NEIGH-borhood Tales: Wild Boar and a Giant Puddle?!
We were still in our paddocks when the latest storm moved into the NEIGH-borhood, but Mom didn’t scurry out to rescue us. A summer rainstorm won’t hurt us. Besides,a shower is refreshing, and none of us is frightened of thunder. But. . . isn’t there always a but? I am afraid of puddles.
Although horses have super hearing and can smell things humans can’t, we have poor depth perception. Stepping in any kind of water gives me the hebejebeez. Will I disappear into a huge sinkhole or barely get my hooves wet? This fast and furious storm dumped a ton of water that formed a pool in front of the barn. Can you believe Mom expected me to walk through it? I look forward to dinner, but I’m not about to risk my life for a handful of grain. I slammed on my brakes and said, “No way, no how.”
“Come on Meenster, it’s time to go inside. I know it looks scary, but neither of us is going to drown—even though it is the biggest puddle I’ve ever seen.”
Eventually we slogged through the water without being sucked into a watery grave. My heart was pounding like crazy as Mom tucked me away in my dry stall.
“Poor Meenster. If you think that puddle is big, you should see the ocean. It’s bigger than a million puddles, and it has giant waves that crash against the beach with a crackle, hiss, and boom that would scare the fur off your rump.”
“Yikes, that sounds horrifying!” I thought. “I hope this ohshun is far, far away from the NEIGH-borhood.”
“When I was in Mexico,” she said, ” I took a trail ride through a tropical jungle and across a beautiful sandy beach. We even rode our horses bareback in the ocean.” She laughed as she patted my neck. She could tell by the look in my eye, that I was not a fan of this scenario. “I know you’re brave, but I think you’d be as petrified of the jungle as the ocean. We were warned not to leave the trail because of the wild boar that live in the area.”
It was unsettling enough trying to picture this uber-puddle and the mystery monsters that lurked in the jungull, but then I felt angry. “Hey, what’s with Mom riding other horses? That’s not right. She’s our Mom,” I said to the rest of the herd. Then my outrage disolved into anguish. “Do you think she wants to get rid of us and buy those horses? Doesn’t she love us anymore?”
A cloud of worry passed over Sonny’s face and poor Platinum looked cold and angry. Beau didn’t react at all. He can’t conceive of anyone wanting to replace him.
Cherokee reassured us. “Stop worrying. I know the NEIGH-borhood is our Forever Home. I think this ohshun and those bawr live in a faraway land. I bet Mom would have gladly ridden one of us rather than a strange horse, but how would she get us there? None of us enjoys long trailer rides and even I wouldn’t be eager to traipse through a jungull or swim in a gigantic puddle. Mom loves all horses. If she showers another horse with attention, it doesn’t lessen her feelings for us. I think love is a lot like the ohshun; it’s too big to ever use up.”
Like millions of youngsters, Nancy Di Fabbio was infatuated with horses and never gave up dreaming that one day she’d be riding one of her own. She eventually realized her dreams and got her first horse, followed quickly by her second, third, fourth and finally fifth. Passionate about sharing her love for this amazing animal, she’s written Saddle Up! – And Live Your Dream, a comprehensive how-to for the budding equestrian which will be released this fall. She also writes a children’s column about the exploits of her herd, but the stories are informative, funny and touching enough to appeal to everyone. You can share their adventures on TheExaminerNews.com website under the heading: NEIGH-borhood Tales
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
