Bubba and the Chocolate Farm 2- Where There's A Horse, There's Hope

by Connie Foss

  to lots of Christmas parties and programs, and play Santa for all of the

  little kids.You just tell me when and where, and I’ll be the best Santa

  Claus you can imagine.”

  “Oh, that is perfect! I plan to rig some horns to put on Bubba

  but I will.”

  “Not meaning to interfere, Miss Meg, but if you want my opinion,

  I wouldn’t do that. Reindeer are pretty small, more Percy’s size, and

  Bubba is just too big to be a realistic reindeer.”

  I’m too big? Thank heavens! I won’t have to wear the bones on

  my head!

  “How about putting some sleigh bells on his harness instead,

  and some pretend runners on the buggy? I already have the bells, and I

  could make some wooden runners and fasten them on the outside of

  the wheels.”

  “Hap, you are a godsend!” Meg is obviously surprised and

  pleased with the sudden change in her plans. “I hadn’t even thought

  about the size thing with reindeers, but you’re right. Percy would make

  a perfect reindeer.”

  Percy is probably going to eat this up, he’s such a showoff. But

  I’m glad he’s the one that’ll have to wear the horns and not me.

  Chapter Fifty-Three:

  Oh, Mr. O

  “Hey, Bruce. Glad to see you. And Mickey how are you?” Bill greets them as they come for Mickey’s riding lesson. I’m always glad to see Mickey, because it means I will see Annie, as Mickey rides her right past my stall.

  “Hello, Mr. Bill.” Yes, that’s Mickey talking, showing his new

  “Christmas is but days away so it’s time to let you in on a secret, “ Bill says to Mickey. “The Chocolate Farm is going to be in the Christmas parade, and we’re hoping that you would like to ride Annie in the parade. Otherwise she’ll have to stay in the pasture and miss out on the fun.”

  “What do you think, Mickey?” Bruce asks. “I’ll walk right along with you and Annie, if you’d like. In fact, Mickey and I have Santa hats.We found them when we got out the Christmas decorations last Saturday. We could wear those, couldn’t we, Mickey?”

  “That’s a great idea,” says Bill. “I think I’ll get me one of those, too. I’m going to ride Geoffrey, and a Santa hat would be better than my usual cowboy hat.Will you be riding with me, Mickey?”

  Mickey’s still a bit shy, for he hangs his head as he nods it and quietly says,“Yes.”

  Things seem to be taking shape, with everyone getting their costumes ready. As I thought, Percy is excited about being a reindeer. “Percy, these horns will sit right up here on the top of your head, your poll, and the strap under your throat will keep them in place,” Meg says

  Tonight as I doze in my stall, I’m hearing a sound on the metal roof that doesn’t go with Christmas time. It’s not reindeer hooves, but raindrops. Strange, but I go back to sleep.

  *******

  Gosh, it’s morning. I wonder where breakfast is? Usually Nancy is here by now, turning the stable lights on and hustling about to get us all fed. I could sure use a bite of oats. I guess she must have overslept.

  “Hey, Meg, these guys haven’t had their breakfast.” It’s Bill, and he and Meg have come to start the morning’s work. “I’ll bet Nancy is having trouble with the ice. She’s not been driving long enough to know how to drive on icy roads. I’ll get the feeding started while you call. Okay?”

  When Meg puts down the phone, she says, “No luck, Bill. The lines must be down, for the phone’s dead. I expect Lilly won’t get here, either. Darn. Without the gals here, we’ll have double duty today, so let’s get at it. But after this, let’s see if Hap can stay each night until the morning crew arrives.” And so the day begins.

  “Bill! Bill! Something awful has happened to our owl.” It’s Lilly, bursting in the door, frantically calling for Bill’s help.

  Mr. O? I guess I didn’t see him come back from his nightly rounds. What could have happened?

  “What’s the problem, Lilly?” Bill asks, as he rides up on Geoffrey.

  “I don’t know. I was just pulling into the drive when I saw him just sitting in the ditch. It looks like he was hit by a car or something, but he’s still alive. I tried to help him, but he wouldn’t let me.”

