left to get the others. I felt blood leak down the sides of my mouth. The man put a robe around my neck and tried pulling me up. I caught the rest of my breath and stood up. Frank was holding me. I saw Lightning had his head released and was ahead of me heading for the stalls. Sonya and Rear were being pushed down. They were released from the bearing rein too. But the both of them struggled to their feet and started rearing again. Then I saw no more because I was lead into the barn and to my stall next to Lightning. Lightning was slightly browsed and bleeding on the sides of his mouth too. We were untacked and they put wooden contractions around our necks so that we couldn’t even turn our heads and lick our wounds. Then Sonya and Rear came in very browsed and bleeding on their sides of their mouths. Then they put wooden contractions around their necks too. I heard rear’s words,” So foolish of them! I hate it! Hate it!” I knew by Rear’s voice that she was a girl as well. I said angrily,” I was about to rear just like you and Sonya too Rear!” Rear glared at me. I said,” What?” Rear said angrily,” My name isn’t rear! It’s Wonder your idiot!” “Sorry” I said quietly. Wonder was a pinto kind of horse. She softened and said,” That’s alright.” The next few weeks only me and Lightning were token out and used with a baring rein. It hurt us both and we were getting slightly skinny. One day a man had a jockey soot on grabbed my lead and led me out without Lightning. He put on a saddle and bridle. Then I was put into a trailer and they took off within 10 minutes. I was slightly cold from the cool air. Then after hours the truck stopped and I was led out into the cool air. I heard Chester say to the stranger,” Here’s your whip and hurry or you’ll miss the race that starts in five minutes!!!” I was racing. I thought but wait a minute I need training before racing. And Ashleigh always brought me hours or even a day early to relax through this commotion. But now I’m going in five minutes! How will I do? I was excited to race like old times though. I was quickly put into the gate. I looked at the crowd and saw a very nice man staring at me in the front row. He looked kind. He looked like he was 25 and he wore a patch of brown hair. I stared at me and me only. “On your mark” said the judge. I knew I couldn’t look at this nice man anymore and concentrated on the race. “Get set! GO!” Shouted the judge. I felt a very harsh sting on my back and I felt pain and startled. I leapt to the front. I was whipped harder and harder and I ran faster and faster. I couldn’t stand it! I reared. The man clutched my main and whipped harder then ever. All the race horses passed me. I continued to rear until I was forced to the ground by the whipping. I sprang to the front of the horses again. I was whipped harder and harder. I ran faster then I ever ran before. I lost the other horses in the dirty track and I was whipped again. I went faster and then I went too fast. I clasped. My rider fell feat from me. I hit the ground so hard that I almost fainted. I laid there feeling dirt hurt my wounds I had just received. I did not open my eyes to see what was going on. I just laid there as though I was dead. I felt the ground pound under me and racehorses must have passed me but I didn’t open my eyes. For once I truly hated racing. I heard an ambulance and my rider was token away. I hurt all over. I had sweat all over and I breathe hard. I then fell unconscious. I woke up in a vet’s room. There was a thick raping around my leg. Then Chester came and asked,” Why is the horse wearing a cast?” The vet replied,” He broke his leg. But he’ll be able to run again in a couple of weeks.” Chester said, “It needs to be healed now! I’m going to have to sell him and get a new racehorse because my lady doesn’t want a horse with a history or a broken leg racing in our place again!” The vet said nothing. That afternoon I was being led to my stall. I was dirty and my hair on my main and tail were tangled and I was browsed. My fellow friends gasped. When I was put in the stables I told my story of what happened. Soon before I could say goodbye to my friends I was led into a trailer. Minutes later I was in a small gate marked for sale. This was like a horse festival because there were lots of horses for sale. I let myself hang weekly from the disaster of what had just happened. No one seemed to want me that morning.