The Phantom's Daughter

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Big strong men were never able to brand me or break my spirit.

Who would have known that a small child would be the one to tame my wild spirit with the help of her dark-cloaked friend? I still hated that man dressed in black who hid his face, but I also trusted Rita. She worked with me and has done me no harm.

Everyday I was fed, brushed, and lunged. Everyday, Rita tried something small but new with me. Of course I would spook and protest, but it was never met with anger and whipping, only fierce patience and gentleness. And we always left on a good note with something I could do very well that kept me encouraged.

This week, Rita—along with her cloaked friend, whom Maggie called Erik—tried something very new, and big with me. She had brought a saddle. Erik was with her and tied off a corner of my paddock with us in it; there was still enough room for me to walk around in a circle comfortably, but not much. I was a little nervous, bobbing my head and pawing at the ground as Rita groomed me like usual, pretending she wasn’t nervous (Erik had told her that I would get nervous off of hers, which he was very right about that.)

Maggie put her neck over the railing and whinnied an encouragement over to us. I stepped up to the rope, secured by a flimsy pole in the ground that I no doubt could knock over, to whinny back at her. Though not as aggressive as I used to be with her, I still craved her as my mare, but also seeing her more as my friend instead of just as a potential mate.

“Rita, keep him calm and in one place. Do not let him walk off like that when you’re working with him.” Erik scolded. Rita made a sound expressing her annoyance, but pulled my lead rope back to her. I stood by her and pinned my ears at this Erik person in warning. He stared at me down like a predator, unmoving. I arched my head all the way up and snorted. I was a stallion, proud and true. I would not be stared down like this!

“Are you done?” he asked my little friend. She nodded. “Good. Now come get the saddle pad. Don’t show fear. Fear will make him nervous. Show him the saddle pad and let him sniff it, before rubbing it on him like you’re grooming him.”

She looked at him confused but obeyed him. Grabbing the saddle pad she showed it to me. I raised my head and blew out of my nostrils. What was this thing? It was big and square and smelled like a stable. She held it up for me. I backed up but lowered my head, sniffing and nipping at it. She moved to gently brush it against my neck. My skin twitched and I shied away to the side from it, but she approached me again, letting me sniff it and acting like she was brushing me with it. I shied away a few more times with it. She sighed, showing her frustration. But what did she expect? Erik encouraged her, reminding her to be patient.

Finally I was allowed to be “brushed with it”, seeing there was no harm in it. It was just a thick black square piece of cloak.

“Good Rita! Good! Now move it across his shoulder and gently set it on his back.”

I allowed Rita to do so. Rita praised me and fed me a treat. For this, I’d let her put all the cloaks on me as she wished. This wasn’t so bad.

“Excellent, now for the saddle.”

Rita stared at him for a moment as did I. A little clock on my back was one thing. But saddles are strapped on you to keep the rider on. I moved away hesitantly as she carried it towards me. She yanked the lead rope towards her and I jerked my head up, resisting my halter.

“No no!” corrected Erik. “This time you can allow him to move away. Show him the saddle like last time, but you want him to understand that you’re listening to his uncertainty about it and will wait until he’s ready. This may take some time. Wait until he stops and then you can put it on him.”

I turned my ears towards him. What nonsense was this? I could just continue to refuse the saddle then. Which I did. Rita would raise it up towards me and I would shy away. She talked kindly and sweetly to me, and finally I just bent my head down and allowed her to try to put it on me. After all, what could hurt? It’s not like she was tying it on me…

Rita was too short to put the saddle on. Erik told her to line me up with the fence so he could put it on her instead. She fed me a handful of oats while I felt the weight of the saddle on me. She fed me another handful of oats, which I was enjoying and Erik pet me on the neck, rubbing my shoulder and chest, working his way underneath. It felt good to be scratched there.

“Be quick to get out of the way if he bolts.” Erik warned.

Bolt? Why should I—

The strap that had suddenly appeared around my chest tightened and I bolted forward. Rita jumped back. That horrid man had secured this thing on me! I neighed, bucking, falling sideways onto the rope of our little makeshift pen, taking it down with me. Gaining my feet, I jumped over the fallen rope and went tearing across the paddock.

