A Star Discovered

by JoAnn S. Dawson

  “See there, he’s feelin’ better already. You’d have to worry about him if he didn’t want to eat,” Willie said wisely. “Now, when he’s done, we’ll take him out and hose his legs for a few minutes and then rub his muscles with some liniment. We’ll keep him in his stall tonight, but we’ll turn him out in the paddock tomorrow so he can walk around. That’ll keep him from gettin’ stiff.”

  “Thanks ever so, Willie. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t been here,” Mary said gratefully.

  “Well, did you learn anything?”

  “Oh yes,” Jody said. “I learned a lot. But mostly I learned not to do anything we’re not sure of until we ask you first.”

  “Good idea,” Willie said, and he smiled for the first time that morning. “Now get your rubbin’ rag out, and fetch me that liniment.”

  6

  Making Star Beautiful

  BY THE TIME Friday came, Star was almost back to his old self. His muscles were no longer sore thanks to a daily liniment rub, and his cheek and shoulder were not as tender to Jody’s touch. The only change the girls could detect was in the colt’s personality. Just as Willie had predicted, Star was no longer apt to get in an ornery mood. He did everything Mary and Jody asked of him, even trotting nicely around the ring. And when it was time for his lesson on squaring up, he was willing to try, although this was something he had trouble understanding.

  “Ok, Jody, let’s try it again,” Mary instructed from the sidelines of the ring (which was really just the pad-dock). Finnegan sat at Mary’s feet, and Jody, a thin longe whip in her hand, held Star at the end of his lead rope. “Hold his head up a little higher and tap his right front fetlock with the longe whip—it’s not quite in place yet.”

  The idea was to get all four legs in a square position—the two front legs side by side and squarely under the body, and the two hind legs the same with the head slightly elevated, ears up, looking attentive and content. The problem was, whenever Star would get the back two legs square, the front two would be out of line. And when the front two were perfect, the back two were slightly askew. And when his head was just right, all four legs were off! Jody took Mary’s suggestion and tapped Star lightly on the fetlock with the end of the longe whip. Star obediently moved the leg into position. All four legs were in line! But then he lifted his right hind foot to kick at a fly on his belly, and when the foot came down, it was all wrong!

  “I give up, Mare,” Jody said, throwing the whip down in frustration. “He’s really trying, but he just can’t get it! It’s getting late, and the show is tomorrow! What are we going to do?”

  “Well, we’re going to take him to the show, of course. I’m sure he won’t be the only yearling colt that doesn’t know how to square up. He’s really good at everything else, like trotting around the ring and standing quietly, even if his legs aren’t perfect. You’ll see, he’ll do fine. Remember when you were so worried about riding Lady in a show? And you won first place!”

  “I know, I know. I guess I should just quit worrying about winning and make it a learning experience,” Jody decided. “It’ll be fun, right?”

  “Yes. But winning wouldn’t hurt either! Now let’s take Star in and give him one last inspection. If he doesn’t behave tomorrow, at least he’ll look good while he’s being bad,” Mary giggled. “Come on, Finney, you can help us.”

  So Star was given a pat on the neck for effort and led into the aisle of the stable where Jody put him on crossties. Finnegan lay down on the cool dirt floor while Mary and Jody stood back and gazed at Star with a critical eye.

  “Get the scissors, Jode, I think I see a few long hairs that need to be trimmed,” Mary commanded. Willie had instructed the girls about grooming the colt for the show ring, and they had been practicing for weeks, trimming Star’s whiskers and fetlocks and bridle path of long hair. They had even clipped a little of the hair from inside his ears with electric clippers to get him used to the noise and had given him several baths under Willie’s supervision. Now Mary trimmed a few stray hairs from Star’s muzzle while Jody put the finishing touches on his already shiny coat with a soft brush.

  Finnegan sat at Mary’s feet, and Jody, a longe whip in her hand, held Star at the end of his lead rope.

  “Now we should pack the tack box with all the stuff we’ll need tomorrow,” Jody suggested, when they were satisfied that Star looked his best.

