Brumby Rescue

by Soraya Nicholas

  ‘Hey, you two,’ Aunt Sophie said, a big smile on her face. ‘If only I had a fun pony to ride bareback. You’re so lucky, Pops.’

  Poppy grinned. She knew how lucky she was every single day.

  ‘Any progress with the brumby?’ Sophie asked.

  ‘No, but I’ve been watching him so much and I’m wondering if he’s depressed or something? He’s hugging the fence closest to the other horses, and I wondered if I could put Crystal or maybe even Missy in with him to see if helps?’

  Aunt Sophie dismounted. ‘Great idea. I’m reluctant to put him in a paddock with wire fencing though, at least while we can’t handle him. He’s safer behind higher wooden rails, which is why I kept him in the yard.’

  Poppy thought about that for a moment. ‘Could I put another horse in the yard with him, and then maybe once they make friends he’ll follow that horse into the small paddock beside the stables?’

  ‘Yes, let’s try that. It has safe rails so it would be perfect.’ Aunt Sophie started to walk and Poppy turned Crystal, riding back beside her. ‘You should put Missy in with him, because you’ll want to ride Crystal every day and that might stress him even more if his friend is taken away from him regularly.’

  Poppy looked ahead to the yard and hoped that her plan would work.

  Because if her brumby didn’t start feeling happy soon, she had no idea what to do next.

  A warm hand landed on her shoulder as she stood outside the brumby’s pen, and Poppy turned to see Aunt Sophie standing there with Missy.

  ‘Poppy, I don’t want you to get disheartened.’

  She looked at Aunt Sophie and leaned over to stroke the pony. ‘Sure thing. I’ll just pretend like he doesn’t hate me and the world.’

  ‘Oh, Pops, if getting a wild horse to trust you was easy, everyone would be doing it.’

  Poppy sighed. She knew that, but still . . . animals usually loved her. She’d had this dream that he’d be so grateful she’d rescued him that they’d hit it off straightaway.

  ‘But he’s not completely wild, is he?’ Poppy asked Sophie. ‘I mean, someone’s actually had him in between the wild and getting to the auction yards. I guess I didn’t realise how hard this was going to be.’

  ‘Come with me,’ Aunt Sophie said, as they walked along. ‘This horse has gone from living with a mob, in which he felt safe and knew exactly what was expected of him. Then he’s been taken somewhere, probably terrified the entire time, where a human has been in charge. And remember that he has no idea what a human wants from him.’

  ‘So you’re saying that he’s frightened and confused?’ Poppy asked. Because she already understood that.

  ‘I’m saying that you need to put yourself in his hooves,’ Sophie said, stopping now that they were near the yard.

  Poppy stared through the railings at the sad-looking bay horse standing there, shoulders hunched, ears back. He was the complete opposite to Crystal, who always had her ears pricked forward, grazing with her friends in the paddock and enjoying the sun.

  ‘So maybe he is lonely. Maybe I’m right then?’ Poppy suddenly blurted. ‘He’s in here all alone, and he’s used to being part of a mob.’

  ‘Yes,’ her aunt said smiling. ‘He will be lonely, and he doesn’t know who he can trust. I think your idea might work, and I should have thought of it sooner. I just didn’t want to risk any of the other horses getting hurt.’

  Poppy was suddenly pleased that she wasn’t putting Crystal in with him. Although she didn’t want Missy to get hurt, either! The little grey was one of her favourite ponies at Starlight.

  ‘What I was about to explain before was that he’s been used to a stallion in charge of his mob, as well as lead mares. They kept the entire mob safe and happy,’ Sophie said. ‘But we also know that at some stage a human has handled him enough to sedate and geld him, because he’s no longer a stallion, he’s a gelding. So he’s had an operation that also terrified him, I’m sure.’

  Poppy groaned. ‘I know. We’re dealing not only with a wild brumby, but a wild brumby who’s been treated badly by humans, so he’s double scared of all of us.’

  Aunt Sophie nodded. ‘Exactly.’

  Poppy moved closer to the railings so she could lean forward and peer through. She would give anything to stroke his neck, run a brush gently through his tangled mane and whisper to him about all the fun things they could do if only he’d let her.

