All creatures great and small

joyshirley said:

My title is Good Night, Captain

I'd like to tell you about a special horse called Captain. I worked at a farm which had several Clydesdales and one day I arrived and went to the stables and there was the most beautiful Clydesdale gelding I had ever seen. His coat was a rich brown and he had a white strip down his face and lovely white fetlocks. The very first thing that struck me, though, was how skittish and nervous he was and as I spoke to him softly and soothingly, the new owner told me that Captain had been rescued from someone who had mistreated him. The owner slipped away and left me alone with the horse and after a few minutes Captain allowed me to stroke his nose. I have to admit it was love at first sight for me. I'd worked with many Clydesdales, but Captain stole my heart and no other horse has ever matched up to him. After a little while he allowed me to enter his stable and I found that good nourishment, exercise and care was all he needed.

From then on, I visited Captain several times every day and monitored his progress and it was very satisfying to see his coat grow glossy and his eyes begin to lose the frightened look. It wasn't long before he allowed me to groom him thoroughly and I spent many happy hours with him, talking to him as I worked. Eventually he began to work for his keep a little, being harnessed to the plough with one or two other Clydesdales and putting on shows for folk who paid to come and see the Clydesdales in action. Children loved riding on the sled pulled by Captain and he was the gentlest horse imaginable as he faithfully trotted round the farm with shrieking children on the sled behind him. I used to go for a ride with the blacksmith in the carriage sometimes and he let me drive the horses once or twice, which was thrilling, knowing the power of the horses.

I remember on one occasion I had been in the far corner of the field where Captain and a few other Clydesdales were resting, and as I began to stroll back across the field I heard a thudding sound and saw the horses trotting after me. I have to admit I got a little fright as they're such big, powerful horses so I broke into a run. They thundered after me and when I glanced back, I saw that they were keeping back a little from me and almost seemed to be laughing, as if we were playing a game, and I knew they wouldn't hurt me. The size and strength and beauty of Clydesdales really impacted me at that moment, though. God created such a beautiful animal in the Clydesdale horse.

Captain came to feel at home on the farm but I was the only one, apart from the blacksmith, whom he would allow really close to him. Even the owner had difficulty with him. One of my most treasured memories of this dear horse is the day twenty men had a tug of war with Captain. There they were, all 20 of them, straining in vain on the rope while Captain, the other end of the rope attached to him, stood staunchly and the men could not move him one inch. I'm sure he winked at me that day.

All of this is true, except for the fact that I was not really a vet, but a stablehand when I worked with Captain and the other horses.

PS There was no Clydesdale horse in the Armory so I equipped the horse and if we use our imaginations, he will grow in size and sturdiness and have white feathery fetlocks, just like Captain did.

Click to expand...

StrawberryShortcake2 said:

I'd like to join. I'll let you know when I'm ready for my screenshot

Click to expand...