  Meg, having heard the conversation, comes quickly and says,“I’ll get a towel and you take your leather gloves, Bill. Let’s go see what we can do.

  Oh, dear. Is Mr. O hurt? I don’t like the sound of that.

  When the three come back, Bill is holding Mr. O. I know it’s Mr. O, for he’s doing his Hiss-hooing from under the towel that’s draped over his head.

  “What’s the problem, Mr. O? Are you alright?” I whinny.

  more. I was sitting out there on the light pole and before I knew it, the

  up, and I couldn’t get any lift. As I was falling, this wing caught on the wire.And now it just hangs there.”

  “We’ve got to get him to Doc,” Meg says, “but a truck doesn’t do as well on ice as a car. Lilly, could we take your car, please?”

  “Sure, and I’ll get started working the horses. I’m sorry I’m late, but with the ice and the wrecks along the way, it just couldn’t be helped. Where do I start?”

  After Meg gets Lilly lined out on the work that needs to be done, she hops in the driver’s seat, and Bill, carefully maneuvering Mr. O into the car, settles down for an uncomfortable ride with an uncooperative owl on his lap.

  Chapter Fifty-Four:

  Feeding Mr. O

  “What goes around, comes around,” says Tom, as he hops up on my feed tub that night. “Remember when we had those ten baby kittens, and Mr. O caught mice and rats for us? No way could I have kept up with those little tummies by myself. Well, now that Mr. O can’t

  of mice right at his feet whether he likes it or not.”

  When Meg and Bill come back from the vet’s, they bring a stand of some sort with them and put it in the corner of the barn nearest me, and that is where Mr. O is now, perched like a parrot on that stand.

  me like he’s supposed to. He just put some sort of wood and cloth on

  “That’s a tough thing, Mr. O,” I sympathize with him, “but Tom will bring you mice and rats and you’ve got water there. You’ll make it, and in the meantime you’re right down here with us, and you’ll be able to know what’s going on. You’ll be okay.”

  But things are not as easy as I thought. I’m used to sleeping

  he makes quite a ruckus. I thought Chatty was the chatterbox of the stable. No more.

  Finally, I say,“Mr. O, could you please be quiet for a while? I am so sleepy, but your jabbering is keeping me awake.”

  “Jabbering? Jabbering? How absolutely absurd! Owls do not jabber. Everything an owl says comes from a wealth of wisdom.” Mr. O still has that haughty approach to life on the outside, but on the inside he is really bothered by not being able to take care of himself. I guess I’ve always been lucky. There has always been someone to bring me food to eat. No one ever did that for Mr. O, and now that he can’t get his own food, he doesn’t know how to act.

  That night, when Tom drops by for a little chat, he says,“How’s it going with your new neighbor? I see he’s asleep right now and the rat I brought him this evening seems to have disappeared. I hang them over his perch, so all he has to do is bend over to eat.”

  pretty much bored to death. When you’re used to being your own boss

  get old pretty quickly. What are you going to do in the parade,Tom?” “Huh, me be in a parade? What for? What would an ole geezer

  like me be doin’ in a parade for cryin’ out loud?”

  “It’ll be fun,Tom, to go out on the streets of the town and enjoy

  the season with your friends. You could ride in my buggy with Hap.” Tom is not about to budge. He knows what he wants to do and

  what he doesn’t. So that’s that.

  Chapter Fifty-F
ive:

  The Parade

  “I think we’re pretty well organized, Bill. You’ll load the buggy and harness for Bubba, plus Percy’s cart. Hap is bringing his own Santa

  Robin in her suit, and I’ll have Brett in his. Boo will wear a Santa hat. I don’t think we’ll do anything for Chatty, for he’s colorful enough on his own. Bruce said he and Mickey already have Santa hats, so that leaves Annie and Geoffrey.Any ideas?”

  “No, I’ll wear my Santa hat, too, and that should be enough. Nancy said she would take care of having herself and Whisper look Christmassy.What about Patches? He’s going, isn’t he?”

  “Oh, I forgot about him,” Meg says and stops to think.“I wonder

  *******

  At last, parade day arrives. I think Meg and Bill have gone to more trouble getting ready for a parade than they do getting ready for a show. This might even be more fun, and we won’t have to travel far and stay in strange barns.