  “Now just hold yer horses,” Willie’s voice came from the doorway of the stable. “There’s one more thing we need to do before tomorrow. Should’ve done it before this, but I never had the time to show you till now. You can’t have this old straggly mane in the show ring.”

  “Straggly mane! But Willie, I’ve been training it so it’s all on one side, and I just combed it!” Jody replied indignantly.

  “Yes, and it looks right good, but it’s a little too long. It needs to be pulled.”

  “Pulled? What do you mean?” asked Jody.

  “I know, Jode.” Mary grinned. “I read it in a book. You take a pulling comb and twist the long hairs of the mane around it, and then you yank them out.”

  Jody’s mouth flew open in shock, as Willie shook his head and shot Mary a stern look.

  “Mary, hush. You work on real small sections at a time, and you do pull them out, but the horse doesn’t feel any pain. They have hardly any nerves in the crest of the neck where the hair grows. He shouldn’t mind it a bit once he gets used to the feel of it.”

  “But, Willie, his mane is so pretty. It’s black and white hairs all mixed together. I’ve never seen another one like it, even in books!” Jody protested.

  “Now, it’ll still look just as good, just a little shorter, that’s all. The judge will like it better that way. We have to even it up so it’s all the same length, and it’ll be easier to bathe, too. Don’t forget you have to get up early and give him a bath in the morning.”

  The girls groaned in unison at this reminder, but Jody dutifully went to her tack box, took out the metal wide-toothed comb she used to comb Star’s unruly mane, and handed it to Willie.

  “Well, go ahead,” she said glumly.

  “That’s not the right comb, Jody,” Mary said smugly. “I told you, you have to have a pulling comb.”

  “But I don’t have a pulling comb!” Jody said in frustration. “I don’t even know what a pulling comb looks like!”

  “Looks like this,” Willie said, taking a small metal comb with very short teeth placed close together from his overalls pocket and holding it up for the girls to see. Star extended his muzzle and sniffed curiously at the funny-looking tool. “Now, you just start with a little section of mane and tease some of it up with the comb,” Willie murmured, demonstrating the technique as he spoke. “Then wrap the long hairs you want to get rid of around the comb and pull them out,” he continued. And with that, Willie jerked quickly on the comb and the long mane hairs pulled out easily, still wrapped around the little teeth. Star startled slightly at the feeling of pressure and the quick movement of the comb, but his ears stayed up. He turned and looked at Willie as if to say, “Hey—this is something new!”

  “Willie!” Jody grimaced, putting her hand to her mouth. “Are you sure that doesn’t hurt?”

  “Does it look like it hurts?” Willie asked, patting Star on the neck. “It felt a little funny to him the first time, but watch, he’s getting used to it already,” he continued, expertly wrapping the next section of mane around the comb and pulling out more strands of hair. The girls watched in silence as Willie worked his way along Star’s mane with the comb until it all lay evenly on his neck, shorter by a few inches. When at last he came to the base of Star’s neck, Willie replaced the comb in his pocket and stood back to examine his handiwork.

  “Look, Jode—Star’s asleep!” Mary whispered. The girls giggled as Star’s head dropped lower and lower until the crossties seemed to be holding him up and his nose almost touched the dirt floor of Lucky Foot Stable.

  “See, it hurt him so muc
h he dropped right off,” Willie said sarcastically.

  “Thanks, Willie. It does look better, I guess,” Jody acknowledged. “Oh, I just know Star is going to be the prettiest colt at the whole show!”

  “Pretty or not, he just better behave himself,” Willie growled. “Now you better get all your stuff gathered up for tomorrow. I don’t want to be waitin’ on you in the mornin’.”

  Willie gently patted Star awake and led him into his stall, while the girls bustled around Lucky Foot Stable gathering up the rest of their show supplies. Since they wouldn’t be riding Star, they didn’t need a saddle or bridle. But they did need a soft brush, a hard brush, a mane and tail comb, a rubber curry, and a hoofpick. These were all scrubbed clean and packed neatly in the little tack box. Saddle soap was added to buff up his leather halter if necessary, and hoof dressing thrown in to make his hooves shine. Jody carefully found a spot for the horse shampoo and scrubby mitt for bathing. Last to be tucked safely into the box was the soft leather lead shank with a brass plate reading, “Star of Wonder.” Jody’s father had given this to Jody as a gift when Star was born. When the tack box was full, the girls stood back and gazed at it with a contented sigh. “Now, where am I going to put these towels?” Mary asked herself, holding up two fluffy blue towels, one in each hand, for drying Star after his bath.