Rita had moved towards me when I fell into the rope, but Erik jumped, leaning over the fence and grabbed her arm, yanking her close to him.

I tore across the paddock, bucking and blowing, but nothing would get this thing off me. I neighed angrily, sending my heels to the sky, turning my head and trying to bite it off. The stirrups fell loose to my sides and struck me which made me angrier.

I cantered mad around the paddock, dodging the corner Erik and Rita stood. Erik had a firm hand on her shoulder, talking to her, something about I would run myself out and see that it wasn’t anything to get freaked out over. I wanted to bite his hand off. This was horrible! I’d see what happens to the other young horses when men put a saddle on them. Climb on their backs and start beating them! They beat them until they are exhausted and either fall down or submit to their rider, who puts a nasty bit in their mouth and connects it with reins where they pull on those reins, stretching the poor horse’s mouth until the horse opens its mouth to relieve some pressure! Yes, I’ve seen how men treat us animals and I would not be a part of it! And I would not let this horrible man teach Rita to do the same to me! I would not let him corrupt my little friend like that!

“Honestly, you’re being overdramatic, not all humans are horrid riders and you trust little Rita and she trusts Erik. And you both have been through much to not give away your trust so easily, so you have to know that this man is good and wouldn’t harm you.” Maggie chided, as I walked around, sweaty and tired. I snorted and tossed my head.

Finally when I was over my tantrum, I walked over to Rita, pinning my ears at Erik. He respectfully moved away and Rita took my halter and walked me around the paddock to cool off. I was hoping she’d take that awful saddle off now but she didn’t. She led me at a walk and a slow trot briefly to show it was nothing to fear before finally taking it off me and grooming me. Erik told her what an excellent horsewoman she was.

From then on, Rita lunged at me with a saddle, letting the stirrups hang loose. Days later, with the help of Erik, she managed to get a bridle on me. That was an interesting day. She, by Erik’s command, had put honey on the bit and as I licked it off and played with it, she threw the reins over my neck and attempted to get the bridle on over my halter. Well I was having none of that of course and pulled back, flinging my head up, taking her with me. Briefly she was airborne before crashing on the ground and I swung the bridle off into the dirt, having a laugh as I centered around with the saddle still on me.

So Erik once again stepped in to aid. Like the saddle, he only stepped in when absolutely necessary, seeing as I was very untrusting of men. But he was strong, and he smelled of horses, and something about his hands told me he had worked with my kind before and I wasn’t as fearful with him as I was with the other stablehands, who were gruff and smelled of alcohol and their pipes. Erik held me with a rope, tight around my neck and guided the bridle on my head. I refused, but I also tasted the honey on it, and worked on licking it off me as the bit settled on my tongue between my teeth.

I stood there, raising my head, trying to get away from the bridle but it was secured on my head. And after I licked the honey off clean, once again I tore across the paddack in rage at this awful thing on my head. Of course it would not go off, but I certainly couldn’t back down without a fight, now could I? The humans would think I’d grown soft and meek.

So I threw my tantrum to show that I couldn’t be tamed and Rita put a halter over the bridle, and led me about until I settled down. Then she took the saddle off (I allowed that thing to go on and get secured without throwing a fit anymore) and groomed me and fed me, and took off my halter, but left the bridle on.

“Keep the bridle on him overnight and tomorrow you can lunge at him with the halter over it so he gets used to it. After that, we’ll keep putting the honey on the bit until he gets used to it and can start teaching him how to mind it.” Erik told her.

“But couldn’t he choke on his hay?” Rita worried. Erik shook his head. “I’ve trained quite a few horses in my time and never had a problem with it. It’ll just be for one night.” Rita worried over me and hugged my neck before leaving that night.

I hated having that awful thing in my mouth, true to Erik’s word, but the next afternoon, I was more used to it and soon I could put on a bridle and saddle with relative ease. The stablehands saw and were amazed at how tame I had gotten over the weeks, asking in awe how such a small child tamed such a big, wild beast. She smiled mischievously, saying she had help with a friend. She looked over towards Maggie’s pen and the stablehands stretched their heads, wondering how that little mare aided in me getting more trained, but I could see that she was smiling at where Erik was hiding, just out of view.