  Mr. O is awake and staring at me with his huge eyes, when I realize I haven’t made sure he will be in the parade.“Mr. O, today is the

  there is no excuse for you not to come with us.”

  “Hiss-hoo, just what would I do, pray tell, in the parade? Since I

  “That’s silly. It isn’t what someone does that matters; it’s his joining up with his friends to share the experience that matters. You could sit on the backboard of my buggy, or even up on my withers, and you would be a sensation! In fact, if you would ride on my withers, we could talk the whole time.Will you please, Mr. O? What better thing do you have planned for today?”

  It’s settled. Only Tom will hang back here, but he can keep his eye on everything while we’re gone.

  Bill loaded the trailer with all of the tack and buggies yesterday, so after breakfast, we get in the trailer, with Mr. O on my back, and head

  from the square, so that’s where we put everything together, our staging area. Meg has surprised us with her costume, an elf costume. So here we are, an assortment of parade entries directed by an elf. Must look strange to anyone unfamiliar with parades.

  “”We’re over here, Bruce,” Meg is waving her arms and yelling, as Bruce and Mickey come around the corner.

  “Hi, Mickey. Are you excited to be in the parade?” Meg is watching as Mickey recognizes her and a smile starts gradually across his face, before it bursts into a genuine laugh.

  “Yes,Miss Meg. This is fun.” Mickey’s speech is in an unexpressive monotone, but he’s talking.That’s a success story!

  “When this is all over and things quiet down, Meg, I have an idea I would like to discuss with you and Bill,” says Bruce quietly.

  “Sure.After the parade there’ll be lots of time. Maybe we can go

  duties. “Listen up, everyone.The Chocolate Farm is to follow the high

  school marching band…right at the front of the parade. Nice, huh? So

  if we are all ready, lets go up to Main Street where the parade starts.

  Have fun, everyone. That’s what this is all about.” With that, Meg, the

  elf, climbs into the buggy next to Hap who really does look like Santa

  Claus, and we’re off.

  step in time to the music from the band. With Jingle Bells bouncing off the storefronts, and the crowd singing along, the bells on my harness are just the thing.

  “What do you think, Mr. O? Are you wishing you were back in the stable sitting on your little perch?” I ask over my shoulder, as I feel Mr. O shifting his feet a bit.“Could you be dancing?”

  dance. I’m just shifting my weight around.”

  “Mommy, look! There’s an owl sitting on a horse. I didn’t know owls rode horses,” I hear from a little boy standing at the front of the crowd.

  I wish I were farther back so I could see Brett and Robin. Meg’s mom baked a lot of Christmas cookies and put each one in a little bag with a red ribbon and a bell on it.With the kids tossing them into the crowd, they are a real hit.

  All seems to be going well. As we turn the corner and head down the north side of the square, I look back and see Patches walking right beside Percy. The goat is getting petted by the crowd, and Percy looks so cute with his horns.

  Annie, my sweet Annie, is right behind Percy and seems to be enjoying herself. Even from this distance, I can see happiness in her eyes, and Mickey is smiling. Yes, he is happy, too. This parade is such a treat for all of us, and the crowd seems to really appreciate our efforts.

  With the music and the cheers, the sun shining on it all, life couldn’t be better.

  Suddenly the cheers from the crowd change to cries of alarm and terror. “Whoa, there, Bubba. Something has happened.” Both Hap and Meg are out of the buggy and see Bill riding Geoffrey toward the back of the parade.

  “It’s okay, Bubba,” Hap says as he strokes my shoulder,“it looks

  know.” “Every one just stay put. Something has happened farther back,

  to the rest of our gang.

  Soon Bill comes riding across the courthouse lawn, hollering at Hap to unhitch me. “Hap, we need Bubba.There’s been a car wreck, and people are trapped in one of the cars. No one can get at them, for the other car is on top of theirs. Bubba’s big and strong enough that he might be able to pull that car off. Hurry!”

  The crowd makes way for Hap and me, with Mr. O still on my withers. As we get to the accident site, the police move the crowd back and talk to Hap about how they think I can help. As I look at that car that’s underneath and see the panic on the face of a woman, staring out the car’s window, I wonder if I am strong enough to help. I have to be! I can do it!