  “Um, Mare . . . there’s one problem,” Jody said sheepishly.

  “What? Are you still worrying about Star squaring up?”

  “Nooo . . . I’m just wondering why we packed the bathing stuff in the tack box and why you’re worrying about where to put the towels when we’re giving Star a bath before we go to the show,” she said with a grin.

  Mary didn’t reply, but looked first at one towel and then the other. “Hmmph,” she giggled. “I guess we didn’t think of that.”

  The girls looked at each other and giggled again. The week had been very long and nerve-wracking, and the training had been frustrating. Mary and Jody were tired. Their giggles turned into full-blown laughter and they were off on a laughing jag until tears ran down their cheeks. Finnegan joined in by barking and turning in circles, and Willie just shook his head and hobbled out the stable door.

  “I think we’d better go home and go to bed,” Mary suggested through her tears. “We’re so tired we can’t think straight.”

  “And we have to get up early,” Jody added, wiping her cheeks. “Willie said to be here by five, so Star would have time to dry before we go. Are you sure your mom said it’s OK for me to stay at your house?”

  “Of course it’s OK. And she even said she would drive us up here in the morning, so we wouldn’t have to ride our bikes so early. I think she feels guilty, because she has to work and can’t come to the show.”

  “I know, my dad can’t go either. He promised he’d come to the next one.”

  So the girls filled Star’s water bucket, gave him another flake of hay, and said good-bye. They were both ready for a good night’s sleep. The day they had been waiting for was almost here at last.

  7

  Final Touches

  IT WAS STILL dark when Mary’s mother dropped the girls off at Lucky Foot Stable the next morning. She gave them a hug for good luck and three paper sacks (one each for Mary and Jody, and one for Willie) filled with goodies for lunch. When they entered the stable and turned on the light, Star raised his head and blinked sleepily, swiveling his ears and cocking his head as if to say, “What in the world are you doing here so early?” From his perch on the top board of Lady’s stall, Colonel Sanders shook his head and flapped his wings indignantly. Then, in protest of the early hour, he stretched out his neck, opened his beak to the ceiling, and crowed over and over again.

  “Alright, alright, Colonel, we hear you. We’re awake already,” Mary said, covering her ears. “Star, how would you like a treat to start off your big day?”

  Mary took a shiny red apple from her lunch bag and twisted it in her hands until it split in half. She held one half between her front teeth and offered the other half to Star on the flat of her palm. Star sniffed the treat for only an instant before taking the whole thing in his mouth and chewing hungrily, apple juice dripping from his lips.

  “Mare, I don’t think your mom packed that apple for Star to eat,” Jody giggled.

  “It’s OK,” Mary slurped. She took the apple half from between her clenched teeth and held it out to Jody. “I only wanted half anyway. Want a bite?” she offered.

  “No, thanks, I have my own,” Jody replied. “We’d better get Star out and get him ready for his bath. Willie will be here before you know it.”

  “I know. I’m so glad he doesn’t have to milk this morning and can come to the show with us!”

  “We ain’t gonna git to the show if you two don’t quit gabbin’ and get that colt washed,” Willie said, appearing suddenly in the open doorway.

  “Willie! You’re early, aren’t you?” Jody said, leading Star from his stall. Before Willie could reply, Mary groaned at the sight of the right side of Star’s body, only then fully visible in the fluorescent light of the aisle.

  “Oh no!” she exclaimed. “Star, what have you done?”

  Willie hobbled around to the side in question while Jody turned Star’s head to the left so she could get a good look. Then it was her turn to moan in dismay. Almost the entire right side of Star’s body from front leg to back was covered with a greenish-brown stain that could only have been acquired by the tired colt lying down in his stall overnight in a fresh pile of manure.