  ‘Any new horse training tips?’ Poppy asked.

  ‘Honestly?’ Aunt Sophie said, turning to her, eyes staring straight into hers. ‘You need to be patient. It’s the only advice I have, so, same approach as last weekend. And we both have to hope this new plan helps.’

  ‘Okay, so you’ll lead Missy in, and I’ll go in like normal and sit and talk to him?’ Poppy asked.

  Aunt Sophie gestured for Poppy to open the gate, shortening the lead rope attached to Missy as she did so. ‘Here goes nothing.’

  ‘Hey, boy!’ Poppy called out in a happy voice as she opened the gate and pretended like she wasn’t absolutely terrified. If she had to be patient and wait for him to get used to her, then that’s exactly what she was going to do. ‘Come meet your new friend!’

  She glanced behind and saw Aunt Sophie closing the gate. The sweet little Welsh pony was waiting patiently, and as Sophie unclipped her, she sniffed the air then wandered quietly over to the pile of hay to sniff it. The brumby hadn’t eaten a lot since he’d arrived, except the handfuls of grass and the odd bite of hay that Poppy had put in for him.

  ‘Come back closer to the railings so we can observe them,’ Aunt Sophie said. ‘Just in case we have to get out quickly.’

  Poppy backed up, but she didn’t take her eyes off the two horses. The change in the brumby was instant. His ears swivelled forward, his shoulders lifted, and he took a step forward, then another. Missy ignored him completely, and Poppy wondered if she was trying the same trick she’d been trying on him: ignore him until he makes the first move.

  Soon he was standing behind her, and Missy turned, mouth full of hay, her nostrils meeting his. She squealed and gave one hoof a stamp when he snorted at her, then calmly turned her back and went back to eating.

  Poppy clamped her hand over her mouth when the brumby moved forward and dipped his head to the hay, showing more interest in food than he ever had before.

  ‘It’s working,’ she whispered, unable to believe her own eyes.

  ‘Yes, Poppy, it is.’

  She listened to Aunt Sophie leaving the yard, the gate opening and closing, but Poppy didn’t move. The brumby actually looked happy for once, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  ‘Quick, I’ll do Missy’s cover, you check the others!’ Poppy yelled out to her friends, running to the stables to get the little pony’s cover. She raced back as rain started to pelt her shoulders.

  Poppy looked up and saw the swirling clouds, black and angry. The storm had come out of nowhere, catching them all completely unawares. Milly and Katie had gone to bring the other ponies into the stables for the night, and then they needed to make sure the riding school ponies were covered, but Poppy wanted to see that Missy was dry and warm first.

  Her sweatshirt was getting wet and Poppy shivered as she let herself into the yard and dragged Missy’s cover behind her. The brumby moved quickly away, back to the safety of his corner, but she was happy to see that he’d been standing with his new friend before she’d walked in.

  Poppy touched her head. Duh! She’d totally forgotten her helmet. But if she had to go back to the tack room to get it . . . She tipped her head back and a plop of rain landed in her eye. She would get Missy’s cover on quickly – the brumby wouldn’t come near her and she was only going to be a minute.

  Missy stood still as Poppy did up the back straps first, then the front, the neck and the belly straps. Poppy backed away, eyes on the brumby, then paused as a crack of thunder echoed around them. The sky was black now, the air freezing cold, and Missy looked worried. She jumped when li
ghtning cracked in the distance, and Poppy quickly let herself out and climbed up on the rails to watch.

  The rain started to fall heavily. Her hair was plastered to her head, and the rain streaming down her face. But she couldn’t move.

  The brumby finally had his ears turned forward, pricked as the thunder boomed again. He started to trot around the yard, stopping only to rear, his body stretched up as he pawed out and then landed with a thud. He called out, a big, powerful neigh, as he started to canter, tail held high as he raced round and round the yard.

  Poppy suddenly realised, with shock, that he was excited, not scared. She could tell from the look on his face, from the way he kept stopping and snorting, that he liked the feel of the rain on his coat.