  “Hiss-hoo, do not doubt your ability, Bubba. If you are strong in your thought, you can do this.The wise know never to allow doubt to creep in.”

  I know Mr. O is right. I can do this. I can do this, and I will.

  Chapter Fifty-Six:

  Hope

  Yes. I did it. As I think back over that challenge, I realize that being big has its advantages and also it’s responsibilities. Geoffrey wasn’t asked to save those people, nor was Percy.They’re not big enough. I’ve always been bigger than the others, even when Julie and I were born. For a long time I worried about that and felt embarrassed that I was so big. I’ve heard Meg say that each of us is different and that’s good. I guess she’s right. I can be happy that I am big, for that bigness lets me do things that I couldn’t otherwise.

  The parade did get going again, and The Chocolate Farm was appreciated. Brett and Robin tossed cookies to the crowd, and even Mr. O enjoyed it. He pretended that it was just a lot of foolishness, but yesterday I heard him telling Tom all about it.There was a certain ring to his voice that let me know he was happy to have been involved.

  Now the parade is but a memory, though a good one, and we are settled in for a winter of work. For me each day will bring Annie and me closer to being a parent, to having our own little foal to love and watch grow up. Baby will be old enough to start doing the Hunter level

  There may be even more things to look forward to,for something is brewing between Bruce, Meg and Bill. I heard them talking the other day after Mickey had his lesson. Bruce said, “Then we’re all agreed. I will write up a contract detailing the creation of Heartfelt Farm, a subsidiary of The Chocolate Farm. In that document I will fund the construction of another stable and riding arena to be used exclusively to support a horse therapy program.The Chocolate Farm will have sole responsibility for its operation.The contract will go into effect January

  Bruce paused and gathered his thoughts before saying, “When we became aware of Mickey’s autism, we were devastated.We saw no hope for him. Then when he showed interest in horses, we jumped at it. Now we have come to realize with Mickey that where there is a horse, there is hope. Hope for greater involvement in life, greater opportunities for growth. I see hope growing each day Mickey is here and am glad that together we all can help others to have hope, too.”

  As I watch the three of them shake hands and I see their enthusiasm, I recogni
ze the impact Mickey’s autism has had on The Chocolate Farm and the even greater impact it will have on the rest of the world. Next year looks full of promise and challenge, but most of all hope.

  The End

  Glossary

  Basilar skull fracture: a fracture at the base of the skull Bay: a reddish brown color with dark mane tail, muzzle and lower legs

  Conformation: structure

  Cribbing: a nervous habit

  Crossties: Ropes or chains coming from two opposing walls to allow a horse to be restrained in an open area facilitating grooming or tacking

  Crupper: a strap the generally goes under the tail head to secure the harness

  Curry comb: a hand tool for grooming a horse’s body.

  Direct rein: Pulling on the right rein to go right, the left to go left Dished face:

  between the brow the nostrils generally seen in Arabians Dressage: horsemanship in which the horse in controlled in certain

  Dry face: a face that shows the tendons, ligaments, muscles rather than fat

  Equitation: horsemanship

  Euthanize: to kill in order to stop suffering

  Farrier: someone who shoes horses

  Fetlocks: lower leg joint

  Fine Harness class: a competition for horses pulling buggies Fledged:

  Foundering: a sickness in a horse caused by too much rich feed or possibly moldy feed

  Gelding: a neutered male horse

  Girth: The part of a saddle that goes under a horse’s belly fastening on both sides

  Halter Class: a class at a horse show in which the horses are judged by their conformation and attitude rather than performance Hands tall: a horse’s height measured from the withers to the ground by “hands.” A hand is considered to be 4 inches.

  Hunter Class: horses and riders move as Jumpers but without the jumps

  Laminitis:

  Lope/canter: a gait of long easy strides; lope used in reference to Western and canter referring to the English style of riding Longe line: A lengthy rope or line used to exercise a horse, circling around the handler

  Neck-rein: the method of stirring a horse by pulling the right rein across the neck to go left and vice versa.The opposite of direct reining