  “Willie! What are we going to do?” wailed Jody. “We’ll never get that cleaned off in time for the show!”

  “If you quit your whinin’ and gather up some rags we will. Mary, git a lead rope and git him over to the milk house where we can hook up some warm water,” Willie ordered. “Why do you think I had you two git up here so early? Just in case somethin’ like this happened.”

  Jody grabbed the horse shampoo, two scrubby mitts, and a handful of rags the girls had cut from old towels and followed Mary and Star up the gravel driveway. By the time they reached the milk house, Willie was standing outside the door with a hose and spray nozzle hooked up to the warm water spigot and was testing the water temperature on his open palm.

  Star cocked his head and peered warily at the gentle spray, sidestepping and almost landing on Mary’s foot.

  “Star, please behave. You’ve had baths before,” Mary pleaded.

  “Just hold him still and let me get him used to the spray first,” Willie instructed. Mary turned Star in a circle and led him as close to the hose as she could. Willie sprayed water on the grass in a circle in front of Star and then slowly moved the spray closer and closer until it played around Star’s hooves. Star snorted and stomped at the water but didn’t try to move from Mary’s grasp. The sun was just beginning to cast its light on the day as Willie moved the warm spray gently up Star’s front legs. When the water reached his chest, he lowered his head and opened his mouth to the spray, then lifted his muzzle to the sky and raised his lip as horses do when they smell something funny.

  “Well, I guess he’s not scared of it,” Willie chuckled. “Jody, git a bucket from the milk house and fill it up with warm water, and git your shampoo and scrubbers ready. I’ll finish wettin’ him down in the meantime.”

  Jody was back in an instant with the bucket of warm water, carefully setting it down on the dewy grass. She picked up one of the scrubby mitts and put it on over her hand.

  “OK, Jody, get some of that shampoo on the mitt and just start scrubbin’ in a circle, first on his shoulder, and keep rinsin’ out your mitt, especially when you hit the green spots,” Willie instructed.

  “Oh, Willie can I scrub, too?” pleaded Mary. Willie silently took the lead rope from Mary’s hand and watched as the girls scrubbed in circles, rinsing their mitts in the bucket and replenishing the shampoo each time. Soon Star was a big greenish soapy mess, but he seemed to be enjoying himself, stretching out his front legs and nipping playfu
lly at the girls as they scrubbed.

  “OK, Willie, time to rinse him off,” Mary announced, standing back to admire their soaping job. But before she could take the rope from Willie’s hand, Star planted his feet, snorted once, and shook himself heartily, showering the girls and Willie from head to toe with greenish soapsuds.

  Star shook himself heartily, showering the girls and Willie from head to toe with greenish soapsuds.

  “Daggone ornery bugger!” Willie shouted, wiping the soap from his face. Mary and Jody dissolved in a fit of giggles when Willie picked up the hose and began to squirt Star with it, not nearly so gently this time.

  “Willie! He didn’t mean it!” Mary laughed, shaking her hands to get the soap off.

  “Quit yer gigglin’ and go get a sweat scraper so we can get this extra water off. Get a tail comb too. And Jody, git yer rags ready to give him a good rubdown. Looks like most of the manure stains came off,” Willie said, continuing the spray over Star’s back and down his hind legs until the foam completely disappeared. Star arched his back at the feel of the water and stretched out his front legs like a dog enjoying a good scratching, clearly enjoying his bath.

  Mary returned with the metal sweat scraper and Jody stepped up with a terry cloth rag in each hand. Without a word Mary applied the blunt-edged scraper to Star’s neck and moved downward to his shoulder and then along his barrel and belly, “scraping” the excess water from his coat as she went. Jody followed close behind with the rags, rubbing vigorously in a circular motion until her rags were sopping wet and she had to go for more. Willie watched in silence, Star’s lead rope in hand, and Star stretched out his neck as though this was his day at the spa. When Mary reached Star’s tail, she put down the sweat scraper and picked up the plastic tail comb, running it through the wet tangles until they were all smoothed out. Jody wrung out her last rag and gently wiped Star’s nostrils and the corners of his eyes.