I For years
the children begged Dad for
a horse, but he would have
none of it. “Horses
are not toys,” he’d
say. He knew, from working
with them while growing up.
They need a lot of pasture
space. Besides we were trying
to establish a dairy farm.
The boys kept hoping, and
praying, too. One summer
Dad relented to the extent
that we boarded our friend’s
horse while they were on
vacation. The first Sunday
the horse was with us, Bobby,
a young visitor, fell off
and broke his wrist. Well,
that finished the horse talk
for a while.
Eventually we moved to a
larger farm on Matsqui Prairie.
One day, Cliff, the cattle
dealer, stopped by to haul
some of our cattle to auction.
On the back of his truck
was a fine brown mare. Now
Dad had always said that
if he’d ever relent,
and allow the children to
keep a horse, it would definitely
be a gelding. He had enough
breeding problems with the
cows, and he didn’t
want to break in any more
colts for others to ride.
Cliff assured us that Lady,
the brown mare, was very
friendly and probably not
in foal. Gentle and patient
she was, and Johnnie just
loved her. For Christmas
we bought him a saddle and
he claimed responsibility
for Lady’s care. Together
they would round up the cattle
from the far field.
Well fed, Lady gained considerable
weight. She looked pregnant.
As her girth increased, Johnnie
was reluctant to cinch up
the saddle. Sometimes while
riding, the loose saddle
would slip to one side and
Johnnie would lose his balance
and land on the grass. Lady
stopped immediately. She’d
allow him to put everything
back in place, and together
they’d continue their
ride.
Because she supposedly was
an open mare when we bought
Lady, nobody knew if or when
the great event should take
place. That there was to
be such an event, not even
Cliff contradicted.
In February, Johnnie was
tripped during a floor hockey
game, and spent time in hospital
with a badly broken arm.
Lady, too, became lame and
we hoped that boy and horse
would get well soon.
When Johnnie came home from
hospital he faithfully exercised
his injured arm to regain
strength. With his other
hand he’d lead Lady
around to make sure she’d
be okay, too.
Across the road lived our
postmaster, whose son Stan
liked to come and visit Johnnie
and his horse. Sadly, Stan
came to tell us of his Dad’s
job promotion, and their
impending move to Harrison.
But before leaving, Stan
would be allowed a night’s
sleepover with Johnnie, as
a boyhood farewell. The boys
finally settled in after
evening chores and chatter.
Before breakfast they went
out to feed the calves, as
usual. However, prior to
mixing calf formula, they
looked in on Lady. She had
the most beautiful surprise
for them - a perfect chestnut
colt.
Glowing with excitement
the boys could hardly swallow
their food. They were so
eager to share their discovery
with all their classmates,
on this their last day of
school together. Lady couldn’t
have timed the birth of her
baby any better. It certainly
helped to ease Johnnie’s
loneliness at losing his
dear friend, Stan.
Even after Lady foaled,
her leg didn’t improve
much. Although she limped
she was as friendly as ever,
and just loved company. We
tethered her in the front
corral so we could keep an
eye on her. A class of primary
school children came to visit
the farm and gave Lady lots
of attention. They patted
her wherever they could reach
and she tolerated their efforts
at bareback riding.
A physiotherapist passed
Lady’s corral every
day on her way to work at
M.S.A. Hospital. She noticed
Lady’s need for special
care. One day she stopped
by and offered to adopt our
ailing pet horse. With sadness
and gratitude Dad quietly
hauled Lady away for further
treatment. By this time “Prince”,
her handsome colt was independent
and ready to receive all
our family’s attention.