  She laughed. Her crazy brumby loved storms, which was incredible because weather like this freaked out most horses.

  Storm.

  That was it. She’d been trying to find a name to fit him all this time, and there it was. Storm!

  Poppy wiped at her rain-soaked face and laughed again, watching him rear and dance.

  ‘Poppy! What are you doing?’ Milly yelled out.

  Poppy scrambled down from the yards, looking at her brumby one last time. She could see Katie like a blur through the rain, running for the house, and Poppy grabbed Milly’s hand as they ran after her.

  ‘What’s so funny? What were you doing up there?’ Milly asked.

  ‘Watching Storm!’ she said, slipping on the grass and squealing.

  ‘Who’s Storm?’

  ‘My brumby!’

  They raced up onto the verandah and kicked off their boots, stripping off their wet sweatshirts. Poppy couldn’t wipe the grin off her face as she thought about her wild-crazy brumby playing in the rain.

  Poppy yawned. She looked at her watch. It had been over an hour, and Storm still hadn’t moved. She hated sitting still, so the fact that she’d managed to sit like that for . . . she chewed on her bottom lip . . . seventy-two minutes? Miracle. She couldn’t understand why he looked so sad again today. Missy was with him, the sun was shining . . . there was absolutely no reason for him to be so blue. Other than the fact that he obviously preferred stormy weather.

  ‘Come on,’ she whispered. ‘Just come closer to me.’

  He didn’t budge. But he was definitely listening, because he hadn’t stopped staring at her since she’d come into the yard, and she’d seen the tiniest flicker of his ear when she spoke. Aunt Sophie had told her not to look at him, to completely ignore him and let him come to her on his own terms, but Poppy reckoned she’d be an old lady before he decided to make the first move. Even Missy had given up. The little pony had come straight over, nudged her pockets looking for treats, and leaned in for some scratches, but when she realised Poppy wasn’t going to ride her or brush her, she had gone back to eating hay again.

  Poppy went over and picked up some hay, keeping her eyes downcast, and slowly moved toward him. He was standing in the corner, looking grumpy and uninterested, but she noticed his back legs moving from their resting position. Once she’d crossed halfway between the bucket she’d been sitting on and the brumby, she stopped.

  Poppy tried to think of something to talk about but failed. She needed to chat or sing or do something, instead of just standing there silently, making them both nervous.

  Besides, horses could sense a person’s heartbeat and usually matched their own to it, so if she stayed nervous with her heart beating so loud and fast she could practically hear it herself, then there was no way he was going to let her near. He’d be crazy nervous too!

  ‘So I’ve been so tired this week,’ Poppy said, talking quietly to herself but knowing that he’d be listening. She hoped it settled him. ‘I know I’ve been thinking about you and Crystal, but I’ve also been staying up late reading about brumbies, because you know, that’s what you are, so I haven’t been getting enough sleep.’

  She glanced at him, saw that he was still watching her. One of his ears had flipped forward, which meant he was definitely listening to her mutter away and she took another few steps, feeling more confident. It was weird that he’d seemed so happy the day before, and now he was back to being glum again.

  ‘You know, I really miss my friend from home. Her name’s Sarah, and she doesn’t even like horses. Crazy, huh? But the good thing is that she did come here and ride once, and she did like your new friend. Missy’s one of the nicest ponies here, so I knew you’d both like her.’

  Poppy took a deep breath and moved closer, shuffling just a tiny bit further toward him each time.

  ‘I love Crystal so much, but if you’d give me a chance, and hopefully not make her too jealous at the same time, you could be so happy here.’

  Poppy realised she was holding her breath. She was so close. If she took another few steps and reached her hand out, she might even be able to touch him. Her heart was beating faster from excitement now, but she tried to calm down, keep talking.

  ‘You know, Milly and Katie have gone on a trail ride, and I chose to stay here with you. You’d love going on adventures with us, although we’d have to keep it secret from Crystal.’

  She was standing in front of Storm now, and slightly to the side. She slowly, carefully, held out the handful of hay, making sure not to move too suddenly.

  ‘Because she might get jealous, and I want you two to be friends,’ she murmured, slowly extending her other hand out, cautiously, ready to try to touch his neck.

  Poppy smiled as her fingers neared his dark coat, nowhere near as glossy as Crystal’s, but still beautiful. It was thicker than Crystal’s too, maybe because he’d never been covered before and previously had to protect himself from the elements. He snorted as her fingertips connected with him, nose close to the hay she held in her other hand. His jawline was strong, forehead wide and eyes so big and brown. She was struck again by how handsome he was. But there was a strange bulge in his cheek. She moved closer for a better look.

  ‘See,’ she whispered, about to run her hand down his neck, ‘I’m not so . . . Argh!’ Poppy screamed as the brumby lashed out, gnashing teeth that landed on her arm, cutting deep into her skin.

  ‘No!’ she screamed, trying to pull back, yelling at him.

  But it was over in seconds as he charged off across the yard, leaving her trembling as she stared down at her arm. She was bleeding. There was a chunk of skin, there was . . . Hot tears burned Poppy’s eyes as they fell rapidly down her cheeks, her knees shaking, threatening to collapse.

  He’d bitten her.

  ‘Aunt Sophie!’ she called, but her voice betrayed her, the call too quiet to be heard by her aunt who might or might not be in the stables.

  ‘Aunt Sophie!’

  She looked over at the brumby. He was glaring at her with a face like thunder from the other side of the yard. A sob erupted deep in her chest. Why did he hate her so much? Why couldn’t he see how much she cared for him? Poppy cradled her arm, refusing to look at her bare skin. It was a mess, a blur of blood and bruise, and it was starting to sting, the pain searing hot like her skin was on fire.

  Terror rose within her as he stamped his hoof. Was he going to charge at her? She stumbled backward, scared of the horse staring her down. She’d never, ever in her life been scared of a horse, but right now she was terrified.

  She used her good arm to climb out. She wanted to run but she was feeling dizzy, so she walked as fast as she could, emotion clogging in her throat when she tried to call for her aunt again. She sobbed, her nose snotty and tears streaming down her cheeks.

  ‘Poppy!’

  Aunt Sophie appeared from the tack room, a big smile on her face that quickly fell when Poppy held out her arm. She tried to speak, tried to say something, anything, but the room started to spin. Sophie grabbed Poppy, holding her, as everything started to blur and turn bright-coloured around her.

  ‘Poppy, it’s okay. You’re going to be fine.’

  She heard her aunt speaking, but she couldn’t answer. All she wanted
to do was be sick. The hot, gross taste of vomit rose in her throat as she listened to Sophie call Mark for help.

  Poppy stared down at her bandaged arm. It still hurt, but nothing like it had before. And luckily she hadn’t needed stitches. She knew she was just stalling going outside and facing Storm.

  ‘Come on, Pops, you know what they say about getting straight back on the horse after a fall.’

  She stared at Aunt Sophie. This was not the same as her falling off Crystal and needing encouragement to get back up again. Storm hated her, she had seen it in his eyes when he’d lunged at her, and she doubted that any amount of love was going to change his mind.

  ‘He hates me,’ she said. ‘You weren’t the one to see his huge teeth coming at you.’

  Aunt Sophie held out a hand, waiting to haul her up to her feet. ‘No, but I’ve been bitten before.’

  ‘Where?’ Poppy said, taking her extended hand.

  ‘You really want to see?’

  Sophie was grinning and now Poppy was curious. ‘Yes!’

  ‘Okay, I’m not actually going to pull my pants down and show you, but it’s right here.’ Her aunt slapped her bum and laughed. ‘I was eleven years old, I finally had my own horse, and the first time I put my foot in the stirrup to swing up he bit me so hard on the backside I had to be rushed to the doctor!’

  Poppy burst out laughing. ‘No way!’ She so didn’t believe Sophie.

  ‘Yes way, and I was terrified of him after that. But my riding instructor told me if I had been holding the reins firmly in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened.’

  Poppy shifted from one foot to the other, knowing why her aunt was telling her this. It didn’t make her feel any better about her brumby, but she got the point. ‘So you did get back on?’